Xbox One: not always online, plays used games, no back compat
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The Xbox One will not have to be connected to the Internet all the time, Microsoft has confirmed.
In a Q&A on its official site, the company wrote: “No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet.”
“We’re designing Xbox One to be your all-in-one entertainment system that is connected to the cloud and always ready. We are also designing it so you can play games and watch Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection.”
However, Microsoft was encouraging console owners to be connected, as that “makes every experience better and more accessible”.
A constant connection would allow for persistent game worlds, automatic updates, cloud save access any time, multiplayer modes, and a custom home screen, it said.
Microsoft backpedals on Xbox One used game, always online statements
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Microsoft has stated that comments made today by its own employees about the Xbox One's always-online and used games functions were just “potential scenarios” rather than facts.
Regarding used games, Microsoft had told Wired earlier today that if an Xbox One game disc was used with an Xbox Live account it wasn’t registered to, the player would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc.
Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison then told Eurogamer that a second hand market would exist.
Forza Motorsport 5 screenshots
At today's Xbox One reveal, Microsoft Game Studios announced Forza Motorsport 5 for that console.
The game will be available for the console from its launch day on.
MGS also promised it was working on 14 other games for the Xbox One that would all come in the 12 months following the console's launch.
Call of Duty: Ghosts screenshots
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Activision has released half a dozen screens of COD: Ghosts running on an Xbox One.
The big announcement today was that the game featured dogs as members of the player's squad.
The game – the tenth in the Call of Duty franchise – is in development at Infinity Ward, whose last COD title was 2011's Modern Warfare 3.
Xbox One interface screens
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Screens of Xbox One's interface - the dashboard, as well as DVR and TV menus.
Microsoft has extended the Kinect's voice recognition capabilities, so all menus may be navigated using that peripheral.
The company also touted the Xbox One's ability to run several applications at once, so expect dashboard access in-game.
Xbox One hardware photos
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A mix of official photos from Microsoft and snaps from Chris Leggett, who is reporting from the Xbox One reveal event.
Microsoft made a point of revealing its hardware at the very beginning of this morning's event.
The Xbox One's controller looks similar to the Xbox 360 controller, but Microsoft says more than 40 changes were made.
Here are all the games confirmed for the Xbox One so far
A number of developers have confirmed games they have in development for the Xbox One.
Microsoft Game Studios has plans for more than 15 exclusive games in the console's first year, eight of which are brand new franchises.
One of these games is Forza Motorsport 5, which will be a launch title.
The new Kinect is always listening, can detect heartbeats
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The new Xbox will always be listening to you, even when it's switched off.
Xbox One comes bundled with a new version of Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral, and this must be connected to the console for the console to function.
Moreover, the console is able to be powered on with a voice command – that is, it’s always listening.
Arkham Origins has its Batman and Joker
Warner Bros. has revealed which actors lend their voices to the leads in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins.
Roger Craig Smith is Batman, while Troy Baker will tackle the Joker.
Smith has previously voiced Assassin's Creed’s Ezio Auditore and Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield.
Dyack responds to mismanagement allegations in bid to save Eternals Kickstarter
Precursor Games chief creative officer Denis Dyack has taken to YouTube to defend his past actions in a bid to save Precursor’s Shadow of the Eternals Kickstarter campaign.
A week in, the game’s Kickstarter has raised just 16 per cent of its US$1,350,000 goal, with Dyack’s involvement commonly cited as the factor that is keeping pledges away.
Dyack was the target of a number of scathing allegations last year in a Kotaku piece that sought to document the troubled development of the critically panned X-Men: Destiny at Silicon Knights.
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