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Xbox One is always on, always listening

The new Xbox One will make your smart TV drop a few hundred levels on the IQ scale

The Xbox One will arrive with an all-new improved Kinect. And its unblinking eye and vigilant ears will be at your beck and call at all times.

Always on, always listening

The newly announced Xbox One is always on, and always listening, thanks to the new and improved Kinect 2.0. Creepy as that sounds, it’s the ultimate fantasy for those of you who’ve dreamed of a future where your voice does all the work instead of your fingers.

“Xbox on” kicks off the action, waking the Xbox One from standby. And that’s just the start.

“Xbox watch TV”, “Xbox open Internet Explorer”, “Xbox play Call of Duty: Gunning harder”. You get the picture.

Transitions appear to be near-instant, with the Xbox One carrying out your commands with the speedy enthusiasm of a star-struck PA.

You can also command the Xbox One to ‘snap’ open windows to the side, for side-by-side multitasking, similar to the interface in Windows 8.

Voice control

The Xbox One also comes into its own when watching TV. A simple “Watch ESPN” while staring at your telly will automatically switch you over to ESPN. Asking “What’s on MTV?” will overlay the schedule for MTV while ESPN continues in the background.

It’s very impressive and blows anything we’ve seen from existing smart TVs out of the water. We for one, can’t wait to star yelling at our Xbox One’s to do our bidding.

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.