Introducing Xbox One, the all-in-one entertainment system. This is the unveil video for the Xbox One, showcasing the console, the new Kinect sensor and the new Xbox One controller, as well as the new experiences that will be coming with Xbox One, including the personal homescreen, cinematic gaming, Live TV and Skype. Welcome to a new generation of games and entertainment.
The Xbox One Anthem is a celebration video of the Xbox community. It features users, creators and innovators who make Xbox what it is and guide where it is going. Their collective voice tells Xbox's story and hint toward its future. This is a taste of the 48 million users that comprise our community and that made Xbox what it is and that will make Xbox One the most exciting gaming and entertainment system on the market.
You've got your fancy new iPhone 5, and you've got the Xbox SmartGlass app, but who wants those silly black bars on the sides? Certainly not you, aesthetic savant, which is why you'll be glad to hear that Microsoft's latest update to the SmartGlass app optimizes it for use with the iPhone 5's taller, 16x9 screen. Aside from device support expansion, the update also includes the ambiguous "bug fixes." No broken bugs for you, only fixed ones! The Xbox SmartGlass app launched earlier this year for Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS, with a staggered rollout across the various mobile ecosystems. Beyond just allowing for basic Xbox 360 control via mobile, SmartGlass propagates rich content to your second screen in-tandem with some software, from games to streaming video.
[Source: Engadget]
Microsoft brought its SmartGlass Xbox 360 second screen app to Android last month, however official support was limited to smartphones. While many found that sideloading got the app running on their other devices, an update today has officially added support for tablets of the 7-inch variety. There's also fixes for specific crashes tied to the achievements and settings screens, but not much else. If you've been waiting to bring your Nexus 7 along as GPS in Forza Horizon or control tracks in Dance Central 3, hit the source link to install the app straight from Google Play.
[Source: Engadget]
If you just bought a Windows Phone 8 device like the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC 8x and were hoping to load it with Xbox content for the holidays -- after all, they're both from Microsoft, right? -- it seems that you may be in for some disappointment. As of right now, purchases or rentals from the newly-branded Xbox Video will not sync to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has even officially acknowledged the issue in its support page, stating: "Windows Phone 8 does not currently support playback of rented or purchased content from the Xbox Video Store." The article goes on to say that you can go to the Windows Phone Feature Suggestions page to recommend it for future releases. Gee, thanks, Microsoft; that's so helpful. Now we'll actually have to talk to our families. The horror.
[Soruce: Engadget]
If you have an Xbox 360 and an iOS device, congratulations, Microsoft has offered you a free touchscreen remote control! Well, not literally, but the new Xbox SmartGlass app turns your iPad or iPhone into a do-it-all control center for your game console, and it's actually a pretty slick experience.
Once you've connected your SmartGlass app to your console -- by syncing the devices via the Internet using a short code -- you can do pretty much everything using your iOS device that you would normally do with your controller, aside from playing games. You can compose messages, browse your achievements and launch apps such as Netflix with just a tap.
[Source: TUAW - Click here to read the full story]
Hot on the heels of the Dashboard update for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's SmartGlass integration is now a reality for Android users. The companion app branches out from the earlier My Xbox Live app for Android and allows direct control of some console features from Google-powered gear. While Windows Phone users will find the tightest integration of all, the Android port still lets users steer through the Dashboard, input text, browse the web (with zooming), search for local content, and control media playback. Players can still chat with their friends and modify their Xbox profile if they're not planning to lurk around the system all day. The interface is strikingly similar to past releases (including Android) and still demands at least an 800 x 480 screen for admission -- sorry, Wildfire S fans. You'll find a full roster of features after the break, and can hit up Google Play at the source link below for your own remote.
[Source: Engadget - Click here to read more]
Appearing soon after Zune's end, we've been sent these images of what Microsoft's likely to offer in Xbox Music. Matching those early rumors, it looks like some cloud-linked features will make an appearance in the form of synchronized playlists, while the service will offer a free half-month trial alongside paid subscriptions. Prices are currently set at £8.99 ($15) for a month, while £89.90 ($146) will offer a year's unlimited access to "millions" of tracks, to stream and download across Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone. The system's UI seems to borrow its looks from Windows' Metro tile-based style, with a verysimilar keyboard that appears to be navigable from your Xbox controller. Take a tour of the gallery below and expect to hear more specifics ahead of the big Windows 8 launch next month.
[Source: Engadget]
UPDATE: The Durango development kit was sold for $20,100. Earlier today the auction has six days to go, but the status of the auction switched to "sold" at 17:32 PDT after 43 bids had been placed
[Source: The Verge]
At this point in time, it's a pretty sure bet that Microsoft won't be introducing any new Xbox hardware this year. After unveiling some software improvements at E3, the company is widely expected to launch a new dashboard update in October. However, Microsoft's next Xbox may arrive within the next 18 months, according to a recent job posting. "Over the next eighteen months Microsoft will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox," reads the job posting.
Microsoft hasn't officially announced that it's planning a new Xbox console, but the company was forced to issue a clarification this week after a Microsoft manager suggested that a "new Xbox" was part of a new wave of product updates arriving soon. Instead, Microsoft says the manager was referring to the upcoming dashboard update. A recent "Xbox 720" document leak revealed some old plans for a $299 console with Kinect 2 and a lot of references to a next-generation Xbox in 2013.
We reached out to Microsoft for comment and a spokesperson says the company is "continually thinking about the future of the platform and when we have something to share, we will."
[Source: The Verge]