Xbox ONE Reveal Summary by Matthew Kenealy

Here is my summary of Microsoft’s Xbox reveal:

So to start of with Microsoft waited a long time before revealing the next Xbox, they let Nintendo and Sony get in first and now PS4 looks like it has a fighting chance up against the Xbox. As a longtime fan of Microsoft and Xbox I was actually considering moving over to the PS4 or going back to PC gaming if it turned out that the next gen Xbox was always-online and blocked used games. Now I am not sure about used games but it looks like you will only need to be online when you first turn on your Xbox and then you can go offline and continue playing as you wish. But I know you didn’t come hear to read about that so without further ado let’s get right into it.

But Sony had a great plan to distract all the gamers with a teaser trailer for the PS4 where they showed you uh… they showed you, this… yeah. Just watch the video already.

After watching that I think it was a bit of a silly move that somehow paid off for Sony with the large amount of views it got. But a smarter move would have been show the console and move in the trailer and show off some more exclusive game content and demo streamed during the same time as the Xbox ONE reveal was going on.

The fist thing spoken of was innovation, that the original Xbox gave us innovative games like Halo and online multiplayer with the birth of Xbox Live. Then came the Xbox 360 which brought gaming into High Definition and with the addition of the Kinect, the 360 let you be the controller. And we currently know they will go into more detail about all these things at the Microsoft press conference at E3. He talked about how our living room has changed, that now we have a so many devices to distract us like mobile devices, tablets, laptops, TVs etc. but the Xbox is here to unite the living room which has been fragmented with the all-in-one entertainment system which will have built in social media and immersive games.

This marks the Xbox ONE. Which is designed to help make the TV more intelligent and entertainment will now be taking the stage. The Xbox ONE will have Ultimate Precision, with the instant response of the Kinect it has integration like has never been seen before(Kinect will come shipped with all Xbox ONE’s and is required to use the Xbox.) Now when you stand in front of the Kinect it will automatically sign you in and load up your save meaning that you no longer have to manually sign-in.

This all in one device can turn on your TV by just saying Xbox On. The Xbox remembers was you were previously doing, like if you were playing a game or watching a TV show. There is also a new section added to the Xbox Marketplace known as the trending section. Which will work similar to twitter in some regard, and can either show content that your friends are watching or the entire Xbox Live community. This feature was advertised to work with TV shows and Movies and Music but I assume that Games will also be included in the future. They have also added the ability for live TV broadcast including cable TV and streaming as well as being able to be used as a set top box. You can also switch between music, TV, movies, games and the internet instantly and in the demo it showed that the speed of switching is about the same time it takes to change channels. This multitasking feature also allows you to also have music playing in the background while playing games or you can watch movies and be playing a game or any combination like that. Including being able to surf the net while watching a movie or TV show.

The Kinect also now has some universal features similar to what the iPhone has with swipe. I can’t exactly remember them but one will take you back to the Xbox dashboard and the other will bring up the Xbox guide I think. Skype through Kinect in Widescreen Full HD on your TV and being able to Skype multiple people at once will be exclusive to the Xbox ONE. You can watch movies, play games or surf the net while chatting over Skype. Xbox also has a deal will ESPN to give sport alerts, show scores of teams you like and members of your dream team. I will also pop up with a notification and you can see the highlight of your team scoring and their highlight with the touch of a button or simple command. League standings, stats,  and best of will all be accessible. Xbox ONE Guide will also give a detailed overview of all the shows on TV and you can choose what to watch through manual control, voice command or by what is trending. It will show all local channels in your area, though Microsoft did not give any information away as to whether these features will be available outside the US. There will no longer be the need for remote controls and you can pin content to keep up with it like shows, movies or music.

This Xbox will also take advantage of the cloud, to what extent is still unclear but they promise it will help make more dynamic and immersive worlds. Hopefully we don’t get the same incident as we have seen on Sim City with Always-ON DRM and servers crashing constantly. It will be running 3 operating systems at once with the Xbox OS, Windows and a third one which allows to switch between the two.

New Kinect features include being able to track 30 FPS, 2 Gigabits of data, 1080p camera, Orientation of joints hands and fingers, Muscle and Impact, Depth and supposedly being able to read your heartbeat through the Hue in your face.

There was never a doubt that the Xbox 360 is the best controller ever made, even PS3 players made an adapter to use the 360 controller on the PS3 and Microsoft is proud of it. In fact the claim their controller is the best and now they are only making it better. It has over 40 innovations some of which are a longer battery life which will also fit better, Improved D-Pad for more precision, Direct feedback to triggers. I am not entirely convinced but they have also improved the thumb sticks and the other revisions look good however it looks to me like a bulkier version of the 360 controller and almost looks like a prettier version of the original controller. I am sure once I put it in my hands and test it out playing games I will know whether it really was an upgrade or downgrade.

