Here on WinSource we don’t usually cover gaming that often, well, besides the plethora of awesome Windows Phone games in the Store. Today something happened that hasn’t happened in five years: Microsoft announced a new console. All the rumored names were wrong, and when the dust settled we were looking at the Xbox One. What does it do, and what does it mean for Windows?
The biggest thing the Xbox One does is integrate with your TV. You can now watch TV, see a channel guide, and change channels right from the Xbox. No more switching input. You can also do a lot with your voice. “Xbox watch SyFy.” Microsoft wants the Xbox to take over your living room, and with this integration it very well could. They also announced Skype for Xbox One.
Kinect is obviously a huge part of Xbox One. As mentioned above there are quite a bit more voice commands in the One. You can wake up the Xbox just by saying “Xbox on,” and you can switch between apps effortlessly with your voice. The connect also has some gestures, like a grab and pinch that will take you to the home screen. A home screen that looks a lot like Windows 8.
They only mentioned it briefly, but the Xbox One does run on Windows 8 (among other things). It’s actually three operating systems at work. The Windows kernel allows the Xbox to be extremely powerful. It can switch between apps almost instantly, run more than one app, and power some very intense games. Windows is the horse that is powering this machine, but most users won’t even realize it.
That’s the Xbox One, in a nutshell. They did not announce pricing or exact availability, but it’s coming later this year. Will you be buying one, or do you have allegiance to Nintendo and Sony? Is the Xbox One the one for you?
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