There’s more to the Xbox one than video games.
Whilst it continues to offer world-class gaming experiences you simply won’t find anywhere else, it’s also looking to change the ways we watch and even create exciting new video content.
Here are five ways that the system could completely revolutionise the way filmmakers make and share their future projects.
It makes sharing easier than ever before
The Xbox One’s unique position as an all-in-one entertainment system means that it gathers together all of the most popular video content, in one easy-to-navigate platform. With a variety of Xbox One apps on the way, new opportunities exist for sharing videos and boosting their discoverability amongst the people who will enjoy them most.
Plus, apps like Netflix, 4od and Twitch, and the Xbox One’s own OneGuide when it arrives, will help show you what people are watching and what’s most popular in the world of TV and film. And, thanks to built-in Skype video chat, you can communicate and collaborate with friends and like-minded creators anywhere in the world.
Record, edit and publish your own gaming videos
Filmmakers can use the Xbox One’s built-in game DVR to record their favourite gaming moments, and use its Upload Studio feature to edit clips to their liking, even adding picture in picture and voiceover with the help of Kinect.
Any videos you create can be shared via your own personal channel, and passed on by other users and even a particular game’s official channel. Clips will also be shareable via YouTube and Facebook at a later date.
Microsoft’s recent Upload Outreach program, has already been inviting aspiring filmmakers to create clips of themselves talking about or playing their favourite game.
It’s a brand new broadcast platform, hungry for original content
Xbox Entertainment Studios, the company responsible for commissioning original broadcast content for the Xbox platform, has expanded to include both American and European offices in the run up to the Xbox One’s launch, and Microsoft bosses have said that they are currently considering ‘hundreds’ of potential show ideas.
They have confirmed only two programmes so far; a series based on popular gaming franchise Halo to be helmed by Steven Spielberg, and a football-themed reality show, titled Every Street United, which will travel the globe looking for the next sporting superstars.
It offers entirely new ways to experience film
The Xbox One isn’t only interested in traditional broadcast content. Thanks to its unique position as both a one-of-a-kind games console and a video platform, it’s looking to create brand new experiences too. Some of its exclusive shows – like Every Street United - will include interactive elements, whilst some of its games, like Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break, will incorporate live-action sequences that will change the way individual players progress through the game.
All this, plus its completely unique features and inputs – such as the game controller and the Kinect’s ability to hear and see you and even monitor your heart rate - means that the Xbox One’s ability to seamlessly blend the worlds of cinema and games will go way beyond simply impressive-looking gaming cutscenes, broadening the creative horizons of any up and coming filmmakers.
