Microsoft revealed their new system the Xbox One in a press conference in London on Tuesday. Focusing on their campaign to make the Xbox One the “center of the living room” Microsoft didn’t mention any games during the first twenty minutes of the conference. UK marketing director Harvey Eagle revealed that the system would be packaged with the new 1080p Xbox Kinect and that the Kinect would be required to play the console, however the new Xbox will not require an always-on internet connection. According to the press conference the Kinect will recognize players’ faces and voices and customize the dashboard to fit user history.
It was also revealed that Xbox One owners would be able to watch live and recorded television on their console through their cable or satellite subscription, as well as an exclusive partnership with the NFL that will give users live updates to their fantasy football team and allow them interact with others via Skype. In a promotional video released on Tuesday, Microsoft executives spoke about the specs of the Xbox One including the fact that the console runs on three different operating systems, one to control gaming, one for web based entertainment, and a third responsible for controlling the base software in the console. Executives also mentioned the inclusion of Xbox smart glass in the new system, which will let users pair their tablet or smartphone with their console.
Microsoft also previewed a few titles for the Xbox One, including Call of Duty: Ghost, Forza 5, and Quantum Break. EA Sports had their own portion of the press conference where they showed of the new graphics, movement, and environment in their new engine, EA Sports ignite. EA showed off their games, FIFA, Madden, NBA Live, and UFC.
You can watch the entire press conference here: http://www.heavy.com/games/2013/05/xbox-press-conference-2013-live-stream-video-event/