A source familiar with the feature tells Polygon that it's still in testing, and may not be available at launch, but would arrive in a patch within the first few months. It's not clear exactly to what extent Xbox One will be able to speak, but the source provided an example they'd witnessed in which Kinect's facial recognition system noticed a new player entering the room during play, and the Xbox voice asked them to identify themselves. 

The first thing I thought of while writing this was ED 209 from Robocop saying "Identify yourself, you have 15 seconds to comply." 

I can't decide if this is super cool or really fucking creepy. Let me know what you guys think.

According to MCV's source, Xbox One games can only be sold to retailers authorized by Microsoft, who have agreed to their terms regarding used games, and have integrated with Microsoft's pre-owned game system. 

Once a game has been entered into the system by the store, your record of ownership is wiped from your Xbox Live account, and it can then be re-purchased by someone else. This would explain why Xbox One needs to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours, to ensure that you still own the games that are installed on your system.

Retailers will be free to charge whatever they wish for used titles, however a percentage will go to both Microsoft and the game's publisher, while the retailer is free to keep the remainder of the sale amount.

This however seems to contradict previous reports that activating a used game would incur a fee equal to the full retail price of the title, so we should take it as a rumor until Microsoft officially provides more details.

The press release describes the game as "a first-person, action survival horror video game with a portentous day-night cycle set in a vast open world." That tickles me in just the right places. Tell me more.

During the day, players will traverse an expansive urban environment overrun by a vicious outbreak, scavenging the world for supplies and crafting weapons to defend against the growing infected population. At night, the hunter becomes the hunted, as the infected become aggressive and more dangerous. Most frightening are the predators which only appear after sundown. Players must use everything in their power to survive until the morning's first light.

 

"We are excited to partner with Techland on Dying Light, which is an original gaming experience for next-generation consoles," said Kevin Kebodeaux, Senior Vice President, Sales and Operations, Americas, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "The partnership with Techland allows us to combine their successful development capabilities with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's one-of-a-kind publishing expertise to deliver on this title."

"The next-gen technology allows us to create a truly dynamic open world that features a game-changing day-night cycle," said Pawe Marchewka, CEO of Techland. "Inventive free running mechanics also allow for nearly unrestricted exploration and weapon-crafting to further enhance the action survival experience."

The game will feature scavenging, weapon crafting, free running (a la Mirror's Edge), extensive melee and ranged combat options, four customizable player characters, and potentially wrenches wrapped in barb wire. Awesome. Here's your first look:

The reworked MMO will be available in a special collectors edition that comes with several extra goodies for fans. You can check that out below, as well as the press release and box art.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Set for 27th August 2013 Release on PS3 and PC

Square Enix today announced that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Collector’s Edition are now available for pre-order. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is scheduled for release on 27th August, 2013, for both the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC systems. Monthly subscriptions for the game will start at £7.69/€10.99/$12.99

“It gives me great pleasure to announce the release date of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

It has been a long road from the game’s inception to the beta, but thanks to your fervent support and invaluable feedback, the world of Eorzea will soon complete its journey of rebirth.

We have endeavoured to make the game affordable so that adventurers will be able to experience the vibrant world of Eorzea. We have also prepared a collector's edition version of the game, which includes a veritable assortment of premium items.

The new adventure begins on 27th August, 2013. I hope to see you all then!”

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida

Pre-order incentives

As well as the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn game disc, fans who pre-order the standard or Collector’s Edition of the game will receive the following exclusive in-game content:

• Early Access: Access the game servers ahead of the official launch. Get your head start and make your mark in the realm of Eorzea!

• Cait Sith Doll Minion: On sabbatical from Shinra Inc. and looking for adventure, Cait Sith will join your party as a non-combat pet.

• Mog Cap: Show your love of Final Fantasy and strut around the world of Eorzea in this Moogle themed hat. Kupo!

The Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Collector’s Edition will include

• Collector’s box designed by Yoshitaka Amano, legendary Final Fantasy artist

• 80-page “Art of Eorzea” hardcover art book featuring never-before-seen concept art

• “The Waning of the Sixth Sun,” a special bonus video disc that takes a cinematic look at the events that led up to the realm being reborn

• “Sounds of Eorzea” album that features musical scores by renowned Final Fantasy series composers

• Five collectable character art cards

• A Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn-branded security token to secure user accounts

• In-game bonus items: Helm of Light, Baby Behemoth Minion, Coeurl Mount and Behemoth Barding

Mirror's Edge 2 has been rumored to be in development at DICE for some time, although it has yet to materialize. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I was getting some Star Wars meets Halo vibes. 

In order to reduce the term of your prison sentence, you'll have to team up with a robot sidekick to defend other against monsters called Abductors.

The game will play out similar to Monster Hunter of Soul Sacrifice, but has a focus on saving civilians instead of just capturing monsters. Augmented reality features will also play a part in the game, although we're not sure how yet at this point.

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, up to 8 players will be able to join together to battle against Abductors. Sounds pretty cool, no? 

Directly after the event Game Trailer’s Geoff  Keighley asked  Don Mattrick about always on connectivity and was answered,

"No, you don't always have to be connected.  Gamers can calm down; we've got you covered."

Seems pretty straight forward.  I respect his directness.  In addition the Xbox One Q&A press release has this to say:

Q:   Does Xbox One require an “always on” Internet connection?
A:    No, it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet. We’re designing Xbox One to be your all-in-one entertainment system that is connected to the cloud and always ready. We are also designing it so you can play games and watch Blu-ray movies and live TV if you lose your connection.

Okay!  No confusion here.  No and No.

But then it seems that Kotaku digs a little bit deeper and things get kind of blurry.   Stephen Totilo of Kotaku asked Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison for clarification on the always on Q&A and Phil Harrison had this to say:

"There are many devices in your life that require the Internet to function.  Xbox One is no different in that it requires, at some point in the beginning and at various times through its on state, to connect to our cloud and to our Internet. That is to deliver Xbox Live functionality, that is to deliver download content to you, that is to deliver some of the innovations around TV and entertainment that we showed today. But it doesn’t require it to be online all the time."

So how often does it check your connection? "Depends on the experience," Harrison said.

"For single-player games that don’t require connectivity to Xbox Live, you should be able to play those without interruption should your Internet connection go down. Blu-ray movies and other downloaded entertainment should be accessible when your Internet connection may be interrupted. But the device is fundamentally designed to be expanded and extended by the Internet as many devices are today."

Now pay close attention…

Kotaku: If I’m playing a single player game, do I have to be online at least once per hour or something like that? Or can I go weeks and weeks?
Harrison: I believe it’s 24 hours.
Kotaku: I’d have to connect online once every day.
Harrison: Correct.

The whole problem with always online was that we didn’t want to ever have to rely on an internet connection in order to access or use this device.  Especially if I just want to watch TV, a Blu-ray, or throw in a single player disc based game.  I can already do all that stuff without the hassel of being connected to the internet.  Why take technology backwards? 

It sounds like V.P. Phil Harrison says that the Xbox One will be tethered to the internet, and you will need a connection at least once a day, just to simply use this device.  Make of it what you will.  Always on, no.  But the same problems feared by always on, yes.