xbox_one_hardware

XBOX ONE X. "For those looking for the very best" XBOX ONE S. The best value in games and entertainment. Xbox One Features. Not sure which console is right for you? Jump Ahead with Xbox One. 4K entertainment. Watch 4K Blu-ray™ movies and stream 4K video on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and more. True 4K gaming. With 40% more power than any other console, Xbox One X delivers amazing graphic fidelity, smooth game play and fast load times. Games just play better on Xbox One X. Spatial Audio. Bring your games and movies to life with immersive audio through Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Endless entertainment apps. Enjoy your favorite apps like YouTube, Spotify, HBO NOW, ESPN and many more. 2. The benefits of High Dynamic Range. Experience richer, more luminous colors in games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, High Dynamic Range technology brings out the true visual depth of your games. The benefits of High Dynamic Range. Experience richer, more luminous colors in games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, High Dynamic Range technology brings out the true visual depth of your games. The only console designed to play the best games of the past, present, and future. Play over 1,300 great games including today’s blockbusters, 200 console exclusives, and 400 Xbox classics. Xbox One has more ways to play. Play hundreds of Xbox 360 games you own and love on Xbox One, including digital and disc-based titles. 3. Now when you own an Xbox Play Anywhere digital title, it’s yours to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. 4. Unlimited access to 100s of titles with Xbox Game Pass, plus save 20% on Xbox One game purchases and 10% on all related add-ons. 5. Watch and play alongside your favorite broadcasters with Mixer, an interactive livestreaming platform available on Xbox One. Complete Compatibility. Your games. This year’s blockbusters? Check. Xbox exclusives? Of course. Hundreds of Xbox 360 games? Yup. All your games work on Xbox One S and Xbox One X. Your accessories. The Xbox One accessories you’ve got now (or have got your eye on) work with Xbox One S and Xbox One X. 6. Your community. No Gamerscore left behind. Easily bring along your Xbox Live friends, clubs, game saves and achievements to your new console. The world’s most advanced multiplayer network. Find friends, rivals, and teammates in the best global gaming community. Reliability. Dedicated Xbox Live servers maximize performance by ensuring stability, speed, and reliability. Possibility. Compete, connect, and share across platforms with gamers on Xbox One and Windows 10. …and free stuff. Get 2-4 free games each month with Xbox Live Gold 7. See what’s new in the Xbox dashboard. We never stop thinking about how to make Xbox One even better, so we continually make improvements. Check out the latest updates. Which one is yours? 1. Dolby Atmos for Headphones requires additional purchase from Microsoft Store. 2. Some apps require app provider-specific subscriptions and/or other requirements. See www.xbox.com/live. 3. Xbox One Backward Compatibility feature works with select Xbox 360 games, see www.xbox.com/backcompat. Xbox Live and broadband internet required for initial download of game to console. 4. PC hardware requirements may vary for games on Windows 10. 5. Game Pass monthly subscription required; continues until cancelled. Game selection varies over time. Learn more at www.xbox.com/game-pass. 6. Excludes the Xbox One S stand that works exclusively with the Xbox One S. Xbox Kinect Adapter (sold separately) required for Kinect on Xbox One S and Xbox One X. 7. For paid Gold members only. Active Gold membership required to play free games you’ve redeemed. Restrictions Apply. Xbox One X Helps Boost Hardware But Game Sales Fall In Microsoft's Latest Quarter. Also, Microsoft reports that it had 59 million Xbox Live active users, which is up from last year. Last updated by Eddie Makuch on January 31, 2018 at 2:51PM. You are now subscribed. Microsoft today reported earnings for its latest quarter ended December 31--and the news is good for the company's Xbox gaming division. Total revenue rose by $303 million (or 8 percent) to $3.9 billion. The uptick in sales was driven in part by the launch of the Xbox One X in November. Microsoft has not disclosed a sales number for the console but it did sale the Xbox One X launch helped Xbox hardware revenue rise 14 percent. Xbox games also sold well during the quarter, with software and services revenue jumping by 4 percent. This growth was attributed in part to better Xbox Live revenue, but offset in part by lower game sales due compared to the same period last year. Xbox software and services combined revenue increased 4%, primarily due to Xbox Live revenue growth. However, this was offset in part by a decrease in game sales revenue compared to the same period last year. Microsoft also updated the latest Xbox Live active user figures; during the quarter, Microsoft recorded 59 million Xbox Live active users; this covers Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows PC, and other devices. This is up nicely from 55 million during the same period last year. An "active" user is someone who has logged into Xbox Live over the past 30 days. Overall, across all divisions, Microsoft reported revenue of $28.9 billion for the quarter, which is up 12 percent. Operating income came in at $8.7 billion, an increase of 12 percent. Microsoft is holding an earnings call right now where it will discuss these results and answer questions from analysts. We'll report back with more information if anything noteworthy is discussed. Xbox One Hardware Specs. EditXbox One Harware Specs. Clock: 2133MHz Bandwidth: 68.26 GB/s. Bandwidth: 204 GB/s(102 In/102 Out) [3] 8GB Flash Memory [4] Frequency: 1.75 GHz [5] Shader Cores: 768. Peak Throughput: 1.31 TFLOPS [6] Required for Online Play  The Xbox One is a powerful piece of hardware with 8GB RAM DDR3, 64-bit processors and plenty more muscle. But as time passes this hardware will age. As Xbox One Director of development Boyd Multerer pointed out, "You'll still have a limited number of transistors in your house; in your box." Not much is known about the Xbox One GPU, but a Microsoft representative has told IGN "AMD is our primary partner for the custom silicon that makes up our GPU/CPU SOC that is the heart of Xbox One." [Source: IGN interview with Microsoft] The Xbox One is built to communicate with servers in the cloud to increase the computational potential of the system. Boyd continued "[As a developer] I can start doing things like shifting latency insensitive things to the cloud. You may have a limited number of transistors in your house, but you have an unlimited number of transistors in the cloud" As bandwidth improves, there is potential for actual game computations to be off-loaded to servers in the cloud, essentially allowing the Xbox One to become more powerful over time as more and more transistors are connected to Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. EditA view of the rear ports on the Xbox One. The Kensington security slot is a anti-theft system which involves a lock and a rubberized metal cable attached to the lock to ensure that no one is able to steal the electronic device. Xbox One Console Design Previous. © 1996-2018 Ziff Davis, LLC. We have updated our PRIVACY POLICY and encourage you to read it by clicking here. IGN uses cookies and other tracking technologies to customize online advertisements, and for other purposes. IGN supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. Learn More. PS4 vs. Xbox One vs. Wii U Comparison Chart. The PS4 vs. Xbox One vs. Wii U Comparison Chart provides an easy visual aid to compare hardware, user interface, media compatibility and other features of the three "next-gen" systems. By popular demand, a Wii U column has been added to the chart for reference. More PS4 vs. Xbox One Comparisons. Hardware Feature Comparison. Confirmed to IGN by a Microsoft representative. Online Feature Comparison Chart. *Based on current Xbox Live Gold requirements. Console Bundle Comparison Chart. This chart compares the physical contents of the launch day bundles of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U. Other console comparison features are outlined above. A console is not just the sum of its tech specs and features. Games matter too! PS4 vs. Xbox One Native Resolutions and Framerates Previous. Xbox One S vs Xbox One Comparison Chart. © 1996-2018 Ziff Davis, LLC. We have updated our PRIVACY POLICY and encourage you to read it by clicking here. IGN uses cookies and other tracking technologies to customize online advertisements, and for other purposes. IGN supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. Learn More. Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Time to upgrade? Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Is it worth buying either console with Xbox One X now the most powerful console on the market? TrustedReviews has collected everything you need to know. Xbox One S isn’t a significant upgrade over the Xbox One, but does provide some cool benefits. Owners now have access to HDR support and a 4K blu-ray player, something PS4 Pro sorely left out. To put things simply, if you already own the original console there isn’t much incentive to upgrade. Sure, there’s the addition of HDR and 4K blu-ray support, but you’ll need an impressive 4KTV to make any use of these features. If you don’t already own one, though, it’s definitely worth considering a purchase. However, with Xbox One X out now, it makes things a little more complicated. TrustedReviews has broken down everything you need to know about the two consoles below, for anybody considering picking it up. Xbox One S Price: How much should you pay? With the Xbox One now discontinued and Microsoft continuing with the two main consoles of One S and One X, the One S has become significantly cheaper. Bundles are available for as littles as £200, which could go lower in sales. Xbox One S is 40% smaller with built-in power supply. The Xbox One S is 40% smaller than the original – a considerable reduction. Given that the original Xbox One is a chunky machine – at 333mm x 276mm x 78mm, it dominates the comparatively slight PS4 – this is an important change. However, PS4 Slim gives Xbox One S a run for its money in terms of sheer dimensions. Plus the power supply is now built-in. So, 40% smaller and no bulky power supply? That’s a pretty big tick in favour of the Xbox One S. 4K Ultra HD, 4K Blu-ray and High Dynamic Range support. Arguably the standout feature for Xbox One S. Not only does the Xbox One S support 4K video playback from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, it’s also a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. This makes the $299/£249 starting price excellent value compared to dedicated Ultra HD players currently available. Our testing suggests the Xbox One S is a more than competent Ultra HD Blu-ray player, so AV fans should hold no fears in that regard. While the original Xbox One is technically capable of supporting 4K gaming and video, it has an HDMI 1.4a port, meaning it can only output 4K at 30Hz, which is very limiting. The Xbox One adds support for HDMI 2.0a, so it now supports proper 4K 60Hz output. Sign up for the newsletter. Get news, competitions and special offers direct to your inbox. Xbox One S has a slight performance bump. Much like PS4 Pro, the Xbox One S is not the beginning of a new console generation, but an expansion of a platform we already know and love. But it does offer a very slight improvement over its predecessor. The Coalition head Rod Fergusson revealed to Polygon that his team had taken advantage of additional raw GPU and CPU power for Gears of War 4 , to improve frame rates. Ferguson claimed his engineers have been able to, as Polygon puts it, “leverage the additional power to reduce the frequency of the frame rate or resolution penalties.” A Microsoft spokesperson then confirmed, via The Verge, “We have the same SoC architecture as Xbox One today. “For games that want to take advantage of HDR, we gave developers access to a small amount of additional processing power.” Overall though, don’t expect games to look noticeably different on Xbox One S to Xbox One thanks to the additional power, instead only getting minor stability improvements. Xbox One S can upscale games to 4K. The upscaling capabilities of the Xbox One S were revealed by Jeff Henshaw, Group Program Manager at Xbox at an E3 session . Henshaw said: “It’s not native 4K, but the Xbox One S can upscale games from 1080p to 4K.” It means the Xbox One S will be able to offer gaming at a higher resolution than its predecessor, although it won’t quite be as good as native 4K. In our review, we found the Xbox One S is good at upscaling games and 4K video content – better than the TV we tested on. It can be stored upright. That’s great news, though the stand is an optional extra, unless you buy the 2TB model, which includes a stand. There’s no dedicated Kinect port. Not a huge surprise, given its increasing irrelevance, though owners who want to use Kinect can do say via a USB adapter. The adapter is sold seperately and can be ordered directly from Microsoft. Don’t expect any new Kinect games on the horizon, though. But there is an IR blaster. In the place of a dedicated Kinect port, the Xbox One S comes with an integrated IR (infrared) blaster. That means you can configure your Xbox One S to turn on other devices, like your TV, audio/video receiver, and cable or satellite receiver. The idea is that you can reduce the number of remotes you need to control your stuff. New controller adds Bluetooth. Not content with the already excellent Xbox One controller, or the incredible Xbox One Elite Controller, Microsoft’s unveiled the Xbox One S controller as well. The pad has a new textured grip, exchangeable colour covers, extended range and – most importantly – now has Bluetooth so you can use it with a PC wirelessly. Xbox One S vs Xbox One: Should you upgrade? There’s no doubt the new Xbox One S is a better all around console than its predecessor. Not only does it slim down the original console’s bulky frame, the Xbox One S comes with a load of features that make a far more desirable device. Firstly, you get a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Currently, those things will cost you upwards of £400 on their own. Secondly, you can stream 4K at the proper 60 Hz in HDR from apps such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Plus, there’s even a slight performance boost. The console benefits from extra processing power, too. It probably isn’t worth it for most Xbox One owners if you don’t care about 4K video, but it looks like a good upgrade if you fancy getting into Ultra HD Blu-ray. And if you don’t already own an Xbox One, the smaller size and great features make it very tempting indeed. But what about Xbox One X? While at the tail end of 2016 the choice between the two consoles seemed like a no-brainer, as we move closer the the supposed “holiday 2017” launch date of the Xbox One X, the proposition becomes even trickier. There’s still so much we don’t know about Microsoft’s all-powerful machine – most importantly, how much it will cost – but the fact this unit will represent a significant upgrade over anything that has come before it means that the idea of buying an Xbox One as a first-time buyer now becomes a bit of a tough sell. With Microsoft fully unveiling the Xbox One X at E3, it’s now easier decide whether you’re willing to wait for the next big thing. Will you be buying or upgrading to an Xbox One S? Let us know in the comments. Xbox One X Hardware Was Even Better Than Expected; Both XB1X and PS4 Pro Have Their Own Advantages, Says Dev. Are you a massive train buff? Would you love to build and handle your own railway network? Railway Empire could be the right game for you and it’s coming out soon. Developed by Gaming Minds Studios, a German software house based in Gütersloh which recently released Grand Ages: Medieval, Railway Empire is not only coming out on PC but also on consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) shortly. With the January 26th, 2018 launch fast approaching, we were able to set up a quick interview focused on the game’s console ports – including a comment on the feasibility of a port for the Nintendo Switch. Enjoy! There aren’t many games in this genre on consoles. Was it hard to port Railway Empire on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, particularly with regards to controls and UI? As we have developed a few strategy games on consoles before, we are in known territory here. Designing a UI for both mouse/keyboard and controllers is indeed a hard task that requires a lot of work, especially for the UI designers and programmers. We spent about the same amount of time coding for the user interface as we did for the rest of the game’s