This info is taken from Xbox.com, and answers most of the questions I had concerning the new console.
Q: Does Xbox One require an always on Internet connection?
A: No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet. Were designing Xbox One to be your all-in-one entertainment system that is connected to the cloud and always ready. We are also designing it so you can play games and watch Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection.
Q: How do consumers benefit by being connected to the cloud?
A: The cloud makes every experience better and more accessible. Because Xbox One is powered by the cloud:
Your games have more power available to create new gameplay, persistent worlds, and deeper experiences.
Your system and games can update automatically, so you shouldnt have to wait for downloads or updates.
Your games and entertainment are stored and saved in the cloud, so you can access them anytime, from any Xbox One.*
Start a game, movie, or TV show on one console and finish exactly where you left off on another.
You can play multiplayer games with your friends, stream movies or TV shows right away, and enjoy the community and social features of Xbox Live.
Xbox One can recognize you, log you in and tailor your home screen just for you.
You can discover what your friends are playing, watching and listening to if they choose to share.
These are just a few examples of how customers benefit from our platform being connected to the Internet. It brings the future of TV and games to our consumersand its designed for today and the decade ahead.
Q: When will Xbox One launch and in what markets?
A: Xbox One will launch in markets around the world later this year. Well have more to share later.
Q: Can I use my current gamertag on Xbox One and will my Gamerscore and Achievements transfer?
A: Yes. Your current Xbox Live Gamertag will stay with you on Xbox One if you choose to keep it, and your hard-earned Gamerscore and Achievements will indeed carry over from Xbox 360.
Q: Will Xbox One be backward compatible with my existing games?
A: Xbox One hardware is not compatible with Xbox 360 games. We designed Xbox One to play an entirely new generation of gamesgames that are architected to take full advantage of state-of-the-art processors and the infinite power of the cloud. We care very much about the investment you have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future.
Q: Will Xbox One allow players to trade in, purchase and play pre-owned games?
A: We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games. Well have more details to share later.
Q: Will my current Xbox Live Gold membership work with Xbox One or will I have to buy a new one?
A: You do not need to buy a new Xbox Live Gold membership. Your current membership will work on both Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Q: Why is Kinect required with every Xbox One?
A: The all new Kinect is now an essential and integrated part of the platform. By having it as a consistent part of every Xbox One, game and entertainment creators can build experiences that assume the availability of voice, gesture and natural sensing, leading to unrivaled ease of use, premium experiences and interactivity for you.
Q: Do I need to have a specific cable or satellite TV provider to watch live TV on Xbox?
A: Our goal is to enable live TV through Xbox One in every way that it is delivered throughout the world, whether thats television service providers, over the air or over the Internet, or HDMI-in via a set top box (as is the case with many providers in the US). The delivery of TV is complex and we are working through the many technologies and policies around the world to make live TV available where Xbox One is available.
Q: Xbox One is a more powerful product compared to Xbox 360, but does it also use more power?
A: No. By providing multiple power states in Xbox One, we've balanced energy efficiency with functionality. We've taken a completely different approach to how Xbox One consumes power. It only uses the power it needs at that particular moment for the task at hand.
Controller Information Courtesy of MajorNelson
Controller Info
Earlier this week I posted the above video showing the award winning Xbox 360 Controller with the new and refined Xbox One controller. Ive gotten a few questions about it so weve posted more details about the controller on Xbox Wire. Want to see and feel it for yourself ? If you are in the LA Area on Monday, come by the Xbox Meet Up where we will have the Xbox One, sensor and controller available for you to see plus the very first public hands on demo of the new controller.
Impulse Triggers Xbox One's Wireless Controller sports four vibration motors a small one behind each trigger that adds precise haptic feedback to the finger tips, and a larger in each grip for large scale rumbles. This gives users a sense of in-game directionality and depth, creating rich, immersive experiences where gunshots, car crashes and explosions can come to life.
Higher Quality Headset Audio The data transfer rate between the controller and console has been improved, allowing for higher fidelity audio in communication headsets. In-game chat over Xbox Live, according to the team, will be in many cases clearer than talking on a phone.