Xbox Live will have both Gold and Silver Membership like previous generations but the number of servers have been vastly increased. From 500 servers when the original Xbox launched, to 5000 server servers when 360 launched, 15 000 currently, the Xbox ONE will launch with 300 000 servers.(Why not 360k to make a great reference to the previous console?) Anyway the new amount of servers will be used for the Intelligent TV, constantly recording and dedicated gamer DVR with all gameplay being recorded and sent through to video services like Twitch TV. Achievements will also be ported onto the next gen console and will now be more dynamic showing more about what you actually achieved and the ability to share them with friends. You will also now be able to search for the perfect match and while waiting for the matches to start you can easily switch to a movie or watch TV and listen to music. They have also promised bigger matches and larger player counts.

EA will now be partnering with Microsoft and for the next two years they will be releasing some of their games exclusively for the Xbox ONE. The new engine shown is the IGNITE engine which has more intelligent AI, blur the line between real and fake, dynamic environments, true player motion, dodging, improved physics, living worlds, curtains opens and stadium will erupt with 3D Crowds and interactive sidelines. There will be 4 times more calculations per second, 10 times more animation and daily stream of content that will impact the game. The Xbox ONE will have exclusive content for Fifa 14 Ultimate Team and graphics are life like with depth of field, reflections, sweat, lighting and even bending of the nets in soccer games.

More exclusives than ever before including all the favorite series like Forza Motorsport 5 and Quantum Break. Here is my assumption of the 15 new exclusives in the first year after launch, 8 being new. From what I can guess the exclusives will be 2 or 3 EA games(hopefully not sports), 5 Kinect only games (3 old, 2 new), Quantum Break, Forza Motorsport 5, a historic Rare game so either Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Banjoe Kazooie or Conker’s Bad Fur Day(very unlikely) and Gears of War 4, so that leaves 4 unknowns. I hope that they don’t bring Halo 5 out this soon, maybe a Halo ODST RPG would be cool and I have a feeling they are working on a few always-online cloud based MMOs and a few RTS’s or RPGs. I also assume that the game RYSE will also be released in the first year due to it’s emphasis on Kinect and next gen capabilities.

Games will now have cloud powered content, be multiplatform and include dynamic weather, wear and tear and time. Remedy will be creating a Cinematic action and scripted TV series called Quantum Break and the actions of the game will effect what happens in the TV show. The graphics are life-like with stunning visuals and set pieces. The tag line for the games is “Time is fire in which we burn.” I am not sure what this means but the game and TV show look like Microsoft’s version of Infamous.

The PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One Comparison Chart provides an easy visual aid to compare hardware, user interface, media compatibility and other features on both systems.

PS4 vs. Xbox One Comparison Chart

Feature PlayStation 4 Xbox One

Optical Drive	Blu-Ray/DVD [1]	Blu-Ray/DVD [2]
Game DVR	Yes [3]	Yes [4]
RAM	8GB GDDR5 [5]	8GB DDR3 [6]
CPU	Single-chip x86 AMD “Jaguar” processor, 8 cores [7]	8 Core Microsoft custom CPU [8]
Storage	TBA	500 GB Hard Drive[9]
Second Screen	Vita [10]	SmartGlass [11]
Cloud Storage	Yes [12]	Yes [13]
Mandatory Game Installs	TBA	Yes [14]
Always Online Connection	No [15]	Maybe [16]
Used Game Fee	TBA	Maybe [17]
Backwards Compatibility	None [18]	None [19]
Skype	TBA	Yes [20]
Motion Control	DualShock 4, PlayStation Eye	Kinect 2
Voice Commands	TBA	Yes [21]
Subscription Fee	TBA	TBA
USB	USB 3.0 [22]	USB 3.0 [23]
Live Streaming	TBA	TBA
Reputation Preservation	Trophies will be ported	Achievements will be ported [24]
Web Connection	Ethernet, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n [25]	Ethernet, WiFi [26]
BlueTooth	Bluetooth 2.1 [27]	Bluetooth 2.1 (EDR)[28]
A/V Hookups	HDMI (4K Support[29]) , Analog (Component, RCA), Optical output[30]	HDMI input and output (4K support), Optical output [31]

The content above is directly from IGN’s Wiki and the link is here for more information: http://au.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one/PS4_vs._Xbox_One_Comparison_Chart