systems! This shows how much effort we put in this central task. Thankfully, I think it was worth it, as player feedback has been great so far. The game is listed as Xbox One X enhanced on Microsoft’s dedicated page. Can you share your impressions on this newly released console as a developer and the technical specs of Railway Empire running on the hardware? Microsoft sent us a development kit for the Xbox One X very quickly, so we were able to add support in time for release. Truthfully, the hardware was even more powerful than we expected. For the high-end PC version, we added native 4K support – including a high dpi user interface and high detail textures for most objects. On the Xbox One X, we were able to implement all of this, rendering 3D scenes in native 4k with our maximum quality antialiasing solution at 30 fps. So we are very happy with the results. The game is coming out on PlayStation 4 as well. Will it feature support for PlayStation 4 Pro and if so, how does it compare from a technical standpoint with Xbox One X? On PlayStation 4 Pro we support native 4k rendering as well. In order to achieve this, we had to modify the antialiasing solution a bit to reduce the GPU load. Both high-spec consoles are great and have their own advantages. In terms of graphics settings, how do the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X stack against high-end PCs? On consoles, we hardwired the graphics detail settings so the game runs as good as possible at a steady 30fps. However, on PC the user can freely choose which quality they want. On a high-end PC, the game runs at about 200fps on 1080p displays with maximum detail settings. When rendering in 4k this is reduced to about 50-70 fps (depending on the quality of the GPU). Finally, is there any chance that you might look into porting Railway Empire to the Nintendo Switch as well or is that out of the question? We like the Nintendo Switch as well. I think the game would be nice on that platform and it is tempting to try it…but there are plenty of obstacles in the way, and the CPU workload is very high. So it’s not out of the question. Let’s see what the future brings. 😉 Gaming & Culture / Gaming & Entertainment. Is Microsoft’s “true 4K” console worth $100 more than the PS4 Pro? by Sam Machkovech and Kyle Orland - Nov 3, 2017 7:01 am UTC. When the Xbox One launched in 2013, Microsoft had to try to convince gamers that extra features and hardware like the Kinect made its console worth $100 more than Sony’s PlayStation 4. Today, Microsoft is trying to convince many of those same gamers that the extra horsepower in the Xbox One X makes it worth $100 more than the PS4 Pro for the definitive living room 4K gaming experience. When it comes to hard numbers, the Xbox One X definitely merits Microsoft’s marketing hype as “the most powerful console ever.” Microsoft has pulled out the stops in squeezing stronger components into the same basic architecture of the four-year-old Xbox One. In games like Gears of War 4 and Super Lucky’s Tale , the system generates performance that’s equivalent to modern PC hardware that costs hundreds of dollars more. When it comes to seeing the value of that hardware on the screen, though, the promise of the Xbox One X is currently unfulfilled—at the very least, it's incomplete. We’ve only been able to test a relative handful of games that have gotten a downloadable patch providing the full “Xbox One X enhanced” treatment as of press time. That list excludes high-profile exclusives like Forza Motorsport 7 and Halo 5 , as well as major cross-console comparisons like Rise of the Tomb Raider or Middle-Earth: Shadow of War . While Microsoft promises similar enhancements for dozens of games are in the pipeline (including 70 titles that should be enhanced “right around release”), most publishers seem to need more time to adapt their titles to use the full power out of the system. That’s a bit concerning, especially when considering how long Microsoft has been gearing up for its big 4K play. For the games we have tested, the value of those enhancements varies greatly depending on the specific software and your specific living room setup. Enhanced games we’ve tried definitely look and perform better on the One X, but it’s often hard to suggest they perform $500 better on a 4K display (or even $250 better, if you’re coming into the Xbox ecosystem fresh). And if you don’t have a TV that supports 4K and/or HDR colors, the improvements are much more marginal. So as with the PS4 Pro, the lack of any exclusive software that needs the One X hardware means Microsoft’s best competition is the older console that runs the very same set of games at acceptable levels. How you know it's an X. Upon your first power-on of the Xbox One X, you'll know it's all X'ed out in two ways. First, the booting sequence now has a brief flash of microchips and DIMM modules whizzing past like something out of a cheesy '80s movie—which apparently is meant to represent the added power inside the Xbox One X. Otherwise, all system menus look exactly like the ones you'll find on other Xbox models (with an optional 4K resolution, just like on Xbox One S). It's worth noting that Microsoft has been diligently updating the console's menus over the past few years. If you haven't hopped on an Xbox One in a while, you'll be happy to know that its "home" interface is now far more streamlined and that a single tap of the big "Xbox" button finally brings up a quick-options menu like the one we loved so much on Xbox 360. There is a second tell, however, and it's one that even PlayStation 4 Pro doesn't have: a toggle in its "games and apps" menu that lets you sort by "Xbox One X Enhanced Games." Doing this doesn't tell you exactly how each game you have installed is enhanced, but at least Microsoft leaves players without a doubt that, yes, your game has (or has not) been patched with Xbox One X in mind. Highly Dynamic Colors. There’s a lot to be said about HDR (and we’ve sure said it), but the biggest takeaway to currently emphasize is this: 4K resolution and HDR boosts need each other to look their best. HDR’s jump in wow factor and color impact truly depends on the number of pixels it’s working with. Xbox One X, like the PlayStation 4 Pro before it, unifies these two standards to give you full-fat video games with that visual PB+chocolate combo: more pixels smothered in more HDR-10 color/luminance data.The last system revision, the Xbox One S, brought with it very limited implementations of two rising TV standards, 4K and HDR. 4K was limited solely to non-gameplay content like streaming apps, 4K Blu-ray, and menu text. The One S’ HDR boosts to gamut range and luminance, on the other hand, began rolling out to a very limited set of Xbox One games, but these only operated at a maximum 1080p resolution. Owners of HDR-compatible TVs should temper their expectations for the pop on Xbox One X games in general, though. Some “Xbox One X enhanced” games will technically get the HDR label to pop up on your TV screen, but these only deliver enhanced 10-bit color depth. This added color gamut doesn’t include the luminance data that helps make bright areas of a game scene really pop with extra light. The lack of full HDR is most evident in Halo 3 ’s otherwise impressive update for the Xbox One X, which also includes a brand-new upsampling of its polygonal assets. The color data here is certainly broader with the update, and the color balance looks better than in the Halo: Master Chief Collection version, but the romps through jungles and military outposts still look a little flat without that heightened luminance range. A comparison gallery of shots of the stock Xbox One and the Xbox One X (be sure to blow up full screen on a 4K HDR monitor to get the full effect, and step back to a living room viewing distance). Here's Gears of War 4 on Xbox One X. A comparison gallery of shots of the stock Xbox One and the Xbox One X (be sure to blow up full screen on a 4K HDR monitor to get the full effect, and step back to a living room viewing distance). Here's Gears of War 4 on Xbox One X. . and a similar firefight on a stock Xbox One. Hurling a grenade on Xbox One X. . and on stock Xbox One. Killer Instinct on the Xbox One X. . and on the stock Xbox One. Note this game doesn't make use of HDR colors. Mickey introduces you to Disneyland Adventures on the Xbox One X. . and fewer Mickey pixels on stock Xbox One. ("Mick-sels"?) Super Lucky's Tale on the Xbox One X. . and on the stock Xbox One. Jagged lines