I can't quite wrap my head around the assumption that launching near BF is somehow a detriment. The two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Amazon has been showing 11/27 as a placeholder since that is the latest day in November that would make sense...

LOL! Yeah, our "sources" are failure this year.

With all American retailers opening preorders again, it's clear that Microsoft is going all balls in for the USA market. Imagine if in a month they said: we have 1 million preorders... in America.

Did someone at one of the companies say "1 million pre-orders" so far? I missed it...

The Sony guy said it yesterday at Gamescom.

Thanks. Kind of surprising for them to announce the number like that, but they're cocky (for good reason right now...)

Where else would they have them?

I get that, but retailers usually like to have some of their items in stock that they show in their ads for that week. And having a system launch that Wednesday, and then expected to have more units by that Friday would seem unlikely unless they would hold back some of their supply for that purpose alone.

They're trying to attract developers, and that's a surefire way to do it (in that "You want to develop for US!" sense). One of the developers commented they wouldn't risk another console launch after getting burned by the Wii U.

After Thanksgiving and Black Friday? That would seem silly to give that lead up to Sony.

Thanksgiving is the 28th.

Is it? Wow, seems late this year.

So the day before? Oh gees.

When is MS supposed to announce a date?

The UI:

http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/21/x...ser-interface/



So, you want an Xbox One? Do you really want one though... like, really? How do you know? Maybe the interface is terrible. That's something you'll just have to ponder until you play one. Well, that's only partly true, we sat down with Microsoft today at Gamescom for a bit of a tour. The bad news? Microsoft wasn't quite confident enough to let us show you the interface with photos or video, due to its pre-release nature. The good news? We're going to paint you a word picture instead! The results await after the break.

We've seen games, lots of games at this year's event in Cologne. We've also seen a bit more about Kinect, something that you'll have to get a lot more comfortable with if you want an Xbox One. But, for some, the true heart of the experience -- the oak which all the branches reach out from -- is the dashboard. We've had a few glances at it already, but we can give you a better idea of what to expect, and how it might work out for you.

As you might imagine, things have more than a whiff of the "Windows" about them, and this is zero surprise. The dashboard is all straight lines, live tiles and thin fonts. So far, nothing new. Albert Penello, Senior Director Product Management and Planning at Xbox, took us through the basics, although usual caveats, mainly that this isn't final software. Potential for bugs aside, Albert jumped right in and took us for a spin of the top level interface. Once you're there, if you go to the right, it drops you into the simplified store where you can top up on media. Head left, you'll be getting your settings, and there's easy access to your Pins, too.





While we were being shown this, Kinect recognized Albert and logged him in automatically. He wasn't even trying to make that happen. Pretty neat if you're into the whole automation thing. A little scary if not (thankfully you can turn the feature off). This also meant that now, the interface was customized with his data... and for many that means achievements. The usual Gamerscore was there (we won't share Albert's, the lowness of which he apologized for), along with new dynamic ones. We caught mention of these during our architecture liveblog, but essentially these are achievements that developers can add even after the game has shipped, and can be based on time, the community, or any other number of factors. All stored right there in the UI, just as they always were. Don't worry, you'll still be able to see how your friends are getting along with theirs, and those earned on other Xbox platforms (360 etc) are right there too.

It's worth mentioning that there will be a new follow / follower mode when it comes to friends etc. Think twitter, and you get how this works. This basically means you can follow 1,000 players, and have unlimited followers, doing away with the 100 limit of the Xbox 360. A welcome relief for many.





Kinect's not just about the visual, it's also what you're going to be talking to when it comes to those voice commands. Something many will no doubt be curious about. Well, we got to see quite a few being thrown out. "Xbox, record that," was called, and the game we were being shown suddenly drops into record mode. The last 30 seconds of gameplay are buffered, and can be pulled back for recording (at 720p, in 30fps). "Xbox snap upload," and we see the upload app snap to the side of the game screen. This can be done for all apps, including Netflix etc., if you really want to catch up on Arrested Development while playing Watch Dogs.

This same control is, of course, available in-game. If you're bored of what you're playing, say "Xbox open Ryse," and it will duly oblige, thanks to it already knowing what games you own. You'll also likely be interested to know that it does so, but with a short, intentional delay. In the corner of the screen, you'll have a few seconds to cancel the command. This is to prevent you losing your game status, incorrect commands, or of course, mischievous little brothers. The IR-blaster also got some use. Pre-matched to the TV, we saw it being used to mute, and change volume etc. with ease. We have to say, it all worked pretty well, with all the voice commands responding correctly first time. Likewise, we got to see Kinect recognizing a second player, with their commands bringing up their specific content (showing their friends etc).

All in all, it's very much as we expected, but with the reassurance that some of the more novel features (Kinect, voice commands et al) appear to work as promised. So, while we're still waiting for that actual release date, we at least know a little more about your potential future gaming home.

Black >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Blue

I think I'll be using the Pins way more than I do on my 360 (which is, to say, not at all).
I'd like the option to have four rows of live tiles, though. Also a 2.35:1 mode. Too bad those won't happen.

New thread title!

Not a huge fan of that interface. But Sony is sticking with the XMB, so...

I thought Xbox One had a 5 minute buffer for recording games.

This article explains the game recording a little differently:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...s-of-gameplay/
So it sounds like it buffers 5 minutes, but the "record that" voice command grabs the previous 30 seconds automatically.

Sounds like there is a difference between playing online and not.

I believe this is a true statement...

I really hate the look of those microsoft "tiles" that they've been pushing with their windows phones, tablets and windows 8. Just really hate it.

Xbox One Launch Exclusive Titles

Crimson Dragon (Grounding/Land Ho!, Microsoft Studios)
Dead Rising 3 (Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft)
Forza Motorsport 5 (Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios)
Killer Instinct (Double Helix, Microsoft Studios)
Lococycle (Twisted Pixel, Microsoft Studios)
Powerstar Golf (Zoe Mode, Microsoft Studios)
Ryse: Son of Rome (Crytek, Microsoft Studios)
Zoo Tycoon (Frontier Developments Ltd., Microsoft Studios)
Zumba Fitness: World Party (Zoë Mode, Majesco)


Please let me know if any of the above are also being released for the PS4

Just Dance 2014 is both consoles. Zoo Tycoon and Lococycle are also 360 titles, but are definitely next-gen exclusives.

Crimson Dragon - no

Dead Rising 3 - Preordered

Forza Motorsport 5 - Preordered

Killer Instinct - Yes

Lococycle - meh

Powerstar Golf - no

Ryse: Son of Rome - Preordered

Zoo Tycoon - WTF? No!

Zumba Fitness: World Party - No!

I like the tile like for the console and I think it works well on mobile devices, but hate it on PC.

Thanks!