Xbox One X next Gen game console, arriving on November 2017

After months of speculation, Microsoft is unveiling its “Project Scorpio” games console today, and it's officially named Xbox One X. Microsoft's Xbox One X naming comes just days after the company trademarked a mysterious S logo, and started dropping Scorpio hints in its E3 teaser videos. Microsoft is planning to launch the Xbox One X on November 7th worldwide, priced at $499.

All existing Xbox One accessories will work on the new Xbox One X — which we got to see first-hand at E3 today — alongside all existing Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles and Xbox One games. Microsoft is planning to use "super sampling" on the One X to make new games look better even on 1080p TVs.

The new console will ship with 6 teraflops of graphical power, more than its main competitor, the PS4 Pro, with 4.2 teraflops. Microsoft is using a custom GPU engine on Scorpio that runs at 1172MHz, a big increase over the Xbox One’s 853MHz and even Sony’s 911MHz found on the PS4 Pro. Microsoft is also shipping the Xbox One X with an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive for 4K movies and entertainment, and 1TB of storage.

Microsoft has previously promised that 900p and 1080p Xbox One games should be able to run at native 4K on the Xbox One X, and that existing Xbox One and 360 games will see a noticeable performance boost. Scorpio also features liquid-cooled vapor-chamber cooling inside, a technology that's used on high-end PC gaming cards like the GTX 1080.

Microsoft says the new Xbox One X is the "smallest Xbox ever," and the black design looks very similar to the existing Xbox One S model. The rear of Microsoft’s new console is based on the Xbox One S, with a HDMI-in port and no dedicated Kinect port. There aren't many external changes over the Xbox One S design, and the X simply gets a little smaller. For now, Microsoft is only shipping the Xbox One X with the black design and 1TB of storage.

One of the first titles for the new console is Forza Motorsport 7, running at native 4K and 60fps. For a closer look at the latest Forza, check out our feature or watch exclusive gameplay below. Forza Motorsport 7 will debut on October 3rd.

Microsoft has 22 "console launch exclusives" arriving on the Xbox One X, including Crackdown 3, Forza Motorsport 7, and Sea of Thieves. Microsoft's Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, introduced a number of new titles and left most of the company's E3 press conference up to the games themselves. Microsoft is even bringing original Xbox games to the Xbox One family, starting with Crimson Skies.

Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Killer Instinct, Halo Wars 2, and Minecraft will all be updated free of charge to 4K support. Microsoft also has more than 30 third-party titles that will be updated with the Xbox One X Enhanced program. The new Xbox One X will now debut worldwide on November 7th, priced at $499, £449, 499 euro, 599 Canadian dollars, and 649 Australian dollars.

NEW 2017 XBOX CONTROLLER UNVEILED!

A pair of new color options for the Xbox One controller will soon be available, Microsoft announced today.

The first of these is the previously announced Red controller, which features a two-tone design and red face buttons. It primarily features a matte finish, but a select few parts, including the triggers and bumpers, are glossy. In the US, it will be available exclusively from the Microsoft Store and GameStop for the standard $65 price. Microsoft says it's shipping to retailers worldwide today; GameStop lists a more precise release date of January +.

Also coming this month is the Green/Orange controller, which has a Halo-esque look to it. It's also a two-tone design featuring different shades of green, with the orange being limited to the area behind the analog sticks. Again, it's priced at $65 and is exclusive to two retailers in the US: the Microsoft Store and Walmart. It releases on January 24, with a worldwide release coming on January 31.

Both of these are the newest iteration of the controller that debuted last summer alongside the Xbox One S. They feature a textured grip and Bluetooth support for use with devices other than your Xbox One.

XBOX SCORPIO, CROSSPLAY WITH PS4?

In a new interview with MCV, Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg sheds some new light on two of the more exciting and interesting gaming announcements in recent months: Xbox Scorpio and cross-play between Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

On the subject of Scorpio, which was announced at E3, Greenberg was asked if the console's reveal has impacted Xbox One S sales. The thinking is that if people know a more powerful console is coming, they might hold out. In fact, GameStop recently said the announcement of Scorpio and Sony's Neo negatively impacted console sales. Greenberg didn't exactly give an answer to this question, however, instead saying Microsoft's focus will be on being "very, very aggressive" when it comes to marketing the Xbox One S.

Microsoft will be "really focused on delivering on value with bundles and what you get for the price," he said.

Earlier this month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the Scorpio reveal did not "overshadow" Xbox One S. Some people believed Microsoft's announcement of Scorpio might impact Xbox S sales, but apparently that hasn't been the case. The Xbox One outsold the PS4 in the US during July (before the Xbox One S was released) and Microsoft is optimistic about how many consoles it can sell in August.

In the MCV interview, Greenberg again referred to Scorpio as the "most powerful console ever created," featuring a six-teraflop GPU. He also said the system represents the "next big leap forward in innovation for gaming" and something that has never been done before on console. What he's likely referring to is how Microsoft is, for the first time on console, treating Xbox as a family of devices.

The games and accessories you own for Xbox One or Xbox One S will work on Scorpio. For previous console transitions, like Xbox 360 to Xbox One, the games and controllers you had for the older machine were rendered basically useless on the new console. However, backwards compatibility support on Xbox One helped with some of this. Scorpio goes even further and "wipes out" the idea of a console generation and eases the "disruptive" nature of moving to a new platform, according to Microsoft.

"We announced [Scorpio] early at E3 so that we can start working with developers and partners who we know will want to take advantage of that incredible amount of power and have a good year plus to be able to plan for it," Greenberg said.

Scorpio is slated to go on sale in holiday 2017, though pricing has not been announced. For its part, Sony is working on a souped-up PS4, codenamed Neo, which could be officially revealed in September.

Also in the MCV interview, Greenberg was asked for a status update on when, if ever, there might be cross-play support between Xbox One and PS4. As has been the case for months, the ball remains in Sony's court, it seems. One of the first games that could support Xbox One-PS4 cross-play is Rocket League. Developer Psyonix has a technical solution for this, but it's still a matter of politics.

"In terms of connecting with gamers on the PlayStation Network, we fully support them to do that. And I believe they're talking to Sony about it, but I don't know the latest," Greenberg said.

Speaking generally about cross-play, Greenberg said for a game like Rocket League, it "makes sense to allow players on other platforms to compete in the same arenas. We think that is good gamers."

"Our strategy is to put gamers at the center of everything we do, and that has led us to support things like that where a developer wants to connect people on Steam, for example," he added. "They're doing that today."

