Tag: Xbox Live

Day One: Xbox Press Conference at E3

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Xbox One’s press conference at E3 today kicked off with an extensive reveal of the latest installment to the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Metal Gear Solid V (The Phantom Pain). They started off revealing new games as I am sure it’s because of all the heat the Xbox One has taken since the Xbox One reveal, of whether it really is an entertainment system or one that is also capable of being considered a gaming console as well.

Today, it’s all about the games.

XBOX 360 Revamp

Xbox 360 is changing. It will be updated based on the Xbox One’s design. Smaller, sleeker and it is available today, as in now. Despite this announcement, I am sure it won’t be selling until a few days from now unless they really weren’t kidding about it being available immediately. The Xbox Live Gold membership is carried over to Xbox One. Beginning July 1, existing gold members will receive two free game downloads per month that they will get to keep until the Xbox One’s release. The downloads include Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3. Three new Xbox 360 titles announced during the conference are: 1. World of Tanks, 2. Max the Curse of Brotherhood and 3. Dark Souls II.

XBOX One Games

Announced Xbox One games:

Ryse: Son of Rome is coming to the Xbox One and I have to say that I am thirsty to play this already (hack and slash is one of my favorite genres). Ryse: Son of Rome is published by Microsoft Studios and it will be an exclusive for the new console.

Killer Instinct is coming back and is also another Xbox One exclusive.

A new franchise introduced at E3 for Xbox One is Sunset Overdrive. Produced by Microsoft Studios, Sunset Overdrive is a fast-paced game that fuses parkour, monsters, and Mirror’s Edge all into one game.

Forza Motorsport 5 transcends with all its realistic details and also boasts more lifelike gaming experiences. The game learns how the player drives and adapts accordingly, creating a more realistic approach to racing video games. The information is stored in the cloud and is constantly changing depending on how the player drives.

Minecraft will be coming from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One.

Quantum Break is coming also as an Xbox One exclusive. By Microsoft Studios, the visually-stunning Quantum Break reveal gives us a small preview of how a game can blur the two different worlds of a video game and its TV show. Supposedly, what players watch in the show will affect and impact the decisions the player will make in the video game. Quantum Break is created from the makers of Alan Wake.

D4 has also been announced.

Project Spark utilizes the Kinect and SmartGlass to allow players to create a gaming world, controlling details from the climate of the world to who inhabits it. Anything goes in Project Spark from battling monstrous robots to encountering flying goblins. This game makes creating a game “a game” itself.

Crimson Dragon was also showcased despite its lack of audio.

Dead Rising 3 exhibits no loading time with an open-world gaming experience. Anything and everything is a weapon and not just limited to what the player finds (pretty typical of all the Dead Rising games). Zombies are attracted to the player’s every move. From picking up sledgehammers, weed whackers, and mowing over zombies with a car, it will be an Xbox One exclusive that will be available this holiday season.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features over 100+ hours of gameplay. It will be the last installment of The Witcher franchise.

Battlefield 4, Halo for Xbox One, and Titanfall are several other games that will be released for the Xbox One.

Timeline allows players to view snapshots of the games that have been played by friends. You are able to upload videos to your timeline as well.

With Upload Studio, players can record, upload, edit, and share their clips of gameplay with friends and other members which are all stored on the cloud.

Xbox is now partnered with Twitch so all of your gaming experiences can be easily streamed. Built into Xbox One, Twitch enables real-time sharing.

In the new Xbox Live, the Xbox points systems will be replaced with the player’s local currency. It has also been announced that gamers can play multiplayer without being online.

Coming November 2013, it will be priced at $499. See you all then.

Xbox Reveal: Xbox One

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I am currently watching the revealing of the new Xbox One and the new technology associated with it. I’m quite impressed with what I’ve seen so far and I’m only a few minutes in. There are three shown components of the Xbox One that have been revealed: a sleeker physical controller that has some minor tweaking, the main console that features a disc insert slot (finally trayless), and what seems to be a facelifted Kinect.

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It seems that a lot of consideration has gone into the design of the Xbox One. It’s an all-in-one system that changes the way we see entertainment forever. With the words, “Xbox on,” Xbox One is instantly powered on. The Xbox One console has an elegant design that features a blu-ray drive, USB 3.0 ports, and 8 GB RAM. Xbox One losses the organic curves that its predecessor Xbox 360 has. While the Xbox 360 teeters, the straight and sleek lines of the Xbox One makes this a solid console. The controller is updated with over 40 design innovations making it more ergonomic, responsive, and more precise when it comes to gaming. The Kinect receives some more bulk and meat and is also solidified with a wider and sturdier stand.

Xbox One is looking to be more intelligent and immersive. Over a dozen new franchises from Microsoft Studios will be released during the Xbox One’s first year of release. Although no release date has been available at this point, it has been slipped that it will be around E3 this summer.

I’ll post final thoughts after I finish watching the reveal.

Update: I’m thinking both the Xbox One and its rival, PS4 will not be backwards compatible when it comes to gaming. Not that I mind too much honestly. I’m sure better games will be out and since Dance Central 4 will be released this October, I’m definitely not worried. I’ve had the Xbox 360 slim for a few years now and am ready for something new. I feel bad for the people who just got a 360 but that’s just the way it is. EA and Microsoft have undergone a special contract although the details still elude me. From what the announcement revealed, ths two are working towards creating an immersive gaming experience when it comes to sports. A live-action Halo series involving Steven Spielberg is in effect.

The Xbox One’s graphic look sharp and realistic. I’m not too worried about price as I imagine it would still be relatively affordable. Perhaps $500 or so since it is an all-in-one system.

I must say the announcement was ended abruptly but that just leaves more to be desired. E3 will take place in June and more details on the price, options, and release date will be announced then.