Shacknews - Steve Watts

Yesterday at a special presentation, Microsoft formally announced the Xbox One. Now that the company has finally produced a clearer impression of the console, we can look back at the rumors that had been following it for the last several months. Here's a list of what came true, what didn't, and what we still don't know.

Confirmed: Xbox 360 games incompatible with Xbox One

The Xbox One's switch to an x86 hardware architecture means that Xbox 360 games are being left out in the cold. Xbox Live corporate VP Marc Whitten confirmed it today, saying: "The system is based on a different core architecture, so back-compat doesn't really work from that perspective."

This backs up a Bloomberg report from April which stated the lack of BC in no uncertain terms, and seems to dispel a follow-up rumor from shortly after that claimed you could pay a little extra for the functionality.

Confirmed: Revised controller with improved ergonomics

As you may have expected, the hardware announcement included a revised controller. It is said to be more ergonomic, and includes an integrated battery, impulse triggers, wi-fi directed radio share, and a newly redesigned D-pad. Fighting game fans rejoice.

Confirmed: Xbox bets big on entertainment

We expected to see Microsoft expand its entertainment plans today, but the console manufacturer actually devoted a significant chunk of its one-hour stage time to the concept. Not only will the Xbox One act as a cable box, allowing for seamless switching between games and TV, the company put time into showcasing its ESPN partnership, and NFL functionality with Fantasy teams. To top it all off, the company announced a "premium" Halo series to be executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Despite all that, it won't act as a TV DVR, so you'll have to rely on your normal methods of recording TV shows.

Confirmed: Kinect is always watching you

A newly revised and more sensitive Kinect will be packed in with the system, and Microsoft confirmed that it will always be on and watching you -- even down to frightening detail like measuring your heartbeat. The Kinect is more integrated into the system's identity from the start this time, as Microsoft calls it the "binding power" that brings together the system, controller, and SmartGlass. It will also be coming to PC at some point, though Microsoft hasn't detailed when.

Unresolved: The free-to-play push

Today's presentation didn't go into detail about many games, but those Microsoft did address didn't appear to be free-to-play. EA Sports showed off its line-up, Remedy introduced a new game called Quantum Break, and the presentation devoted plenty of time to Call of Duty: Ghosts. Microsoft also mentioned that it plans 15 exclusive games in the first year, eight of which will be new franchises. But none of this tells us which, if any, will be free-to-play.

Unresolved: Always-on Internet not required, but...

In a short interview, Microsoft's Don Mattrick said that an always-on connection is not required, but that gamers will want to be connected for services like multiplayer and streaming. That said, a system Q&A draws a vague line of distinction between always-on and Internet-required. "No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet," it notes.

Just what this means is still a bit of a mystery. Microsoft's Phil Harrison told Kotaku that it would require a connection every 24 hours, but then a representative told Polygon that Harrison was describing "potential scenarios." Check out Andrew Yoon's editorial for some of our concerns about these implications.

Unresolved: Respawn's game is Xbox exclusive

Though Microsoft was sure to give Activision center stage for Ghosts, the presentation went by without a mention of Respawn's debut title. We're inclined to think this means it won't be an exclusive after all, since that's the sort of thing that Microsoft would probably want to make a point of during its big hardware reveal. But this presentation on the whole was light on games, and E3 is still ahead, so the verdict is still out -- even if the rumor is looking increasingly unlikely.

Dead Wrong: The console's name

Xbox Fusion? Xbox Infinity? All of those were way off. Microsoft introduced the console as the "Xbox One." The closest guess we heard was simply "Xbox," because we can't imagine people will get into the habit of nicknaming this console "the One."

Shacknews - Steve Watts

Following comments from last week that Electronic Arts has no games currently in development for the Wii U, another voice from the company has seemingly contradicted that claim. EA CFO Blake Jorgensen says they are making games for the Wii U -- it's just not concentrating as heavily on Nintendo's platform as it is the other two.

"You know, I think Nintendo's business was more [an] extension of their last console," Jorgensen said at the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference, reported by Polygon. "We are building titles for the Nintendo console, but not anywhere near as many as we are for PS or Xbox. I think what the consumer will find is a lot more powerful gameplay with the new boxes that are coming out, and a lot of excitement, but it'll remain to be seen as to the services associated with those as to how consumers decide which direction they might want to go."

EA has said it isn't bringing Madden 25 or FIFA 14 to the Wii U. It also hasn't used Frostbite yet on the console, and the company on the whole is moving toward using that engine for many of its games.

