Unboxing the Xbox One

The Xbone (because that is the name) has had its internals named and shamed, then compared to the PS4 with a rash of excitement. After applying cream to said rash, all we are waiting for is the official launch, which came a step closer today thanks to Microsoft’s own unboxing of the console three months ahead of everyone else. In the video, Major Nelson tackles through:

The new Kinect Sensor (NSA Approved, j/k)
One Xbone Controller
4K rated HDMI cable
Paperwork
Power brick and lead
The Console (duh)
Mono Headset with inline controls

The 4K HDMI is interesting, suggesting that at some point the Xbone might be used to drive 4K content. Whether that is via games (unlikely based on the hardware) or via streaming (also unlikely) or even perhaps physical media is unsure. Perhaps the BluRay is using a new 4K format we’ve not seen yet? I highly doubt that either.

Alongside the contents, we also see the console from the rear and all the lovely IO ports. In this case we get our power connector, a HDMI out, SPDIF, HDMI in, two USB 3.0 ports, a Kinect port, an IR Blaster port, Gigabit ethernet and a Kensington lock. The HDMI is interesting, focusing the Xbone as the center of the media hub as a cable/satellite pass through.

Unfortunately there are still things missing for the $500 console, namely 802.11ac and an opportunity to use an SSD as storage. Ultimately users will vote which console wins with their wallets, and with both consoles being x86 based, it will come down to how well the exclusives are executed.