on object edges are more prevalent here. A dialog screen from Super Lucky's Tale on Xbox One X. . and the same conversation in lower resolution on stock Xbox One. Ziplining in Disney/Pixar's Rush on the Xbox One X. . and on the Xbox One stock. Woody finishes a level on the Xbox One X. . and on the stock Xbox One. FIFA 18 on Xbox One X comes with an even more underwhelming HDR boost, which suffers primarily because the game focuses its cameras on an evenly lit pitch. You’ll absolutely notice and appreciate the game’s 4K resolution boost—which comes without a hit to the frame rate and makes your tiny midfielders’ details stand out that much more. But even during replays when cameras point up at field lights and other dramatic lighting, everything’s still mapped to an “SDR” range of luminance. Gears of War 4 fares much better—and, at this point, it's probably the system’s HDR TV showcase game. Dramatic color and lighting effects seem to jump off the screen when so much detail and so many particle effects are visible in the game’s 4K mode. Moonlit stealth-runs through enemy territory and rushes through lightning-singed sandstorms really stand out with a full HDR range of color and light. The design team at The Coalition has absolutely given this game a stronger once-over with HDR than I’d previously encountered at events last year. (The Xbox One X version of Gears of War 4 also comes with the welcome option to choose a lower-resolution, 60 fps campaign mode if you don’t want the full 4K experience at a lower frame rate. It’s a nice choice to have, but the lower resolution really mutes the impact of the HDR colors. On the bright side, all multiplayer and Horde modes run at 4K and 60 fps by default, which means you don’t have to trade anything to get amazing performance and HDR benefits when playing online.) While Forza Motorsport 7 hasn’t been enhanced on the Xbox One X as of this writing, we suspect it will look similar to the 4K and HDR-enhanced PC version that we’ve previously evaluated: Thanks to better optimization and higher resolution, details like headlights, reflected streetlights, and the bright sun look phenomenally better in the Windows 10 HDR version than on Xbox One S. However, the dramatic color tone I had hoped for, especially in-car paint jobs, is still lacking. Those enhancements compare unfavorably to those in Gran Turismo Sport , whose HDR implementation was built from the ground up to look amazing on a 4K HDR screen. HDR’s artistic and rendering pipeline takes a lot of effort, so it shows when a game goes the extra mile for the tiny percentage of current players who can appreciate it. Sam Machkovech / Sam has written about the combined worlds of arts and tech since his first syndicated column launched in 1996. He can regularly be found losing quarters at Add-A-Ball in Seattle, WA. You May Also Like. WIRED Media Group. © 2018 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Microsoft Xbox One S review: Xbox One S is the best Xbox you might not want to buy. Xbox One S is the best Xbox yet. The Xbox One S is the most feature-filled console Microsoft has ever made, but that doesn't mean you should buy it. by Jeff Bakalar. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Microsoft Xbox One S (1TB) 7 Related Models. Hot Products. Apple iPhone X. Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Google Home Mini. Google Pixel 2 XL. The Good The Xbox One S is a slick looking game console that's 40 percent smaller than the original and ditches the infamously gigantic power brick. It can display 4K video from streaming services and Ultra HD Blu-rays, and supports HDR contrast on video and games. The updated controller works with other Bluetooth devices, too. The Bad 4K, Ultra HD Blu-ray and HDR settings only work with newer TVs, and may require some trial and error. The updated controller feels cheaper than its predecessor. Project Scorpio, the more powerful Xbox One successor, arrives in late 2017. The Bottom Line The Xbox One S is the console Microsoft should have delivered three years ago, but there's little reason to upgrade if you already own the original box. Review Sections. CNET Gaming Consoles Microsoft Xbox One S. Update 8/4/16: Several spec teardown reports have uncovered slight difference in the graphical hardware performance of Xbox One S. Specifically, Xbox One S has a small GPU clock increase of 914 MHz from 853 MHz and an ESRAM bandwidth increase of 219 GB/s from 204 GB/s. These bumps are only noticeable in-game in a small number of situations. In fact, they exist only as an bonus side effect of Microsoft ensuring HDR content performs without a hitch. This is more like it. The Xbox One S is the version of the console that Microsoft should've first released back in 2013 instead of the lumbering beast that we got. It's better in a number of ways, making it even more of a worthy alternative to Sony's PlayStation 4. Xbox One S offers a far more attractive enclosure, options for a bigger hard drive, a slightly redesigned controller and some video perks for owners of 4K TVs. It starts at $300, £250 or AU$400 for the 500GB version; $350, £300 or AU$500 for a 1TB model; and $400, £350 or AU$549 for 2TB. That last model is available to buy as of today in the US (and includes the vertical stand that otherwise costs $20 when purchased separately in the US), while those with the smaller hard drives will be available later in August, bundled with games such as Madden 17 and Halo. (Additional bundles will follow later in the year -- including a pricier 2TB Gears of War 4 version in October -- and may vary by region.) Sounds like a slam dunk, right? Unfortunately, it's never that simple. The One S doesn't get an across-the-board "buy it now" recommendation for two reasons. First off, it doesn't deliver huge improvements for anyone who already owns an Xbox One. But more importantly, Microsoft has already promised that the next Xbox -- dubbed Project Scorpio -- will be arriving in late 2017 with with the seriously amped-up graphics and VR-ready hardware that audiences are clamoring for. When it's all said and done, the Xbox One S should be primarily viewed as a slimmed-down version of the Xbox One that introduces a mildly updated controller and provisions for 4K display. It's not going to warp you into a state-of-the-art gaming experience. Pragmatically, you're probably better off nabbing an older Xbox One, which are now being sold at fire-sale prices. But if you are getting an Xbox One for the first time, have an interest in the bundled games and aren't saving your pennies for 2017's Project Scorpio, the One S is certainly a good all-round gaming and entertainment deal. What's new in the Xbox One S. There's a short but significant list of improvements and changes to the Xbox One S. Smaller, cleaner design: To start, it's 40 percent smaller, which considering its power supply is now internal, is impressive. It's also stark white, with some slick plastic moldings flanking the entirety of the box. I think it's the best-looking Xbox Microsoft has ever designed. The One S can also stand vertically, too. The 2TB model we received for review packs in a stand. If you buy one of the other models, you can get the stand separately for $20. 4K and HDR video: Xbox One S gets a fairly beefy upgrade on its video capabilities, with 4K resolution (3,840x2,160, or four times as sharp as standard 1080p HDTVs) and HDR (high dynamic range, which is basically enhanced contrast and color). Keep in mind: those features only work on compatible TVs and 4K functionality only works with a small but growing list of compatible video content. 4K can currently be accessed through streaming video services such as Amazon and Netflix (as long as you have the bandwidth to support it and pay for their premium tier) and those new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. Certain games, meanwhile, will eventually be able to take advantage of HDR visual improvements, but don't look for PC-like 4K graphics -- the games are merely upscaled to 4K. So no, you're not getting native 4K gaming out of an Xbox One S. In fact, only a limited number of games will feature HDR and none of them are out yet. They are Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and 2017's Scalebound. New controller design: The Xbox One controller has been updated for the S, too. It has a more streamlined top section, better range and textured grips. It can also use Bluetooth to connect, which opens the door for compatibility with other devices -- no more annoying dongles, at least on Bluetooth-compatible PCs. The One S controller (right), compared with its predecessor. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the new controller's design. It's not a drastic departure from the original, but there's just enough of a change to make it feel cheaper. The plastic textured grips don't feel good the way rubberized ones do, but thankfully the triggers seem unchanged. The D-pad also feels slightly less tactile -- I even noticed differences between two of the new controllers side by side. IR blaster and receiver: Still present is the IR port for controlling the console with a remote, but the Xbox One S also features an integrated IR blaster to control or power on other devices in the room. And it still does everything the old Xbox One does: The good news is that you're not losing anything with the Xbox One S compared with its predecessor. Around back the console offers a lot of the same ports as the original Xbox One, though noticeably absent is a dedicated Kinect port. You can still attach Kinect to the Xbox One S, you'll just need a special $40 (!) adapter. Either way, the omission of a Kinect port should give you an idea of how that peripheral is regarded at Microsoft HQ. HDMI-in and -out ports are still there, so you can still make use of the Xbox One's live TV integration if that's something that appeals to you, but I never found it overly useful. Suffice it to say, the One S plays all existing Xbox One games, and a growing list of Xbox 360 games. It also includes all of the encouraging software improvements Microsoft has made over the past few years, including the redesigned interface, support for the Cortana digital assistant (using a microphone headset), compatibility with the Windows Store and, soon, additional cross-play options with Windows PC gamers on certain titles. 4K and HDR scorecard. I want to personally thank the Xbox One S for introducing me to the hot mess that is the world of 4K and HDR formats. I considered myself fairly fluent in the language of home theater, but I was bewildered at the insane of amount of granularity and confusion that the format is currently plagued with. Hot Products. Apple iPhone X. The best iPhone asks you to think different. Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Excellent, powerful -- and pricey. Google Home Mini. Google Home Mini sounds great but lacks vision. Google Pixel 2 XL. Google Pixel 2 XL: What we know so far. August Smart Lock (2017) August's affordable Smart Lock is solid, even sans Siri. This week on CNET News. Discuss Microsoft Xbox One S. Be respectful, keep it clean and stay on topic. We'll remove comments that violate our policy. Xbox One: Hardware and software specs detailed and analyzed. After eight long years, we have finally met the Xbox 360’s successor: The Xbox One. While console makers never give away all of their secrets, we have cobbled together enough data from the official unveil, Q&A panels with various Microsoft execs, and statements issued by Microsoft that we now have a good idea of the software and hardware inside the Xbox One. Read on for details of the Xbox One’s hardware, software, and some analysis of the Xbox One’s pre-owned games controversy. The Xbox One’s hardware specs. The Xbox One is powered by an 8-core x86 AMD CPU (almost certainly based on AMD’s Kabini), and a GPU that’s very similar to the Radeon 7790. There’s 8GB of DDR3 RAM (shared between the CPU and GPU), 32MB of very fast SRAM on the graphics die, and a total of 200GB of memory bandwidth (more on that later). There’s also some new silicon in Kinect 2.0, which will come with the Xbox One as standard, which we’ve covered in a separate story. Rounding out the hardware, there’s a Blu-ray drive, 500GB hard drive, 802.11n WiFi (with WiFi Direct), HDMI in and out, Gigabit Ethernet (yay!), and USB 3.0. There’ll be three 802.11n radios, so that the console can connect to your gamepads (WiFi Direct), mobile devices, and home network without added latency. Xbox One hardware diagram. Note the ports on the back. So far, so good — but, when you take a closer look, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of unanswered questions. Before the unveil yesterday, it was widely believed that the Xbox One’s SoC would feature eight AMD Jaguar cores — just like the PS4. The problem is, Jaguar (and its accompanying GCN GPUs) are 28nm parts — and yet, according to some journalists who got an exclusive peek at the Xbox One, Microsoft says the SoC is based on a 40nm process. It’s entirely possible that AMD somehow backported its 28nm parts to 40nm, but owing to the significant differences between the processes this would’ve been a very costly and time consuming task. It’s worth noting that we don’t have confirmation that the PS4 uses a 28nm chip, either. ( Updated: The latest information seems to be that Microsoft got it wrong, and that it is in fact a 28nm SoC, just like Kabini.) When it comes to the memory bandwidth, the Xbox One has 68GB/sec of main memory (8GB DDR3) bandwidth, 102GB/sec of bandwidth to the embedded SRAM (32MB), with the last 30GB/sec probably between the CPU and GPU, or perhaps between the CPU and peripherals (gamepads, Kinect, cable TV). This is a much more complicated setup than the PS4, which just has 176GB/sec of unified main memory (8GB GDDR5) bandwidth, usable by both the GPU and CPU. The real-world difference will probably be minor — though I would say that the PS4 probably has the edge, as developers don’t need to pay special heed to the Xbox One’s fast-but-small SRAM. For a more detailed breakdown of the Xbox One’s hardware, we’ll have to wait until the console has been released and reverse engineered by enterprising hackers and crackers — or, if we’re lucky, Microsoft might release more information at E3. The Xbox One’s software: Apps, games, and pre-owned games controversy. Perhaps for the first time in console history, the Xbox One unveil, and the Q&A panels that followed, focused more on the software than the hardware. Almost the entirety of the unveil showcased how first-party apps (Skype, NFL, Internet Explorer) will interact with your games, movies, and TV channels. When it comes to games, the only real features that Microsoft discussed were Smart Match and Game DVR. Game DVR keeps a rolling record of your recent gameplay (so you don’t have to remember to press record!), and allows you to share it with your friends via social networks. Smart Match is a new matchmaking system, which presumably developers can tap into, instead of creating their own matchmaking system. And then there’s the pre-owned games controversy. With the Xbox One, all games are fully installed to an internal, unremovable hard drive. The plus side is that you don’t need to hunt for the game disc whenever you want to play a game — but, on the negative side, Microsoft says you’ll have to pay a fee to install a game a second time, on another console. Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t been very clear about how big this fee will actually be; some reports suggest that that the fee will be as large as the game’s original price. This, as you have probably guessed, is intended to cripple the pre-owned games market. While there have been a few official Microsoft statements over the last few days, the latest is this: “While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade-in and resell games at retail. Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios.” Three operating systems in one. According to Microsoft, the Xbox One runs three different operating systems. There’s a core operating system that’s based on Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor technology, which boots up when you turn the console on. This hypervisor then boots up two further operating systems: Xbox OS, which runs the games, and an OS that’s based on Windows 8, which runs the apps (Skype, TV, etc.) The Xbox OS and Windows-based OS run side-by-side, on hardware that’s virtualized by the hypervisor. Both OSes are permanently switched on and constantly rendering their video output, to enable instant switching/snapping between games and apps/TV. The Xbox OS is rebooted whenever you load a game, but the Windows-based OS is persistent until you turn the console off. It isn’t clear how the hardware resources are split between the two virtualized OSes, but hopefully the Xbox OS (games) gets most of the RAM and GPU time. This is a very interesting and potentially very powerful setup. I actually speculated about the Xbox One running Windows 8 way back in July 2011. At the time, I theorized that Microsoft would develop a single OS (Windows 8) and interface (Metro) that unifies every form factor, from desktop, to tablet, to smartphone, to console. While I was only half right, it’s clear from the various demos, photos, and videos that the Xbox One will look and feel like a Windows 8 device. The grid-like Metro design language is there, snapping is there, the fonts are the same. While we’ll probably have to wait until the Build developer conference to find out more, it is also very likely that apps developed for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 will run on the Xbox One with minimal modification. With the switch from a PowerPC CPU in the Xbox 360 to x86 in the Xbox One, it might also simplify the development and porting of games between Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Xbox One. We have almost no details on the Xbox One’s gaming OS, but it’s possible that it’s also been rejigged to share more of the Windows 8 kernel. In short, the unification between all form factors is virtually complete. In theory, this is very exciting for Microsoft, consumers, and developers. In practice, Microsoft now needs to get off its ass and shift a ton of devices so that consumers and developers can actually take advantage of this utopian unified interface and ecosystem. Post a Comment Comment. Good grief – if I wanted to admin a Windows system on my home network I would be running Windows. who said you had to “admin” anything? ᴜᴘᴛᴏ I sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅʀᴀғᴛ 4 $7143, I ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴ ʟᴀᴡ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟᴇʏ ʙʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sᴘᴀʀᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀᴘᴘʟᴇ ʟᴀᴘᴛᴏᴘ.. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ʜᴀᴢ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʟᴇss ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛᴇɴ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴀɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴛɢᴀɢᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴠɪʟʟᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ɴᴇᴡ GMC. ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ, Mojo50.cℴm. They’re going to pull something out of their asses for me to get excited about this… PS4 seems to be focusing more on games than this “all in one” home entertainment device. I don’t know of anybody who bought an Xbox 360 for its ability to watch Netflix. Well, think of it like Nokia who failed to move on Smartphones; or you may look at it as Sony and Nintendo losing handhelds games to smartphones. So in the end people love options. That said, I am a gamer and I love my xbox 360 and PS3 and will get both new consoles. However, I do play my Xbox more and tend to use my PS3 to only play Exclusives and Netflix. I don’t get why so many people are saying that it’s not game focused. There is no reason it can’t be an all-in-one and still have a strong gaming focus. They’ve showed some game content, but only what they’ve needed to show that it can pump out nice looking games. They’re leaving game details for E3. If their E3 presentation was just repeated info from this week it wouldn’t create the buzz you aim for from your E3 presentation on launch year. I’m just saying that it’s not game focused because of the amount of game they showed compared to the PS4 announcement. I get that they are showing a lot of the games at E3, and we’ll have to see what they announce to get me excited about Xbox again. I agree, the ps4 seems more oriented for games. Don’t use Netflix or any other crap I have a pc, BD, tv with those features. And if I don’t have those devices? Why was it ok for those devices to implement these features and not your gaming system, which more than likely is the most used piece of hardware in your home besides your tv. Let’s be clear. Your xbox has the power to run all these extra features to make a great all in one. Your other devices do not have the power to play modern games (with the exception of your PC of course) and be an all in one. more bloatware if you want. That is the point ‘If you want’. None of these apps came pre-loaded on the 360. You pick and choose what extra features you want. Can you say “TV show channel ESPN” and it automatically change the channel to ESPN for you? Oh wow, I didn’t know it could do that!! Oh that’s right I don’t watch tv. I guess lazy and practical comes to mind. I didn’t buy my console to watch netflix, but I sure watch alot of netflix on my console. The reason I was so underwhelmed by the Sony PS4 reveal is they didn’t show me what sets the console apart from the competition. All I know is it is a game console that plays games. I already know the games are going to be great on both platforms so Sony really needs to show me something more compelling than a handful of mediocre exclusives. Thats because they havent done a full release yet… all sony has done is give you some specs and some gameplay. They didn’t try to shock and awe you yet. This sounds just like what ppl say about XBO and games… Everyone needs to just chill til E3. Let’s all put out fanboys down, and no body gets hurt… I believe they did try, and they did fail. The PS4 is focusing only on “games” because it can’t do anything else. They don’t have the software expertise of Microsoft. PS4 seems to be “focusing” on having people jumping into your games and posting your game film on the web, which is teenager crap. they’re focusing on games more than anything else because that’s what the PS4 is for. Funny, everyone I know who bought a PS3 said it was due to the built in blue-ray player or Final Fantasy…that seems to be 50% game focused imo. Have you looked at TV’s & entertainment devices recently? It’s not so much about size as it is the “built-in features”. When built in features become the deciding factor on what you purchase, then making a game console with “built in features” sounds like a plus. Apple TV’s biggest complaint is it’s “lack” of outside features. So I see what Microsoft is trying to do – the big question is, will it be what people want in a year? Will it be like the blue-ray player that made the PS3 a better choice over the XBox? Or will a new Halo/Final Fantasy game appear that will make all these other items trivial by comparison? We will see in a year…. I always knew consoles will not be as PC…NEVER! Check your grammer please. On a different note, no one came here to read that PC is superior to a console. I think any tech savvy person is well aware of the superior processing and graphics power of a PC; however, consoles are convenient and the Xbox One seeks to make a convenient all-in-one entertainment solution for the fraction of then price of a having a gaming PC, BD device, and smart TV separately. You could have a BD Drive in a PC and have that PC hooked up to a TV. Gaming PCs don’t cost that much if you build them. Still going to cost more than a stock console, however. And what if I don’t want to build my own PC? The console is an easy and accessible solution. I by no means hate on PC. In fact, I would love to have a top line gaming rig, but I still love the convenience of being able to navigate from Netflix, to the internet, and to a game with my controller while I sit comfortably on my couch. At least with the X1 it is the user experience that is different. Consoles will never be able to compete with PC from a raw horsepower stand point, so they need to appeal to people by showing off an experience that can’t be achieved elsewhere. I believe the X1 has shown us that at their reveal. Got to agree. I’m well aware of the fact that PC’s will always blow consoles out of the water, but the whole Xbox One experience has got me jazzed. You see… People who buy consoles are a disgrace to the gaming community because they dont spend money on decent gaming ie a pc. No your an embarrassment to gaming because you chose to judge other people’s gaming choices! A true gamer would game on anything! Thank you and fuck Eugene for being a douche. Just because I don’t have the money or time to dedicate to gaming doesn’t make me a disgrace. I have a family to support through my full time job which I acquired after I graduated college. If being a hard working dad makes me a disgrace as a gamer, then so be it. But, who the fuck is anyone to judge me. I’m buying an X1. Eugene