Revamped Thumbsticks The thumbsticks are built for precision and comfort. Theyre smaller and outlined with a knurled texture for better grip. Competitive gamers will be pleased to hear the sticks require 25 percent less force to move, allowing you to adjust your aim in a first-person shooter or execute a half-circle sweep in a fighting game faster and more accurately. The controller also uses advanced electronics that reduce thumbstick deadzone in the center.
Brand New D-Pad The old Xbox 360 D-pad is replaced by a new design that pays homage to classic controllers and is architectured to deliver more precision and tactile feedback for gaming. The D-pads cross shape is honed to provide accurate cardinal direction input, sweeping movements and combinations important factors for sports and fighting games, and other experiences.
Buttons, Buttons, Buttons The A, B, X and Y buttons are lower to the controller with tighter spacing, making the transition between each one smoother. A new, three-step manufacturing process gives these buttons a more premium look, as if the letters on them are suspended in 3-D space. The size and placement of the Xbox button has also changed so the view and menu buttons are more accessible.
Seamless Connectivity Each controller uses a combination of invisible reflective technology and LEDs to send a patterned infrared signal to your console and Kinect sensor. Not only does this make pairing the devices seamless, but it enables Kinect to associate the controller with whoever is holding it. This introduces innovative experiences, such as player switching, where a split screen display can swap positions on the TV if users change seats on the couch.
Low Power State If youre watching a movie or need to step away from the TV, the controller enters a low power state that conserves your battery. The moment you pick it up again, it will be ready for use without having to resynch with the console.
Refined for Comfort The controllers design is deliberately honed to the closest tenth of a millimeter to offer the most comfortable fit in users hands, and was tested extensively by a broader age group than ever before to ensure it is optimized for as many people as possible. According to the teams research, this improves gameplay performance and allows comfortable gaming for longer periods of time.
Angled Triggers and Bumpers The triggers and bumpers are carefully designed for performance and comfort. The specific angling allows for a natural fit for your fingers, and the triggers require a lighter pull, so squeezing it repeatedly is an easier and more precise action.
Internal Battery Cavity The compartment that houses AA batteries is built into the interior of the controller, providing more room at the bottom for your fingers to grip. Another convenient improvement is that the controller is both wireless and a wired simply plug it into your console with a mini USB cable and the connection automatically switches to preserve battery life.
How Games Licensing Works on Xbox One Courtesy of Xbox Wire
With our modern architecture, Xbox One games will load more quickly, will be always accessible from the cloud, and there is no physical limit to the size or scope of the content provided.
Here are our platform policies and capabilities for game licensing all of which will be made available when Xbox One launches later this year:
Buy the way you want: disc or digital on the same day: Youll be able to buy disc-based games at traditional retailers or online through Xbox Live, on day of release. Discs will continue to be a great way to install your games quickly.
Access your entire games library from any Xbox One: no discs required: After signing in and installing, you can play any of your games from any Xbox One because a digital copy of your game is stored on your console and in the cloud. So, for example, while you are logged in at your friends house, you can play your games.
Share access to your games with everyone inside your home: Your friends and family, your guests and acquaintances get unlimited access to all of your games. Anyone can play your games on your console--regardless of whether you are logged in or their relationship to you.
Give your family access to your entire games library anytime, anywhere: Xbox One will enable new forms of access for families. Up to ten members of your family can log in and play from your shared games library on any Xbox One. Just like today, a family member can play your copy of Forza Motorsport at a friends house. Only now, they will see not just Forza, but all of your shared games. You can always play your games, and any one of your family members can be playing from your shared library at a given time.
Trade-in and resell your disc-based games: Today, some gamers choose to sell their old disc-based games back for cash and credit. We designed Xbox One so game publishers can enable you to trade in your games at participating retailers. Microsoft does not charge a platform fee to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of these games.
Give your games to friends: Xbox One is designed so game publishers can enable you to give your disc-based games to your friends. There are no fees charged as part of these transfers. There are two requirements: you can only give them to people who have been on your friends list for at least 30 days and each game can only be given once.
