Xbox One

The Xbox One is Microsoft's eighth generation game console and the successor to the Xbox 360.

Overview
The Xbox One was first revealed to the public during Microsoft's keynote conference at E3 on May 21, 2013. During development, the Xbox One was codenamed Project Durango. The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013 in 13 initial markets, with the rest of the world to follow in 2014. It is a direct competitor with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles, retailing at $499 USD (£429 GBP).

Microsoft calls the device an "all-in-one entertainment system," placing an increased emphasis on entertainment using an updated Kinect peripheral and offering the ability to use an existing set-top box to watch live TV (using the new Kinect as a voice controller), a built-in Skype application, and improved support for dual screens. The console also provides new in-game functionality, 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.

Initial reaction to the Xbox One was mostly negative. Early reviews praised the console's new features, while others had criticized its lack of backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games, online connectivity requirements, mandatory integration with Kinect, and ambiguous restrictions on the resale and sharing of used games. In response to consumer feedback, Microsoft announced that the originally planned digital rights management and internet connection requirements would no longer be attached to the Xbox One.

In June 2014, it was announced that the Xbox One would start shipping without the Kinect sensor in a new package retailing for $399 USD (£349 GBP). A new software development kit (SDK) was also announced, freeing up the processing power previously reserved for the Kinect sensor.

Native

 * Halo: Spartan Assault was released on the Xbox One on December 23, 2013.
 * Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which contains remasters of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4, was released on the Xbox One on November 11, 2014.
 * The Halo Channel was created as a replacement for the Halo Waypoint on the Xbox One. The Halo Channel allows players to join any Halo game for the Xbox One or watch any original content related to Halo. It was released alongside The Master Chief Collection.
 * Halo 5: Guardians, the second game in the Reclaimer Saga, was released on the Xbox One on October 27, 2015.

Backward compatible

 * Halo: Spartan Assault was made backward compatible on November 12, 2015.
 * Halo: Reach was made backwards compatible on December 17, 2015.
 * Halo Wars was made backwards compatible on March 28, 2016.
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo 4 were all made backwards compatible on September 21, 2017.

Original
Released on November 22, 2013, this model started the entire Xbox One line of video game consoles. It was released at a price of $499 at launch.

Just like the Xbox 360 S, the Xbox One doesn’t use physical buttons for the power function and the disc slot. Instead, it uses touch areas that activate those functions. The power function touch area is located on the logo with the logo itself being placed on the right of the front face. The disc slot touch area is located to the right of the disc slot. These two functions are located on the same face of the console; this face is intended to be placed as the front of the console.

The sync function (used to connect accessories) does take the form of a button and is located on the left of the disc tray. This is located on the left face of the console; a different face than the disc tray opening itself.

Unlike the Xbox 360, the Xbox One does not use a disc tray. Instead, it used a slot for you to insert discs into (think of it like the Wii). The disc tray from the Xbox 360 would never go on to be used in an Xbox console again.

Also unlike the original Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 S, this model cannot be placed vertically; it can only be placed horizontally. This, at least in part, is due to the placement of the fans’ exhaust, ports, and touch areas. The console comes in at a size of 4.3 cm x 26.3 cm x 8 cm and weighs 7.8 lbs. So, it is important to consider these two things when finding an area for it to sit.

The Xbox One Kinect was initially bundled in with every console. Later on, Microsoft sold the Xbox One Kinect separately from the console to lower the cost of entry.

This model can be found with either a glossy top or a matte top. The glossy top is the first release of the Xbox One which was released in 2013. The matte top revision came around in 2015.

This newer revision also came with a revamped controller. The revamped controller received the typical 3.5 mm headphone jack as well as nicer shoulder buttons. According to users and reviewers, the shoulder buttons on the first model of Xbox One were not nice to use. Microsoft improved upon the complaints by making the shoulder buttons need an equal amount of force anywhere on the button (and a lot less of it at that) to press them; before, the amount of force needed was inconsistent

The revision did keep a lot of the specs similar to the original model. Any touch points, USB ports, weight, size etc. were all kept the exact same between the two versions.

Xbox One Elite Bundle
Released in November 2015 at a retail price of $499, the Xbox One Elite is a bundle of the original Xbox One with some modifications.

The revision of the Xbox One that was included in the box is a slightly modified version of the second revision Xbox One--the one with the matte top. It distinguishes itself from that revision by replacing the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with a Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD). It also came bundled with an Xbox One elite series one controller--the defining feature of this release. Overall, it still looks and functions mostly like a second revision Xbox One.

Xbox One S
Released on August 2, 2016 at a retail price of $499, the Xbox One S is the second entry of the Xbox One family.

Unlike the Xbox One, the Xbox One S uses physical buttons for all of the functions it has. All of the functions are similarly placed as compared to the Xbox One counterparts. It is also able to be placed vertically. The feature is not baked into the design, however. You need to go purchase a stand to do that.

The Xbox One S is smaller than the original Xbox One. It comes in at a size of 29.5 cm x 23 cm x 6.5 cm and weighs 6.4 lbs; which is about 40% smaller in size dimensions and weighs about 18% less than the original model Xbox One. It is also lighter on resources only requiring a 120 watt power supply as compared to the Xbox One’s 220 watts or Xbox One X’s 240 watts. The power supply was also placed inside of the console instead of outside of it like past Xbox consoles have.

It also received the ability to play HDR10 and 4k media. It cannot play games at a native 4k, instead, games get upscaled to 4k; 4k Blu-Rays do play natively, however. To access the HDR10 and 4k features, you need a TV that can utilize these features.

Xbox One X
The Xbox One X, codenamed Project Scorpio, is a model of Xbox One released in 2017 which featured significantly more powerful hardware than any of the other models. It was designed to target 4K resolutions, in comparison to the 1080p "Full HD" resolution targetted by the other Xbox One consoles. All Xbox One games are supported on the Xbox One X, with many receiving patches to increase resolution, framerate or graphical quality on the Xbox One X specifically, when compared with other Xbox One models. Those that did not receive a patch instead benefitted from increased performance as a result of the One X's more capable hardware, but were otherwise identical.

Halo 5: Guardians received an enhancement update in 2017, offering higher resolutions up to 4K, improved visual quality and faster load times.

Xbox One S All-Digital
Released on May 7, 2019 at a retail price of $250, the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is a variant of the Xbox One S. This release, as the name suggests, includes no disc drive. All other features of the Xbox One S still apply. It’s priced so low to attempt to get new customers into the Xbox ecosystem.

Halo 5: Guardians limited edition console
As with the Xbox and Xbox 360 before it, a limited edition Halo 5: Guardians Xbox One console bundle was made available for sale for US$499 at release.

The bundle features a 1TB custom console and controller inspired by Jameson Locke's armor. Like the Halo 4 limited edition Xbox 360, the console features unique sound effects which play when turning on, turning off, and ejecting a disc. Unlike previous limited edition consoles which included only basic versions of their respective games, the Halo 5: Guardians console includes all the contents of the Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition. Also included is the unique FOTUS-class Mjolnir armor and multiplayer emblem. The Spartan Locke controller is also available for individual purchase which also includes the Resolute visor REQ pack (something conspicuously absent from the console bundle). An additional Master Chief-inspired controller is also available, which includes the Dauntless visor REQ pack.

For the first time, the limited edition console and controllers were released one week prior to the game itself (October 20, 2015) thus allowing players to set up their consoles and download Halo 5: Guardians in time to play the game as soon as it launched on October 27, 2015.