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Welcome to Blast Magazine’s LIVE coverage of Microsoft’s long-awaited press event where they are expected to be unveiling their next generation console. We’ll be live blogging the entire event right here, as it happens, with bullet points highlighting all the major announcements, so make sure to keep refreshing this page as new details emerge!

The conference will take place at Microsoft’s home base in Redmond Washington at  at 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EST). Make sure to check in then to learn all the juicy details!

 

  • [12:35 p.m. EST] 15 minutes left on the countdown clock.  Could this thing actually start early?
  • [12:47 p.m. EST] 2 minutes and counting…
  • [12:50 p.m. EST] a NEW 10-minute counter has started, now with intense music.  Seriously?
  • [1:00 p.m. EST] Don Mattrick takes the stage.
  • [1:04 p.m. EST] Big news coming at E3.
  • [1:06 p.m. EST] Microsoft wants their next console to be an “all-in-one system”.
  • [1:07 p.m. EST] New console is titled Xbox one. CONFIRMED
  • [1:08 p.m. EST] It’s black, rectangular, and comes with a beefed up Kinect and a meatier looking Xbox 360 controller.
  • [1:10 P.M. EST] Device can turn on and control other devices via voice control.
  • [1:11 P.M. EST] New dashboard page shows what’s trending with people on your friend’s list and around Xbox Live.
  • [1:12 P.M. EST] Feature called Instant Switching can switch between web browser, live television, games, or movies.  All via voice control.
  • [1:13 P.M. EST]  Snap Mode allows multiple windows to be open at once, allowing use of multiple apps at once. Also, Skype group video calls can be used in snap mode, while using other apps such as TV or movies.
  • [1:17 P.M. EST] The Xbox One Guide allows voice and motion control navigation to scroll through a live TV guide. Looks very similar to Netflix.
  • [1:20 P.M. EST] Xbox One uses 8GB of Ram. Has a Blu-Ray drive.
  • [1:24 P.M. EST] New Kinect sensor, which ships with Xbox One, processes 2GB of data per second. Has a 1080p HD camera. Can read a heartbeat.
  • [1:26 P.M. EST] Smart Glass is heavily integrated with Xbox One. The new Kinect sensor identifies individual player upon picking up controller.
  • [1:29 P.M. EST]  New Xbox Live service will be powered by 300,000 servers.  Player content will automatically be stored in the cloud.  Will have a dedicated gameplay DVR.  Games will be bigger and allow for much more players.
  • [1:30 P.M. EST] Andrew Wilson from EA announces a “special relationship” with Microsoft. FIFA, Madden, NBA Live 14, and a new UFC game will all be launched within the next 12 months. All powered by a new EA game engine named IGNITE.
  • [1:33 P.M. EST] Sports games will have a daily stream of new content. FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will have Microsoft exclusive content.
  • [1:39 P.M. EST] Phil Spencer from Microsoft Studios shows off Forza Motorsport 5 on Xbox One.  Will be a launch title.
  • [1:42 P.M. EST] Spencer claims 15 exclusive titles are being developed for Xbox One, 8 of which are new IPs.
  • [1:47 P.M. EST] Bonnie Ross from 343 Industries announces the live action, Halo: The Television Series in collaboration with Steven Spielberg.
  • [1:50 P.M. EST] A partnership with NFL allows for Xbox One exclusive, interactive content, such as fantasy football integration.
  • [1:53 P.M. EST] Launch date is “later this year”. More titles and launch games will be shown at E3.
  • [1:59 P.M. EST] All Call of Duty DLC will launch first on Xbox One.  Call of Duty: Ghosts is powered by a “next-gen engine”. Ghosts campaign written by Stephen Gaghan. It will have a “lean/peak” feature to see around corners, seamless jumps over low walls, and a slide maneuver. Multiplayer maps will be “dynamic” and can be altered by players.
  • [2:03 P.M. EST] Call of Duty Ghosts trailer shown using in-game engine.  Demonstrates lots of various environments, set pieces, scuba diving in a tropical locale.

And with that final Call of Duty trailer, the event is over.  To see it in its entirety for yourself, jump on your Xbox 360 to watch the entire event on demand. Also, make sure to check back in with BlastMagazine later on for a more comprehensive look at the Xbox One and its lineup.

 

 

 

 

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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