Tech Talk: One for the rich kids

Gaming is one of Microsoft’s few remaining growth areas and the one that sets it apart from its computing rivals Apple and Google. With its new release it raises the bar on what a gaming console can and should do, doubling up in this case as a family Blu-ray player and set-top box.

The device was launched with all the ballyhoo of a Hollywood premiere; even Steven Spielberg turned up. But hidden away behind the hype about what the Xbox One does were also a few details about what it doesn’t do at all.

In particular, it doesn’t play games from previous Xboxes, including the current Xbox 360. This represents a departure in console marketing, which has always operated on the principle of “backwards compatibility”, locking in users from one generation to the next.

The Xbox One also won’t play games owned by your friends if they pop round to your house, as each disc is locked to the console on which it was registered. If you want to share, you have to pay again.

What the new console will do is act as a bridge between your cable or satellite box and your telly, allowing you to watch and record TV programmes through a single Xbox interface. This does away with the need to switch between inputs on your TV when you want to watch a disc or play a game. The Xbox One also integrates Skype video calling, so you can chat to friends while you play.

But the console will stand or fall on the number of games available for it, and Microsoft has been keen to align itself with the publishers of such popular titles as Call of Duty, NBA Live and UFC.

Meanwhile, gaming rivals Sony and Nintendo are also pushing out new consoles: the Sony PlayStation 4 will be released later in the year and Nintendo’s Wii U is already in the shops. The independently-produced – and vastly cheaper – Ouya console is also out this year and could yet give the others a run for their money.

There’s no point in you rushing to decide between them right away; the gamer in your family will do that. If the popular vote goes to Microsoft, gaming will never have been so expensive.