Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
First Retail Xbox One Units Are Off The Assembly Line
Earlier today, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb tweeted two pictures representing a significant next-generation milestone. The first Xbox One units are off the assembly line.
This falls in line with Microsoft's reveal of the Xbox One release date (November 22, 2013) this morning. At PAX Prime 2013 this weekend, many Xbox One demos were running off of debug kits in final cases. The same was true of our experiences at Gamescom 2013.
The Xbox One will be releasing in 13 markets, though less than half of them will have native voice command support right away. Microsoft also announced last night that the CPU speed has been ratcheted up (just under 10 percent) from 1.6 GHz to 1.7 GHz.
[Source: Major Nelson]
Our Take
While the pictures of the first Xbox One box and pallet coming off the assembly line are certainly shared out of pride, there is another, forward-facing reason. Microsoft is doing everything it can to make sure customers know the product scarcity experienced during the Xbox 360 launch won't be happening again.
Sharing the production details and photos is a subtle way of assuring customers that things are on track for the Xbox One. Given that Microsoft is launching a week later than Sony in North America, letting customers know that there will be supply for them is important, lest they jump ship for PlayStation 4.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