Go to MCV to read the full interview.

NO XBOX BOOTH AT TOKYO GAME SHOW?

For the second year in a row, Microsoft will not have an official presence at Tokyo Game Show. The company confirmed this today in a news briefing in Japan attended by Game Watch (via DualShockers).

Although Microsoft will not be exhibiting anything at the show, the company will again hold a fan event sometime in October, apparently. It's unclear, however, what games might be playable at the gathering. In 2015, fans could go hands on with titles like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Rainbow Six Siege, among others.

The Tokyo Game Show website does mention Microsoft, but only for the event's Business Solution area, not the exhibition show floor. This appears to be similar to how Electronic Arts attended E3 this year to meet with business associates but did not have a booth on the show floor.

In 2014, Microsoft had a booth on the TGS show floor where attendees could play nearly two-dozen Xbox One games. That year's TGS was held just one week after the Xbox One was released in Japan. Microsoft did not have a booth at TGS 2015.

The Xbox One has not sold very well in Japan since its release there in September 2014, but Microsoft hopes to improve sales over time by listening to gamers' suggestions. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in previous interviews that Japan is a "soulful" place for games, and one that is "critical" for Microsoft to support.

Tokyo Game Show 2016 runs September 17-18. Microsoft competitor Sony will have a space on the exhibition floor, but the company has not yet announced exactly what it's showing. A recent report claimed Sony might release PlayStation Neo and a slimmed-down PS4 during or before the event.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on TGS in the days and weeks ahead.

This post has been updated and corrected.

INSIDE THE XBOX ONE S

If you think there's a little Master Chief in all of us, you'd be wrong. However, there is a pint-sized version of the Halo protagonist inside your Xbox One S. No, unfortunately, it's not an Indian in the Cupboard situation. Instead, it's a small etching of the character on the console's components.

YouTuber Austin Evans discovered the mini Chief when he deconstructed the Xbox One S. You can see it for yourself in the video below. It's important to note you could void your warranty if you take apart your own console.

VIDEO LINK : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd5cRYKRln8

"I have to give Microsoft mad props for this," Evans said. "The power supply, the cables are nice and neat, the hard drive is nice and compact. Almost no one is ever going to look at what the inside of an Xbox One S looks like."

GameSpot's Jimmy Thang produced a review of the Xbox One, in which he went in-depth on the specs, design, and new Bluetooth controller. He concluded, "If you've been on the fence about the Xbox One or have been waiting for the bugs to be ironed out and the library to mature, the Xbox One S makes it a great time to jump on board.

It's slim, is the only model that can be outfitted with a 2 TB HDD, is priced fairly, and offers the aforementioned video features. If you don't care about all that, and just want to play Xbox One games, then I'd actually recommend the original Xbox One over the S. Its 500 GB SKU retails for $250, which is $50 less than the comparable S model."

For a wider selection of opinions, you can check out GameSpot's review roundup.

If you want to buy an Xbox One S, it's important to note that it does not have a Kinect port. You'll need an adapter if you want to use the console's camera device. You can find out how to get one for free here.

NEW CONSOLE BY MICROSOFT? LET SEE..

Today at Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference, the company confirmed the existence of a new console. Named Project Scorpio, the announcement confirms rumors we’ve been reading for the past few months. Set to release in 2017, the new system will feature 8 cores, 320Gb memory bandwidth, and six teraflops of performance that will allow for true fully uncompressed 4K gaming. This suggests it will not simply be upscaled 2160p.

Microsoft also unveiled that Project Scorpio would be backwards compatible with both the Xbox One and Xbox One S, and you’ll be able to use the same peripherals and controllers with the console as well.

The 4K news is surprising, since the resolution is extremely graphically demanding on hardware and is four times as sharp as 1080p. For reference, leading $400 PC graphics cards still struggle with 2160p. To dissuade disbelief, however, one developer in the promo video stated, “They’re really going for it.”

In addition to the 4K announcement, Microsoft also stated that the console would also be capable of targeting 60fps performance as well and that it would deliver a “no-compromise” experience.

Microsoft also alluded to the fact that Project Scorpio would be used to power VR games as well, which makes sense because VR is so graphically demanding due to the fact that it requires a high resolution and fast, consistent frame rate. Bethesda's Todd Howard was in the promo video, and alluded to the idea that the VR version of Fallout 4 would be coming to the console. Considering the VR version of the game is currently only announced to support the HTC Vive virtual reality headset, this could potentially mean we'd see HTC Vive support for Project Scorpio.

No price was announced for Project Scorpio, but you can stay tuned to GameSpot for more E3 coverage as news develops.

REVEAL OF GEAR OF WAR 4

A tweet from the Gears of War channel teases that the game's "next big reveal is coming soon." A countdown clock on the Gears of War website is ticking down to three days from now, on the morning of Monday, April 11. This is apparently when the announcement will be made, whatever it is.

The website itself is potentially confusing, as it shows only a number of hours left, but producer Rod Fergusson says it should be read as three days and a number of hours.

Gears of War community director Adam Fletcher teased the reveal further, saying it will come completely out of left field.

Gears of War 4 is scheduled to launch on October 11 for Xbox One. A PC version may also be released, but nothing has been confirmed at this stage. In other news, it's been confirmed that the game will offer split-screen play for multiplayer, though frame rate drops to 30fps when playing this way.

The Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta will begin later this month--check out this post to find out how to get in. On the subject of multiplayer, Fergusson recently said Gears of War's multiplayer--since Gears of War 1--has been "under-served," and explained why Gears of War 4 will change that.

CHINA`S CONSOLE BAN IS NOW TOTALLY OVER

China has now officially and fully lifted its console gaming ban, allowing systems such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U to spread their reach into the gamer-rich and potentially lucrative market.

The Wall Street Journal reports that China's Ministry of Culture released a statement this week that explains companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo can now manufacture and sell anywhere in the region.

This is a big step up from the previous conditions, under which console makers could do business only in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone--this "stifled sales and potential growth," WSJ said.

“This is great news for us," a Sony spokesperson said. Microsoft and Nintendo were not immediately available to comment.

Though there are undoubtedly lots and lots of gamers in China, the country's censorship rules could impact the performance of games in the region.

The Xbox One launched in China in September 2014, with the PS4 following in March 2015. Nintendo has not yet announced specific plans to bring its consoles or games to the market.

China enacted its console ban in 2000, blocking the sale of systems over concerns about potential harm to the physical and mental development of children.

