-Microsoft Point (MS Points)
In an upcoming fall 2013 update, Microsoft will be retiring their Microsoft Points at which point transactions will take place in your local currency. The monetary value of your Microsoft account will be stored in local currency as well, offering you a new, convenient way to purchase exciting Xbox content. This change allows you to use a single Microsoft account to purchase games, movies, apps, and entertainment from your favorite Xbox stores as well as the Windows Phone Store.
-Xbox Box one game sharing (We can Share now :) )
Feeling the pressure from Playstation 4 and reacting to “feedback from the Xbox community,” Microsoft is appearing to reverse course and change two key components to policies for its new Xbox One video game console.
Microsoft states that (1) all disc-based games can be played without ever connecting online, and the 24-hour connection requirement has been dropped. (2) Additionally, there will be no limitations to using and sharing games, Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business division, says in the post. People will be able to share, trade or resell their games in the same way they do for Xbox 360 games.
-New controller features!
Microsoft recently released some of the new features of the Xbox One controller. With the exciting launch of a next generation console boasting cloud features and a 1080p Kinect sensor, the controller may seem less … exciting. However, hundreds of hours of case studies, surveys, and play tests have perfected the features of the Xbox One controller. Here is a quick overview of some of the more important assets:
- Impulse Triggers which includes four vibration motors
- Higher Quality Headset Audio
- Revamped Thumbsticks – The thumbsticks are built for precision and comfort
- Brand New D-Pad – A new design that pays homage to classic controllers and is architectured to deliver more precision and tactile feedback
- Buttons – The A, B, X and Y buttons are lower to the controller with tighter spacing, making the transition between each one smoother.
- Seamless Connectivity – Each controller uses a combination of invisible reflective technology and LEDs to send a patterned infrared signal to your console and Kinect sensor.
- Low Power State – If you’re watching a movie or need to step away from the TV, the controller enters a low power state that conserves your battery. The moment you pick it up again, it will be ready for use without having to resynch with the console.
- Refined for Comfort – The controller’s design is deliberately honed to the closest tenth of a millimeter to offer the most comfortable fit in users’ hands, and was tested extensively by a broader age group than ever before to ensure it is optimized for as many people as possible.
- Angled Triggers and Bumpers – The triggers and bumpers are carefully designed for performance and comfort.
- Internal Battery Cavity –The compartment that houses AA batteries is built into the interior of the controller, providing more room at the bottom for your fingers to grip.
More information:
-Achievements:
Today the Program Manager for the Xbox Live Achievements service, Cierra McDonald, had a few things to say about how achievements will work on the new Xbox One:
“Xbox blazed the trail back in 2005 by introducing Xbox Live Achievements as a metagame whose cumulative score – Gamerscore – spans across games on every Xbox Live platform. Many of today’s gaming systems followed our model and now offer achievements or badges as well. With Xbox One, we are once again breaking the mold and this time, we want consumers to reap more tangible benefits. In addition to Gamerscore, which will remain as a critical part of the Xbox gaming experience (and yes, your Gamerscore from Xbox 360 will carry forward to Xbox One – there’s only ONE Gamerscore (see what I did there?)), consumers can now unlock digital artwork, new maps, unlockable characters, and temporary stat boosts via achievements. And this is not limited to games! Other Xbox One applications such as video and music apps can now use Achievements to bring you awesome sneak peek content, early access, or subscription extensions. Only games will give you Gamerscore”
“There are now two types of Achievements: achievements and challenges. An achievement is probably already familiar. There’s a goal or activity you must accomplish and a reward that you receive upon completion. You can unlock an achievement at any time, be it on a game’s launch day or 3 years later. I guess you can say an achievement is like a promise in that sense. A challenge, on the other hand, is more like an opportunity – better grab it while you can! It is also comprised of a goal and a reward; however, challenges are time-bound (as in, real life time). That means you can only unlock during its eligible time window, and if you get close but don’t complete the goal when it ends…”
Achievement and Challenges? What’s the difference?
- You can unlock them and win their rewards;
- Once unlocked, they are saved to your achievement history;
- They each have an icon to visualize the cool thing you did;
- They often are associated with a Game DVR capture to show your friends that you are better than they are
- Developers can release more of them after the game’s initial release (more on that in a bit).
Cierra also points out that there are some pretty notable differences between achievements and challenges:
“Challenges are time based. As just noted, challenges are only available for a certain period of time. Only your activity during that timeframe will count toward unlocking the challenge. Achievements do not expire, so you can unlock them at your leisure.”
“Challenges do not give out Gamerscore. We want everyone to have the same shot at increasing their Gamerscore to its highest potential. Since challenges are intentionally temporary (an opportunity) and achievements never expire (a promise), only achievements may offer Gamerscore as a reward.”
“Challenges may cross titles, but achievements cannot. Achievements cannot be shared across titles whereas challenges are allowed to span multiple titles.”
“Challenges can be unlocked by the community. Community challenges are typically goals that exceed what a lone player can accomplish in the given period of time. Imagine, for example, a game releases a headshot weekend challenge that requires players to cumulatively headshot 1 million baddies in a 3 day period. And every person who participates and meets the challenge’s goals gets the unlock on his or her achievement history and reaps its reward.”
The new achievement system will be cloud-powered which can deliver some real value to you, the gamer. Check it out:
“Having cloud-powered achievements makes it easy and consistent to run challenges across all players of a game simultaneously. It makes it possible for developers to add new achievements and challenges after their game is initially released. Why is that good for you?”
(1) It means you can get new achievements without always being required to buy new content (read: free!) or download title updates.
(2) It allows developers to learn from and respond to user activity and focus on adding stuff that you’ll find fun. For example, let’s say a certain game is known on community forums to have a fun little sub-game of kicking chickens. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the game developers noticed the community enjoying an unintended aspect of the game and creating a challenge around it, with a reward to boot?
(3) It empowers developers to involve the community (that means YOU) in the achievement creation process. If they so choose, a developer could run a contest for users to submit and vote on challenge ideas, for example, with the winning idea being released to the public as a legitimate Xbox Live Achievement. Not too shabby!
Let’s bring it all home and talk about what you actually see.
- The Xbox One dashboard experience greatly improves how you discover and view Xbox Live Achievements.
- Ever wondered how far along you were toward completing an achievement, particularly those that involve a lot of collection or linear progress? With Xbox One, games may now expose your latest progression toward unlocking an achievement right on the dashboard, even before you launch the game.
- Quickly catch up on what your friends have been up with the achievement activity feed that keeps you informed about your friends’ latest unlocked achievements.
- Check out video clips of that magical moment when an achievement was unlocked.
- Easily discover upcoming challenges for a game at any time.
- Your achievement history has been transformed into a more beautiful gallery of achievement icons that properly show off your hard-earned victories.
-Pre-orders are now available!
Microsoft announced that is has produced a limited supply of ‘Day One Edition’ Xbox One consoles. The Day One Edition features a commemorative controller and an exclusive achievement. A number of large retailers will be receiving shipments and have pre-orders available as of today! Reports say that a number of Game Stop locations have already sold out of the Day One Edition but have the standard Xbox One still available. You can still get your Standard Edition or Day One Edition Xbox One on Amazon.
