Microsoft has unleashed a stream of announcements about the Xbox One, following hot on the heels of revelations that the console has lost $400 million to date. Among the key points:
- Rise of The Tomb Raider (the first reboot sequel) will be exclusive to the console — no word yet on whether that will be permanent or only for a set period.
- There’ll be three bundles, with the console packaged with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Sunset Overdrive, and (in Europe only) Fifa 15. The Advanced Warfare bundle’s console will be grey and black and have a 1TB hard drive (explaining the $499 price tag) and come with the game preinstalled, while the Sunset Overdrive bundle will have a white console, without the upgraded hard drive.
- A Media Player app will support playback from USB devices and, at a later point, DLNA streaming. There’ll also be an add-on TV tuner device.
- The social side of things will get a few improvements, including being able to access friends and messaging through the split-screen Snap Feature.
[Full details: Microsoft press release]