North Texas Daily

Tim Cato / Contributing Writer

Microsoft made its return to the gaming platform battlefield in a 12 p.m. press conference earlier today in Redmond, Washington, unveiling details about the new Xbox One console that is expected to be released later this year.

“We’ve spent the last four years working on the next generation Xbox,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Can we take what you love and make it better?”

The press conference started with a focus on new features. Xbox One will allow voice and gesture commands, use facial recognition software and include the Xbox Kinect peripheral, instead of requiring a separate purchase. Xbox One further integrates gaming consoles with television, allowing the user to seamlessly switch between television, gaming, music or the internet.

Three operating systems will help the Xbox One easily switch back and forth between different entertainment applications. Other technical specifications include eight gigabytes of RAM, a Blu-ray drive, 500 gigabytes of onboard hard drive space, and even technology that can detect the user’s heartbeat.

According to The Verge, Microsoft’s Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games, because the new system is based on a “different core.”

On the gaming front, Microsoft projects the launch of 15 new games in Xbox One’s first year. Although eight are brand new games, Xbox franchise favorites such as Halo, Call of Duty, FIFA and Madden will be along for the ride.

The Xbox One announcement comes two months after Sony announced its plans for the Playstation 4. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s next generation console, the Wii U, launched last November.