MICROSOFT DENIES DISABLING XBOX ONES TERMS OF USE BREACHES

Following reports today that it had disabled Xbox One consoles belonging to individuals who broke a testing agreement with the company, Microsoft has denied that it does so for Terms of Use violations.

"To be clear, if a console is suspended from Xbox Live for a violation of the Terms of Use, it can still be used offline," a Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot. "Microsoft enforcement action does not result in a console becoming unusable."

The question then becomes what warrants a console being banned from use online. "Suspensions for both consoles and accounts are determined by looking at a number of factors," the spokesperson continued. "To avoid enforcement action including suspension from the service, users should follow the Xbox Live Terms of Use and Code of Conduct."

This statement comes on the heels of a report from Kotaku that Microsoft had "bricked" consoles belonging to people testing the remastered Xbox One version of Gears of War. These individuals were allegedly responsible for the footage that's appeared online from the as-of-yet unannounced game.

An email sent out by the company employing these testers, VMC Consulting, indicated that these testers had violated both a non-disclosure agreement and Xbox Live's End User License Agreement. The email said that, as a result of violating Xbox Live's EULA, the offenders' Xbox Live accounts had been permanently banned and their consoles "temporarily blocked." According to the email, this meant their systems were "entirely unusable" until Microsoft decided otherwise.

This prompted concerns from Xbox One owners that Microsoft has a killswitch that allows it to completely disable any Xbox One console. Microsoft's statement suggests violating the terms you agree to when using the system will only result in the console being banned from use online.

Microsoft did not directly address the bans supposedly handed out to these testers, so it remains to be seen whether their consoles have been rendered unusable offline--something that may have been stipulated by the NDA they are said to have broken. The NDA remains an important wrinkle, as these individuals were subject to rules that ordinary Xbox One owners are not.

We've followed up with the company to find out if it possesses the ability to disable a console altogether, but have not yet received a response.

YOOKA-LAYLEE BEATS ELITE?

Yooka-Laylee, a spiritual successor to legendary Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie, is now the most funded Kickstarter game in the United Kingdom.

The record was previously held by Frontier Development's Elite: Dangerous, which raised £1,578,316 when the Kickstarter campaign closed. At the time of writing, Yooka-Laylee has raised £1,611,343 (almost $2.5 million), and it still has 31 days to go until the fundraising campaign ends.

Today, Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic announced that it has sold out of the limited edition "64-bit" package, which will give players the game on an Nintendo-64-style cartridge, box, and manual.

Yooka-Laylee is a "buddy-duo" game in the vein of Banjo-Kazooie, but instead of a bear and a bird, it stars a chameleon and a bat. The game is being worked on by a number of Rare veterans who developed Banjo-Kazooie, and is due to launch in 2016 for PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.

You can secure a copy of Yooka-Laylee by pledging at least $15. Backing at that level gets you a copy of the PC version, while you'll need to pay around $22 to get a console copy.

RESIDENT EVIL REVELATIONS 2

Although Resident Evil Revelations 2 doesn't recapture old glory or reach new heights for the series, it contains moments of inspiration where its action-adventure gameplay and mostly compelling mystery plot marry together beautifully. Capcom’s horror doesn't frighten, but as an action-adventure it’s elevated by this occasional synergy, and the excellent bonus Raid mode.

Revelations 2’s four episodes dance between two timelines, each with its own pair of characters, to weave together a mystery that kept me hooked right up until its finale. In one, reliably endearing Claire Redfield and ‘tude-filled Moira Burton - who I also liked, despite her tendency to swear for the sake of swearing -  are two unlikely friends, thrust together by an evil ‘overseer’ who is keeping them captive for reasons unknown.

Resident Evil fan-favourite Barry Burton is back in the second timeline, joined by mysterious newcomer Natalia, a little girl whose memory harbors half-remembered secrets. Each episode manages to keep its cards close enough to its chest that I was compelled to play the next one – perhaps the only justification for Revelations 2’s four-episode structure – and there’s a humour in the characters that I found refreshing.

Pairing off these characters does more than serve the story, though, as your companions are legitimately useful in ways that make gameplay more interesting. Moira’s flashlight is used to blind

Resident Evil Revelations 2.

FEBRUARY 25, 2015 [EPISODE 1 LAUNCH]

Uncover more secrets of the Umbrella conspiracy in Resident Evil: Revelations 2.

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LUCY O'BRIEN SAYS

Try This Game If You Liked:

The Evil WithinResident Evil 5Dead Island enemies and find hidden objects for Claire, and Natalia can see enemy weakpoints and crawl through tiny spaces where Barry can’t fit.

Revelations 2 is at its best when it makes us use all these skills at once. Its most satisfying moments involve switching between characters on the fly - or shrieking instructions at your partner if playing in split-screen or online co-op - in order to make it through particularly tricky or dangerous areas.

Both Natalia and Moira are physically underpowered, too, which can lend to a sense of hysteria. There’s a thrilling section in Episode 3, for example, where Moira and Claire must escape an enemy-filled building by working together against the clock. Moira can’t defend herself against giant enemies, so you’ve either got to make a run for it or you’ve got to switch to Claire and pump bullets into them from afar.

I would have liked to have seen more of this kind of co-op play across the board, but unfortunately Revelations 2’s biggest sin is its boring corridor environments.There’s a significant lack of environmental detail here - ‘unbreakable crates’ is as spicy as it generally gets - and its crumbling interiors are painted in far less than 50 shades of grey.

Equally unimaginative enemies roam them. While there are a handful that stand out - Claire faces off against a deliciously gross monster at the end of episode 3, while the final boss will likely inspire fan-art - most enemies are generic shamblers or walking pustules with glowing red spots. In 2015, these monsters aren’t only played out - they’re simply not scary.

Fortunately, traditional Resident Evil puzzles do eventually spice things up, after a conspicuous absence in the first few episodes. Episode 3 introduces some classic brain-benders, including one that involves Barry and Natalia working together to move a box from one end of a level to another. It’s all nonsense, of course - the justification is that the giant box is an outdoor ‘power source’ - but it incorporates some clever level design and provides a nice break from the running and gunning.

There’s far more consistency outside the main campaign. The Raid minigame is a highlight, played either solo or co-op. Raid mode challenges you to clear out a huge number of shooting galleries under the recommended level without healing yourself, offering bragging rights and unlockable characters as a reward. At 130 medals down, I’ve only scratched the surface, yet I’m compelled to continue: Raid offers real longevity outside of the main campaign.

