If you were coming into today's Microsoft press event primarily expecting to see new hardware, new media content, and a lot of sports things, then you probably came away pretty excited about the Xbox One.

Microsoft unveiled the new console today to a crowd of press in Seattle, WA, assigning the new console its singular name, offering up basic specs and new app and hardware features, as well as a small selection of games from both internal and 3rd party publishers. Here's a brief rundown on what we saw:

The Hardware:

The Xbox One includes:

• An 8-core CPU
• 8GB of System Memory
• A Blu-ray drive
• 500GB HDD
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• HDMI In/Out portsW

While these stats were touched on, Microsoft was far more keen to show off its new interface and media support innovations. Much was made about "Snap mode," a feature that lets you jump between multiple running apps by with simple voice commands. The demonstration showed that you could jump between a video game, web browsing, and live TV, among other things, just by calling out the relevant application.

Yes, live TV was a big focus of the presentation as well. Confirming previous rumors, it was revealed that the Xbox One will allow you to hook your cable connection directly up to the box, and jump between the live TV and in-system apps with relative ease.

In addition to the core hardware, the Kinect hardware has seen a significant technological bump as well. The new Kinect features a 1080P HD RGB camera (which can be used for Skype calls), 30 FPS color, and an increased field of view. It will be bundled with all new Xbox One devices.

Sports!

Sports got a big push in today's presentation, both in live and in video game form. On the video game front, EA Sports announced a special partnership with Microsoft to bring its upcoming slate of sports titles to the Xbox One within the next year. Games included Madden NFL 25, its upcoming UFC game, the (again) revived NBA Live 14, and FIFA 14, the last of which will include exclusive Ultimate Team content on Xbox One.

In the live sports arena, Microsoft has entered into an agreement with the NFL to bring live game broadcasts, as well as fantasy sports content, to the system.

Halo: The Series

One of the more unexpected moments came when the event cut to Steven Spielberg, who, via video, announced that he would be partnering with Microsoft to bring a new Halo TV series exclusively to Xbox One. His exact role on the project was not detailed, nor was any potential production date for the series.

Remedy and Forza

Remedy Entertainment, the developer behind the cult Xbox 360 favorite Alan Wake, showed off a brief, baffling trailer for its new Xbox One exclusive game, Quantum Break. The trailer mixed live action footage of a mother and her strange little girl, and presumably in-game (or at least pre-rendered) footage of a large ship crashing into a bridge, and then suddenly rewinding. More about the game is expected to be revealed at E3.

Microsoft also unveiled the expected, but certainly not unwelcome Forza Motorsport 5. After all, what would a next-gen console reveal be without exquisitely rendered video game cars?

Call of Duty: Ghosts

As expected, bulk of the show's end was dedicated to Activision's upcoming Call of Duty sequel, Ghosts, which will feature exclusive downloadable content on Xbox One. Ghosts, which is in development at Infinity Ward, features a script from Traffic and Syriana screenwriter Stephen Gaghan that follows a single soldier...and his trusty dog. Yes, much ado was made about a Navy SEAL dog buddy you'll have working alongside your character throughout the game. This dog was motion-captured, even, and will help out as a sort of companion A.I.

What Came After

Beyond the above, little else was learned at today's event, outside of a claim of 15 exclusive games scheduled for the system's first year, and a nebulous "later this year" release window. However, more information has been coming since the event ended, including additional games and a few answers to some lingering questions.

On the subject of backward compatibility, Engadget is reporting that the Xbox One will not play Xbox 360 games, nor digital games built for the 360 architecture. However, as small consolation, gamertags and scores will carry over to the new system.

As for the system's much-talked-about, but previously unconfirmed "always online" functionality, Wired's report on the console states that the system won't always be online. However, developers could make use of Microsoft's Azure cloud computing service, which could present situations where the system would have to be online.

