Xbox One

Microsoft made a brave, if not reckless call in the run-up to the release of the Xbox One, and in honesty, the decision to bundle the Kinect peripheral in as a standard feature was just one of many suspect choices that might have contributed to Sony's early lead with the PlayStation 4. The fact that Xbox One owners got a motion-sensing camera that they didn't necessarily want was not the main issue, but rather the price - at $100 more than the PS4 - made the normally arduous decision for fence-sitters just that little bit easier. After stringing it out for a few months, the software giant finally caved in and offered the Xbox One sans Kinect for a price comparable to that of its major competitor, and as of October 7th, those who'd retrospectively like to buy the popular accessory will be able to.

Today in Germany, Microsoft had a lot to say about its all-in-one entertainment (not so much just gaming) console, the Xbox One, whereby the company announced a number of upcoming features for the platform, including software updates and patches, exclusive games and perhaps most importantly, three new bundles, each with its unique set of offerings. The bundles include a FIFA 15 one, another with Sunset Overdrive accompanied by a nice surprise, and finally, a Call of Duty version featuring a larger hard drive.

We've reached the Gamerscom stage of the bustling list of exhibitions and conferences in the gaming calendar, and Microsoft has taken the opportunity of the occasion to outline a particularly exciting update for Xbox One owners. Pretty soon, early adopters of the new-ish console will be able to stream TV directly to their smartphone or tablet, adding yet another feature to the already expansive list of entertainment-specific perks.

The Xbox 360 may have arrived in white, well, off-white originally, with Microsoft adding a darker model at a later date, but this time around, the console sports a shiny, jet-black finish. Obviously, some prospective Xbox One owners were hoping for an alternative to the rather understated aesthetic of the software maker's latest entertainment machine, and this fall, the white color option will arrive as a part of the Sunset Overdrive bundle in October.