Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Watch the On-Demand Recording of the Xbox One Announcement:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hub/reveal

Below is some messaging about the Xbox One announcement from our President of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, Don Mattrick.  Note carefully how each of these bullet points focus on something that, because of Microsoft’s great breadth of technology, relationships, & talent, other platforms simply can’t match.

With Xbox One, we are at the beginning of a new generation that forever changes how people across the world experience games, TV and entertainment in their living room and beyond.  It’s a platform with power and functionality for the future that’s been designed from the ground up to be simple, instant and complete.

A New Generation of Games

At its core Xbox One is a system designed by gamers, for gamers.  It’s a platform offering immense power and new opportunities through innovative technology, unique architecture and unparalleled cloud support. Xbox One will be home to the biggest blockbusters and best developers in the world.

• Powered for the Future – The raw horsepower under Xbox One’s hood has been designed to empower story tellers to deliver a new generation of games that look and feel like nothing else.  We’ve brought technology from across Microsoft to create an industry first, and married three distinct operating systems bringing a new level of power, performance and sophistication to the living room.  Xbox One architecture provides deep and instant access to the hardware so creators have no limits in harnessing the power of our new console. The kernel of Windows provides consistent access to web-powered applications and experiences, and our third OS connects them together to create instant switching and multi-tasking for everything that Xbox One has to offer.
• Connected and Ready / New Generation of Xbox LIVE – For every Xbox One in the living room we put four more in the cloud to give customers unparalleled power, storage and access to the games and content they love. Everything is stored and saved in the cloud and instantly available any time, from any Xbox One and customers will never again have to wait for a system or software update.  This new generation of Xbox Live is powered by more than 300,000 servers, will surround and power every experience, delivering persistent living worlds, lasting legacies and deep social connections. Your Xbox One will also act as a dedicated Game DVR to capture your magic moments and save them to the cloud, allowing you to edit and share amongst your friends. 
• Better with Kinect / Deep Skype Integration / Xbox Controller Made Better – Our revolutionary Kinect sensor has been re-designed for significantly greater precision, a wider field of view optimized for smaller spaces, and Skype fully integrated into the platform with full 1080p HD video chat. Every Xbox One will come with the new Kinect sensor, enabling more natural, intuitive voice and gesture controls across all forms of content. The Xbox controller has also undergone over 40 design innovations, making it the most comfortable and precise controller ever.

A New Generation of Entertainment

The Xbox One vision is about delivering a true all-in-one device that brings to life a new generation of games, TV and entertainment that’s built for the future with hardware, software and services that put people at the center.  With Xbox One we will evolve the entertainment that you love and make it decidedly better.

• More Intelligent TV – For the first time in console history, Xbox One will offer live TV viewing unlike anything you have ever experienced before. By simply saying “Xbox, watch TV” you will  be able to enjoy the television shows you love or explore new programs by following what your friends are watching or what’s trending across  Xbox Live.  All the while your Xbox One will be learning, getting smarter the more you use it and offering custom tailored recommendations for new content to explore. It truly is more intelligent TV delivering personalized entertainment with you at the center.
• Halo: The TV Series – Content is king and our new Xbox Entertainment Studios in Santa Monica, CA will be working to create original, interactive TV programming.  The first major project from this team will be created in partnership with 343 Industries and one of the best storytellers of all time, Steven Spielberg.  The Halo TV Series will bring the Halo universe to the television and create an exciting combination of storytelling and interactive innovation on Xbox One.
• Landmark NFL Partnership – Microsoft and the NFL will deliver unique interactive NFL television experiences for Xbox One and leverage Microsoft devices and services to evolve the in-game, sideline experience for coaches, players and other personnel.  For fans, the NFL on Xbox will provide the most complete way to enjoy live football by bringing the first fully-integrated fantasy football experience to the TV, exclusively through Xbox One.