Microsoft really made its case to gamers from the stage at Gamescom, a major video game show in Germany, in a presentation that was livestreamed over the web last week. The company is trying to woo players from Sony’s PlayStation 4 and push Xbox 360 players to upgrade – and it offered up a few more good reasons to make the leap.
Windows 10 on Xbox
Cortana, Microsoft’s personal assistant software, is coming to the Xbox. Sure, she was arguably already there in Halo, but she hasn’t yet shown up there in her new role more broadly. Now she will – as long as you have a Kinect that is equipped with the ability to do things such as share an in-game clip straight to your Facebook page.
The console’s whole software will also get a cosmetic upgrade this November, which should reflect the influence of Windows 10. Microsoft’s getting pretty serious about this whole “One Microsoft” business. At least one title, Bloodstained, will allow gamers on the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs to play together.
DVR capability
The Xbox One is also getting the ability to record live shows and then let you save them to play back later. The feature works with any TV that you stream through the Xbox One. You’ll also be able to control the DVR through the Xbox app on, you guessed it, Windows 10.
Microsoft had initially positioned the Xbox One as a broader media device, and this fits right into that original pitch. The DVR features are coming next year.
More information on backwards compatibility with the Xbox 360
Microsoft had already made a big splash at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June when it announced that it would make Xbox 360 games work with the Xbox One. The company offered more details on when that will happen – November – and how it will roll out.
All the 360 games on Games with Gold – Microsoft’s free game service for premium subscribers – will be Xbox One compatible. Microsoft said it would start with a library of 100 titles and expand from there.
And… oh, yeah. The games
Microsoft also announced more exclusives that will hit its console within the next year, including Quantum Break, an action game in which players can freeze and control time, as well as a dragon adventure game called Scalebound. Other title announcements include a third instalment to the Crackdown series, a second addition to the Halo Wars series, and a peek at a new Killer Instinct. – Washington Post