can get dick cancer for all I care. Dick cancer… Nice…(Randy South Park Voice) Fix your grammer and maybe I’ll take this insult more seriously. Until then, have fun being an asshole. I am a studying networking so I do by all means, know a lot about computers. We all know that PC raw power will always beat console’s raw power and I tried to get into PC gaming after playing Xbox 360 for many years. I built a PC for around $1000 and played a lot of games and I just can’t do it anymore. I feel like I spend more time getting the PC to function properly than I do playing any game at all. Not to mention the fact that if I want to take my gaming somewhere, I have to carry around a giant case, a ton of cables, a mouse, a mouse pad, a keyboard, and a monitor. Well I’m glad that windows 8 will be on the xbox, have fun with the viruses that will ensue. what virus do you speak of? and how does that have anything to do with windows 8 or xbox one? You do know that viruses have nothing to do with the OS? Are you talking about bugs? And if so which ones? Do make stupid statements. what I’m saying is that anything that runs windows whether a locked down version or not is highly prone to getting malware. It may not be right away, but it will soon get there that the xbox will start to get malware just like everything else that runs any version or form of windows. And I meant malware in the previous post, lets not be picky…you knew what I meant. Exactly, it’s the same architecture now and the same os. LOLOL ensues, esp. when xbox has a weaker gpu and overall worse hardware than ps4. On top of that, it’s running more aka another 2 os, + kinect. Ps4 wins this gen. Ps2 is back! That’s just ignorant. PS4 is still largely smoke at this point. Wait until it materializes. The media functions of the XBO are truly drewlworthy. Games will be shown @ E3! You are not going to get viruses on it.The Xbox 1 from 2002 had windows on it and look at it. Thare were no viruses on it and it was hard to hack/mod. It not doing to be windows on your computer so stop being picky thare is no reason to. Every thing is going to alright. No, Adam Bozek, are you joking? Windows is desighned to be an end user system where as any *nix sytem is made to run on server and is thus more secure. So yes Zack Thompson is right just like every microsoft the xbone OS sucks. It will be using a locked up version of windows 8 without any desktop interface. Getting a virus on this would be virtually impossible. I keep faith in thepiratebay. Uh-huh….It isn’t 1996 anymore. Windows is a strong, stable and secure OS. Windows is still based on the old system. While they may have made it a LITTLE more secure, it still has an absolutely horrific base that they are building it on. Until they do a total overhaul and copy apple the rest of the way on their operating system, it will remain so. Dumbest comment ever. I’m sorry, I don’t want to be an ass; however, the OS has nothing go do with how easy a console can be hacked. Here’s one thing they haven’t mention, the blue ray for games you wont get to use it that often. Once you buy the game it will install into the console, meaning say good bye to the old times when your friend ask you if he can borrow that game or if he wanted to buy it from you. Way to go MS. I hope the ps4 doesn’t have that feature. It would be illogical to think they don’t. MS wouldn’t implement a feature like this on their own. There is no direct benefit to them. This must have been pushed by publishers and considering Sony and MS share publishers it is pretty safe to say that this feature will be on the PS4 as well. I appreciate MS for being upfront about it from the get-go. I think MS is changing the way we think about “trading” games. I think games(activation codes) will be openly traded in online “marketplaces”. Shops like gamestop will sell used games w/activation codes. It’s just a modern method. lets hope so. Otherwise their will be some very angry customers. Why are people crying about the media function of this machine… it is not the focal point… It was just the focus of the reveal since they are saving alot of gameplay for E3. If you want to play your 360 games so bad then plug back in your old xbox… Focus on the 8-core CPU, 8GB of system memory, and a 500GB hard disc drive. That includes customized AMD accelerated processor units integrating the chip maker’s forthcoming Jaguar-class CPU cores and Radeon graphics, as well as a memory controller, video decoder, and other functionality. Those specs are a huge jump from the 360. Save your complaining for things like the red ring of death or the PS3 network being down for a month. Don’t complain about features they added that you don’t like. Xbox has worse hardware than ps4. Lol, I dont even have an optical drive on my pc, havnt for close to 5 years now, had to use an external once. Literally, More Bang for your buck when you pay for live everyone knows that. Not to mention XBOX now has Blue-Ray. i mean what more do you want. Plus XBOX controller looks better then the retarded fragile looking PlayStation controller its pathetic. Who needs to pay for multiplayer when you’ve got a PC… Anyone who wants a good non-modded non glitchy user experience. I’d rather play in an environment where everyone is using the same system setup. Hey Grampa, where’d you find that idea? In the bottom of an old chest in the attic? Sooo last century! They were probably going for the play on words. Xbox Won (One) Ah.. you see… They said 8 cores to make it sound powerful so that all the COD kiddies who buy one can say HAHA to the people with computers because they have an EIGHT CORE Xbox one!! OMG… They never mentioned the clock speed of the 8 core processor. That is what really matters. I sold my xbox for a pc because I have a brain. So you think a dedicated console processor speed is the same as PC processor speed? PC’s waste a ton of resources. Good luck with your PC! I’ll be having fun. Have you heard of XBO’s side-by-side OSes? This will be way more of a waste that even a regular Windows PC (compared to Linux). I actually don’t think it will be. The reason being that developers know exactly what hardware is in the box and can optimize. PC is greatly fragmented with different SOCs 32 and 64 bit versions, GPUs, Motherboards, etc. Ok. The xbox 360 a triple core CPU with HT at 3.2gh. This one has 8 cores at 2.2 gh so shut up about the damn cpu speed and look things up beffor you bitch about stuff. And yes it can be better then many computers. You really showed them. Oh, good analysis! But I like play Xbox 360 games even read some articles from Aneesoft resource. While Xbox one can’t support 360 games. It’s a bad news to me. Here’s the thing, I have had playstations and Xbox (all gens) plus a PC and gamed plenty on all devices. Tbh I prefer PC for most games I play but for FPS games I prefer Xbox. The controller was built for an adults hands and the system itself including the network provides superior experiences over PS. Also on the auto install of a game to the hard drive, that is a Terrible idea for both consoles. They will put many people out of business (like GameStop and gamefly) much like redbox has done to movie rental stores. Not to mention you will more than likely have to pay for “cloud” storage if you fill the HDD up with too many games, movies, music. I love my Console Don’t get me wrong but I think I’m gonna pass and invest the $$ I would’ve spent on the Xbox One into my PC. Our economy is shitty enough we don’t need greedy publishers putting thousands of people out of work. – External Hardrives are available. – Used games will still be sold with activation codes. Based on some prior comments, I’m sure that MS and the MS network will offer “trade” codes for a nominal fee along side used games to keep te used game sector alive, lest they lose a huge portion of dedicated, yet budget sensitive gamers. I was excited about the Xbox One (XBO), entirely because of the universal inclusion of the Kinect 2. Now I’m highly ambivalent, for several reasons. ***THE XBO IS LESS POWERFUL THAN THE PS4*** – The XBO has less usable RAM than the PS4–I’ve read that the OS uses. 4 GB of memory, leaving 4 GB for games. The PS4 has 8 GB dedicated to games). – The XBO has slower RAM than the PS4 (GDDR3 vs. GDDR4–a big difference). The XBO’s 32 MB of faster on-die cache is a patch-job) ***THE XBO (partly) LOCKS OUT USED GAMES*** – It effectively (at least partly) locks out used games (e.g. can’t sell at gamestop). MS has been disingenuous in conveying these limitations (which typical of the company). ***THE XBO EMPHASIZES NON-GAME CONTENT*** Finally, and most damagingly–there is an undue emphasis on non-game content. This is problematic for several reasons. – Other devices do these things better: e.g. I have a portable iPad and my PC is connected directly to my TV, etc. These devices are better for non-game purposes than the Xbox One is likely to ever be. This functionality is not only redundant, but also inferior to the alternatives. – Emphasis on non-game content wastes system RAM and other resources(mentioned earlier; is due to the support for seamless multitasking) – Non-game content wasted development resources (in developing the system hardware and software) – **Most importantly** Any product that tries to be all things to all people is likely to satisfy nobody (a brief anecdote: Steve Jobs advised one of the Google founders that the company was becoming like MS-trying to do too many things and doing nothing particularly well. A result was the strategic decision to put “more wood behind fewer arrows”). The final point is the biggest reason why, I think, MS has catastrophically screwed up with the XBO. I think the XBO will have maybe. 