- Supports 8 people in party chat
- TV integration
- Wifi direct
- Dual band wireless G/N
- Skype video chat
- Snap apps to side of screen (Skype, Internet Explorer, TV, etc)
- Render HD video of last 30 seconds of gameplay and edit/share them in Upload Studio
- Better SmartGlass integration
- Live stream games via Twitch.TV
- Kinect 2.0 has 1080p camera, can track 6 people at once
- SmartMatch lets you find a game while you do something else
- Reputation system has been overhauled
- Achievements system has been updated, devs can add achievements on the fly
- New controller has at least 40 improvements over the 360 controller
- Cloud based saving/computing/etc
Kinect 2.0
The Kinect seems to be a point on contention on the new console. Some people believe that the NSA will spy on you in your livingroom/mancave with the device. Others think that MS will gather data on how you respond to ads and sell that data to other companies.
The fact of the matter is that the Kinect is a powerful part of the system that is going to change the way you play games and how the games respond to you and your friends. Playing a split screen game like Diablo 3 (not confirmed for XBOX ONE)? You and your friend can swap controllers mid game and retain control of your characters respectively. How is this possible? Kinect recognizes the people in the room.
Voice commands are the thing I'm the most excited about. I can walk into my gaming room and say "XBOX ON" and the console will fire up and be ready for me! Switching from gaming to TV to apps is as simple as saying "XBOX WATCH TV", "XBOX SKYPE", or "XBOX PLAY GAME".
Another great feature of the console will be making clips of awesome moments in a game. "XBOX RECORD THAT" is all you have to say after doing something awesome! The machine will automatically pull the last 30 seconds of gameplay and render an HD quality video in the background without impacting your gameplay session. The unit will even pop up a notification when the video is done!
The XBOX ONE Controller
It has been said by MS that the new controller has received at least 40 design updates. From ergonomics to force feedback, this new controller promises to be the best yet.
They have tested the design iterations with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of core gamers to get the new controller to look, feel, and react the way that games want it to.
New to the controller is the "Impulse Triggers" feature. This innovation takes the core idea of rumble in the controller and puts it into the trigger for even more fine tuned feedback. Feel the ABS during a racing game, or the shock of a trigger pull in an FPS. It will be interesting to see how this develops over time.
A new Dpad is also among the 40 changes to the new controller. MS claims that the Dpad is much improved over that of the XBOX 360 controller. We'll see just how much as soon as we get our hands on it!
The "Start" and "Back" buttons have been replaced by the "Menu" and "View" buttons. These buttons will allow different functionality depending on what is running at the time. It is said that games will still pause like we're used to by hitting the "Menu" button. Not too much else is known at this time about how the buttons will work, but I'm betting that the "View" button will allow for switching between games/apps, etc.
The new thumbsticks are slightly smaller and have a more "grippy" feel to them. They are also rumored to be more fluid feeling than the XBOX 360 controllers sticks were.
The ABXY buttons have received a slight tweak, appearing to be a bit closer together. MS promises the change is ever so slight and fully tested and approved by core gamers.
XBOX LIVE and The Cloud
The console and it's peripherals is not the only thing that is being innovated and updated. The new XBOX LIVE promises dedicated servers (something a lot of PC games have done for a long time) to replace the outdated "client hosting" system of the original XBOX and XBOX 360. Dedicated servers in theory will get rid of things like cheating and host advantage because the game files reside on a dev controlled server (so no one can inject their own data into a match), and no one in the match will be the "host". The server will be the host.
MS says that they have over 300,000 servers worldwide for XBOX LIVE. They also mention that the amount of servers they have is larger than what the entire internet was in the mid 90s.
XBOX LIVE and the cloud will make your console gaming experience easier in ways that people will not expect. Your profile and game saves can live on the cloud. That means that if you sign in on a friend's console, your profile data will instantly show up and your save games will be right there for you.
Other cloud features include "cloud computing". A good example of this is found in Forza 5. Sure, there will be game based AI for you to race against, but you will often find yourself racing against a friend's "Drivatar". What exactly is a "Drivatar" you ask? Drivatar is the cloud working in a way that is both innovative and awesome. As you play the game, the drivatar cloud system learns how you race. From cornering to passing, and what lines you follow, over time your drivatar will race more and more like you.
But what does that mean?
It means that your drivatar will become a racing AI. Your drivatar will compete against your friends when you are not playing the game. Not only that, but it will gain things for you. If your drivatar beats your friend at a race, you will see the rewards for it. The longer you play the game, the more like you your drivatar becomes.
MS says that the cloud will do more for the console over time. I assume this means as they innovate and people come up with new and thoughtful ideas for using the cloud, it will become more powerful.
I'm very much looking forward to all that the XBOX ONE can do. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Stay tuned to Big Ups Gaming for more news like this!
