Xbox One: Watch the new Kinect detect a heart rate from across the room

kinectheart

Microsoft has significantly upgraded the sensing capabilities of the second-generation Kinect sensor that will ship with the newly announced Xbox One game console. One example: The Kinect can detect a user’s heart rate optically. See the video above for a demonstration of the capability during a tour of the Microsoft Xbox campus today. The idea… Read More…

NFL commish says new multi-year partnership with Microsoft will ‘change the game of football’

xboxnfl.jpg

The nation’s most popular sport is about to get real geeky thanks in large part to technology from Microsoft. During today’s big Xbox One launch in Redmond, Microsoft announced a new multi-year partnership with the NFL that will, according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, “change the game of football.” NFL.com is reporting that the deal is for five years and… Read More…

Official word: Xbox One requires Internet connection, but not ‘always on’

xbox

Remember all that controversy over the reports of a required “always on” Internet connection in the new Xbox? First, reports surfaced that Microsoft would require a persistent Internet connection, then the word was that it wouldn’t. Here’s the official word from a newly published FAQ from Microsoft. Does Xbox One require an “always on” Internet… Read More…

Xbox One: Here is the official video from Microsoft

xboxvideo

Microsoft unveiled the new “Xbox One” console in Redmond today, with highlights including souped-up hardware, live TV integration, Skype functionality, an upgraded (and bundled) Kinect sensor, a “snap view” for multitasking, and an operating system that bridges the worlds of Xbox and Windows. The company also announced partnerships with the NFL and EA Sports, and… Read More…

Reactions mixed as group of 14 Xbox fans watch console launch at Microsoft Store

xboxlaunchmsftstore1.jpg

It certainly wasn’t as exciting nor populated as the Surface tablet debut or the Halo 4 launch party, but a group of 14 Xbox aficionados still managed to gather at the Microsoft Store in Seattle’s University Village to watch the Xbox One launch streamed over Xbox Live. Everyone stayed to watch the hour-long presentation and… Read More…

Sorry, but Xbox 360 games won’t play on Xbox One

XboxD_Logo_Consle_Sensr_controller_F_GreenBG_RGB_2013

Microsoft executives are on stage right now here in Redmond giving the rundown on the major technological changes in the new Xbox One console, unveiled by the company today. In fact, the changes are big enough that Xbox One won’t be backward compatible with Xbox 360 games, company executives are acknowledging to reporters. That means that Xbox… Read More…

Xbox One: Live from Microsoft’s new console unveiling in Redmond

DSC00422

The doors are about to open here in Redmond for the much-anticipated unveiling of Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox. I’m here along with hundreds of others for the day. Follow along here as the news unfolds, and stay tuned for updates throughout the day. See this post by Xbox Live’s Major Nelson for information about watching the… Read More…

Microsoft launches live, interactive TV show on Xbox Live called Music Room

musicroomxbox.jpg

We’re expecting to find out about some sort of entertainment-related features at the next generation Xbox reveal this morning, but Microsoft is already getting a head start in that department with the debut of a new live, interactive music show exclusively on Xbox. It’s called The Music Room, a two-part program hosted by Laura Jackson… Read More…

Customer satisfaction with Microsoft software declines slightly after Windows 8

windows8 copy

New data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index shows satisfaction with Microsoft software declining slightly this year, falling 1.3 points to a score of 74 on a scale of 100. The result follows the release of Windows 8 last fall, with a new interface that creates a learning curve for many longtime Windows users. David VanAmburg,… Read More…