Skype

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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Update: At some point after this story was published, Illfonic’s Nexuiz was re-listed on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Thanks to reader SteVic82 for bringing this to our attention. Original …
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Microsoft announced today that revenue for the fiscal 2012 fourth quarter ending June 30 reached $18.6 billion. That figure, which Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Steve Ballmer identified …
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In a development that will come as a surprise to precisely no one who followed Microsoft’s $8.5 billion-dollar acquisition of Skype nearly one year ago, the console-maker is now seeking to fill the position of “Software Development Engineer, Xbox – Skype.” Though Microsoft has issued no formal confirmation that it will be bringing its voice-over-internet-protocol service to its home home video-game console, the job opening — which is based in London — would seem to imply that is precisely what the firm is doing.

“We’re building the next generations of our products and technology right here in London,” reads the listing, “and Skype is looking to hire a Software Development Engineer to contribute to the development of our experiences on Xbox.” The individual who is ultimately hired as said engineer will join a “new team” within Microsoft.

Interestingly, the listing specifically mentions as a “passion for shipping product” as an attribute Microsoft is looking for in candidates. While there is of course nothing to ship when it comes to Skype, the wording strongly alludes to the software titan’s desire to make Skype on Xbox Live an actual service, rather than just a pet project. Again, such a move would not exactly come out of left field. Still, with the move still being qualified as unofficial at this time, there is no target date for its Xbox release.

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Skype is quickly becoming the go-to term for an internet call much the way people use the term Google for doing an internet search. Microsoft is apparently well aware of Skype’s value, having purchased the company this morning for a sum of 8.5 billion USD. They plan to extend Skype support to the Xbox 360 and Kinect, Windows Phone 7 devices, and other unnamed devices. No details have been released as to any changes to free internet calling or paid calling plans, but given that Microsoft saw the value in Skype’s current business model it’s entirely possible that nothing price-wise will change. Hit the jump to see the full press release.
Source: Microsoft

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