VIDEO LINK : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ytrIg10Rpc

APRIL UPDATE IMPROVES XBOX ONE`S

Microsoft has detailed the next Xbox One system update, which brings with it some minor, but much appreciated new features.

The April system update is being distributed to preview program members first, as usual, but it'll be coming in two parts. The first of these should now be in the hands of testers, and consists of three features, as detailed by Major Nelson.

With the update installed, achievement notifications will include more than just the name of the achievement you've unlocked. You'll be able to see the description for the achievement, sparing you the effort of having to open the achievements app in order to see exactly what it is you just accomplished. Should you want to still open the achievements app, it should now open more quickly when launched from a notification.

Party chat has been improved and will now help to identify what problem may be preventing you from chatting with other users. It will do this by informing you of networking issues or privacy settings that are getting in the way of being able to chat, as well as by identifying other problems--such as your Kinect's chat being disabled, as shown in the image above.

Finally, game hubs are being made more easily accessible from the activity feed. You'll be linked to a game's hub from posts involving that game, including achievements, video clips, and screenshots.

Details on the features coming in the second part of the April update's preview will be announced next week.

PREDATOR ON MORTAL KOMBAT X?

Yesterday, an Xbox Store listing revealed that the Predator, the alien from the movie of the same name, will be a playable character in Mortal Kombat X for those who buy the game's premium edition.

Now, publisher Warner Bros. officially announced that the Predator will be included in one of four pieces of DLC. The other three pieces of DLC add the previously announced Jason Voorhees, Tanya, and Tremor. Each of the packs will also include new skins for existing characters.

Here's a complete breakdown of what's included in each of the packs:

The Ultimate Horror Pack:

Playable character Jason Voorhees

Horror skins Vampiress Mileena, Kraken Reptile and Pharaoh Ermac

The Klassic Pack #1:

Playable character Tanya

Klassic skins for Kano, Sonya and Liu Kang

The Predator / Prey Pack:

Playable character Predator

Predator-themed skins Commando Johnny, Infrared Scorpion and Carl Weathers as Jax

The Klassic Pack #2:

Playable character, Tremor

Klassic skins for Quan Chi, Jax and Kung Lao

In the Americas, all of the above content will be included in the Kombat Pack, which comes with the Mortal Kombat X Kollector’s Edition by Coarse, Limited Edition and Premium Edition. The Kombat Pack will also be available for purchase separately for $30.

Check out GameSpot's detailed list of what's included in each of the Mortal Kombat X special editions.

At launch, Kombat Pack owners will get the Samurai Pack, which contains three new skins: Ronin Kenshi, Samurai Shinnok and Jingu Kitana. Those who buy the Kombat Pack will also get the content earlier, before it's sold individually.

The game launches April 14 for Xbox One, Xbox 360

VIDEO LINK : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1WiEHvtS0

MORE CHARACTERS ON MORTAL KOMBAT X LEAK REVEALS

Ahead of the game's release next month, more Mortal Kombat X characters have been revealed by way of a leak.

Screenshots posted on Xbox360Achievements (via TestYourMight) suggest that gunslinger Erron Black, previously rumored for the game, is indeed a playable character in the fighting title.

The image above shows what appears to be Erron Black's Brutality, which is a point-blank, execution-style bullet to the brain.

Developer NetherRealm Studios in February confirmed that Brutalities would return in Mortal Kombat X.

In addition to Erron Black, images posted on the site show off other characters, including Baraka and Shinnok, both of whom were also previously rumored.

The Mortal Kombat X release date is April 14 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of the game were recently delayed and are now due this summer.

In other recent Mortal Kombat X news, NetherRealm has confirmed that Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees will be released as DLC, while Mileena, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade will be playable out of the gate.

For more on the fighting game's roster, check out GameSpot's list of every confirmed and rumored character so far.

SURVIVAL TIPS TO SUCCEED IN EVOLVE

The four-on-one multiplayer of Evolve looks deceptively simple. Jump into the shoes of a Hunter, and it'll feel like a first-person shooter. Even playing as the Monster can initially feel like an action-focused roaming brawler. But this is a game with a great deal more depth than it appears at first glance. No, don't shy away, we're here to help: Follow these key bits of advice to get yourself up to speed.

Know Your Role

In Evolve, every character is unique. And every Hunter is vital. Since you're never entirely sure which character you're going to spawn as, you need to get familiar with them all. But, more importantly, you need to operate within that character's given role. For example, if your Medic spends more time trying to damage the Monster than healing your team, you're gonna have a bad time. Learn the roles, and play the role you're given. You'll have plenty of opportunities to play other roles in the future.

It's Dangerous to Go Alone

Because each Hunter class supports every other, it's absolutely crucial to stick together as much as possible. The last thing you want is to have your Assault Hunter halfway across the map when you've trapped the Monster. And being low on health without a Medic around is nothing short of infuriating. So keep tabs on your teammates... and at the very, very least, stay in constant communication with each other.

For Monsters, a Little Stealth Goes a Long Way

Let's review the basics of Evolve: One player controls a Monster. Four players do everything in their power to destroy the Monster. As powerful as the Monster can be, it's hard to escape the fact that it's four against one. One way to gain an edge as the Monster is to be as stealthy as possible. At the start of the match, of course, you'll want to run like hell. But as soon as you've got some distance between you and the Hunters, take it slow and careful. The quieter you are, the harder it'll be for them to find you. And for the love of all that is holy, avoid the groups of roosting birds. They'll put the Hunters on your trail immediately.

Don't Get Tunnel Vision

No matter your role, it's easy to get too focused on the ultimate goal of the match, whether it be taking down a Monster or simply surviving as one. But remember that some sidetracks are worth it. Most especially, hunting albino creatures can result in seriously beneficial buffs for you or your team. You can harvest bonuses that slash your special-ability cool-down times, boost your armor, or even expand your clip size. Just don't get too distracted, or you might find your enemy creeping up behind you.

Mix it Up...

When you look at the progression path for both Hunters and Monsters, you'll notice that each item or ability has its own individual challenge. For example, the Medic needs to heal a certain amount of teammate damage, tranquilize the Monster a certain number of times, and place a certain number of targets on the Monster with the sniper rifle. Each class has similar challenges, and so does the Monster. Only after completing all of these objectives can you level up and unlock a new character. It can feel like a bit of a grind, but it serves two important purposes: First, it forces you to get comfortable with all of your role's abilities; and second, it gets you access to upgraded characters, who are dramatically better than the base model.

