Xbox One Brings New Games and Entertainment This November

Microsoft today announced at E3 launch details, pricing, reserve program, a special commemorative bundle accessories, a new Xbox 360 (!) and the game title lineup for the Xbox One.

Launching in 21 markets around the world in November 2013, Xbox One is introducing a new world of games, music, live TV, movies, sports, apps and Skype, all personalized to your interests and accessible with the sound of your voice.

Every Xbox One system sold will include the new Xbox One console — which features a 500GB hard drive, Blu-ray player and built-in Wi-Fi — the new Kinect, one Xbox One Wireless Controller and a free 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold for new members. The Xbox One launch bundle will be available for $499.99 in the U.S., £429 (GBP) in the U.K. and €499 (EUR) in European markets.

To celebrate the launch of Xbox One, Microsoft is also introducing a limited-edition commemorative bundle to fans who reserve the system at major retailers, available in limited quantities, while supplies last, for $499.99, €499 (EUR). Reserving the commemorative bundle will guarantee that you’ll be able to purchase the new system on day one. Each commemorative bundle will include an Xbox One system that comes in premium black packaging with a limited edition Xbox One Day One wireless controller, as well as a unique commemorative Day One Achievement.

Gamers who reserve the following exclusive Xbox One Day One edition launch titles, available in limited quantities at major retailers while supplies last, will receive special bonus content:

"Ryse: Son of Rome." Exclusive multiplayer map and sword with bonus attributes.
"Forza Motorsport 5." Access to four cars tuned to the top of their class.
"Kinect Sports Rivals." Exclusive sporting equipment that separates your Champion from the rest of the world.
"Dead Rising 3." Exclusive Frank West and Chuck Greene Tribute Packs with bonus attributes.

In addition, Microsoft announced that every qualifying Xbox Live Gold member — new or existing — will receive two free Xbox 360 game downloads per month starting July 1 until Dec. 31, 2013, including titles such as "Halo 3" and "Assassin’s Creed II." And to celebrate E3 in the month of June, Xbox Live Gold members will receive a free download of "Fable III." For a limited time gamers can also get a Day One 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership and play "Killer Instinct: Round One," with the exclusive Shadow Jago character, on Xbox One. Players will also receive a commemorative Day One membership card.

To reserve your Xbox One system today, visit http://www.xbox.com/reserve for participating retailers.

New accessories

Launching alongside Xbox One this November is a new lineup of accessories:

- Xbox One Wireless Controller. The Xbox controller features updated directional pad, thumb sticks and contours, while new vibrating impulse triggers offer precise fingertip feedback. The Xbox One Wireless Controller is designed to work in concert with the new Kinect, allowing the two to be paired automatically to create player syncing.

- Xbox One Play & Charge Kit. This kit includes a lithium ion rechargeable battery pack that fits inside the Wireless Controller as well as a charging cable that connects from the Controller to the console. Gamers can play on and on without having to buy a single disposable battery. The new Play & Charge Kit charges twice as fast as its Xbox 360 counterpart and charges during gameplay or when the console is in standby mode. The Kit is available for standalone purchase or as part of the Wireless Controller with Play & Charge Kit bundle.

- Xbox One Chat Headset. The new Xbox One Chat Headset, wired to the controller, is designed for long gaming sessions and clear voice chat. The mono chat headset features wideband digital audio and a unidirectional microphone. Gamers will love not having to take their hands off the controller to access the microphone mute and volume controls.

New Xbox 360

In a surprising move, Microsoft unveiled a fresh new design for Xbox 360. Shipping today retailers across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Ireland and Australia, the new Xbox 360 will continue to roll out worldwide across all Xbox regions over the coming months.

Sporting a sleek new design that resembles the Xbox One brand elements, the new Xbox 360 brings together a similar look and feel across the entire family of Xbox products. The new Xbox 360 is available in multiple editions for the same prices as the existing console: $199.99 estimated retail price (ERP[1]) for the 4GB console, $299.99 ERP for the 250GB edition and $299.99 ERP for the 4GB Kinect Bundle.

At Microsoft’s E3 press briefing, developer Wargaming.net announced that a new installment of one of the world’s most popular action games, "World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition," is coming exclusively to Xbox 360 later this year, bringing the franchise to a console platform for the first time. Custom-built for Xbox 360, "World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition" is a global online multiplayer game dedicated to tank warfare in the mid-20th century. Players will command some of history’s most powerful tanks and experience intense combat. "World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition" will be available as a Free-to-Play with Gold title for Xbox Live members and a limited-time trial for all Xbox Live account holders.

Microsoft also showcased "Max: The Curse of Brotherhood," a follow-up to the "Max and the Magic," coming exclusively to Xbox 360 later this year tells the story of a boy named Max who embarks on a journey to find his little brother, Felix, after a giant monster steals him away. With the power of Kinect, players will guide Max through a mystical fantasy world, using powerful magical abilities to overcome puzzles and enemies and save Felix before it’s too late.

Fans of action games can wage war for their god as a brutal Caos warrior in "Ascend: Hand of Kul," a Free-to-Play with Gold third-person action-RPG featuring single and multiplayer gameplay. In addition, poker fans will be able to take their game to a whole new level with "World Series of Poker: Full House Pro," which lets players build their in-game bankrolls as they compete against opponents from around the world.

