Not only will the Xbox Smartglass Initiative continue on Xbox One, allowing it to interact and share content with mobile devices and PC’s, but it will also attempt something revolutionary; Running more than one OS on a game console! Microsoft has confirmed that their upcoming next-gen console will support three OS’s, with one being tailored specifically for the console’s architecture. The other OS’s appear to be based on both Microsoft’s recent computer OS, Windows 8, as well as the RT OS that allows it to interact with smartphones and tablets.
To those outside of the tech geek community, this will probably just be a lot of gobbledygook. Allow us to explain:
What this essentially means is that the Xbox One is very, very good at multitasking! This has already been demonstrated by the console’s ability to simultaneously juggle browsing the internet, playing (or streaming) a game, pulling up information related to television, and likely taking advantage of its Blu-Ray drive to render dynamic menus and special features on Blu-Ray discs. Basically, with the Triple-OS strategy, everything is seamless. There’s no quitting out of one application to enter another, and then back again. It’s all simultaneous and instantaneous.
What this also means is clever, vague, corporate-friendly assurance that the Xbox One will not struggle to run software. This includes running multiple applications at the same time, without missing a beat. This, combined with the sleeker, more sturdy hardware build, is a very smart way to assure the Xbox community that the ugly Red Ring of Death fiasco from the Xbox 360’s early years won’t be repeated with the Xbox One, or so they believe.
The triple-OS strategy is also being incorporated into community interaction. This was demonstrated during the reveal by taking a Skype call while in another application. This means that you can now see the person you’re talking to as you use the console, essentially making it the next evolution of the Xbox 360’s current party chat capabilities. Needless to say, this means big things for the future of the Xbox Live platform, especially now that you might have the option of being able to see other players and not just hear them, when playing online!
The triple-OS strategy certainly seems promising! There’s no guarantee that this revolutionary new technology won’t be available or workable in its complete form at launch, especially given the sorry initial state of the Xbox 360, but despite that, colour us excited!
Who doesn’t love the idea of un-intrusive notifications, after all?