The Xbox One has just been announced and developers are already talking about it. In this article we want to discuss what third parties are offering and what the system is actually capable of. We will take what we know so far from press releases and other data to give you some early information.
Xbox One and Development Software
Developers such as Silicon Studios are providing software such as YEBIS 2. You can see a tech demo above. It allows highly detailed models and effects in real time as you would expect. This same type of software is also being marketed for the PlayStation 4. It appears that the two companies are going to try to match each other point for point. Of course that is usual between Microsoft and Sony so we’ll see where it goes.
The Xbox One Hardware
The hardware itself will feature an eight-core CPU and the equivalent of 8 GB of RAM on DDR3. It will also have the mandatory HDMI, Blu-ray and Ethernet options you would expect. The hardware does seem quite powerful. It should be able to support the various graphical programs very well.
Xbox One and Kinect Concerns
The Kinect is going to feature an always-on camera that works in the dark. This has some concerns for many gamers. While the likelihood of Microsoft employees spying is basically nonexistent there are other concerns. While not highly likely it would be remotely possible for hackers to get into a camera depending on the setup of the hardware. That actually would be a serious concern. Plus it just feels a bit uncomfortable to have an always-on camera in your home.
Xbox One and Smaller Developers
While most of this is of little use to small developers there is a silver cloud. Xbox Live will continue with Xbox One. This means that smaller developers will have a shot at the Xbox Live Arcade as usual. We find it inconceivable that they would discontinue such a useful program.
