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[Updated] Xbox One Facts: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, And The Unconfirmed

With the dust settling from Microsoft's lackluster Xbox One reveal earlier this week, we now have a relatively clear picture about what the company has in place for their next generation console. With that said, there are still plenty of important questions that remain unanswered. Below we have separated all that we know about the Xbox One into four categories; The Good (or at least, The Not Horrible), The Bad, The Ugly, and The Unconfirmed.

The Good

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  • 8 Core GPU, 8 GB system memory, x86 processor, Blu-ray drive, 500 GB hard drive, 802.11n Wireless with Wi-Fi Direct, HDMI in/out, USB 3.0
  • Supports external hard drives
  • Three operating systems; Xbox OS, the Windows 8 kernel, and another that links the two together
  • Xbox One controller has been updated with “40 design innovations”, including but not limited to; new “impulse triggers” that incorporate additional ruble feedback, a newly designed ”precision” d-pad, new thumbsticks, ergonomic design, Wi-Fi Direct, and an integrated battery compartment.
  • Comes with new improved Kinect sensor: 1080P HD RGB camera, 30 FPS color, Time of Flight Technology, improved Microphone Arrays
  • New Kinect has an increased field-of-view, better body tracking, can monitor heart rate, new voice controls that learn and improve over time
  • Kinect can recognize you, and log you in to your own home screen automatically
  • Skype via Kinect, allows for group calls
  • Supports SmartGlass mobile app
  • Users can instantly switch different functions/apps, for example: switch from TV to playing games, Internet Explorer, watching movies, Skype, etc.
  • “Snap” function lets users run two different apps at the same time, for example watching TV and using Skype
  • Pass through HDMI feed from set-top-boxes or cable provides, Xbox One has TV guide (OneGuide) and live television features (Trending shows, voice control, etc.)
  • Interactive sports deal with NFL
  • Xbox Live based on current subscriptions, current subscription covers both Xbox 360 and Xbox One
  • Multiple profiles on one Xbox One console can use a single Xbox Live Gold account
  • Background updates
  • Downloaded games can be installed in segments, and played while downloading
  • Game saves, profiles, entertainment content (music, movies, TV shows, etc) saved in cloud
  • Gamerscore and Achievements will carry over to Xbox One
  • Achievements system is being improved, new achievements and objectives can be added to games over time
  • In-game DVR capabilities, saves footage to the cloud, includes sharing tools
  • Play against your “shadow” from past performances
  • Smart Match: improved matchmaking service that will reduce waiting for multiplayer games
  • Family controls will allow for games to be assigned to multiple accounts within the household, however, only one person can play the game at a time – [Update] Microsoft has reversed all of their used game DRM and online requirements for the Xbox One, which has resulted in this feature being axed

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