1/2 the market share of the PS4, within a few years (unless the virtues of the Kinect 2 can offset the above-mentioned detriments–dubious). In short: the XBO seems a crippled system that tries to do everything. – You have no idea how much the XBO OS uses vs. the PS4 OS. – E3 will show games, XBOX emphasizes non gaming content because it HAS it. – You have no idea which system is more powerful because you have no idea how the architectures work. This is not an off the shelf PC. Move engines and memory bandwiths matter a lot. It’s not just the base RAM speed. – Did you think smartphones were a terrible idea because it tried to be a phone and a palm pilot and an internet device? You would have been out of business by now. So many wrong statements/bad knowledge/speculation as fact. Contentless comment presented as something worth reading. (And I’m no fanboy: I prefer the PC, but I’ll probably buy all three next gen consoles, eventually.) So many wrong statements/bad knowledge/speculation as fact. The device seem a bit bulky but it has some good gaming specs under the hood as they say. This sounds really nice, but we’ll see how well it actually works. – http://www.xboxoneforu.ms. What’s the price for the xbox one and ps4? One would assume the xbox one would be cheaper than the ps4. Why should it be? I”d venture to say the innovation put into the XBO far outweighs the PS4. Oh I don’t know maybe because the xbox one has the equivalent of radeon 7790 vs the ps4 7870, perhaps the difference between ddr3 vs ddr5. I think their architectural design is different. They will run equally strong. Who knows how the GGDR5 will work in the PS4. It’s video RAM. The whole Window integration could be a good thing… if it’s done correctly. Let’s home Microsoft finally gets it right! – http://www.XboxOneForu.ms. RIP dvd players. Always on camera and microphone. What could possibly go wrong? I notice no one has a problem with the privacy issue I have I hate the Kinect and don’t want cameras on me so xbox can spy on me all day and I buy used games and all this is a bunch of BS I am surely one of only thousands who will not be buying a system that’s going to shackle me to them Microsoft is going to far this is not what I want at all it is closing to many doors and pulling it’s self away from the mainstream will kill it. This article was more comprehensive than the Xbox One teaser unveiling. Sounds like it would be easier to hack – installing the OS(es) on a PC. Yup. I think so too. Looking forward to playing xbox games on my PC. You have the processor wrong, I used to work at the factory that made it. AMD did not make the 360 processor and they did not make this one either. this is just the same thing its not worth it to by the samething this just like the 360. microsoft needs to inprove it before saleing it. you can do the samething on xbox 360 this is just a another dispointing thing they have made. Yes, just like the 360 with a faster processor, more ram, Blu ray capabilities etc. The same thing every other console ‘upgrade’ is – a faster machine. this is just the same thing its not worth it to by the samething this just like the 360. microsoft needs to inprove it before saleing it. you can do the samething on xbox 360 this is just a another dispointing thing they have made. So what is to stop me from running the same setup on my PC (hyper-V + the xbox OS)? I’d need an actual copy of the OS and there may be some protection, but I assume it will be hacked pretty quickly. Then I don’t need the xbox at all. The xbox OS will target the specific hardware architecture of the xbox (APU + GPU) which you won’t be able to replicate in your PC. We can buy Jaguar APUs and the respective graphics cards. Will it be exactly the same? No, but very close, and more importantly all the instruction sets are identical. We’ll have to wait to see how specific the OS will actually be. ExtremeTech Newsletter. Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox. More Articles. NASA Makes Contact With Satellite Thought Lost 13 Years Ago Jan 31 Ransomware Scammers Get Scammed Themselves By Tor Proxy Hack Jan 31 The Nintendo Switch Has Outsold the Wii U in Less Than a Year Jan 31 Hands On: How Mazda’s Gasoline-Powered Diesel May Lift MPG 20-30 Percent Jan 31 ET deals: Save Big on NordVPN Jan 31. 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Slot-loading Blu-ray drive? Check. HDMI out and in? Absolutely, considering the Xbox One is meant to play a central role in the living room. There's an octa-core processor based on AMD's Jaguar design and 8GB of RAM to go up against the Sony PlayStation 4, plus USB 3.0 ports, 500GB of hard drive storage, WiFi Direct for communicating with the new controller and other devices, and a humungous amount of silicon to drive it all: no fewer than five billion transistors, which compares to 1.4 billion in your average Intel or AMD chip (although Microsoft may have included other processors and DSPs in that count). And just in case you're wondering, the switch to an x86 PC-style architecture will indeed preclude backwards compatibility with 360 games. As for the box itself, well, it looks rather a like a little HTPC with a black and silver case and a big Xbox logo -- a visage that actually tallies with those PC-inspired internals. There's a full list of specs after the break, which we're expanding as more details pour out of Microsoft's Xbox One ongoing launch event. Processor and graphics: as rumored, a heavily customized AMD chip that combines an eight-core CPU, a GPU tailored for DirectX 11.1 graphics and 32MB of high bandwidth embedded ESRAM memory. The 28nm chip will consume around 100 watts, which is slightly higher than current Xbox Slim and PS3, but Microsoft promises noise from the cooling fans will be "four times quieter." System memory: a Sony-rivaling 8GB of RAM, although it'll be DDR3 instead of the PlayStation 4's GDDR5. Audio and video: 1080p and 4K both supported; 7.1 surround sound. Kinect: This will be bundled with the console and contain 250,000-pixel infrared depth sensor as well as a regular 720p web cam. Storage and media: a 500GB hard drive of unknown speed plus a Blu-ray / DVD combo drive that will be used as little as possible. We're told disc-based games will be ripped to the HDD automatically. Connectivity: HDMI 1.4 output and passthrough; a "few" USB 3.0 ports; gigabit Ethernet; plus, three separate 802.11n radios to allow the console to communicate with its controller (over a form of WiFi Direct) as well as other devices (such as perhaps other Windows-based phones and tablets) without losing its connection to the internet. At other times, two radios could be used to maintain a stronger WiFi signal. If the spec you're looking for isn't on this list, that's likely because Microsoft hasn't revealed it yet. We've requested further details and will update as and when we hear more. Elon Musk sells all 20,000 $500 Boring Company flamethrowers. The brand is strong. SpaceX rocket survives an intentional water landing. It's more resilient than expected. eBay will soon replace PayPal as its main payment option. It'll allow the website to offer a more seamless payment experience. Shigeru Miyamoto will co-produce a 'Mario' animated movie. Illumination Entertainment is working on the animated feature.