Jorgensen could be referring to the company's philosophy, that it is willing to develop games for the Wii U. The previous statement simply claimed that no titles were currently in development.

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

It's important that more people play Tokyo Jungle, so thankfully a retail release is coming. Not by itself, mind. The Best of PlayStation Network, Vol. 1 outed by an ESRB rating is indeed an actual thing, Sony announced today, coming to stores on June 25 with Tokyo Jungle, Sound Shapes, Fat Princess and When Vikings Attack for $39.99.

That's about it, really. They'll all be on a disc in a box for PlayStation 3. The games cost $14.99 each on PSN, except for Vikings which is $9.99, so the box saves you $15--if you want them all.

Sony's announcement today somehow neglected to specify whether Sound Shapes and When Vikings Attack, which are both Cross-Buy games on PSN, will also give you copies on Vita. Silly Sony, people have wondered about that since word of the collection was leaked. We've dropped Sony a line asking for clarification.

The fact that this is Volume 1 of PlayStation Network's finest makes one wonder, which Sony-published PSN games might be in a Volume 2? While you ponder, look at Tokyo Jungle again:

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

Hardcore strategy specialist Slitherine has revealed the first fruits of its partnership with Games Workshop to make Warhammer 40,000 games and yes, it certainly sounds hardcore. Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is to be a turn-based, hex-set game pitting the Imperial Guard and Space Marines against ork hordes invading a Hive World.

Armageddon put you in charge of the Imperial Guard's Armageddon Steel Legion during the Second War for Armageddon, supported by detachments from the Ultramarine, Blood Angel and Salamander chapters of the pious Space Marines. The branching single-player campaign will offer 30 "major" scenarios, plus another 5 in tutorials, the announcement explains.

It seems to be, unsurprisingly, a pretty complex affair, with over 100 units, 20 unit stats, and terrain, weather and morale taken into account during battle. Units can carry across scenarios, earning experience and upgrading their equipment along the way.

Multiplayer will use Slitherine's own PBEM++ system, a more secure version of Play By E-Mail. Yes, PBEM, that's how long your turns may take. Armageddon has an editor too.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is due on PC and iOS some time from January to March 2014. Slitherine has the rights to make more games in the Battle for Armageddon setting too.

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

Does today's new cinematic Company of Heroes 2 trailer in any way inform you of how good the game will be? Not in the least. Does it give you a pleasant two minutes of watching something pretty? Oh absolutely! In that spirit, here, brighten up your morning with a miserable look at the trials and tribulations of a Red Army soldier.

One imagines this could be the intro cinematic, setting up the single-player campaign. It seems to be in-engine, or at least uses actual game assets, and sets up a war-spanning framing narrative.

Company of Heroes 2 rolls onto PC on June 25, developed by Relic and published by Sega.

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

14.5 million players with 67.1 million characters have killed 3.3 trillion monsters in Diablo 3, Blizzard has revealed in a whopping great infographic released as part of the action-RPG's first birthday festivities. Yet only 33% of characters have even beaten Normal difficulty, which is arguably the point where it starts to get interesting, and a measly 6% cleared Inferno. If you like numbers, big numbers, and lots of them, it's a fascinating look.

Demon Hunter is the most popular class in Normal mode, the infographic reveals, with some 13.5 million of the rogues running around Sanctuary. In Hardcore, however, the threat of permadeath sees the hardy Barbarian coming first, with 1.6 million out there tanking hordes. Combining the two modes, Demon Hunter still narrowly comes out on top in total.

67.1 million characters have been created worldwide, which is 127 per minute on average. Perhaps surprisingly, 9% of those are Hardcore; it's nice to know one in ten isn't a baby.

Do bear in mind that these statistics cover all Diablo 3 accounts, including the Starter Edition demo and players in LAN cafés. And that they're at least two days old now.

A staggering 648,510,803,462,686 gold pieces are in circulation, and I don't want to say something snide about duping gold but I'm defusing the joke for other people, see.

I'm going to stop repeating numbers now, because you're perfectly able to read them yourself.

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

You've had a week with Metro: Last Light now and perhaps finished it, so what next? You hardly need me to tell you it's getting DLC, but now it's all properly official and everything. Publisher Deep Silver today announced four add-ons are coming over the summer, including new single-player stories. They'll be covered by a $15 season pass.

The first DLC release will be the Faction Pack in June, which Deep Silver says will bring "new, original single-player gameplay that expands on the Metro: Last Light universe and story." That's the aim of the Chronicles Pack too, which is yet unscheduled.

If you fancy something a little different, the Tower Pack is said to "present a unique solo challenge to Metro veterans" so perhaps some challenge mode sort of thing.