Downloadable games available on Xbox Live coming later this summer include "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" from Activision, "Flashback" by Ubisoft, "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" by 505 Games and "Charlie Murder" from Microsoft Studios.

In addition to these exclusive premieres, Xbox 360 will continue to deliver a lineup of games from the world’s best studios, including "Call of Duty: Ghosts," "Grand Theft Auto V," "Battlefield 4," "Madden NFL 25," "FIFA 14," "Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag," "Watch Dogs," "Batman: Arkham Origins" and "Fable Anniversary."

Xbox One games

At its E3 press briefing, Microsoft unveiled a lineup of Xbox One blockbusters from 343 Industries, Crytek, Turn 10 Studios, Remedy, DICE, Capcom and Insomniac Games, along with support from virtually every major publisher in the industry.

“Microsoft Studios is committed to making Xbox One the best place to play games, with more titles in development and more exclusives coming than at any time in the history of Xbox,” said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Studios. “With amazing games such as ‘Forza Motorsport 5,’ ‘Ryse: Son of Rome,’ ‘Dead Rising 3,’ ‘Halo Xbox One,’ ‘Kinect Sports Rivals,’ ‘Project Spark’ and ‘Quantum Break,’ Xbox will continue to lead the industry with the biggest exclusives, new IP and blockbuster franchises that will delight gamers for the next decade and beyond.”

Crytek unveiled “Ryse: Son of Rome,” an epic action-adventure story that immerses you in the brutality and intensity of Roman warfare. “Ryse: Son of Rome” extends the gameplay experience with Xbox SmartGlass and Game DVR and lets you command legions with the sound of your voice using Kinect.

Turn 10 Studios showcased the breathtaking visuals of “Forza Motorsport 5,” the next installment of the genre-defining racing franchise. Built from the ground up to take advantage of Xbox One and the vast power of the cloud, “Forza Motorsport 5” features Drivatar technology that learns how you and your friends drive, delivering real human behavior and an ever-evolving network of opponents always ready to race — even when they’re not online.

Other highlights at Microsoft’s briefing included “Dead Rising 3,” the next installment of Capcom’s zombie franchise coming exclusively to Xbox One; “Project Spark,” an open-world digital canvas that enables anyone to build, play and share their own worlds, games and stories with millions of others online; and “Sunset Overdrive,” a high-energy open-world shooter set in the not-so-distant future from Insomniac Games that delivers an always-changing gameplay experience with an arsenal of explosive and overpowered weapons.

Xbox Live Gold

Xbox Live Gold membership offers Xbox One owners a service that unlocks a new generation of online gaming and entertainment. Not only does an existing Xbox Live Gold membership for Xbox 360 carry over to Xbox One, you can still join for as low as $5 per month, and now anyone in your home can access most Gold member benefits on your Xbox One at no additional cost.Your Gold membership also travels with you wherever you go, turning any console into your own.

For gamers, Xbox Live Gold on Xbox One delivers new benefits. Xbox Live Gold unlocks Twitch as a built-in experience on Xbox One, allowing gamers to broadcast their gameplay as well as view and interact with other live gaming broadcasts. Twitch on Xbox One also includes the ability to discover tailored, relevant and inherently social video content that spans everything from e-sports events to user-generated original shows and game walk-throughs. Other benefits of Xbox Live Gold on Xbox One include the following:

• Access to the premier multiplayer community. All of your friends can come together on Xbox Live to play the best games . Backed by a cloud service, matches are now bigger for games across Xbox One.

• No more waiting for matchmaking. Smart Match on Xbox One allows for asynchronous matchmaking, where the system begins looking for your next match while you continue to game, watch TV or listen to music. Smart Match also instantly finds people you want to play with, where your reputation also plays an important role.

• Rewards for good reputation. Your new Xbox Live reputation plays a prominent role by rewarding healthy participation while reducing troublemakers and cheaters. A unified system across Xbox Live and all of your games allows for you to have much more control over who you play with while giving you new ways to get even more involved in your community.

• Ability to record, edit, share and broadcast. With Game DVR and Upload Studio,3 gamers can instantly capture their favorite moments and edit and share them with their friends around the world. With Twitch on Xbox One, a single voice command starts live broadcasting.

The full lineup of Xbox One games unveiled by Microsoft at E3 that showcased the fun, color and immersion of the future of gaming includes the following:

• "Battlefield 4" (DICE, Electronic Arts).

• "Below" (Capy Games, Microsoft Studios).

• "Crimson Dragon" (Grounding/Land Ho!, Microsoft Studios).

• "D4" (Access Games, Microsoft Studios).

• "Dead Rising 3" (Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft).

• "Forza Motorsport 5" (Turn 10 Studios, Microsoft Studios).

• "Halo Xbox One" – working title (343 Industries, Microsoft Studios).

• "Killer Instinct" (Double Helix, Microsoft Studios).

• "Kinect Sports Rivals" (Rare, Microsoft Studios).

• "LocoCycle" (Twisted Pixel, Microsoft Studios).

• "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" (Kojima Productions, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.).

• "Minecraft: Xbox One Edition" (4J/Mojang, Microsoft Studios).