The Xbox One's next-generation Kinect has a greater interest in your facial features, and is capable of discerning your identity, even if you hand off the controller.

In a brief demonstration in one of its Kinect testing rooms, Microsoft showed press how the Kinect kept track of two player profiles, each tied to a controller in use. When Player 1 and Player 2 swap controllers, the Xbox One is able to recognize which profile is the new Player 1. The Kinect also monitors the position of players, meaning it can match portions of split-screen games to the side of the screen at which that player is looking. This may also translate to fighting games, which is good news if you're the sort to get confused when your spot in the couch isn't aligned with your character.

Microsoft also demonstrated a few more tricks made possible by the new Kinect's enhanced sense of depth, its greater field of view - which does make closer gaming in smaller apartments a more feasible – its ability to see in the dark via infrared, and its flattering scrutiny of facial features. By examining your face's skin color and transparency, the Kinect and Xbox One are able to estimate your current heart rate. Whether or not someone puts that information to good use in Kinect games or fitness programs is another matter, as we've learned from Nintendo's flatlined "vitality sensor."

Valve has experimented with biometric data in games too, adjusting game difficulty, objectives and timers in response to the player's physical state. With a Kinect shipping alongside every Xbox One, and assuming the camera is relatively accurate, biometric influence over gameplay may become less esoteric in the near future.

Xbox One (Official shots)

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The Xbox One's connection to the cloud can alter a game's Achievements in response to player behavior, Microsoft has revealed at its ongoing unveiling event in Redmond. Dan Greenawalt, Creative Director at Forza developer Turn 10 Studios, cited the "I took an arrow to the knee" meme as an example of how game makers might hinge their extrinsic rewards on post-launch reactions.

The meme began with The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, in which droves of melancholic guards told the same story about an old injury.

To extrapolate from Greenawalt's comment, it seems Microsoft is keen to further distance itself from the idea of the game as a static disc. Xbox 360 games had their Achievement lists extended with significant title updates and downloadable expansions, but the Xbox One is expected to update the rewards list more fluidly. Game creators may use Achievements to encourage comical or topical behavior, or use them to educate players if they're missing certain features or secrets.

Microsoft today announced the next generation of Xbox technology, called the Xbox One. Sony previously announced the PlayStation 4 back on February 20, so we now have a full look at just what both next-generation HD boxes will contain.

After the break, we've assembled a chart comparing the two consoles and their various components. The two machines are surprisingly similar, with both using an eight core CPU, the same amount of RAM, and both containing a combo Blu-Ray and DVD drive. But there are some major differences, too: Microsoft has created its own chip for the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 controller contains that share button and the clickable touchpad. Prices for both units haven't been announced yet, but both will be available later on this year.

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Microsoft will expand its relationship with the NFL on Xbox One. On Microsoft new console, users will be able to take advantage of numerous interactive features available only on Xbox. These include Smartglass integration and the ability for users to see their fantasy football stats updated automatically while watching live broadcasts of the latest NFL games. Users will also be able to call and taunt their fantasy football friends via Skype.

Microsoft's new Xbox has been officially unveiled at the company's Redmond campus in a big, giant tent in the middle of the complex (so much for the console sharing its birth story with friends as a teenager).

For a sense of symmetry with our PlayStation 4 reveal post, the announcement of the new Xbox console comes seven years and six months (2,737 days) after the launch of the Xbox 360, marking one of the longest distances of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff between one console and its next regeneration.

The distance in time between this console and the last certainly makes up for the original Xbox's lifespan, which was one of the shortest, at a mere four years and one day.

Update: The Xbox One will launch "later this year," Microsoft President of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick said near the end of today's conference.

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Deep Silver will publish an upcoming gesture-based racing game for Kinect called Freefall Racers. The first breadcrumb in this trail comes from an Australian rating that has surfaced, outing Deep Silver as publisher.

The developer is Smoking Gun Interactive, whose most recent work includes two Kinect experiences, Mars Rover Landing and Home Run Stars, so a new Kinect project would make sense. The Vancouver-based studio at least partly funded Freefall Racers with help from the Canadian government, as evidenced by the $461,243 contributed through the Canada Media Fund (PDF) last year.

Our first glimpse of the game is courtesy of environmental artist Anthony Leonati, who published six screens from Freefall Racers on his personal website. [Update: The images have been pulled from Leonati's website.] In addition to the screens, he also pegs Freefall Racers for Xbox Live Arcade, though his LinkedIn profile indicates he has since moved on from Smoking Gun to become a senior environment artist at EA.