That doesn't quite answer the lingering question of how the Xbox One might handle used games. The Wired article notes that games can be installed to the system, and may have to be. For games that have been previously installed, second players would be prompted with a note saying they could pay a fee to add their account to the game and install it. However, Microsoft wouldn't make a complete declaration about whether or not other players would ever be able to ever play a used game without having to install/pay an additional fee.

UPDATE:Microsoft Support has officially denied Wired's report regarding potential fees for used games via Twitter, and stated that it has sent a correction to them. Wired's report currently still mentions the fees.

UPDATE 2: Eurogamer was able to get Microsoft's Phil Harrison to confirm the original fees report. Sort of. The example mentioned in the Wired article was confirmed by Harrison, though he mentioned that the ability for multiple users to share the same game would be possible, and that a "solution" for the used market was in place. He did not, however, specify what that solution may entail.

Lastly, multiple third-party games have been announced as coming to Xbox One, including EA's Battlefield 4, Square-Enix's upcoming Thief remake, as well as Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Watch_Dogs.

We'll bring you more on the Xbox One as it becomes available.

Hoo boy

OMG. If I can use this as a FIOS cable box and not have to deal with Verizon's crazy slow menu functionality, I may be IN! Now, if there was just something on TV worth a damn. The FIOS guide is probably the biggest reason I don't watch much television.

Terrible name.

If I have to pay a fee to play a used game I have bought from a store or anyone, then maybe xbox one isn't for me. Who are they to tell me I can't even give my game to a friend and let them play it? So if it going to be true, if I was to lend my mate a game he would have to pay to play it on his system. That would be madness.

hope the video is uploaded soon

Steam doesn't allow me to lend my games or even buy second hand games. I hear nothing but praise for Valve and Steam.

But what about the transistors ? How many transistors are there ? HOW MANY ?

The Kinect must always be plugged in and on for the Xbox One to function.

What happens if you want a wank in front of the TV? The idea of Kinect watching me is off putting, though I'm sure some of the "uno" crowd may well enjoy broadcasting themselves. The sheer inconvenience of having to move the Kinect camera away, just incase MS are watching me and taking stealth video of me and then blackmailing me when I go on to become Mayor of my town.

No thanks. Wank in peace.

There is no expectation to be able to do that with digital games. However when you buy a boxed copy those expectations change.

OH NO MY PRECIOUS USED GAMES NOOOOOO HOW WILL I LIVE?!!?!

Jesus, some people are such manchildren. Physical software is a long outdated paradigm, and is basically meaningless at this point. The future is software licensing, whether you like it or not.

420 smoke gamestop errday

This is all well done but this:

its upcoming UFC sequel

is inaccurate. This will be EA's first game with the UFC license, although it is their second MMA game.

Many transistors died... to bring us this information.

I'm not believing this time. I got all excited with Kinect and their presentation was every bit as flashy for that. and it didn't work.

Prove it, MS. Prove it.

@extreme_popcorn: Used games have never been an expectation of PC gaming. People have grown accustomed to used games on consoles for decades.

I am hyped for that dog!

No XBLA backwards compatibility? So I won't be able to play Geometry Wars on the XBOX ONE???

UNACCEPTABLE

@devilzrule27 said:

The pricing of games on Steam are also completely fucking different from the pricing scheme on console games, boxed and digital.

Hmmm... I'm waiting for more info. Not enough games were shown and no inclination about how all these sports features will work in the UK. The show was choreographed perfectly but it certainly wasn't a gamers conference. That's disappointing, but at the end of the day, if their chosen direction pushes units it will be my problem not theirs.

Is it bad I'm just not sold on the Xbox One? I hate the name, and it almost seems like a system specifically designed for the "dude-bro" demographic. Football, Call of Duty, more football. etc etc.

