E3 2013: Microsoft and the Xbox One

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At Microsoft’s pre-E3 #XboxReveal event, the veil was lifted away from the company’s next-gen hardware known as Xbox One. The event focused primarily on introducing the hardware (including the black box, the enhanced wireless controller, and Kinect 2.0) and the power behind it. Xbox One and its ability to act like a TV set-top box and serve as “the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system” was the big highlight from that event. Though a handful of titles were teased there, MSFT would save the games for its E3 media briefing. For more, jump after the break.

Before you dive into a list of new titles consisting mostly of Xbox One exclusives, Microsoft made some other relavant announcements at E3 that cannot be skipped over. First, the Xbox 360 isn’t going anywhere yet; to prove the company’s not abandoning its commitment to the aging console it updated the 360 hardware with a modern look and feel based on the Xbox One design. It’s “small, sleek, and quiet” and it’s on store shelves today. Additionally, Microsoft says hundreds of new games are coming to 360 including upcoming anticipated titles Splinter Cell: Black List, Final Fantasy XII, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Grand Theft Auto V. Previewed at the briefing were World of Tanks (Wargaming.net) [available free-to-play for XBL Gold members this summer], Max: The Curse of Brotherhood (Press Play), and Dark Souls II (From Software) [due out March 2014]. One more thing: all XBL Gold members will begin to receive two free games per month–starting with Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3–leading up to Xbox One’s release. And in case you were wondering, yes, Gold memberships will carry over from 360 to One. In sum, Microsoft remains committed to Xbox 360 even with One on the horizon.

New enhancements to Xbox Live were also discussed at E3. First, SmartGlass is natively built into Xbox One; users with the SmartGlass app on their tablets and smartphones will be able to start a single player game, set up and launch multiplayer, view achievements, purchase add-on content, and see instant real-time stats away from the console and on their mobile devices. A new service called Upload Studio will allow gamers to curate, edit, and share gaming sessions that are automatically recorded by Game DVR; recordings can be personalized with thematic skins and voiceovers before they get shared with friends. Microsoft is teaming with Twitch to allow gamers to instantly broadcast gaming sessions live over the Internet. The interface allows you to chat with others and comment in real-time while gameplay is being viewed or controlled. Last, at long last, Microsoft Points are no longer arbitrary “points” and will be converted to your local currency on Xbox One.

Drumroll, please–we have a console launch window and price: Xbox One will hit 21 markets around the world in November 2013 for $499. The package will include the console, a wireless controller, the Kinect camera, and a handy HDMI cable. New Xbox One branded accessories include a Chat Headset, a Play & Charge Kit, and a bundled Wireless Controller with Play & Charge Kit. Xbox One is available to preorder today; early adopters have the opportunity to snag a “Day One Edition” console which comes with a commemorative controller and a special achievement.

The Games (“*” denotes Xbox One exclusive)

Xbox One and DRM

Leading up to E3, Microsoft outed three Xbox Wire press releases addressing Xbox One’s “connected” nature, games licensing  and privacy concerns. To put it mildy, gamers weren’t happy. Here’s the scoop.

Microsoft describes Xbox One as a “modern, connected” device; with a contant Internet connection it will allow developers to “create massive, persistent worlds that evolve even when you’re not playing;” your system, games, and apps are updated the background and will always be current when you go to launch them; when you insert a game disc into Xbox One it will automatically download to your local HDD and the cloud–this makes for less load time and your entire games collection gets tied to your XBL account and so it can be accessed from any Xbox One console. All of these factors and more led to Microsoft making a hard-hitting decision: Xbox One requires a contant Internet connection to function properly, even if you’re playing a single player local game. Every 24 hours the console will check to see if an Internet connection is live; if it’s not connected you will be booted from whatever game your playing. In MSFT’s words:

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, we’ve always believed in a connected world of games and entertainment.  With Xbox One, we are planning for a connected future.  We can’t wait to show you what’s to come.

Outside of the E3 briefing, Xbox’s Don Mattrick did discuss the matter with Spike TV’s Geoff Keighley. He was blunt: “Some of the advantages that you get, of having, a box that is designed to use an online state, so, that, uh, to me is the future-proof choice, and I think people, could’ve arguably gone the other way if we didn’t do it and fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity and it’s called Xbox 360.” He rambled on, “If you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device, I mean, seriously, when I read the blogs, and thought about who’s really the most impacted, there was a person who said ‘hey, I’m on a nuclear sub,’ and I don’t even know what it means to be on a nuclear sub but I’ve gotta imagine it’s not easy to get an Internet connection.” Watch the 8+ minute interview here.

This brings us to the next topic of concern: games licensing. Right off the bat, Microsoft is allowing gamers to trade-in and resell disc-based games to retailers without a fee, just like they can do now. Gamers can also give disc-based games to their friends but Microsoft lists 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.” Digitally downloaded cloud-based games are a different story. A major reason why Xbox One checks for an established Internet connection so often is to make sure your cloud-stored games aren’t being disseminated across multiple consoles at once. Digital rights management at work. MSFT adds, “Loaning or renting games won’t be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners.”

Last, there’s a bit on Kinect and privacy. Some people are nervous that Kinect 2.0–no longer an accessory but a full-fledged system requirement–will be watching and hearing your every move and whisper. Right off the bat, Microsoft insists 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 you’re simply having a conversation in your living room, your conversation is not being recorded or uploaded.

At any time you can pause Kinect so that it cannot track you while your playing a game that does not require Kinect or watching a movie. And that “Xbox On” voice command–you can disable that too, if you like. And when the system is off, or in standby mode, Kinect is “only listening for [that] single voice command — “Xbox On.”

With all the upheaval surrounding these Xbox One hot topics, Microsoft has clear explanations for all of it. At least they’re laying it all out and being transparent about it. Without necessarily taking sides, all gamers must understand that this next generation of video game consoles/home entertainment systems is coming at a time when digital sales and natural user interfaces are becoming excessively popular. This is the way Microsoft is handling the delicate situation and time will tell if the company’s decisions prove to be the right ones in an ever-evolving entertainment industry.

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