Kinect

Microsoft’s Xbox One will achieve price parity with Sony’s competing PlayStation 4 on June 9. It’s on that date that a new One SKU sans Kinect sensor will become available for a $399 MSRP, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced today on Xbox Wire. This cheaper Kinect-free take on on the Xbox One will be sold in all markets in which the console is currently available.

Spencer noted the importance of fan feedback to the console holder, alluding to changes such as the elimination of the once-planned always-online feature of the Xbox One due to massive gamer backlash. “Today, we’re excited to share more ways your feedback is impacting the products we build,” he added.

The Head of Xbox also took the opportunity to point out that Microsoft isn’t forgetting about the millions of gamers who already have a Kinect sensor. “To be clear, as we introduce this new Xbox One console option, Kinect remains an important part of our vision,” Spencer wrote. “Many of you are using Kinect for Xbox One every day. In fact, more than 80 percent of you are actively using Kinect, with an average of 120 voice commands per month on each console.”

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Polygon published an interview this week of Nancy Tellem, Microsoft’s entertainment and digital media president, about the possible benefits that Kinect could offer with the new Xbox Originals programming. …
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Major Nelson has just announced that the latest Xbox One system update will begin rolling out in a few hours. While we were already aware of some of the features coming with this push, his latest blog post details the full list of enhancements. You can check out the list, which includes friend list improvements, Kinect tuning, and automatic system updates, after the break.

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South Korean programmer Jae Kwan Ko has developed a Kinect-based software system that is being used to monitor the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.

Its existence …
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There has been a veritable whirlwind of excitement, controversy and anticipation surrounding the release of Microsoft’s latest video game console since it was unveiled back in May. Microsoft has had to backpedal on unpopular policies regarding digital rights management and limitations placed on used games, but the electric feeling that surrounds every console launch has truly never wavered.

Despite some of the unpopular choices made by Microsoft, the Xbox One remains at its core not only a capable gaming machine, but also an all-around entertainment hub. The real question, then, is how to justify its $500 price tag: a $100 premium over the PS4.

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With the Xbox One set to launch in only a few days (November 22, 2013), it’s time to take a deeper look at what the console offers at launch and whether its initial wave of features and games makes an immediate Xbox One upgrade right for you or if you should hold off for a while until the console’s feature set and game library has grown. To do so, XBLAFans will look at what the console will have to offer on November 22 and attempt to determine whether or not that launch offering makes sense for you.

Do you consider yourself a tech trendsetter?

Are you one of those people who always have to have the newest tech? Do you constantly upgrade your phone to the latest version in order to stay up to date with ever-changing technology? If so, then the Xbox One is for you. After eight long years with the 360, the next generation of living room gaming is truly about to commence (sorry, Wii U, we still love you for what you are) and you shouldn’t let yourself get left behind. If the console’s recently updated specs weren’t enough to convince you, then the new UI walkthrough might be the final push you need. The video will show you how the Xbox One will change not just your gaming experience, but your overall home entertainment experience for years to come.

Microsoft has done with the Xbox One and Kinect what no other console has been able to achieve: it has solved the problem of navigating a UI on a TV from the comfort of a couch. From the very inception of consoles, it was evident that a mouse and keyboard were awkward to use while sitting on a couch, which led to the introduction of the controller. For many years the controller was a brilliant way to game, and it’s still an integral part of today’s gaming experience. However, as consoles have grown from pure gaming systems into entertainment hubs, current-gen console UIs have grown clunky, their menus becoming unmanageable. With the Xbox One, all of that clunkiness is gone; you can switch from app to game to TV to Skype within seconds all with the power of your voice. Nothing about Microsoft’s incoming console says next-gen more than its new UI.

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The aggravating days of slowly typing in 25 digits in order to redeem Xbox Live Arcade games, Xbox Live subscriptions and other downloadable Xbox items may be ending for those gamers who purchase Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox One console when it goes on sale starting November 22. Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb showcased on Vine today the Xbox One Kinect camera’s ability to scan Xbox Live membership cards in mere seconds through the use of QR codes.

In the video, which can be seen here, Hryb tells his Kinect to “use a code” and holds an Xbox Live 14-day trial card in front of the camera. The code is processed rapidly, with his Xbox asking him in about two seconds if he wants to redeem the XBL code it’s just scanned.

The technology and speed at which it operates is hardly new, as smartphone users have been enjoying such functionality for years now. It is, however, new to Xbox, and it’s an additional feature that is sure to be welcomed by a community that’s spent the Xbox 360’s life cycle begrudgingly growing accustomed to typing in lengthy codes in order to redeem codes for games, XBL subscriptions, DLC and more.

Though Hryb’s video demonstrates QR code-scanning as the new standard for XBL subscription cards, it isn’t clear at this time whether or not QR codes will be printed on all Xbox One game and item download cards. Microsoft’s Xbox Support account tweeted a nebulous response to a gamer’s question about the possibility of all cards featuring Kinect-scannable QR codes. “We don’t have that information to share at this time,” stated Xbox Support.

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Next-gen consoles like the Xbox One will no doubt be big sellers this holiday season, but current-gen is where you’ll find the better bargains. Major Nelson has revealed three …
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When the Xbox One was announced and it was confirmed that Kinect 2.0 would ship with it, players became skeptical of Microsoft’s intent with the new motion-sensing capture device. …
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Grounding’s Yukio Futatsugi has revealed that it was Microsoft’s decision to move Crimson Dragon from Xbox 360 to Xbox One. Futatsugi told Eurogamer at the Tokyo Game Show that …
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