We've followed up with Deep Silver and Smoking Gun Interactive for comment and will update this post accordingly.

[Thanks, lifelower]

It's not enough just to play games anymore. Nowadays, you have to watch them too. That just got a little easier on the Xbox 360, thanks to a new Twitch.tv app. The streaming app is now available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, offering "access to 300 of the most popular streams," including tournaments, all organized by game or popularity.

Twitch will host a special live broadcast with Xbox Live guru Major Nelson following next week's "Xbox Revealed" event on May 21. The broadcast will air on Twitch.tv and the Twitch app on Xbox 360, beginning at 3pm Eastern. The event itself, incidentally, starts at 1pm Eastern. Tune into Joystiq for lots of live coverage.

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With the next Xbox reveal just ten days away, it's as good a time as ever to revisit a report that dates back to November 2012: Microsoft's reported interest in developing a set-top box, or "Xbox TV." Anonymous sources recently told the Wall Street Journal that Microsoft has come as far as producing working prototypes of said media device. Those prototypes reportedly work with Kinect, and are built to provide streaming services for viewers.

The Wall Street Journal also noted that it's unclear whether Microsoft will introduce the as-yet-unannounced device at all. We've contacted Microsoft for comment and will update as we learn more. In the meantime, we recommend that you take a ten-day nap, because the rampant speculation leading up to the Xbox reveal on May 21 probably won't go away.

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson got back to us with the following: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

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Microsoft has booked its usual LA haunt, the Galen Center, for an event on June 10. Neowin contacted the venue and discovered the booking, which suggests that Microsoft will hold a pre-E3 press conference the day before the show begins.

This isn't a surprise – Microsoft always holds a pre-E3 event at the Galen Center – but the company has yet to announce this year's iteration. This event follows very shortly after the May 21 event at which Microsoft will reveal the next Xbox. Presumably we'll get more detail on that system and new game announcements at the E3 event. Or we'll be tricked into some avant-garde circus performance.

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A free CW app on Xbox 360 allows Gold subscribers to stream full episodes of network shows and other content through their console. Episodes of Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and other select CW shows will be available the day after airing.

The Vampire Diaries supports Xbox SmartGlass functionality, enabling content like an interactive map, character biographies and show lore. The CW app is the third to make its debut recently on Xbox 360, following yesterday's amazing/horrible Pizza Hut app and last week's addition of Flixster.

While Kinect integration isn't all that new for EA Sports, as both Madden 13 and FIFA 13 included support for the device last year, the Xbox 360 cover art for NCAA Football 14 includes the "Better with Kinect" banner at the top. EA Sports told Joystiq that Kinect support will be for offline play only, and will be "similar to what we've done in Madden, focused on pre-play voice commands."

Check out the hi-res versions of the game's box art, which features speedy-looking Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, in the gallery below. NCAA 14 will sprint to Xbox 360 and PS3 on July 9.

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The Warner Bros.-owned movie destination app Flixster has come to Xbox 360 with a new Kinect-enabled application available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Flixster on Xbox allows users to buy and rent films, access "the latest" film review scores from the critic aggregator source Rotten Tomatoes and look up local showtimes in the most clunky way possible ... on your television!

As part of the Warner Family, Flixster on Xbox 360 also allows users access their existing UltraViolet movie collection. The app is available to download in select regions and only to those with a continued appreciation of DRM.

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Forza Horizon will get a free infusion of new content tomorrow. Entitled the 1000 Club, the DLC adds over 1000 challenges to complete, along with some new Achievements. The DLC will automatically suggest challenges based on whatever cars a player owns. Based on the trailer, the challenges offer more than racing, tasking players with everything from making huge jumps to just crashing into things. The 1000 Club will also include two new cars, the 1956 Ford F100 and the 1995 RUF CTR2.

Microsoft tells Joystiq that the pack will feature unique challenges for every single car in the game, including the cars from the standard game and those that have been released as DLC.

Folks trying to sign into Xbox Live right now may encounter some issues, specifically that they, well, can't. Microsoft is aware of the situation, however, and is working to resolve it. No ETA has been given for a fix, so we recommend doing what we always do whenever there's some sort of ongoing service outage: Watch Girls' Generation videos on YouTube and wait for everything to blow over.

Update: Limited connectivity appears to have returned, although Microsoft warns that users may still encounter errors while managing their friends lists and/or while attempting to send text or voice messages over Xbox Live.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]