Xbox One Supports Four Apps, Six Users At Once

[Steven Bogos]

Xbox One Supports Four Apps, Six Users At Once

The Xbox One allows you to switch seamlessly between four running applications, and have up to six users logged into a single console.

Microsoft's Albert Penello sat down with Destructoid [http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-interface-is-clean-uncluttered-262315.phtml] recently to talk about the Xbox One's powerful new interface. Just how powerful is it, you may be asking? Well, powerful enough to support seamless transition between four running applications, as well as instantly switch between any six users that are "logged in" to the machine.

Switching between apps on the Xbox One is "not unlike how it would work on your mobile phone." You simply press the Xbox button on your controller, which takes you to the home screen, where you can seamlessly switch to any apps you have running. The apps you have loaded can also be snapped to one side of the screen, keeping them visible while you play your games. For example, you could have an F.A.Q for a game up in a web browser while you are playing said game.

Unfortunately, Penello did say that only one of those four apps can be a game. You can't have two games running at the same time. He did boast that switching games is very easy, and it takes around 10 seconds for the system to close your current game and open up a new one.

Penello also talked about how the Xbox One is friendly to multiple users. Six users can sign in to a single console at one time. The Kinect sensors is able to see who is holding the controller and recognizes your voice among others. You could be in a room with five other people logged in and call out to launch a game, and it would do so with your settings and saves intact.

Source: Destructoid [http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-interface-is-clean-uncluttered-262315.phtml]

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[Teoes]

Destructiod [http://www.destructoid.com/xbox-one-interface-is-clean-uncluttered-262315.phtml]

Tiny typo there. Fixed!

For one the multitasking between a whopping four apps (one of which can be a game, ahmagahd) sounds.. less than impressive. OK for a console maybe? But if my phone can do better - admittedly with its restrictions, not having as much horsepower or handling as much processor-wise as a next-gen console - then I don't even need to belittle this by comparing to PCs. This is made up for by the hopeful potential for japes with six people sitting in the same room all yelling at the Xbone to do different things; watching it melt down as it fails to please everyone. It won't work this way, but a guy can dream.

 

[Yopaz]

I am actually a little impressed here. Sure, compared to my computer this is old news and something I take for granted, but they're actually making some progress here. Although I can't really come to think of a use for 4 apps at the same time... I guess a walkthrough, the game and maybe some music playing, but I don't know.

This is good as far as consoles go, but I think that's only because our current gen is very outdated.

Not sure if having 6 users logged in at the same time is really useful or if it's just to be ahead of Sony... I know I wouldn't want to play split-screen with 6 people at least...

 

[Danceofmasks]

...
So this is why the console reserves 3 GB of RAM for use by the OS?

What happened to the days of "the consoles are optimised to run games as best as the hardware will allow?"

 

[Ralphfromdk]

...
So this is why the console reserves 3 GB of RAM for use by the OS?

What happened to the days of "the consoles are optimised to run games as best as the hardware will allow?"

Pff, games. Yeah right. If you want to play games, go buy a pc you nerd. All the cool people watch tv and sports while also using social media, while being on skype, all at the same time.


Now, this was sarcasm, but I sadly need to point that out, because there are people who actually think like this.

 

[DonTsetsi]

...
So this is why the console reserves 3 GB of RAM for use by the OS?

What happened to the days of "the consoles are optimised to run games as best as the hardware will allow?"

Pff, games. Yeah right. If you want to play games, go buy a pc you nerd. All the cool people watch tv and sports while also using social media, while being on skype, all at the same time.


Now, this was sarcasm, but I sadly need to point that out, because there are people who actually think like this.

I would point those people to the wide range of TVs that can do all that stuff without needing a console.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

Oh look, yet another announcement about crap no one really cares about. I'm still waiting for solid in-game Kinect 2.0 footage, MS; you're making it too hard for your fanboys and too easy for everyone else. At least announce a Kinect Adventures 2 or something for goodness sakes.

OT: So since multiple users can be logged in at the same time, are we actually going to have proper co-op games on the Xbone? Not that I've ever had a console, but the lack of any multiplayer other than online seems to be a rather common complaint from what I gather.

 

[RikuoAmero]

"You could be in a room with five other people logged in and call out to launch a game, and it would do so with your settings and saves intact."

This is a good thing why?

 

[Teoes]

...
So this is why the console reserves 3 GB of RAM for use by the OS?

What happened to the days of "the consoles are optimised to run games as best as the hardware will allow?"

Pff, games. Yeah right. If you want to play games, go buy a pc you nerd. All the cool people watch tv and sports while also using social media, while being on skype, all at the same time.


Now, this was sarcasm, but I sadly need to point that out, because there are people who actually think like this.

I always found it funny in Back To The Future part 2; when they're in the future and looking at that massive telly on the wall showing ALL the channels(!) at once, with young McFly picking a handful from there. "How ridiculous!" young me thought. Holy shit, this is what we're actually moving towards. I'm scared now.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Hey, remember when gaming consoles were for games and gaming and stuff that added to the gaming experience? Those were good days.

 

[Something Amyss]

...
So this is why the console reserves 3 GB of RAM for use by the OS?

What happened to the days of "the consoles are optimised to run games as best as the hardware will allow?"

IIRC, this is roughly the same as the PS4's memory requirements. I assume it's just a vase of consoles being consoles.

Pff, games. Yeah right. If you want to play games, go buy a pc you nerd. All the cool people watch tv and sports while also using social media, while being on skype, all at the same time.


Now, this was sarcasm, but I sadly need to point that out, because there are people who actually think like this.

Unfortunately, most of them work for Microsoft.

 

[Lucane]

"You could be in a room with five other people logged in and call out to launch a game, and it would do so with your settings and saves intact."

This is a good thing why?

Oh good point it'll make discussions about what to play next difficult if saying "Xbox ..." isn't a required prompt all the time then asking "Hey wanna play Call of Duty next?" might kick someone out of the current game? Or at the least you'd have to start up the game for yourself if using voice commands to play a game but how does it handle save files do you get sent back to the main menu when a new main player is confirmed?

 

[SageRuffin]

This still doesn't make me want an X1 1) on launch, and 2) with the Kinect.

In fact, the only thing really keeping my interest waned at this point is that goddamn Kinect.

 

[Covarr]

He did boast that switching games is very easy, and it takes around 10 seconds for the system to close your current game and open up a new one.

Nintendo should hire Microsoft to make the Wii U's menu this fast.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Strazdas]

So, basically Xbox will be able to do what what PCs could do 10 years ago (mainly 6 users at once, it could run more thna 4 programs way before that), and what Mobile phones did 3 years ago, but with more restrictions.
Yeah, it seems that every time somone from Microsoft opens their mouth more things Xbox doesnt do come out all the time.

 

[ImmortalDrifter]

I can see this as being convenient. Not ground-breaking or system selling. But convenient nonetheless.

 

[clippen05]

So its like Windows... as if we didn't know that already... But it's good nonetheless that Microsoft did this, I know one thing I definitely liked about Xbox360 over PS3 was the better menusystem... (That sounded sarcastic, but it actually wasn't)