The Xbox One is an upcoming video game console from Microsoft. Announced on May 21, 2013, it is the successor to the Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox family of consoles.The Xbox One is scheduled for release across North America, several European markets, Australia and New Zealand on November 22, 2013, with later release in Japan and the remaining European markets in 2014. It will directly compete with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles. Microsoft and various publications have classified the device as an "all-in-one entertainment system,"making it a competitor to other home media devices such as the Apple TV and the Google TV platform.
Moving away from the PowerPC based architecture used in the Xbox 360 and moving back into the x86 architecture used in the first Xbox, the console features an AMD processor built around the x86-64 instruction set. The console places an increasing emphasis on entertainment and integration with the Kinect peripheral, offering the ability to use an existing set-top box to watch live television programming (augmented by an enhanced program guide with support for voice commands), a built-in Skype client, and improved second screen support. The console also provides new functionality for use in games, such as an expanded Xbox Live service, improved Kinect functionality, cloud computing, the ability to automatically record and share video highlights from gameplay, and integrated support for live streaming gameplay online.
The console's initial policies surrounding online connectivity requirements, mandatory integration with Kinect, ambiguous restrictions on the resale and sharing of used games, and the higher price than its direct competitors led to mostly mixed reviews and concerns after the console's reveal. In response to these criticisms, Microsoft announced they would be dropping these restrictions.