On the 21 of May, Microsoft revealed its new console to the public: the Xbox One.

People were left in the dark about some key issues of the system, due to nebulous descriptions of the console’s hardware.

Many details were purposefully held back, though the system-on-chip transistor count was announced at five million. Terms like these, lacking an overall perspective, unfortunately tell us very little about the device, which Microsoft has touted as having native 64 bit architecture.

On a more positive note, the case design reveals a much improved aesthetic. The sleek design makes it seem refined, its bulk somehow accentuating the overall beauty.

The console is sensitive to voice and can be run completely on voice commands, whether to activate it, switch to TV channels, or to game interface. This aspect ran very well in the demonstration.

Motion control is also a huge feature of the system, with hand movements utilised to change channels and implement apps. The Kinect feature recognizes individual faces and can load settings specific to a user. The system will register if you pick up a game control and run the system disc.

Several huge exclusive titles for the Xbox One were also displayed, with over 15 unique titles in production. Of particular interest was the new Call of Duty: Ghosts with incredible visuals and an exciting premise. Sports fans can look forward to a new NFL game, while need-for-speeders have a racing title Forza Motorsport 5 coming their way. And Xbox One’s Quantum Break promises to “blend a live action TV show with a video game”.

Microsoft also indicated that they will be working with TV networks like HBO to bring exclusive content to the system, one of which is a TV series based on the HALO Universe.

All of this is very exciting, and hopefully full technical specifications will be revealed at E3 later this year.