November 22, 2013
Leicester
Square officially became Xbox One Square for the launch of Xbox One.
The biggest week in video game history kicked off with live outdoor
performances from chart toppers Plan B and Katy B, and the midnight
opening of a pop-up GAME store in a 10,000 square foot Xbox One gaming
zone in London’s Trocadero.
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 21, 2013 — Xbox One
hits store shelves and becomes available online Friday, delighting
millions of fans participating in global launch celebrations, watching a
live broadcast on Spike TV and lining up at retail stores to be among
the first to grab an Xbox One. The hotly anticipated, new-generation
games and entertainment system from Microsoft Corp. brings the best
games, live TV, Skype, sports, fitness, music and more to one single
device at the center of the living room, all available at the command of
your voice, powered by Kinect and Bing.* Xbox One is available now in
13 markets worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil,
Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland
and Austria.
An epic night around the world
From New Zealand to Los Angeles, fan excitement reached a fever pitch
around the world. In New Zealand, fans partied at Shed 10 in Auckland as
the iconic Sky Tower pulsed green, and one fan made the world’s first
official Xbox One purchase. Across the world in London, Xbox One turned
entertainment epicenter Leicester Square into Xbox One Square with a
glowing, green nexus and fan festivities throughout the day. In New
York, zombies, Roman soldiers and jaw-dropping supercars converged on
Times Square.
As billboards glowed green, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
helped 1,000 fans count down to midnight with an electrifying
performance at Best Buy Theater, while thousands more celebrated in
Times Square. Across the country in Los Angeles, Hollywood's biggest
gamers walked the green carpet and mingled with fans who came out to try
Xbox One games and enjoy beats courtesy of deadmau5. Similar
spectacular celebrations also occurred in the other Xbox One launch
markets.
November 22, 2013
Fans
celebrate the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One outside of the Best Buy
Theater in Times Square on Thursday, November 21, 2013.
“We have the best community of gamers around the world, and this was
on full display last night,” said Marc Whitten, chief product officer,
Xbox. “The launch of Xbox One is truly Day One. Today is the beginning
of the future of entertainment, and we could not be more proud to
deliver Xbox One to fans around the world.”
Xbox One Launch
November 22, 2013
The first U.S. fans get their hands on Xbox One at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square on Friday, November 22, 2013.
All-in-one games and entertainment system
Xbox One brings together the best games, the best multiplayer
experiences through Xbox Live and the hottest entertainment offerings in
a system built to deliver best-in-class experiences for the future,
today and every day after. The new-generation Kinect offers improved
voice and motion control, seamlessly responding to your commands and
gestures and making new gaming experiences possible.
Xbox One also brings you the best, exclusive games lineup that won 111
awards at E3, the top industry trade show, including “Forza Motorsport
5,” “Dead Rising 3,” “Ryse: Son of Rome,” “Killer Instinct” and “Zoo
Tycoon.” In addition, popular third-party blockbusters will be available
on Xbox One with early exclusivity for downloadable content in “Call of
Duty®: Ghosts,” “FIFA 14,” “Battlefield 4” and more. Expect more huge
launches as well, with the release of next-generation experiences, such
as “Titanfall,” “Project Spark” and “Sunset Overdrive” in 2014. For more
on Xbox One launch titles, visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/nov13/11-21XboxOneLaunchGamesPR.aspx.
Thanks to the power of the cloud in more than 300,000 servers, Xbox
Live on Xbox One makes gamers better. The multiplayer experience has
evolved to include features such as Smart Match, which finds the perfect
match for you and is supported by a new community-powered reputation
system. Starting with “Xbox Record That,” you can also record, edit and
share your favorite gaming moments like never before through Game DVR
and Upload Studio.* All these new features mean you get more value for
your Xbox Live Gold Membership, which seamlessly transfers over from
Xbox 360. Xbox Live remains the place where all your friends play, with
more than a decade of high-quality service and 48 million members on
Xbox 360 — and they’re all invited to jump into new experiences on Xbox
One.
“We believe a truly next-generation system must deliver not only
incredible games but also all of the entertainment you love in one
device,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Marketing,
Strategy and Business, Xbox. “From your favorite games, to the hottest
TV shows, movies and music, to surfing the Web, to Skype conversations
with your family and friends, only on Xbox One can you instantly switch
between all of your entertainment and snap them together — all with the
sound of your voice.”
Xbox One’s innovative architecture means you no longer have to choose
between your games and entertainment. Get multiplayer alerts while you
watch TV, and keep watching TV while you play. Snap your NFL fantasy
football stats next to the game. Jump instantly from a game to TV,
movies, fitness, music, sports, the Internet and Skype video chat with
the sound of your voice. With Xbox One, you never have to stop playing
to talk to a friend, surf the Web or watch live TV. You also have access
to a new generation of TV experiences, and starting in the U.S. and
coming to many markets soon, OneGuide will allow you to access your
favorite shows, channels, apps or games with the Bing natural language
voice search.
Xbox One sells for $499.99 (ERP) in the U.S., and quantities are
limited. For the latest on Xbox One availability in your market, visit
Xbox.com. For more details about Xbox One, including the full games
lineup, visit http://news.xbox.com. For press releases and media assets, visit http://news.xbox.com/media.
About Xbox
Xbox is Microsoft’s premier entertainment brand for the TV, phone, PC
and tablet. In living rooms or on the go, Xbox is home to the best and
broadest games, as well as one of the world’s largest libraries of
movies, TV, music and sports. Your favorite games, TV and entertainment
come to life in new ways through the power of Kinect, Xbox SmartGlass
and Xbox Live, the world’s premier social entertainment network. More
information about Xbox can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
The information contained in this press release relates to a
pre-release product that may be substantially modified before its first
commercial release. Accordingly, the information may not accurately
describe or reflect the product when first commercially released. The
press release is provided for informational purposes only, and Microsoft
makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the press
release or the information contained in it.
* Advanced TV hardware required. Initial setup and some games and
features require broadband Internet; ISP fees apply. Xbox Live Gold
membership (sold separately) and/or additional requirements apply for
some features, including online multiplayer, Xbox Music, Xbox Fitness,
Skype, Game DVR, The NFL on Xbox One and Upload Studio. Game DVR and
Upload Studio available in supported games. Multiplayer between Xbox 360
and Xbox One not supported. Kinect voice support only available in
supported locales and languages. See http://www.xbox.com/xboxone/kinect-speech-recognition.
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.
Which console would you buy for the holidays?
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