XBox ONE

Xbox One

REDMOND, Washington — Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its eagerly awaited new generation Xbox One videogame console, touting it as a home entertainment hub that goes far beyond games.


"Today, we put you at the center of a new generation in the living room," said Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, unveiling the new version of the popular game console.

The beefed-up hardware is powered by software that allows for instant switching between games, television, and Internet browsing, according to Mattrick. Skype was also integrated for online video calls.



Kinect motion and sound sensing accessories accompanying the consoles will recognize users and respond instantly to commands spoken in more natural language, according to Microsoft executives.



"This is the beginning of a new generation of games and entertainment and a new generation of smart TV," said Microsoft entertainment unit executive Yusuf Mehdi.

 Microsoft played to longtime Xbox fans with glimpses of blockbuster games including "Call of Duty Ghosts" and "FIFA" football being tailored for the new consoles.

A beloved "Halo" science fiction shooter franchise was used to showcase the merging of television and videogame play in Xbox One.

Famed filmmaker Steven Spielberg signed on to produce a live-action "Halo" television series in partnership with gamemaker 343 Studio.

"For me, the 'Halo' universe is an amazing opportunity to be at the intersection where technology and myth-making meet to create something really exciting," Spielberg said in a video snippet played during the press event at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington.



Xbox One consoles will be released later this year, according to Mattrick, who did not disclose pricing details.

Microsoft has sold some 77 million Xbox 360 consoles since they hit the market in late 2005. Console rival Sony has sold about the same number of PlayStation 3 consoles.

Meanwhile, Nintendo sold nearly 100 million Wii consoles, which became hits due to innovative motion-sensing controls after their debut in 2006. However, demand for Nintendo's recently released Wii U consoles have been disappointing.

WHAT IS GOOGLE GLASS

                                       GOOGLE GLASS

                             
 

Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head-mounted display (HMD) that is being developed by Google  in the Project Glass research and development project, with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer . Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can interact with the Internet via natural language voice commands.While the frames do not currently have lenses fitted to them, Google is considering partnering with sunglass retailers such as Ray-Ban or Warby Parker, and may also open retail stores to allow customers to try on the device. The Explorer Edition cannot be used by people who wear prescription glasses, but Google has confirmed that Glass will eventually work with frames and lenses that match the wearer's prescription; the glasses will be modular and therefore possibly attachable to normal prescription glasses.

Glass is being developed by Google X Lab, which has worked on other futuristic technologies such as driverless cars. The project was announced on Google+ by Project Glass lead Babak Parviz, an electrical engineer who has also worked on putting displays into contact lenses; Steve Lee, a product manager and "geolocation specialist"; and Sebastian Thrun, who developed Udacity as well as worked on the self-driving car project. Google has patented the design of Project Glass. Thad Starner, an AR expert, is a technical lead/manager on the project.

Although head-worn displays for augmented reality are not a new idea, the project has drawn media attention primarily due to its backing by Google, as well as the prototype design, which is smaller and slimmer than previous designs for head-mounted displays . The first Glass demo resembles a pair of normal eyeglasses where the lens is replaced by a head-up display.^[19] Around August 2011, a Glass prototype weighed 8 pounds; the device is now lighter than the average pair of sunglasses. In the future, new designs may allow integration of the display into people's normal eyewear.


According to several Google employees, the Glass was originally predicted to be available to the public for "around the cost of current smartphones" by the end of 2012, but other reports stated that the Glass was not expected to be available for purchase by then.


The Explorer Edition is available to testers and Google I/O developers in the United States for $1,500, to be delivered in early 2013 , while a consumer version will be available by the end of 2013 for "significantly less" than the Explorer Edition.


The product began testing in April 2012. Sergey Brin wore a prototype of the Glass to an April 5, 2012 Foundation Fighting Blindness event in San Francisco. In May 2012, Glass was demonstrated in the first test video shot with the eyewear, demonstrating the 720p HD first-person video recording capabilities of the device. Sergey Brin demonstrated the Glass on The Gavin Newsom Show, and California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom also wore the Glass. On June 27, 2012, he also demonstrated the Glass at Google I/O where skydivers, abseilers, and mountain bikers wore the Glass and live streamed their point of view to a Google+ Hangout, which was also shown live at the Google I/O presentation. In February 2013, Google released a demo video showcasing the voice-augmented display of the Glass filming various experiences in first-person.


Google is currently working on models that can be used with prescription lenses. In a Google+ post, Google stated that it will not be ready for the Explorer Edition of Glass; however, consumers can expect it later in 2013.

Technical specifications

For the developer Explorer units:

• Android 4.0.4 and higher .
• No official information about display resolution, 640×360 suggested, as it is recommended for app developers .
• 5-megapixel camera, capable of 720p video recording .
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g .
• Bluetooth .
• 16GB storage (12 GB available) .
• 682MB RAM .