TheOak

The Redmond, Wash., software giant showed off its new device, dubbed Xbox One, at an invitation-only event at its headquarters. The console integrates speech-recognition technology and new gesture-based commands to control games as well as TV programming, recorded video and Skype chats.
The device represents Microsoft's answer to "a living room that has become too complex, too fragmented and too slow" with features that integrate users' control of the room's electronics, said Don Mattrick, president of the Microsoft's interactive entertainment business.
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"This system is built to amaze on day one and improve over the generation ahead," he said.
Microsoft said the Xbox One will launch around the world "later this year," though it didn't detail when the new box will appear in stores or how much it will cost. Microsoft promised more details at the E3 videogame conference next month in Los Angeles.
Overall, the company promised a slate of 15 new games, eight of them brand-new franchises, to accompany the console's launch.
One of the games highlighted was "Call of Duty: Ghosts," the next-generation version of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s ATVI +2.54% popular "Call of Duty" franchise. The next version is based on a new story and world, and it will feature downloadable content exclusive to the Xbox platform.
In addition, Microsoft announced partnerships with the National Football League and Steven Spielberg. Through its agreement with the NFL, Xbox One owners will be able to check out their latest fantasy football stats, videochat with friends and access news about the players and teams. Also, NFL players and coaches will be able to use Microsoft products, such as Surface tablets.
Meanwhile, Mr. Spielberg will be the executive producer on an original "Halo" live-action television series with exclusive interactive Xbox One content. The show will be created in partnership with "Halo" developer 343 Industries and Xbox Entertainment Studios.
Microsoft's showcase focused on the new Xbox's faster hardware coupled with a revamped Kinect sensor, which uses a camera to observe gamers' position in front of the TV, their motions and even their heart rates.
Microsoft executive Marc Whitten said the console juggles games, TV programs and videochats more quickly by integrating the Xbox's existing operating system with the code that forms the basis of Windows, making a more "future-proof" device.
The device showcased Tuesday will feature eight gigabytes of random-access memory, a Blu-ray drive and direct Wi-Fi connectivity between devices, rather than through a router.
Under the hood, Microsoft's device is powered by chips from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., AMD -1.95% swapping out an older chip set based on International Business Machines Corp. IBM +0.70% designs that Microsoft used for the Xbox 360.
The hardware shift makes the Xbox more similar to Sony Corp.'s 6758.TO +0.05% coming product, making it easier to develop games for both companies' devices.
The new device comes as consumer behavior has dramatically remade growth prospects for traditional game companies. Since the last Xbox was launched in 2005, mobile devices such as Apple Inc.'s AAPL -0.63% iPhone have become go-to machines for a new swath of casual games that are either free or cost a few dollars.
That trend, combined with the cyclical nature of an industry in which sales taper off before a new game console is released, has weakened revenue in the traditional gaming industry. Sales of new games, consoles and accessories at U.S. retail stores have contracted every month for over a year, according to market researcher NPD Group.
But unlike in years past, game companies are hedging their bets rather than face the competition from mobile devices head-on.
Electronic Arts Inc. EA +1.15% has bet big on mobile devices as its next leg of growth, spending as much as $1.3 billion to acquire "Bejeweled" maker PopCap Games, as well as Chillingo, the publishing company that published the original "Angry Birds."
Game console makers have attempted to respond to these dramatic changes in the industry by including new technologies in their devices. Nintendo Co. 7974.OK +2.97% melded an interactive touch screen into the controller for its Wii U console, which was released last November, and Sony in February showed a touch sensor built into a redesigned controller for its PlayStation 4 console, due out later this year.



Microsoft Shows Off Xbox One Videogame Console - WSJ.com

Crusader

Will be interesting to see this new generation of consoles.

QBREES9

UM wait and see.

TheOak

The emphasis is on TV and running your entire living room. Now that it comes with BluRay I can throw away my PS3... That IS the only reason people buy the PS3 correct?

Nemesis

Sure wasnt for the total game catalog and online services...

SmashMouth

When is the BnG branded version getting released?