We already know about a lot of the bigger features like cloud computing and Kinect in general, but the more I look into this console, the more I keep finding out about little features that are just plain giddy neat, like the fact Kinect will simply be able to recognize a player in Killer Instinct and match them up with their profile and automatically set their button configurations. Or the fact MS is working on getting Kinect 2.0 to translate sign language. That links to a video showing a Chinese sign language trial. Heck, I didn't even find out until last week that Powerstar Golf is an MS Studios game and was actually announced and shown at E3. Loved Hot Shots and this looks great and definitely down a similar path.

It seems there's a lot of things scattered all over the place and it would be cool to have a thread that brings a lot of these in one place to see what some of us may have missed.

One of the things that I really liked from the moment I heard about it is the little improvements to the Xbox One controller, most of which being the programmable 3-motor rumble feature. I really like the idea of the rumble feedback in the analog sticks when shooting a gun, or the ability to program it to make it feel as if you're holding a beating heart.

So tell me Giant Bomb, what else might we not know about it, that you're looking forward to?

More Video Games...

Nothing. The only thing it would interest me would be Alan Wake 2, and that was sadly dropped for the puzzling Quantum Break.

The controller

Quantum Break when ever that gets released

Games, D4,Halo,TitanFall,Below,Forza,KI,

Being able to boot up and play a game when my favorite sports team(da bulls or da bears) blows the lead or the ref makes a dumb call and flip back and forth quickly the game and the tv game....... that is the bee's knees lol.....

The games first, but I do like everything about the Kinect so far (spying on me or not).

When they change the whole used games crap, I might be interested in something.

I'm not getting one but I'll probably buy the controller to use with my computer....so that I suppose.

Are you talking about digital?

Didn't think about that and the NFL app sounds pretty sweet too. I tried fantasy football for the first time last year on ESPN and though it could use more interactivity. This could make it all come together.

I am looking forward to the feature of Xbone that Enables me to Not own one and buy PS4. Same reason I bought ps3 at start and waited till this last holiday to buy a 360. I still haven't used it much as everything BUT forza horizon I could either get on ps3 or I magically bought sometime or another on steam for some odd reason..

Kinect 2 is incredibly exciting, but after the first go-around and almost all of their lofty goals not really being met (to put it nicely) I remain cautious. It's probably just an awful oversight considering the general awful marketing happening with the XOne, but the lack of Kinect 2 from their E3 press conference or anything since tells me that they're not as confident with it as they have been saying. I hope it's great, but they haven't yet convinced me that it is.

Especially weird considering that it's one of the main things that's hiking the price over their competition.

The Cloud processing sounds like loads of hot bullshit, but if it works, that could be pretty cool. I'm very skeptical about it though.

@joshwent:

Well I also remember a lot of internet gamers swore massive hate and despised the idea of MS showing any Kinect games at E3 which is why I suspect even Kinect Sports Rivals was actually unveiled before the conference. They likely tried to please that crowd and appeal only to core gamers which I think they did for the most part.

I agree that sometimes it's a bad idea to listen to the masses. Personally I love Kinect, and everything it brings to the table, Kinect Sports Rivals included. I think that's the Xbox One's biggest weapon, and MS would do well to begin showing why it's not just great for waggle but for core games and that it will be taken a lot more seriously this generation. I mean I'm definitely a core gamer, but I'm tired of the standard formula, and Kinect's really the differentiating factor for me.

Heck I just found out 10 minutes ago Ryse will actually have voice commands which will allow you to control your troops. So much info has been scattered here and there.

I have been fantasizing about being able to do this in Halo 4 with marines where you can just command them to man the gun on the jeep, flank enemies, shoot at a target or even tell them how to drive the jeep, stop, get out, etc. Now that I am hearing the functionality already there in Ryse from the get go, along with other type of voice command usage in games like Project Spark, Dead Rising 3 and even Call of Duty, then I expect this as part of Halo to be a given.

Voice recognition should become standard in any type of offline squad based game, or games that have multiple controlable characters just like voice chat is to online games. RPGs like Final Fantasy with multiple party members, especially now since it's action based, are a no brainer too where you should have the option to call on them for help, or attack, or combine spell attacks, etc. All while never having to stop controlling your main character.

The entire OS thing has me really intrigued. I want to see how video recording and sharing and all that is integrated into the system and I just love the look of the OS so far, so I'm pretty excited to see what there is. I really hope they'll give us the ability to customize the placement and sizes of the tiles like Windows 8 does. The fact that they're focusing so much on the OS has me really excited.

Also, the controller looks comfortable and sexy as fuck, and X1 definitely has the most exclusives that I'm looking forward to. Plus, FFXV. Sweet FFXV...

@joshwent: If you're skeptical about those types of features of Kinect 2 I suggest looking at some live demos MS held for the press. They show how it can do player recognition and it's quite impressive. And stemming from that feature, there's a possibility that the Kinect can also cancel noise coming from other sources that isn't the player, to be used in lieu of a headset.

@danimal_furry: Can't tell if srs? There is no used game restrictions.

There are a bunch of features that I'm excited about apart from announced games.