In our role as a game publisher, Microsoft Studios will enable you to give your games to friends or trade in your Xbox One games at participating retailers. Third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers. Microsoft does not receive any compensation as part of this. In addition, third party publishers can enable you to give games to friends. Loaning or renting games wont be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.
As we move into this new generation of games and entertainment, from time to time, Microsoft may change its policies, terms, products and services to reflect modifications and improvements to our services, feedback from customers and our business partners or changes in our business priorities and business models or for other reasons. We may also cease to offer certain services or products for similar reasons.
In the months ahead, we will continue to listen to your feedback as we meet with our partners in the ecosystem to bring additional detail about our policies.
We are excited about this new generation of games and entertainment and look forward to sharing more news with our fans.
Networking Technologies A range of advanced technologies will make these scenarios possible, including:
Superior wireless performance and coverage throughout the home: Xbox One is equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port and 802.11n wireless. With 802.11n, Xbox One can use the 5GHz wireless band which eliminates considerable interference from other devices in the home, such as cordless phones, Bluetooth devices and microwaves. Xbox One uses two wireless antennas, versus one in Xbox 360. This provides dramatically better coverage and sustained performance, which means faster internet speeds in more areas of your home.
Faster connection to a world of smart devices: With Wi-Fi Direct, Xbox One can speak directly to smart wireless devices and connect to them through the cloud. This means your smartphone or tablet will interact with Xbox One seamlessly.
Future proofed with power from the cloud: Microsoft has created a global network of more than 300,000 Xbox Live and Windows Azure servers, to help creators realize their visions of what is possible with a connected system.
Networking Requirements To ensure Xbox One works optimally and can offer the experiences described above, it is designed with the following networking requirements:
For an optimal experience, we recommend a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps. (For reference, the average global internet connection speed as measured recently by Akamai was 2.9 Mbps). In areas where an Ethernet connection is not available, you can connect using mobile broadband.
While a persistent connection is not required, Xbox One is designed to verify if system, application or game updates are needed and to see if you have acquired new games, or resold, traded in, or given your game to a friend. Games that are designed to take advantage of the cloud may require a connection.
With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library. Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies.
At Xbox, weve always believed in a connected world of games and entertainment. With Xbox One, we are planning for a connected future. We cant wait to show you whats to come.
Privacy by Design: How Xbox One and the New Kinect Sensor Put You in Control Xbox One and Kinect offer easy and approachable ways to control your games and entertainment with your voice and gestures. By recognizing you, Xbox One can tailor personal experiences and customize content just for you.
At Microsoft, we prioritize your privacy. We understand that your personal data and privacy are important. Xbox One and Kinect will provide tools to put you in control of your data. These include:
You are in control of what Kinect can see and hear: By design, you will determine how responsive and personalized your Xbox One is to you and your family during setup. The system will navigate you through key privacy options, like automatic or manual sign in, privacy settings, and clear notifications about how data is used. When Xbox One is on and youre simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.
You are in control of when Kinect sensing is On, Off or Paused: If you dont want the Kinect sensor on while playing games or enjoying your entertainment, you can pause Kinect. To turn off your Xbox One, just say Xbox Off. When the system is off, its only listening for the single voice command -- Xbox On, and you can even turn that feature off too. Some apps and games may require Kinect functionality to operate, so youll need to turn it back on for these experiences.
You are in control of your personal data: You can play games or enjoy applications that use data, such as videos, photos, facial expressions, heart rate and more, but this data will not leave your Xbox One without your explicit permission. Here are a few examples of potential future scenarios:
A fitness game could measure heart rate data to provide you with improved feedback on your workout, allow you to track your progress, or even measure calories burned.
A card game could allow you to bluff your virtual opponent using your facial expressions.
You can use other inputs to control your games, TV and entertainment experiences: While its faster to find what youre looking for using your voice and gesture commands with Kinect, you can use a controller, your remote controls or your smart devices instead. And you can use all of these devices when Kinect is paused.
Well have more information available as we get closer to product availability later this year.
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