Xbox One Reveal

Today was the reveal of the new Xbox console. The presentation went off without a hitch, but (like Sony) Microsoft left us a lot of unanswered questions that will have to simmer until E3.

Surprisingly, Microsoft did a terrific job at keeping the name under wraps. The company even bought the xbox8.com domain name to throw detectives off its scent. Many gamers expected the console to be named "Xbox 720" and used the name right up to the reveal. Fortunately, Microsoft went a different route even though some fans are impressed with the creativity of the name.

Integrating with Television
Entitled Xbox One, Microsoft's newest console is chalked full of new features in hopes of becoming a staple of home entertainment. The reveal started by explaining how Xbox One enhances everyday entertainment by being able to enhance the features of television. The console is able to remember your most recently watched TV shows, suggest similar shows, and even allow you to "pin" shows for future viewing.

New Alliances
Microsoft has also announced its partnership with a variety of companies and organizations to ensure that users get a world class entertainment experience. Sports fans can get fantasy updates during live games, find clips featuring their favorite players, and can use Skype during live games to "taunt" rival friends. The NFL is just one of the newest organizations working with Microsoft to bring fans even closer to their favorite teams.

EA was another organization to reveal new content during the presentation. It announced that it's newest version of FIFA will be an Xbox exclusive. In addition, FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live and UFC will all be releasing titles for the Xbox One within 12 months of its release. Other organizations included 343 Industries, who introduced a Halo Television series directed by Steven Speilberg himself.

New Features
In addition to sports and television, the Xbox One boasts the ability to use numerous features simultaneously. As soon as a user turns on the Xbox, it recognizes the individual and displays the user's most recent content. The Kinect's voice command is incredibly smooth and instantly transfers between movies, games, music, and the internet. If a user prefers to use motion instead of voice, the new Xbox One can accommodate that too. A Grab and Snap feature allows the user to "grab" the screen to minimize and maximize as preferred. In addition, users can run two features at once, allowing them to surf the web, watch movies, and answer Skype calls simultaneously.

The Drive Behind the One

When it comes to hardware, the Xbox One will contain a 500GB hard drive for storage along with a slot-loading blu-ray player. Although it's not conclusive, it appears that Xbox One will be using AMD CPU graphics similar to Sony's PS4. Sharif Sakr of www.engadget.com reports the console will "contain a octa-core processor based on AMD's Jaguar design and 8GB of RAM" and "5 billion transistors to drive it all". The console seems fairly larger than the Xbox 360, but has a clean and simple design. Microsoft also mentioned the Kinect will be bundled with this release of the new Xbox console.

What Lies Ahead

All of these features had many Twitter users raving about the new console, but others were left with a lot of unanswered questions and a bit of frustration. Microsoft slightly mentioned "in-console gaming" but left users wondering what the future will hold for purchasing new games, as well as buying/renting used games. In addition, Microsoft failed to mention a price or release date, but promised that Xbox One will be available for the holiday season.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for Xbox One. The name and appearance didn't seem particularly creative in my book, but the technology seems to speak for itself. I'm hoping Microsoft will answer all of our questions in the next few weeks, but until then we're left to sift through rumors. As always, we'll keep you posted with new information, but we want to know what you thought of the reveal? Playstation fans, has the Xbox reveal made any impression on you? Hit us up here or on Twitter @GhostGameReview.