Audio really matters to me. I almost always play games with nice headphones and I'm interested in seeing what the new custom audio hardware will be able to do and how it will sound when it streams to the controller. I wouldn't say that it means more than graphics, but audio is definitely a very important part of the experience for me. Want to see how it will compare to my current setup which is optical out to a decoder. Just want them to unveil the adapter that allows any headphones to be plugged directly into the controller.

They are promoting Kinect in a big way obviously and it has to work. The current kinect works to some extent, but not in the way that its supposed to. Need less latency and much better voice recognition.I'm skeptical, but if they can make system level commands work consistently, I'll be more than happy to use them. Specifically for tv.

I really want the cloud features to mean something. If it is just dedicated servers across the platform, that is fantastic, but I want it to be more than that. Might not happen for some time, but I hope that power is put to some kind of use that is practical in games. It's easy to trash that stuff because there has never been a machine built to make use of that kind of infrastructure.

Little things like better voice chat, rumble triggers and wifi direct are cool, but hard to get too excited about.

This November will be very interesting.

Nothing.

@xyzygy: Trust me, I think the thing could be amazing so I've sought out tons of Kinect 2 demo videos. It's all great, and it seems like they're actively responding to the failings of the first one (even though they refuse to really admit that it even had problems). An IR camera that can now see players in severely low/contrasty light, player recognition improvements so it instantly and automatically signs a user in, body part rotation awareness, etc. But I remember being equally impressed by the demos when Kinect 1 came out, and then the actual product behaved completely different in real world applications.

I'm not even sure how they could alleviate my (everyone's) apprehension, but only randomly releasing demo videos from controlled sets without showing real game play is certainly not the way to do it.

Alternatively, Kinect 2 could become the feature of an amazing array of indie games. The best stuff from the first Kinect was always random videos of weird shit that devs would come up with at home. If making games for Kinect 2 was easier I'm positive we'd see awesome stuff, even despite any potential hardware limitations. But traditionally MS has had all of that stuff totally locked down, and they've said nothing about streamlining/opening up Kinect 2 development for smaller studios, so I don't think they'll go that route, unfortunately.

Still, the thing has a ton of potential, so my motion-tracked fingers remain crossed.

Online player tiering, if someday they'll filter out quitters too, that could be something special.

Uploading dick pics to the NSA.

@korwin: 1080p.

The p is for penis.

Jack... and shit. But seriously there is nothing they showed I really care about even Dead Rising 3 which I loved the previous games looks like ass compared to the old ones. I'm jumping ship this gen as many people are. If I had to pick one feature that could be cool... I don't know make a Pacific Rim game with Kinect I'd play that.

The games. Killer Instinct.

Dat sexy fat-bottom-girl controller.

The way you can switch controllers with someone else, and your face-profile gives you the same controller preferences you like, like "Boxer" or something.

Being able to put a disc in it, press play and not have "checking internet connection" be part of the process. I can't really think of any of their supposed features that make me more or less interested in the machine.

Play games as you download them and day 1 digital.

The fact that the console was built with the idea of apps existing in this reality rather than having them tacked onto a device from the era of flip-phones and DVD players.

A solid record with online console gaming (xbox live and XBLA) going into this next generation.

The controller is really exciting. With a proper D-Pad I'll have the perfect controller to use on my PC.

Top Xbox One feature: The ability to play games that start with "Forza."

The ability to turn it on, I guess?
I mean, video games aren't really a "feature" of a console, right?

The games.

No more host advantage in Halo plus 60fps.

Always online, no more discs, family share, no more discs!

...

Oh.

I'm excited for its water cooling capabilities.

Console features? Nothing. Well, actually, are they implementing a sleep mode like the PS4? That's pretty much the only new feature out of both consoles that interests me off the top of my head, but I don't even know if the Xbox One is doing it. The new Kinect however is doing a really good job of making me want nothing to do with the Xbox One platform.

That's basically the only interest I have in the Xbox One at all. I really hope GT6 gets re-released on PS4, and reasonably close to launch with that. If Xbox Live didn't have a subscription, I'd more seriously consider getting an Xbox One sooner rather than later, but it'll probably end up being a few years as a result. If it didn't have Forza, I probably wouldn't bother at all.

I'm not excited about any features but that isn't automatically bad. The inclusion of other features that are undesirable is a problem though.

I think the game DVR and Twitch integration sounds really neat and I'd like to know more about how they are implemented. Also, Major Nelson said in an interview around e3 that you would be able to plug an Xbox 360 into the HDMI in port. He didn't go into detail about what that would accomplish, but if it means I can overlay the Xbox One operating system and use it to record/stream 360 games, that would be a pretty major selling point to me.

Nothing seems exciting. The tv shit, I don't care, and same for Kinect. I don't want a fucking Kinect that's loose and can't detect anything precise.

@klei:

Where did you get that Kinect 2 was imprecise and loose? The impressions of the new Kinect I've been reading have been positive across the board and everyone's said it's seen great improvements in just about every area.

