Xbox One Specs: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

The Xbox One was announced at a media event on May 21st, but left out come key information regarding the next-gen gaming/entertainment console. Not only did Microsoft fail to mention the price or release date of the device, but also didn’t give the full details on the Xbox One’s specs. Here’s what you need to know about the Xbox One’s hardware specs.

1. The Xbox One May Be 40 Times More Powerful Than The Xbox 360

After the Xbox One was announced, Xbox Australia spokesperson Adam Pollington spoke about the added computing power in the new next-gen console in an interview with Stevivor:

“It’s also been stated that the Xbox One is ten times more powerful than the Xbox 360, so we’re effectively 40 times greater than the Xbox 360 in terms of processing capabilities [using the cloud]. If you look to the cloud as something that is no doubt going to evolve and grow over time, it really spells out that there’s no limit to where the processing power of Xbox One can go. I think that’s a very exciting proposition, not only for Australians, but anyone else who’s going to pick up the Xbox One console.”

2. But, Others Don’t Think That’s True

Many famous developers are a little apprehensive of Microsoft’s claim that the Xbox One will be that powerful. Jonathan Blow, a developer for the popular and critically-acclaimed game Braid, turned to Twitter to say that he think Microsoft was exaggerating:

“Also, someone please ask if these fabled 300,000 servers are real hardware, or just the total size of Windows Azure (which then implies XBL would only ever get a portion of that). To put it more concretely: a journalist could compute the installation and yearly maintenance cost for 300,000 servers, and then ask Microsoft where that VERY LARGE chunk of money is coming from (And how it could possibly make business sense for a game console). I can spin up 10,000 virtual servers per host. They would just all suck. Saying 300k when they are virtual is a lie. You can’t make 300k servers available without kicking all other customers off the service.”

3. It’ll Have an Updated Kinect Motion Sensor

The motion-sensor Kinect accessory has now become mandatory for users, but it also got a huge update. The brand new 1080p Kinect is more accurate and precise, and can see movements as slight as you shifting your wrist. The voice-powered technology lets you bark orders at your Xbox One, similar to what the Microsoft exec’s were doing at the Xbox One reveal event. It also has “advanced noise isolation,” so it should be able to tell what you’re saying at all time, even in a crowded and noisy room.

4. The Internal Specs Are Similar to the PS4’s

The internal specs for the Xbox One will be a lot more powerful than the Xbox 360, but will be comparable to the PS4. Both consoles have a:
Blu-Ray player
AMD Jaguar processor
Cloud storage and 500GB of hard drive storage
Wi-fi
USB ports and HDMI ports

But, there are some key differences between the Xbox One and the PS4 as well. The main difference is that the PS4 is using a faster processor, which means that the PS4 may be slightly quicker and speedier than the Xbox One. Other than that, though, the two are very, very, similar consoles. We’ll need to wait until E3 before we can come to a final verdict.

5. It Could Come with 3 USB and 2 HDMI Ports

According to this unofficial 3D rendering of the Xbox One, the new gaming console could come with 3 USB ports and 2 HDMI ports. The unofficial 3D rendering gained some credance among bloggers and tech reporters when Microsoft executive Larry Hryb tweeted it out recently, saying, “Get a closer look at #XboxOne via this (unofficial) 3D Render.” It definitely makes it seem that the 3D rendering is somewhat accurate, but its a little confusing since the Xbox 360 had 5 USB ports, but only 1 HDMI. Is Microsoft really willing to lower the amount of USB ports in the Xbox One when they’re trying to have the Xbox One be the center of a family’s living room? Where will people charge their iPhone’s, connect their devices to the system, etc., when there are only three USB ports? Seems a little short-sighted by Microsoft, but remember the rendering is still unofficial.