...But Not All at Once

Here's the trouble: If you try to focus on all these objectives in a single game, you'll find yourself overwhelmed. Monsters really need to specialize; you only get a handful of upgrade points when you evolve to Tier 2 and Tier 3, and trying to spread those points to all your abilities is going to leave you underpowered and vulnerable. So whether you're playing as Monster or Hunter, pick just one or two abilities to focus on each round.

The most important thing to remember about Evolve is that it's a much more complex and strategic game than it appears. Pay attention to your roles and your goals, though, and you'll survive.

Well, some of the time.

You can test your monster-hunting abilities immediately; Evolve is available right now on Xbox One!

EVOLVE GAMEPLAY VIDEO

XBOX ONE KEEPS GETTING BETTER (PRODUCT UPDATES)

I’m excited to be able to share details with you today about several product updates we’ll be delivering for Xbox One starting next week.  The team has been really excited to see the gameplay on Xbox One and the millions of hours of fun our fans have experienced since launch. We’ve also been busy listening to your feedback and working hard to incorporate it into Xbox One as soon as possible. We remain incredibly energized and we are aggressively working to make Xbox One better, faster than ever before.

Xbox One is a platform for continuous innovation and new consumer experiences over time.  Just as we did with Xbox 360, Xbox One will have regular updates to deliver new features and platform experiences designed to delight you.  We’re always listening to you and we love your feedback, so keep it coming.

February 11 system updates

On February 11, the first update will be delivered to customers who sign into their Xbox One.  It features many new improvements – including lots of behind-the-scenes updates for developers building apps and games for Xbox One, several new features we believe Xbox fans will love, stability and product updates to improve the customer experience, and continuous improvements to the quality of Kinect voice so commands become more fluid and responsive over time.  While we won’t be going into all of the details of the product updates today, we will be sharing more information soon. 

Some of the features you can expect to see on February 11 include:

The ability to see and manage your storage space. With this update, you will find it easy to find how much space your content takes up and better manage your content. You can also control your install lineup and more easily manage your download queue. We’ve separated My Games and My Apps into separate lists, so you can easily create separate queues for both. Now you can pick the order in which you want your content to load and we’ve added a boot progress indicator so you can better track updates while they load.

The battery power indicator is back! You can see it right on the home screen, so you can easily track how much battery life is left on your controller.

And, you will be able to use your USB keyboard with your Xbox One.

These are just a few of the many updates we will be shipping on February 11. We’ll share more details on these and other upcoming features in the coming weeks. We have several surprises in store that we think you’ll love.

March 4 system updates – countdown to “Titanfall”  

On March 4, in advance of what is expected to be the biggest game launch of the year, we will be delivering another system update to prepare your Xbox One for “Titanfall.”  This update will contain  many new features and improvements, most significantly to our party and multiplayer systems.  Available on March 11, “Titanfall” is a team-based online multiplayer game that showcases the power of Xbox Live, and we will be shipping a new party and multiplayer system that will help make “Titanfall” the must-have game for this generation. 

This post is the first of many announcements and sneak peeks at features in the system updates. We’ve been carefully listening to your feedback and look forward to delivering many new features that will make Xbox One even better. We’re just getting started and can’t wait to share more information in the coming weeks. 

XBOX ONE THE CONSOLE OF FUTURE?

FORTUNE -- If the Xbox One isn't already near the top of your holiday wish list, it should be.

With Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox One, due out this Friday, it's clear the company is gunning for the living room, marrying TV viewing, game play, and Internet-connected services to an unprecedented degree. At $499, it may cost $100 more than the Sony (SNE) PlayStation 4 that was released last week, but the extra cash nets users a next-generation user experience, including menu navigation and gameplay driven by voice recognition and gesture.

With this device, Microsoft wants to own the living room in a way the company's previous products never could, with more advanced hardware and software that juggles everything from playing games to scanning a player's skeletal frame and musculature. It's the first time in a while you'll be excited to see the Microsoft logo when you rip open the wrapping paper. 

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The hardware. One word: huge. The Xbox One is a beast, dwarfing the PlayStation 4 and Wii U and most other consoles of recent years. (It's so large in fact, it'll challenge old-school VCR boxes in sheer size.) There are some nice accents on the jet-back plastic console up-close -- a two-tone juxtaposition of matte and shiny textures, a grill top that covers half the device, some silver chrome, and a touch-activated power button doubling as a logo -- but the Xbox One's industrial design is more utilitarian than looker. The same goes for the new Kinect 2 motion-sensing bar, roughly the size of a Febreze can and meant to sit closer to the television.

The controller bears a strong resemblance to the Xbox 360's, but the look and feel has been refined. The two handles on either end are slightly more contoured for holding. Buttons click in an appreciably more premium-feeling way. (In the particular, the direction pad has been redesigned and feels a lot less cheap and a lot more usable.) Microsoft also integrated four vibration motors instead of two this time around. So instead of the entire controller rumbling, developers can make the sensation more localized. It's a very subtle distinction but one that adds to the immersiveness of gameplay during games like Forza Motorsport 5, as players take corners. The controller isn't as ergonomic as the PlayStation 4's, which wins my personal award for best-feeling console controller ever, but players won't grouse about discomfort here, either.

The software. In recent years, Microsoft has pushed a visual experience based on flat, two-dimensional tiles. Windows Phone pioneered it, Windows 8 followed, and so does Xbox One. It's clean, minimal and easy-on-the eyes. And while learning how to navigate around the PlayStation 4's menus took less than five minutes, getting around the Xbox One was even quicker -- it's just more intuitive.

Getting set up was a thoroughly simple, though lengthy process, with a series of software updates that required installation before I could get going. (A spokesperson for the company indicated consumers won't have to download the same updates or wait nearly as long.) With the Xbox 360, the Kinect was only required for a subset of games. Here, the Kinect is technically not mandatory either -- a change in policy from a company statement this spring. But given how each unit comes packaged with one, not to mention that the Xbox One and several launch games use voice recognition, and the Kinect feels all-but-essential to get the most from Microsoft's new device. It's not mandatory that users issue voice commands to navigate around, but in some cases, it's actually easier. For one, commanding the device to power up by saying "Xbox On" -- which it does in around 10 seconds -- sure saves me the small hassle of walking back-and-forth across the room. The same goes for the other tasks like movie playback. Telling the Xbox to fast-forward and turn on closed-captioning is easier to do via voice than fiddling with the controller and for once, feels less like a gimmick.