At least they showed us a good amount of variety and the consoles plus the controller and how the next Kinect may actually be a worthwhile addition. I do like the idea of telling my Tv when to turn on and being able to watch the RT gaming podcast while gaming. (If Youtube is built in.) I feel like MS held back cause E3 is so close but people should respect that they made it very clear they care about the gamer and are going to have 15 new exclusives in the first year after launch, 8 being new. From what I can guess the exclusives will be 2 or 3 EA games(hopefully not sports), 5 Kinect only games (3 old, 2 new), Quantum Entanglement, Forza Motorsport 5, a historic Rare game so either Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Banjoe Kazooie or Conker’s Bad Fur Day(very unlikely) and Gears of War 4, so that leaves 4 unknowns. I hope that they don’t bring Halo 5 out this soon, maybe a Halo ODST RPG would be cool and I have a feeling they are working on a few always-online cloud based MMOs and a few RTS’s or RPGs.

Microsoft also confirmed it will produce original Xbox TV programming, starting with a project based on the Halo franchise. The project is being handled by legendary film director Steven Spielberg. The effort to create a Halo TV or film adaptation first began in 2006 with Halo Chronicles, a “completely new and original chapter” in the Halo series from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson that never saw the light of day. Last year Microsoft released the live-action series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn in preparation for the launch of Halo 4. In late 2012, Microsoft hired former CBS executive Nancy Tellem and began plans for original Xbox TV content. Earlier this year, the company detailed Microsoft’s LA-based studio for “pioneering the future of TV.” (Source: http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/halo-tv-project-revealed)

So they also covered an NFL partnership, Call of Duty: Gameplay and social TV but I though I would leave that stuff out as this is already a really long post. For more information go the Youtube to watch the full Xbox ONE reveal or read the articles over in IGN. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. Is it always online? At this point in time it seems even Microsoft isn’t sure whether it is saying it is sometime always online which makes about as much sense as he is only half dead. Anyway thanks for reading the post, I tried to cover everything I could and get it out as soon as possible

My Top 10 TV Shows of all time.

Top 10 lists are always interesting and I thought I would do another one for TV shows, so here they are my Top 10 list with reasons for each.

10. Battlestar Galactica (New Version)

SET in a distant star system where the remnants of humanity are fleeing the Cylon machine enemies they once created, Battlestar Galactica proved to be a remarkably accurate take on the first decade of the 21st century (9/11, suicide bombers, military justice). This was science fiction as contemporary commentary, and any doubts about a remake of a hokey old space opera were banished within a handful of gripping episodes.

The show dug deep into matters of faith and spirituality and it gave audiences the unfolding drama of people losing their humanity and machines discovering theirs, a saga matched by impressive digital effects and lived-in performances.

9. Burn Notice

Another show about a CIA agent, this time his agency has turned against him and set up his death so he flees the country and hides in the city of Miami. He wants to get back in, but to do so he must work cases for people and help them out until he can reconnect with the agency. It is eventually very obvious that there are many corrupt people higher up and there is little chance he is ever going to make it back in so now he must do everything in his power to get back at the people responsible while protecting his friends and family.

8. Game of Thrones

Now I know this show has very high ratings and has been claimed to be the best show on TV, whether the critics are right about this show I don't know, but it is definitely the best fantasy show ever to be on Television. I was reluctant to put it in my top 10 for a few reasons, including the fact that there is a lot of content in this show I am not entirely interested in and find sometimes the scene drag on a bit, and if you live in Australia you get censored version with many scenes cut before airing on Cable. But to its credit it has some really great story development, characters I have a high appreciation for their level of detail in their set pieces and costuming. Plus, it has dragon people, any show with dragons gets an instant +1 for me.

7. Better Off Ted

If you haven't seen this show before there is probably a few reasons for it and one of the big ones is it only got to two seasons and then was sadly cancelled due to poor ratings. Now this show is one that I put on the list because it dared to be different, it took risks and wasn't afraid to take Comedy to extremes others shows wouldn't risk. From episodes about sensors that wouldn't pick up anyone without white skin to episodes where employees were encouraged to slam other employees because it increased productivity it was a hilarious and weird mix of everything you would never expect to see on TV. One of the reasons it was such a great show, plus every episode featured a small advertisement about the company Veridian Dynamics which was pretty much if Aperture Science was a real company. You never really knew where the show was going next and usually that was what made it so fun and interesting to watch. Sadly though I feel this show ended up getting the axe due to the fact that The Office which is a very popular show had a very similar concept and had a larger audience. I think this is the sort of show that would be great to see return in the form of half-hour web episodes and could have real traction on the internet where we aren't governed by society's norms or TV network giants who cut shows because they are hitting the ratings they want. Oh and check out one of the Veridian Dynamics videos below to see for yourself the sort of humor involved in the show.