I am not too concerned about used game support. I suspect my demographic is a bit different than the majority here as I am bit older and probably have a little bit more disposable income than the majority of folks looking at this gen of console. Getting games for the cheap was a REAL big deal when most of my college income was going to beer and booze. While I still have a fair amount of income going to beer and booze, I just don't seem to care about saving $5 on a used game or not being able to drive to a store to wait in line to get 30% of the game's resale value in credit. I am too old and bitter to deal with store employees. NOW GET OFF MY LAWN.

It's not just digital games, so many physical PC games use Steam. You install from the disc, put in a key and that's it. It works exactly the same as it sounds like this will work except the disc will still have some value and be able to used again on the Xbox

No there is absolutely no expectation of that. When I bought a boxed copy of World of Warcraft I couldn't give it to my friend to play. I couldn't let him borrow my boxed copy of Half-Life, or Half-Life 2, or Portal.

Glad to know I wasn't the only one.

WE NEED MORE TRANSISTORS UP IN THIS BITCH

@bmccann42@me.com: I would say come E3, we will expand beyond those types of games. They said all along that the purpose of this event was to introduce the system. Sports stuff gets some people excited and it easy to show. Also, despite certain people's revulsion towards the franchise, COD is extremely popular as well as being critically viable. It's a good way to get some people to view your stuff.

Steam price of Metro Last Light - £34.99.

Amazon price of Xbox Metro Last Light - £34.99

Yes, Steam has a lot of sales but recently Xbox have been having a lot more sales that have been close to the quality and prices of Steam Sales.

kinect required

What a god damn stupid name.

xbox, xbox 360, xbox 1

@jimmyfenix: is it?

What a disappointing follow up to the Sony conference. My first impression, this console is not designed for me. I don't play sports games, I'm sick of shooters, and I already have devices (plural) that control my TV. This is a move away from everything that made me one of the early adopters of the Xbox 1 (the real one, not whatever MS thinks the Xbox 3 should be called).

It's like in Psychonauts, when the campers had their brains sucked out. "TV."

@wizeguy: It also means that you can give your buddy the game disc and he can install it for a fee and you can both play together online. Sounds awesome to me.

@xer0ph0kus: Just because we lost the war in the PC-front a while back doesn't mean we should just surrender trying to hold onto our console [used game] rights as well. Leave any false sense of corporate-favoritism behind and get to grips with the state of the matter.

yes

Don Mattrick looks dead inside

@djou: this was an hour presentation on tv that has to appeal to the widest audience possible, which is people that play sports games and shooters. It is not rocket science.

@devilzrule27:

People used to be able to sell/lend out CDs too. Then mp3 players made downloading music so much more convenient. The music industry changed but didn't disappear. The same will happen to the game industry. Physical discs and the old practices that went along with them are going away, deal with it.

for me the most exciting thing by far (except for new remedy IP) is the force feedback on the triggers. i'm not one for fetishising weapons of war but it could let them have different trigger stages on each gun. so a sniper rifle might have a short first stage and a really sensitive second stage. I don't think they'll actually do this but it'd add a completely new dimension to FPS games if they did.

You can still have used games, just now the developer gets a cut of the sales, which is what we as gamers should want. The only people that lose out are Gamestop, which is a win/win

Maybe you'll like the name more if you realize that you can shorten it to XONE and pronounce it "ZONE". Or the "XBONE"? Hmm...

*fart noises*

Did they give any reason behind the name? Seems really confusing, almost as confusing as Wii U.

The Halo TV series sounds laaaaaaame. That lady spoke of ending the one way interaction with TV and then they segued into Halo TV series. I was expecting them to say there would be channels streaming people playing games or something like that.

Games are much more expensive than music CDs.

Wuu

I like how you are saying rights, like it's some sort of UN sanctioned enforceable thing that used games are something you are entitled to. Don't like it? Don't buy the system and games, but where else are you going to go? I guarantee you this wasn't Microsoft choice and it was more the publishers pressuring them to do something about used games. That means Sony the lesser successful console was also under the knife too from publishers to do it. They just haven't told you yet.