This week on the GeekWire radio show, we dive into the details of Microsoft’s newly unveiled Xbox One console — including the redesigned controller, the upgraded Kinect sensor, the lack of backward compatibility with the Xbox 360, and the company’s attempt to make this an all-in-one entertainment console.

xboxThat discussion begins at 8:00 in the player above. Joining us is journalist Matt Hickey, a contributor to Forbes.com who has been covering all the ins and outs of the new machine.

A big challenge for Microsoft’s Xbox One vision is that the console doesn’t include built-in DVR capability, which means many people will still spending a lot of time with their cable provider’s on-screen interface. This is the biggest area where the new console falls short of being “one box to rule them all.”

One topic we didn’t get a chance to discuss on the show was the Xbox One’s new restrictions for used games and trade-ins. The MCV news site has more background on that issue, although Microsoft says in general that reports about this topic have been inaccurate or incomplete.

Matt Hickey pays homage to William Shatner and our app of the week, Shatoetry.
Our guest Matt Hickey pays homage to William Shatner and our app of the week, Shatoetry. (Erynn Rose Photo)

Here’s a roundup of GeekWire’s coverage of the unveiling for more details.

The show begins with our weekly news roundup, including Amazon’s new biosphere plan for its expanded Seattle campus, the company’s annual meeting in Seattle this week, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s new album.

Our App of the Week is a fun one: William Shatner’s “Shatoetry” poetry app for Android and iOS. It’s normally 99 cents but is currently free for iOS.

Listen to the show above or via this MP3 file.

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