Microsoft Xbox One Games Console to Benefit from Superfast Broadband

Microsoft unveiled the successor to its hugely popular XBox 360 video game console last night, XBox One, but its extensive support for cloud-based internet services, 4K Ultra HD (Ultra High Definition) video, streaming TV / Movies and bigger games mean that you’re almost certain to benefit from a superfast broadband ISP connection.

Most gamers know that latency is king for multiplayer, specifically low latency, as this makes online play both smoother and more responsive. But as modern technology and content improves we’re now increasingly beginning to see that the next generation of media and entertainment services will also put more strain on your raw internet speed than ever before.

The recent reveal of Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4) console was no exception and Microsoft’s Xbox One looks set to follow a similar path, which isn’t surprising since the 360 was well known for its strengths as a media centre and this has become increasingly important. Little wonder that Microsoft’s launch event focused so heavily on this.

So what does the XBox One bring to the table? In hardware terms, excluding the upgraded Kinect Camera that tracks your motion, acts as a video communication system and also helps you to navigate the user interface with hand motions, the new Xbox One is said to be very similar to Sony’s PS4 (though that DDR3 instead of GDDR as in the PS4 could be a bottleneck in some games for the GPU).

Rough XBox One Specifications

8 Core Custom CPU

GPU? (understood to be like the PS4.. probably the same chip)

8GB DDR3 System Memory

500GB HDD Storage

Blu-ray/DVD Drive

USB 3.0 Ports / HDMI / Ethernet LAN Port

802.11n WiFi (three different radios)

The new console, which “requires an internet connection” but apparently doesn’t need you to be constantly connected, is expected to hit stores sometime later this year (Q4-2013) and early pre-order prices suggest that it could retail for around £350 – £400 with games costing the usual £40 to £50 each.

It will also allow you to do clever things, such as to start playing games that you’ve brought online while they’re still being download (apparently the console can do this because it has three operating systems), voice control and the ability to run multiple apps at once (well ok that’s not so clever.. computers have been doing it for decades), but it won’t be backwards compatible with all your beloved titles from the 360 :(. On top of that when you pick up your controller, Xbox One recognises you and allows you to pick up the game where you left off.

Unfortunately we still don’t know precisely what kind of broadband connection you’ll need to get the most out of the XBox One, although support for 4K video suggests that a standard copper based ADSL2+ service is at best likely to strain (especially if you don’t get good speeds). All the new cloud features will also benefit from a faster upload speed, which really means that a modern superfast broadband connection is likely to become much more attractive.

Could this new generation of media centric video game consoles be the killer app for superfast broadband that BT, Virgin Media, Sky Broadband and other ISPs have been hoping for? Perhaps but by the time we all have one then 4K TV sets will probably be just as popular anyway.. well maybe.

On the flip side ISPs might once again have to start worrying about their network capacity as the extra strain could cause problems for some of their “unlimited” models. Finally, if you want to see what all the new games are going to look like then you’ll need to wait for E3 to open on 11th June 2013. Not long now.