Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Blue Label Telecoms to change its name as restructuring gathers pace

      11 July 2025

      Get your ID delivered like pizza – home affairs’ latest digital shake-up

      11 July 2025

      EFF vows to stop Starlink from launching in South Africa

      11 July 2025

      Apple plans product blitz to reignite growth

      11 July 2025

      Nissan doubles down on South Africa despite plant uncertainty

      11 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Microsoft goes all-in with Xbox One

    Microsoft goes all-in with Xbox One

    By Ben Kelly22 May 2013
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Xbox One with controller and Kinect
    Xbox One with controller and Kinect

    Microsoft on Tuesday night joined the next generation console battle with the announcement of its Xbox One that critics are billing as an all-in-one entertainment device rather than simply a gaming console.

    While Microsoft gave the world a fairly detailed look at the features and capabilities of the new console — to be released at the end of the year — Sony was very light on details when it announced the PlayStation 4 earlier this year.

    Speaking at the launch that was streamed live from Microsoft’s headquarters in Seattle, Marc Whitten corporate vice-president for Xbox Live, laid out the specifications of the console: an 8-core CPU, 8GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive, USB 3, HDMI in/out ports, and a Blu-ray drive. Compared to the current generation Xbox 360 — which has been on the market for more than seven years — these specifications are a massive leap forward in terms of computing power.

    The HDMI in/out port will allow owners to connect their television set-top boxes (such as a DStv decoder) to the Xbox and then switch between the services provided through the console — such as gaming, surfing the Internet, watching streaming video or making Skype calls — without having to change the channel on the TV.

    The controller has been updated but not completely redesigned so that gamers used to the old controllers should have no reason to complain.

    Microsoft has also given its Xbox Live service a thorough revamp. When it goes live with the release of the console, the company boasted that Xbox Live will have more computing power behind it than existed on the planet in 1999. Xbox Live has been a big part of the success of the current generation of the console and keeping it up to date is critical to the Xbox One succeeding.

    The Kinect motion controller that allows you to interact with games by waving your arms and jumping up and down has been given an equivalent upgrade and it is an integral part of the system. Users can now turn on the system just by talking to it, the camera has been upgraded with a wider field of view and full HD resolution. Microsoft boasted that the sensor was so sensitive it would even be able to pick up your heartbeat, useful for when you are pushing a little too hard in an exercise game.

    xbox-one-640-1

    The console also features voice recognition, so when you say to it: “Xbox On”, from your voice it will know who is turning it on and will log that person on to their specific profile. This fixes one of possibly the most annoying aspects of the current console.

    The Kinect feature also allows for Skype calls, which can be made while you are watching a movie or playing a game. You can also conference in multiple parties on your Skype call, one of the benefits of Microsoft owning Skype.

    As with any new console, it’s really all about the games.

    Despite Microsoft holding back its announcements for the E3 games extravaganza in a few weeks, the company had some of the biggest games developers on stage on Tuesday. This included Electronic Arts, which showed off its next generation of sports games and Activision, demonstrating Call of Duty: Ghosts, the next generation of its bestselling first-person shooter.

    Activision also showed a next-generation game called Quantum Break, which appeared to blend live action with gaming content as well as a TV series based on the Halo video game franchise — with Steven Spielberg involved in the production.

    There are still many unknowns surrounding the Xbox One: its exact launch date, what games will be available at launch, when it will be available in South Africa, how many of the services — such as the integrated TV guide — will come to South Africa and how much it will cost.

    While Microsoft did stream the launch at its Johannesburg offices, journalists were warned that local representatives would not be able to answer any questions, mostly because they were hearing the news for the first time as well.  — (c) 2013 Mail & Guardian

    • Visit the Mail & Guardian Online, the smart news source


    Microsoft PlayStation 4 Sony Xbox Xbox One
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticlePule in about-turn on digital TV
    Next Article Take the Altron cash: analysts

    Related Posts

    AI gold rush propels Nvidia to record $4-trillion market cap

    9 July 2025

    Jony Ive’s first AI gadget could be … a pen

    30 June 2025

    Bridging the SQL expertise gap

    30 June 2025
    Company News

    $125-trillion traded: Binance redefines global finance in just eight years

    11 July 2025

    NEC XON welcomes HPE acquisition of Juniper Networks

    11 July 2025

    LTE Cat 1 vs Cat 1 bis – what’s the difference?

    11 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.