The other DLC, the Developer Pack, is a bit of an enigma, said to "give creative players some interesting tools with which to explore the world of Metro." Some weird tools and modes used in testing to muck around and make odd things happen in-game, one might guess?

If you really, positively must buy the season pass right away even though the first DLC isn't coming until June, it's already in the Xbox Live Marketplace and is due on PC and PlayStation 3 today too. With a $15 price and the usual discount for buying in bulk with a pass, one imagines the DLC packs will come to at $20 or so bought individually, but Deep Silver doesn't say.

Shacknews - Steve Watts

Microsoft pulled the plug on 1 vs. 100 back in 2010, but fans of the defunct online game show hybrid have been vocal about missing it. Phil Spencer hasn't promised to bring it back specifically, but says that type of game is something they'd like to explore more in the future with Xbox One.

Phil Spencer told OXM they got "a ton of learning around 1 vs. 100. What does it mean to bring hundreds of thousands of people together in a virtual game environment and have them play with each other and give away real prizes? I think that's a category that lends itself to our kind of community and interactivity. Probably not at launch, we'll see how our timelines go."

There you go, 1 vs. 100 fans. Sometime after launch you can probably face off against the Xbox Live community for real prizes again, albeit without the trappings of a TV show hosted by Bob Saget.

Shacknews - Andrew Yoon

The original Kinect always felt like a beta. It was the first implementation of something we collectively imagined should be much better. Our vision of Kinect had it be more precise, less laggy, and more natural to use. And that's precisely what Kinect for Xbox One is.

Following its Xbox One reveal event, Microsoft invited us to get "hands on" time with a few tech demos--the ones that you can see here. Because none of these demos represent actual gameplay, it's difficult to gauge how well this tech can be implemented. However, the potential is very real--and our excitement for Kinect has been rekindled.

A series of demos showcased not only skeletal tracking, but the force of your muscles as well. We had ample room to test the device multiple lighting conditions--even in total darkness, with a flashlight. We got to see how close--and how far--we could get to the camera. We jumped up, kicked, did squats, twisted our arms, played air piano, sat down, and Kinect never missed a beat.

At least in this test environment, running non-game software, the new Kinect works exactly as I hoped it would. However, the single demo that convinced me the most was Kinect's ability to supposedly track your heart rate. I stared into the camera sternly, and then went on to do jumping jacks and run in place (in front of an audience, mind you). I saw a meter quickly rise, and slowly fall after I had stopped my physical activity. I laughed when I saw the feedback--and of course, Kinect recognized that too.

The new Kinect promises to make using Xbox One far easier than ever. Thanks to its wide-angle lens, more living rooms will be compatible with the sensor. And because you can use it from as close as a meter, even more cramped spaces will be compatible. In fact, you won't even need to bother with those silly calibration cards that shipped with every original Kinect unit.

Like PS4, Xbox One will also be able to keep track of who's using which controller. Thanks to IR emitters built into the Xbox One controller, Kinect will be able to see who's playing with which controller. Should you swap places (or swap controllers), the system will know--allowing developers to automatically swap screens in a split-screen game, for example.

Kinect comes bundled with every Xbox One, and you cannot use the system without Kinect plugged in. (Thankfully, that means you won't need a separate AC adapter for the camera this time around.) While some hardcore gamers may scoff at having Kinect constantly staring at them, it's undeniable that the tech is impressive. Now, the question is: can Microsoft showcase games that deliver on the incredible potential of this new device?

Shacknews - Alice O'Connor

Gosh, wasn't the big reveal trailer for EA Sport's new next-gen engine Ignite exciting? To think, that's how sports games will be on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4! Ah. Well. Not quite. As you may have guessed, that wasn't in-game footage. No, EA says, that was pre-rendered footage which did at least use in-game assets and is supposedly "in line with" how the games actually are.

"It was all pre-rendered," EA Sports executive VP Andrew Wilson told Polygon. "Listen, we're not hiding behind that fact. This was an event that we've been planning for a number of months on a new platform. And what we wanted to do was use real game assets, so they're all real game assets, straight out of our game teams, but we had to get it into a format that would be usable in this style of event."

Consider it the target EA's aiming for with the next-gen editions of FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, and UFC. Wilson claimed that it was "following where our games are going and certainly in line with what we're seeing in our games right now on console." He added that "our games right now are delivering on that, and in some cases more."

Along with better graphics, Ignite supposedly brings better AI and movement.

We'll see more of those four games at E3, so what they're actually like should soon be clearer.

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