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In other cases, voice recognition still doesn't quite cut it. For now, the Kinect seems fine with basic commands -- going to the console's main screen, switching between apps, and actual video playback -- but getting from Point A to Point B in Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu entirely by voice sometimes felt like it took twice the time it normally would if I had stuck with using the controller, even after Microsoft recommended I re-calibrate Kinect to better pick up my voice. There are clearly kinks to be worked out, so for now, the best way to get around may yet be a combination of button presses and voice.

Microsoft is pushing the Xbox One not just as next-generation gaming device but as serious home entertainment hub. By hooking up a cable or satellite box to the console, users can browse programming, change channels, as well as raise and lower volume by issuing basic voice commands such as "Xbox, volume up." A new software feature called "Snap" serves as Microsoft's interactive take on TV's "picture-in-picture" feature. It's a vertical pane summoned by voice or controller to the right side of the television screen where users can have something else running at the same time: TV, music, video and so on. It worked mostly as advertised, although in a few tests, the movie Man of Steel seriously stuttered in the Snap pane, while I played a game on the main screen. In other cases, the film played smoothly. (Microsoft says the performance issue will be fixed by launch.)

No new console would be compelling without a solid stable of games. As I mentioned last week in my PS4 review, many of that console's initial titles, including Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4 will also be available for Xbox One on the first day, and indeed, the former is already available for older consoles, too. 

Xbox One has two killer exclusive titles. Ryse: Son of Rome starts off feeling like a deceptively simple and predictable hack-and-slash action adventure but gradually layers on more complex gameplay, introducing new moves and strategies for players to earn experience, customize their warrior's skills, and execute entertaining execution kills. And car aficionados will likely spend tens of hours racing and tuning up their cars in Forza Motorsport 5, where the gameplay is as superficial or as deep as the player's skill level. 

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The verdict. A new console may live or die based on its initial games, and here is where the Xbox One trumps the PlayStation 4. Both Ryse and Forza Motorsport are the kind of graphical showcases that should move consoles throughout the holiday season.

Microsoft and Sony are positioning their consoles as multi-purpose entertainment hubs for the living room, and some consumers may make their decision simply based on price. (After all, the PlayStation 4 is $100 less.) But if Microsoft can iron out some performance quirks around voice recognition and Snap, the decision won't be too hard: it's far easier to glimpse the future potential in the Xbox One, starting with 10 seconds of time and the simple two-word voice command: "Xbox on." 

XBOX ONE HAS THE BEST GAMES EVER!

Our exclusive games won more than 100 awards at E3, twice as many as our closest competitor.

Xbox One was built by gamers, for gamers.

The perfect balance of power and performance, Xbox One takes gaming to a whole new level. Stunning realism. Advanced AI that adapts to the way you play.

And a new generation of multiplayer that is both smarter and faster. Xbox One is simply the best gaming console we’ve ever made.

SO MANY QUESTION ABOUT THE NEXT GEN OF XBOX

Since the Xbox One's reveal on May 21, many questions about the next-generation Xbox have inevitably popped up. From the big inquiries to the small details, we've been fortunate to have Xbox One Chief Platform Architect Marc Whitten answer a handful of them every week.

Now, after nine weeks, we feel like we've gotten many of your most pressing questions answered and are wrapping up this feature. We may return to this segment before the console's November 22 launch, but until then, Whitten says, “Thank you for sharing your questions with us, IGN readers. We look forward to sharing a lot more on Xbox One in the coming weeks.”

NEW ANSWERS ADDED 9/30:

How large is the Xbox One’s Day One update? How long will it take to install?

MARC WHITTEN, XBOX ONE CHIEF PLATFORM ARCHITECT: We are optimizing Xbox One so that the day one update is as fast as possible. While we’re still finalizing the details, we expect that the download will take between 15 and 20 minutes for most users.

Does every single multiplayer game on Xbox One, regardless of developer or publisher, get dedicated servers because of the cloud? Or is it still a game-by-game thing?

WHITTEN: Every title can take advantage of our cloud services. Think of it as a tool in the toolbox for our developers to drive their vision and our goal is to make it easy and simple for them to do so.

Do you guys plan to update the dashboard once or sometimes twice a year as you currently do with the Xbox 360?

WHITTEN: Yes. Like we have done with Xbox 360, we will continue to learn from what customers want and love to iterate on the best dashboard experience.

Will Twitter/Facebook return on Xbox One?

WHITTEN: We continue to work with great partners to bring the best app experiences to Xbox One. While I can’t comment on the specifics of these two partners right now, at launch you will be able to access Twitter and Facebook through the Internet Explorer web browser on Xbox One at launch.

Will a rechargeable battery pack be offered for the controller?

WHITTEN: Yes! The Play and Charge kit includes a rechargeable battery and micro-USB cable, with a charging indicator light. It will be available at launch for $24.99.

When we first get an Xbox One, will we be able to start off fresh and change our gamertag for free, or will we have to pay for it?

WHITTEN: All of our gamertags will come over from the existing Xbox LIVE community. We have no changes to our policies in this space.

Will we be able to import our own JPEG’s, etc. for use as Gamerpics?

WHITTEN: We are focused on building out a beautiful collection of 1080p gamerpics for our users on Xbox One. You’ll also be able to create full-body poses of your Avatar to use as a gamerpic. You’ll see us do much more here in the future. At launch, we expect to have 300 gamerpics to choose from. Here are three examples:

  

Will we be able to enter a nickname for our friends on our list? Instead of seeing their gamertag, I could enter, "Brian," or whatever I want to use to identify him besides his gamertag...

WHITTEN: Good idea! We’ll look at that idea in the future. At launch, one of the things we will provide is the ability to add a friend to a favorites list, so you can keep up with both the broader set of people on your list and the people you play with most.

Will the SmartGlass app itself have any type of multitasking features?

WHITTEN: Xbox SmartGlass is the optimal multitasking companion for Xbox One. You can easily access the Xbox OneGuide to see what’s on TV and change channels, keep up with what your friends are doing on Xbox, view GameDVR clips, view achievements and challenges, and snap apps on your Xbox One directly from your phone or tablet.

If you’re playing a multiplayer game like Battlefield and the developer pushes out a relatively large update while you’re playing, will it download in the background then kick everyone off later? Or does it kick everyone off right away and you have to wait for the download to finish?

WHITTEN: Content providers will have the ability to push two types of content updates with Xbox One: ones that are immediately mandatory like in Xbox 360 and ones that are optional. If you opt to not take an optional update, you can continue to play online and do the update at a later time.

