The Xbox One has very high expectations much like its counterpart, the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One is supposed to be a major upgrade from the current gen Microsoft console, the Xbox 360. With its release coming in 8 days, one has to wonder: Is it truly going to revolutionize the way we game? This article is going to tell you the ins and outs of the Xbox One and how truly awesome it is.

 

 

Machinery:

 

 

 

The Xbox One has 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB non-replaceable hard drive, a GPU with 768 cores running at 853 MHz, and a theoretical 1.31 TFLOPS peak performing power. It also supports Gigabit internet and Wi-Fi Direct. The Xbox One supports 4K resolution (3840×2160) and HDMI 1.4 for both inputs and outputs.

 

 

What does all that tech mumbo jumbo mean? Basically, the 8GB DDR3 RAM is considered one of the fastest memories out there.The 500 GB non-replaceable hard drive means that there’s A LOT of space for you to download and play your favorite games, but you can’t just buy a new hard drive for this console. You’ll have to get an external hard drive and plug it up via USB. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is where all of the pretty colors on the screen come from. The more cores and higher MHz means the prettier the pictures are. Gigabit internet (Google fiber) is something that is just emerging out of the woodworks. It’s REALLY fast internet. However, most computer systems can’t handle the speed when the Ethernet cable is plugged in. The high speeds make the system crash. It’s exciting that the Xbox One can handle such high speeds! 4K resolution is just fancy talk for really high quality graphics. The higher the resolution, the better

 

Controllers:

 

 

 

The Xbox One controllers were modeled after the Xbox 360’s controllers, so there isn’t too much to write home about. The battery pack is slimmer, the triggers are bigger and have the ability to vibrate on their own, and the home button is smaller. Also, the A, B, X, and Y buttons are deeper into the controller, so that it’s easier to push them. The ‘Start’ and ‘Back’ buttons have been replaced with ‘Menu’ and ‘View’. If you preordered your Xbox One, your controllers will have “Day One Edition” engraved on them. Last but certainly not least, the Xbox One will be able to host 8 controllers at once! So you aren’t limited to 3 friends now! You can actually have 7!

 

Kinect 2.0:

 

 

 

I don’t want to include too much on the Kinect because I will be covering in full in my upcoming blog post: “Benefits of the Kinect 2.0”. However, it does come with the Xbox One and it does have the capability to be turned off (contrary to popular belief).

 

Capabilities:

 

 

 

The Xbox One will be able to record some of your gameplay using a number of services. It only records around 5 minutes of gameplay, but that could be a neat glitch you found or a quick boss battle. Like the 360, you will be able to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Redbox Instant, and other services on your console. However, in order to gain access to those services you will need to have Xbox Live Gold. You can play games while not being connected to the internet and multiplayer games while connected with Xbox Live Gold. You will eventually be able to plug your cable into your console and watch live TV through it. With the Kinect, you can also snap applications (like Windows 8 )and multi-task. So, you could have live TV on one half of the screen and be on a Skype call on the other half. Microsoft is currently working on being able to access 360 games through the cloud, but it’s still a work in progress.

 

Is this revolutionary?

 

 

 

 

YES. Consoles have come so far if you look back through history. Even if you compare the Xbox One to the original Xbox, you see substantial differences: wireless controllers, smaller console, higher storage capabilities, the integration of the internet, higher graphics capabilities, etc. The list is endless. When you think about how much better this next gen console is compared to the older version, it’s worth the money. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth all of the idiot gamers you’ll have to stand next to for hours at the midnight release. The conclusion of this blog post is plain and simple: The Xbox One is truly magnificent in every way possible.