Anyone expecting major bombshells about the newly announced Xbox One during an online chat featuring the Microsoft executive known as Major Nelson probably came away disappointed. But there were a few tidbits to be gleaned amid the marketing mumbo-jumbo about Microsoft’s latest gaming console when Larry Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live, fielded questions from Yahoo News’s Jason Gilbert and the rest of the Internet during a 50-minute Q&A session on Wednesday.
Perhaps the most significant news from Hryb, who blogs under the name Major Nelson, was to expect more news shortly—specifically at next month’s E3 gaming expo. That was aimed at gamers underwhelmed by the absence of major games being talked up at this week’s Xbox One reveal, which focused more on television and programming features. (This is still a gaming console, right?) Hryb teased that E3 was just 18 days away and to be on the lookout for games. Tons of them. And gaming accessories to boot.
It’s been rumored that independent game developers won’t be able to self-publish on the new platform in the lucrative Xbox Live Arcade. Hryb vaguely dismissed this by saying they’re planning on the One to be a platform that allows all creators, regardless of size and funding, to be a part of Xbox One’s future.
On other questions, Hryb was content to play the part of Johnny Tightlips. Questions remain about playing used games and games being tied to a single account, but those were fended off with more marketing-speak. “We are still months away from the launch of Xbox One and policy decisions are still being finalized,” Hryb said. He did note that Microsoft is shooting for the way those issues work on the Xbox 360, so that’s promising.
Major Nelson chatted with the community about their Xbox One questions.Some other Xbox One facts to come out of Wednesday’s chat session:
- Your Gamerscore and achievements will be carried over to Xbox One.
- Xbox One will support 3D and 4K resolutions.
- Xbox One will not be backward-compatibile with Xbox 360 games.
- The new Kinect will be better for smaller rooms with a 1080p wider field of view.
- The Xbox One does require an internet connection, though not constantly. It wasn’t clear how often it needed to be online.
More by Alex Cocilova
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