What is the minimum distance you can stand and have the Xbox One Kinect function properly?

WHITTEN: Well, it depends on how tall you are and where you place your sensor. But on average, a 6 feet tall person can stand 2 feet closer than they could with the first generation Kinect sensor.

Will you offer extension cables for the Kinect sensor? For those of us whose AV racks are a bit further than 3 meters away...

WHITTEN: It is something we are looking at, but don’t have anything to announce at this time.

Any chance, with the power of the cloud and new online functionality, that games and experiences like 1 vs. 100 might come back? i.e. "live" video games?

WHITTEN: Great question – we believe in the power of the community and live events and “1 vs. 100” is a great example of that in the past. We’ve been focused on building experiences around live or linear content – sports, fitness, live events and more. You’ll see many of these ideas in products like our NFL experience, the UFC experience and much more. This is an area where we will keep experimenting and learning with our community.

Is there a more robust stat tracking for seeing how long you have played each game?

WHITTEN: In Xbox One you will find a consistent and powerful experience for tracking your own activity and progress in any game or app, as well as comparing your stats with the people you care about. Some of the interesting gameplay statistics you can track include how long you have played and your overall progress on each game. In addition to this, each game and app will be able to showcase compelling and engaging aspects of their title (we call these hero stats) and display this directly on the Xbox One dashboard.

Outside of pinning favorite games, how will I be able to organize my digital games?

WHITTEN: Your home screen always has the five things you've done most recently to give you fast access to the games you play the most. Your library shows you every game and game add-on you own, digital and physical, whether or not you have it installed, sorted by what you've done most recently. But Pins are the best way to organize the games, apps, websites, movies and TV shows, and music you care about.

Is the console region-free, or just the software?

WHITTEN: Neither the console or the software have any region locks.

Will I be able to use the Xbox One's Kinect to scan in codes (QR codes)? Like for Xbox live subscriptions, avatar gear, or pre-order bonus for weapons or map packs?

WHITTEN: Yes, this is something we really like and you’ll see us use it for a variety of digital offerings and more.

Here is an odd question. Will the Xbox One be able to use the HD-DVD drive from the Xbox 360?

WHITTEN: No, we don’t have any support for playing HD-DVD with the Xbox One.

Is Skype coming to Xbox 360 (as an app, presumably)?

WHITTEN: For now, our focus is on making Skype on Xbox One a premiere experience. The Kinect sensor on Xbox One is great for capturing voice and video with very high quality. With the system architecture of Xbox One, it’s easy to instantly move between experiences – including Skype – and to allow you to get Skype calls and have a Skype conversation regardless of what else you are doing on the console.

Will you be releasing old, inactive Gamertags for use on the Xbox One?

WHITTEN: We’ve released inactive gamertags in the past, but it’s been a while. Stay tuned.

Will digitally downloaded games be able to be pre-loaded before release, so that they're simply unlocked and ready to go at 12:01am on the day of release?

WHITTEN, CHIEF XBOX ONE PLATFORM ARCHITECT: Not at launch, but you’ll see us do this and much more over the life of the program.

If I sign in to Xbox Live on my Xbox One, will I also be able to sign in on the same account on my 360 at the same time? Say someone is using the Xbox One in the living room and I'm playing my 360 in my bedroom. Will I be able to use the same account?

WHITTEN: Yes this works! You’ll be able to be signed on with the same gamertag on both an Xbox 360 and an Xbox One console at the same time. However, like today, you can only be signed into one Xbox 360 and one Xbox One at a time.

Given that Rep (Reputation) will now factor into Xbox One's online matchmaking (whereas it didn't before on the Xbox 360), will everyone's Rep be reset to provide an initial playing field? Since there are new rules, shouldn't everyone be able to demonstrate themselves as good players right from the start? Or will players be penalized for past mistakes? In other words, will previous account infractions carry over to Xbox One?

WHITTEN: We will not carry over any of the 360 reputation scores into the new Xbox One reputation system. The majority of members will start fresh at the “Good” player level.

We will be working with the Xbox Live enforcement team that has identified a small subset of members that have recently had enforcement actions taken against them and set those members reputation to an initial “Needs Works” level. This will give those members a chance to prove they can participate on Live fairly, and are not automatically placed in the “Avoid Me” classification where things like SmartMatch filtering will affect them.

Will Xbox One work as a Windows Media Center Extender? For those that use a PC with TV tuner to record and watch TV, we use the 360 as an extender to stream this content to TVs. Will this continue with Xbox One?

WHITTEN: Xbox One isn’t a native Media Center Extender. We’ll continue to work to enable more ways for everyone to get the television they want over the life of the program.

Microsoft required Xbox Live Arcade games to have a demo, making it easy to test out these titles before buying. Now that "games are games are games" what can we expect from demos on Xbox One?

WHITTEN: Not all games will have demos like Xbox Live arcade games have had on Xbox 360. That said, we are going to work on lots of ways to make it easy for you to find and try new games on the service.

Q: What happens day one when I buy the system? I bring it home, plug it into my TV and outlet then what? I realize there is going to be a setup for my TV, my language, etc. Can I just bring my profile over on a flash drive? Do I have to recover my profile over Xbox Live?

WHITTEN: There is a quick setup to get your system connected and up-to-date. After that, getting your profile is as simple as entering your account’s email address and password.

Will I be able to get pre-order bonuses and special edition versions on digitally downloaded games?

WHITTEN: Yes! You’ll see more details here in the future.

Will Xbox One have any TV DVR functionality? Or is the DVR just for games?

WHITTEN: It’s easy to use your current DVR with Xbox One. Our focus is on making the TV experience great – with favorite channels, voice control (including play, pause, fast forward and rewind with your DVR) and more. This is an area where you’ll see us drive more innovation over the years to come.

Will a top-of-the-TV mounting clip be sold for Kinect?

WHITTEN: We recommend locating Kinect in the middle of your television, either above or below the screen on a secure surface. We anticipate there will be some third party mounting offerings in the future.

Will the Kinect sync to your voice? Let's say your friends want to mess with you by saying" Xbox Off." Will we be able to make it only respond to our voice?

WHITTEN: We are focused on ensuring that we have great voice support which includes understanding which person is speaking in the room. Additionally, for actions that are potentially destructive, we have a confirmation dialog which will be the case for “Xbox Off.”

Can developers still lock Party Chat in multiplayer games?