6. Person of Interest

An interesting concept that takes the movie Eagle's Eye, computer is watch you to an all new level. The main character is an ex-CIA agent who becomes homeless after quitting his job and no longer has any purpose for his job when a man asks him to do a job for him. He hesitates at first but eventually chooses to complete the mission and now the machine gives him and his partner social security numbers of people who are in trouble or people who are trouble. It is good to see the way the show progresses and the characters learning to become more careful as enemies take advantage of the machine and use it against them. This show may not be the most original out there but stands out from the crowd in a current climate of cheap reality TV shows and embarrassing drama shows like Glee, Grey's Anatomy and shows like 2 Broke Girls.

5. White Collar

This is a show I stumble across in the $20 section of K-Mart one day and I saw that the main character was also in the TV show Chuck so I thought I would check it out for myself. Ever since I have got my whole family hooked on the show which a very rare occurance due to our very different tastes in entertainment and show. I think it hits all the right spots with a stellar cast, interesting plot developments that have you constantly guessing what will happen next and great references to cult classics like Star Trek interspersed in the episodes. My only complaint with this show is some of the minor characters sometimes have such an interesting back story it is hard to not get distracted and wish there wasn't a spin off show just about them.

4. Continuum

The series centers on the conflict between a police officer and a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, mistakenly in 2012. Despite being many years early, the rebel group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop businesses of the future from replacing governments with their own rules. The only thing they didn't count on was that a City Protective Services (CPS) law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) would end up inside the time travel field too and is involuntarily transported with them into the past. Joining with Detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) and the Vancouver Police Department, and enlisting the help of a teen computer genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), Kiera works to track down and thwart Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola) and his followers in the present day while concealing her identity as a time-traveler from the future. Kagame and the members of Liber8 plot to alter the past to avert the rise of what they see as a dictatorial and Orwellian corporate regime to be stopped at all costs. Meanwhile, Kiera learns that Alec is none other than the inventor and master businessman who will rise to become the head of Sadtech, one of the mega-corporations that dominate the world in 2077. Fighting to return home to her family, Kiera finds that her presence in 2012, and that of the members of Liber8, may be no accident at all. Though this show is only one season in I am already hooked and it looks promising now one episode into the second season. I can't wait to see where this show goes from here and I look forward to seeing how long she can keep the fact that she is from the future a secret before it starts endangering the lives of too many people to not tell the truth.

3. Stargate SG1

A great Sci Fi show that pits a cast including Richard Dean as Jack O'neill , Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter, Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, Christopher Judge as Teal'c, This show is probably one of the best Sci Fi shows to grace TV in a long time with its solid cast, interesting plots and great pacing. There is the right amount of action, drama, time travel, clones, robots and other Sci Fi elements plus for their celebratory episodes they know how to make fun of their own show with a spoof knock-off version on TV, them as puppets and other crazy stunts that are just there for the laughs and loyal fans. I chose this over Atlantis and Universe because Atlantis was pretty good but a bit too much been there done that, go here and stop the replicators and go there and stop the Wraith. As for Universe, they only got two seasons in with season 1 full of an unlikable crew and really only introducing an enemy in season 2 which was too late to bring them back and with MGM going bankrupt at the time they cancelled the show never to give it a proper conclusion.

2. Eureka

I am a huge fan of Sci Fi shows including but not limited to Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG1, Atlantis and Universe, and a show I have recently caught onto called Continuum. There is something about the way Sci Fi shows get the nerd in me so excited and every time I see a time travel storyline I can't help but wonder how many possible ways that could affect the future and the butterfly effect of the character's actions. So it gives me great pleasure to say that at no. 2 on my list comes Eureka, a show that can be watched by both die hard Sci Fi fanatics and people who just want a break from Sit Coms and Dramas.

1. Chuck

Chuck is my favorite TV show for a variety of reasons, one being that Zachary Levi is possibly one of the funniest and funniest actors I have ever seen on TV and he is even a gamer. The cast for this show is just such an amazing selection including Yvonne Strahosvki who plays Sarah the super secret CIA agent and Chuck's girlfriend, Adam Baldwin as John Casey the angry NSA agent, Joshua Gomez as Chuck's best friend and all around nerd, Ryan McParlin as Awesome who is Ellie's Partner and extremely funny in his role and of cours Zachary Levi as Chuck. This show also resonates with me because I feel like Chuck is me in another dimension.

Let me know your personal favorites in the comments below.