The table has been set. The fine China brought out and cutlery polished to a shine. However, it’s not food that Microsoft wants to serve you, it’s a philosophy. We are at the precipice of a new age of video gaming and while some of us have already taken the plunge; a good number still hasn’t. This Tuesday, the Redmond giants want you to bite into their idea of the future of gaming. It’s a dish served almost a year late, and while it is bad form to keep your guest at the table hungry, there is a certain trite aphorism that goes good things come to those who wait. For the patient and loyally abstinent, reward is near. Launching on 23 September in Singapore and in 25 other countries worldwide is Microsoft’s all-in-one gaming console, the Xbox One.
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The principal differentiator, the Kinect, is a mainstay despite the unbundling. However it remains to be seen if its utility justifies the additional outlay. Despite its marked hardware improvements over its predecessor, games that demand the support of the Kinect are few and far in numbers. Additionally, there has been no word on whether the new Kinect will be any better at reading local or South East Asian accents for that matter. Thankfully the Kinect’s a nonessential extension to your Xbox One experience.
What is the Xbox One experience then? As Phil Spencer iterated before, it’s games first entertainment second. Microsoft it seems has taken living room gaming and made it a gateway to the unification of all your entertainment needs. This recipe has reaped relative success abroad but whether it’ll do the same here remains to be seen. There’s a palpable sense of purpose to the Xbox team and there seems to be a good amount of conviction in making the device even better. Unlike the PS4, the Xbox One already has support for DLNA and 3D Blu-ray. If you’re going to buy the Xbox One you’re buying into the philosophy that good, honest industry wins hearts, and that the symbiosis of video gaming and your living room entertainment needs is indeed the way forward.
The Xbox One launches this Tuesday, 23rd September 2014. Pre-order collection will take place at Funan DigitaLife Mall on the same day.
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