Xbox One launches in Europe and US: games, features, more – everything here

News by Dave Cook Contributor

Published on Nov. 22, 2013

Xbox One is out now, and to celebrate the occasion, VG247's Dave Cook has compiled a ton of essential facts, figures, specs, game details and console features to get you up to speed.

First it was PS4, now Xbox One has finalised the industry's step into the next-generation. We'll have to start calling it the current generation now. It still feels weird to say. The last eight months of Microsoft's Xbox One strategy have seen the company go from strength to strength, following a shaky reveal back in May. Several troubling policies have since been overturned and it seems that many gamers are once again eager to see what the company has to offer over the next few years.

As I did with the PS4 launch, this page is dedicated to all of the Xbox One's essential stats, specs, games and features, as well as the best quotes, reviews and more. If you're excited about today's launch, you should read on and prepare yourself for when the unit drops.

The Xbox One reveal and launch day details

Xbox One: over one million consoles sold through in less than 24 hours
We weren't at the Xbox One reveal event in Redmond on May 24, but we crafted a huge report as details started spilling out online. You can jog your memory of the initial showcase and details, such as always on, pre-owned DRM and other features that have since been repealed through the link above.
Here's the reveal live-stream, should you wish to watch it again.
Dan Livingstone was the first person on the planet to buy a Xbox One at a retail store. He's based in New Zealand and is probably quite tired right now.
Launch is one thing, but Microsoft's Phil Spencer has been bigging up the next year of Xbox One games. He's even snuck in a little Halo teaser.
Some people got their consoles early due to a slip up at retailers. They were banned from Xbox Live for a while, but now those blocks have been lifted.
Xbox One disc drive issues being reported by a few new owners, Microsoft responds

Xbox One Games

We've got a full list of Xbox One launch titles here, along with file sizes and prices.
The entire Xbox One launch library has been reviewed by the press now, and we've published a round-up of digital titles like Lococycle, Crimson Dragon, as well as Zoo Tycoon on disc.
We've got review round-ups for Microsoft-published launch titles Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5, Killer Instinct and Dead Rising 3. Simply hit the links to see what the critics though.
Achievements are back, and we've got full lists for Killer Instinct and Dead Rising 3 through the relevant links.
Here's a few images to show you what the Xbox One achievement interface looks like.
Xbox Live digital games now have a 1000 Gamerscore cap, as opposed to 400 on Xbox 360, as shown in this list of Halo: Spartan Assault achievements.
Achievements are also colour-coded by player. You can choose your dash colour during the console's initial set up.
ID@Xbox is a new initiative geared towards bringing many self-published and indie developers to Xbox One. Everyone who signs up gets a bolstered version of Unity free of charge. Get the details here.

Xbox One specs and firmware

The official Xbox One specs were released back in May. The console houses 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a custom AMD chip with 8-core CPU, Blu-ray drive, HDMI 1.4 output, and supports both 1080p and 4K resolution where applicable.
This Xbox One 'Revealed' trailer shows the hardware up close, together with vital stats.
At retail, Xbox One consoles will cost £439. Each bundle comes with a Kinect sensor, HDMI cable and a new Xbox One controller.
Xbox One consoles pack a 500GB hard drive, and the unit will handle data space for you.
We posted a round-up of the Xbox One console reviews so far, along with my own initial unboxing impressions.
The Xbox One interface is based on Windows 8's tile system, but has several new features. Brenna has produced this guide video to show you how it all works.
The interface is quite customisable, as this Microsoft trailer shows.
The console turns on exceptionally fast when in standby mode.
Here's 12 minutes of the Xbox One dashboard in action, with input from Microsoft.
Xbox One cross-game party chat supports up to eight player at launch.
We recently learned that third-party headsets connected to the Xbox One's digital optical out will only deliver sound in stereo, rather than surround sound. Microsoft's Albert Penello has confirmed that Dolby Digital support is coming post-launch.

Xbox One pad and the new Kinect sensor

The new Kinect sensor packs a 250,000-pixel infrared depth sensor and 1080p web cam. It utilizes facial recognition to sign-in players. The voice recognition is also vastly improved based on our own experience.
Here's a full list of Kinect's voice and gesture commands.
Kinect can scan QR codes to redeem downloads. It save you from inputting those old 25-digit codes.
You can navigate the Xbox One dashboard using your voice. Here's a trailer to show you how it all works.
The new Kinect is more forgiving. You can sit three feet closer to it than its predecessor. I can confirm that this works too.
The Xbox One controller boasts 40 new improvements over the 360 model. This trailer details them.
At one point the Xbox One pad had smell and touch sensors. Check out what happened to them through the link.

Xbox One apps, multimedia and the cloud

Here's a full list of Xbox One multimedia apps coming during the console's launch window.
Microsoft's official Xbox One SmartGlass app is now available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Download it through the link.
You can get achievements for watching TV on Xbox One now. No, really.
Twitch streaming will not be available on Xbox One until 2014.
Xbox One will launch with YouTube today, except in Austria, Ireland and New Zealand.
Xbox One will not launch with BBC iPlayer, but the app is being worked on now.
You can use the Skydrive app to store save data and other things on the cloud.
The console will not support music playback via USB devices at launch.
You can use Xbox One's new 'Snap' command to sticky apps, games or menus to the right of the screen, meaning you needn't close menus while playing or using apps. Here's a trailer.