Gaming consoles are no longer just about games.
Sure, games are still a pretty big part of what they do, but with services like Xbox Live, the next generation of Xbox has expanded into an all-in-one entertainment solution, encompassing games, movies, TV, apps, music and more.
The Xbox One, due to launch on 22nd November aims to be at the centre of everything in your living room.
Don’t believe us? Here are five of Xbox One’s exclusive features that make it the perfect platform for every movie lover.
No controller necessary
Not everyone knows their way around a gaming controller. With Xbox one’s new and improved Kinect, the console’s voice and motion controls are easier to pick up than ever before, and the device can actually recognise users via facial recognition, instantly and effortlessly logging you in to your personalised profile and home screen.
You can select what you want to play or watch simply by swiping your hand through on-screen libraries or even by saying what you want out loud – all without having to press a single button.
All your viewing options gathered together on one single platform
Aside from its built-in Blu-ray/DVD player, your movie and TV streaming apps can all be gathered together in one place on your Xbox One home screen via Xbox Live, making the console your one-stop shop for everything entertainment.
Your Xbox One can of course play games but it can also play movies, and it offers your favourite web services, like Skype, all in full 1080p. The Xbox One also sports an HDMI-in port, for interfacing with any of your existing TV set-top boxes.
Original, exclusive programming
At the Xbox One’s reveal event in May, Microsoft placed a big emphasis on its intention of bringing exclusive broadcast content to the Xbox platform.
This was accompanied by the announcement that none other than Steven Spielberg would be working on a TV series based on one of Xbox’s most popular gaming franchises, Halo. Since then, Microsoft’s bigwigs have revealed that they’re looking into literally hundreds of potential TV projects and ideas.
Their most recent signing was for an exclusive football reality show, Every Street United, which will scour the globe for undiscovered footballing talent and incorporate unique interactive elements.
Enhance your experience with SmartGlass
SmartGlass is an Xbox companion app - downloadable for free onto any tablet, laptop or smartphone - that will instantly tether your smart device to the console in order to extend your entertainment experiences and services.
It can be used as a remote for your console to easily navigate the web on your TV screen, turn up the volume on your TV, or simply select a video, music or game to play.
It’ll also in due course, allow you to take advantage of OneGuide, a single destination that integrates all your available TV and movie channels and streaming apps, so you can see at a glance what’s available to watch right now.
And, Microsoft is in the process of working with its entertainment partners in order to take advantage of the second screen in other more creative ways.
Control two screens with just the one
You know that thing where you’re watching something, and an actor comes on screen who you recognise but can’t quite place, and you feel the need to search for them immediately?
Using the Xbox One’s unique Snap feature, you can do just that without the need for a second screen, or even having to pause or navigate away from whatever you’re watching.
Essentially, the console’s Snap feature allows you to run two apps simultaneously side by side, so you can be browsing the web whilst watching a film, ordering pizza as you’re catching up with your favourite box-set, or even participating in a video Skype call with friends in another country as you watch live TV together.
Essentially, the console’s Snap feature allows you to run two apps simultaneously side by side, so you can be browsing the web whilst watching a film, ordering pizza as you’re catching up with your favourite box-set, or even participating in a video Skype call with friends in another country as you watch live TV together.