Oh damn, I forgot about the HDMI port I can plug my 360 into. I know that some people will find that lame, but it is essential for me who only has a few HDMI slots on my TV. ADoes anyone know if I will be able to use my X1 controller for that, or will I have to use 360?

Also another question: Anyone know if there will be an X1 overlay on 360 games as well?

The one where you put the Forza 5 disc in and then you get to play Forza 5.

@xyzygy: I'd have to assume so, they have the dedicated Ram for the overlay hypervisor (That's what that virtualisation dude called them in his blog yeah?) so it -should- function just like plugging in your cable box. To me that means Xbox One gamepad support, screen snapping, the whole shebang. Fingers crossed right? For the people who want it that would be the ideal implementation.

I'll have to try it to believe it. Because this gen, Kinect has been an horrible, sluggish mess.

Everything i have seen about Kinect 2.0 has been positive. Lots of surprised reviewers.

The fact Kinect 2.0 works better is a positive. The fact that Kinect 2.0 still doesn't have a good use case outside of a narrow dance/movement game design is a negative.

Too true. Its like when you build a better mousetrap, but then when it works you suddenly realise it still just ends up with a dead mice in it.

So in addition to the zombies being able to use Kinect to hear what's going on in your room in Dead Rising 3, apparently....there is an option that will allow the game phone to actually forward phone calls to your actual cell phone as well as being able to use your actual cell phone to call in arial strikes. Spooky!

Anyone who watched the E3 demo saw the climax where the player used a smartphone to call in an airstrike and completely eviscerate a shambling mass of zombies. But what Microsoft and Capcom didn’t highlight was the fact that the second screen functionality of DR3 actually exists within the world of the game, and is capable of delivering experiences far more interesting than death from above. Early on in the game, Nick finds a fancy government phone on the body of a dead agent. At this point, the player can link his or her actual phone to the game, meaning that when Nick gets a call, your phone will ring and you can actually listen to the incoming message. Kids, we have officially entered the future.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/19/dead-rising-3-a-trio-of-amazing-features

I just want it to be quick, my 360 is bogged down to the max. So yeah, a better processor and use their of.

Have you been reading up on the games?

There's a lot of cool functionality in a lot of different games that I believe will eventually make Kinect an integral part of controlling a video game. Especially voice recognition which seems to be a big hit with developers. Ryse will use it to let you command your troops in real time while still having access to your player.

I can't wait to apply this to Halo and the Marines and making them shoot at something, take cover, flank, or tell them how to drive the jeep or another vehicle. It will significantly impact the quality of the gameplay itself to be able to instantaneously bark out commands at marines, get them to cooperate with you, all while maintaining full control of your character and never having to scroll through a D-pad menu like most squad based games make you do. Something that's always been a turn-off for me and made me stay away from those games. Giving me the option to just speak out commands I sometimes instinctively would yell at my TV anyway, seems like a no brainer, and a great use that affects the way the game will play. Not to mention the immersion factor by creating that link between you, and the characters being able to hear and understand what you say.

Yeah it plays video games, that's what interests me about all the consoles. Nothing else is really all that important at the end of it all :D

This applies to both the PS4 and the XBOX One: the x86 architecture. It means less cost that developers have to absorb to bring titles out on PC, PS4, and XBOX One, meaning more competition in the marketplace, which ultimately means (hopefully) lower prices on quality entertainment.

Next is probably the HDMI input. That's the most disruptive thing to happen this generation. It's simple, but it has so much potential.

Then the focus on making the app switching quick, and the instant on feature (if that makes it to final release).

Beyond that I suppose the games will be great, but they really seem to be lagging as far as Indy games are concerned. The XBOX team needs a dose of Balmer's famous "DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS" pep talk.

Pretty cool.

Dan Greenawalt, Creative Director of Turn10, creators of Forza, talked about more of the haptic a and rumble motors in the controller. The individual rumble in the triggers are being used to provide feedback on the tire performance, so players will have even more awareness of grip and braking. While that's impressive, the video showing a Prague course in 1080p and 60fps was even more amazing.

Nick Burton, lead of new technology at Rare, introduced the topic of Kinect, and how the fidelity had not been "quite there" in the previous generation. It could track about 20 points on the body. The Xbox One is about 10x the resolution of the current version and can read the folds in your face and discriminate among your fingers even at 3 meters. Hand positions can now be read for better fidelity in bowling and rock climbing games. The team have even created a target shooting game that uses your hand and eye positions in place of an actual light gun.

As amazing as that is, Nick had even more surprises. He showed a Kinectic produced mask of his own face that can the be mapped to in-game models. Rather than the gamer pic versions of yourself in games like Rinbow Six, you can now import your own face geometry and even your BMI onto character models in the games. The whole game also tracks your face during gameplay and will reproduce your real life facial expressions on the in game models.

All these features are so-called system level features and will be available to any game that chooses to use them.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/20/the-future-of-xbox

Rumble triggers seems cool, I'll have to get my hands on the new controller. It'll be better built but I don't know if it'll be as comfortable as the 360 controller.

Getting an in-game model with Kinect is great. I think Kinect can be cool but when it leads to stuff like not including a headset, it goes back to being dumb.