WHITTEN: Game developers don’t have control over the party chat channel. However, they do know if a player is specifically in a party chat channel versus game chat.

With the upgraded audio codec for chat, is 8 people still the maximum for Party Chat?

WHITTEN: We are looking at higher limits on party size. It will be at least 8 people chatting at a time. We may either increase the number of people that can be chatting at once or potentially allow more people in the party channel if only a smaller number is chatting. Stay tuned!

Do I need to download demos, or can I stream them?

WHITTEN: Just like regular games, Xbox One allows you to start playing while the game continues to download.

Now that XBLA is not its own thing and games are simply games no matter how they're distributed, will digitally downloaded games release on Tuesdays, where XBLA titles hit on Wednesdays?

WHITTEN: Games are games are games! You’ll see digital content flowing into the system constantly. We will continue to run different programs – like Summer of Arcade on Xbox 360 for instance – as well.

Will we be able to have longer gamertag names?

WHITTEN: No, we are staying with our current naming scheme for Xbox LIVE gamertags.

Last week you answered how long the included HDMI cable is, but how long is the Kinect's cable?

WHITTEN: The Kinect cable is 3 meters long.

Can you organize your now-expanded Friends List into categories? i.e. “College buddies,” “Friends from work,” etc.

WHITTEN: You’ll see us add more in this area in the future. At launch, you’ll have your expanded list of friends and the ability to mark favorites so that it is fast and easy to play with the friends you care about most.

Is there cross-console Party Chat? i.e. since it’s all “Xbox Live,” can people on Xbox 360s Party Chat with their friends on Xbox One?

WHITTEN: For a variety of technical reasons – including the sound quality that I talk about below – we don’t support voice chat between the two systems. You will still be able to send and receive text messages to friends on both systems, however.

OK, so we can't chat across systems. But can I at least see what my friends are doing on either console?

WHITTEN: Yes – you see your friends on both systems, including their rich presence. My friends that are still on Xbox 360, for example, might see that I’m on Xbox One, playing Ryse. Since I can have more than 100 friends on Xbox One, if I go back to Xbox 360 and I have more than 100 friends, it will only show me the subset of my friends who are friends with me on Xbox 360.

Since Kinect must be plugged in for the Xbox One to function, what happens if your Kinect breaks? Like if it falls off the top of your TV onto a hardwood floor or something? Will the console cease to function?

WHITTEN: Xbox One is designed to work with Kinect plugged in. It makes gaming better in many ways – from the ability to say “Xbox On” and get right to your personalized homescreen, to the ability to control your TV through voice, Smartglass and more. Kinect allows you to search for your content, instantly move between games and your personalized dash and more with just your voice. Kinect helps you pick up and play by automatically knowing which controller you have in your hands. No more need to interrupt your friends game or navigate through multiple UI screens to sign in and tell the system which controller you are holding. It will even bind the controller to the console if its currently unbound – no searching for special buttons! Of course – these are just a few of the system wide benefits of having Kinect. Games use Kinect in a variety of amazing ways from adding voice to control your squad mates to adding lean and other simple controls beyond the controller to full immersive gameplay. That said, like online, the console will still function if Kinect isn’t plugged in, although you won’t be able to use any feature or experience that explicitly uses the sensor.

How “off” can Kinect be when the system is in use?

WHITTEN: You have the ability to completely turn the sensor off in your settings. When in this mode, the sensor is not collecting any information. Any functionality that relies on voice, video, gesture or more won’t work. We still support using it for IR blasting in this mode. You can turn the sensor back on at any time through settings, and if you enter into a required Kinect experience (like Kinect Sports Rivals for instance), you’ll get a message asking if you want to turn the sensor back on in order to continue.

VIDEO LINK : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbrmAsxJPv4

Is there a chat headset included in the Xbox One box or not?

As you saw in Major Nelson’s unboxing video, the console comes with our mono audio headset. This is an area where we’ve worked hard to improve the audio quality – and it is night and day compared to chat on the Xbox 360. The Xbox One audio chat headset now streams 24 kHz at a 16-bit resolution uncompressed both downstream and upstream compared to the Xbox 360 headset that streamed 16 kHz downstream and 8 kHz upstream at a 14-bit resolution compressed. I think people are going to be very happy with the audio in game chat and parties.

PREVIOUS ANSWERS:

Are Xbox 360 Avatars transferring over? If so will any changes be made to them?

MARC WHITTEN, CHIEF XBOX ONE PLATFORM ARCHITECT: They are – your avatar will be on the system at launch and in fact, you’ll have some new options, including the ability to do full-body HD gamerpics. By the way, we should actually talk more about gamerpics too. We’ve moved from the 64x64 gamerpics on Xbox 360 to a full 1080p. They are beautiful, and you are going to see some really cool hero moments, like when you login to see personalized views of your games and other content.

Can you clarify how will Xbox Live Arcade work on Xbox One? Or if it will exist at all?

WHITTEN: Sure – there is no difference between games in the store – games are games are games! You’ll find them in the same pivots (most popular, new, etc.) and we’ll be highlighting them in our dashboard experience. And of course – like all of your digital games content – you can play them on any Xbox One, and anyone can play them on your Xbox One.

Will the Game DVR capture at the source resolution? i.e. will Forza 5 clips capture at 1080p and 60fps? And where can Game DVR clips be uploaded to?

WHITTEN: Game DVR captures beautiful clips at 720p 30fps. The first thing you’ll see with our game DVR is the integration of our Upload service on the console. This service allows you to manage, edit, and share your content. Your clips are stored in the cloud. Also, you’ll see games making “magic moment” videos of your gameplay based on the game DVR functionality – all seamlessly integrated. You’ll be able to see these clips in the Xbox One Guide, in your own game DVR collection, and when you are looking at gamercards on the system. You’ll also see games take advantage of this platform capability and do interesting things to integrate captured game footage into the game experience itself.

Can you earn two sets of Achievements for the same game (i.e. Playing Call of Duty Ghosts on Xbox 360 and on Xbox One)?

WHITTEN: Every game has its own set of achievements, so if you’re playing Call of Duty: Ghosts on Xbox 360 and on Xbox One, you can earn a separate set of Gamerscore in each game. But on the Xbox One version, you’re getting a much richer set of features, such as seeing your achievements progress on the Xbox One console, being able to unlock new achievements throughout the year, and earning real prizes inside and outside of the game. Xbox One also enables a new concept of challenges, where games will be offering special time-based opportunities to earn various goals and collect the rewards. More info on challenges can be found on Major Nelson's blog