Just how smart is your Xbox One?

Just how smart is your Xbox One?
Smarter than your average, that's for sure

If you still think gaming consoles are just passive entertainment stations, you haven't met Xbox One. There's a lot more to this box that meets this eye. A hell of a lot more.

Better Kinect-ed

Kinect for Xbox One is like nothing that's ever been done before. While the original Kinect was designed to recognise gross human motion, Kinect 2.0, with its 1080p HD camera, is about true human understanding. Fun fact: it can even read your emotions.

The new Kinect is also more dynamic, working in small and large spaces alike, while its active IR can also recognise you in the dark. Oh, and there's even a heart monitor, meaning Kinect might just become your new personal trainer.

The new Kinect can also recognise up to six different people in a room, and with the array microphone it can zoom in on the person talking and listen to their commands in isolation. And as it can recognise exactly who's who, it knows what controller you're holding, meaning you can switch gamepads with another player and Kinect will know so you keep playing exactly as you were.

Smartglass

SmartGlass brings a whole new level of immersion to the One

Smart(Glass)er than your average

With Xbox SmartGlass your smartphone, tablet or laptop becomes an extension of your Xbox One experience. It's matured a lot since the Xbox 360, not least in how quick it now is to set up. Within just seconds it will create a connection to your Xbox One, and once you're synced, reconnection time is even less.

But SmartGlass really lives up to its name when it comes to multiplayer matchmaking. Even when you're in the middle of a big match you can start searching out your next session by matchmaking with SmartGlass. No need to pause the action.

Xbox One now lets even more of you get in on the second screen action, allowing up to 16 SmartGlass devices to be connected to the console at a time. There are a load of SmartGlass compatible games too, including Dead Rising 3, which brings your in-game phone out of the virtual world and adds a whole new level of immersion.

Snap Mode

Snap Mode sees Xbox fuse entertainment

Dashingly clever

The Xbox One has the Billy Dee Williams of user interfaces - super smooth. Every user can have their own personalised home screen, laid out so access to favourite games and apps is as quick as possible.

Multitasking master? Then Xbox One's Snap mode is what you've been waiting for. Why jump between the TV and your gaming when you can do both things at once? So your favourite show's on but you want to get in a bit of FIFA 14 in the advert breaks? Not a problem - you can easily snap the TV alongside your game to make sure you don't miss a moment when you're making that penalty shootout.

Snap

Want to Snap Skype with your entertainment? Just tell Xbox One

Getting vocal

The Xbox One is built for the future. A future where your voice is the true controller of the living room. Say "Xbox on" and it will power up your console and television. Say "Xbox mute" and - surprise, surprise - it will instantly mute your TV.

Just scored a phenomenal goal on FIFA 14? Say "Xbox, record that" and it will grab the last 30 seconds of gameplay so no need to take your focus away from the game. Want to open something in Snap mode? Using your voice makes the process a whole lot faster here too.

And of course we're going to see some really neat ways to use our voice to interact with our games on Xbox One. Just don't get so immersed that you start dicing up your living room.

Forza 5

Forza 5 - always learning

Xbox Learns

Xbox One is truly your console. With the power of the cloud, Xbox One will learn more about you over time. One way game developers are doing this is with adaptive AI that learns to play just like you. Forza Motorsport 5's Drivatar system is a perfect example of this, but it's just the beginning - just think how far developers could go.

Your online profile among other gamers is also something that will continue to grow, and the new reputation system means the way you behave affects the way you'll be matched with other players. Be a good sport and you'll be out against like minded players. Be a jerk and you'll be thrown in the troll pit.