Although many of the Xbox One's core features (i.e. playing games and watching movies) will be available at launch, there are several that will not. Some, like indie games, will come at a later date, while others have yet to be fully fleshed out.
One such feature that will be in a very basic state at launch is the Xbox One gamerpic, which Microsoft says will only support 300 pre-selected pictures at launch. There will also be the option for gamers to pose and snap a picture of their Xbox One avatar, but no gamerpic uploading will be available at launch.
Microsoft's Marc Whitten confirmed the news in an IGN Q&A, saying that his team is focused on "building out a beautiful collection of 1080p gamerpics for our users on Xbox One." He presumably expects the selection to grow as time goes on, but Whitten thinks there will be about 300 gamerpics to choose from when the Xbox One launches in November.
Whitten even showed off three examples of gamerpics, which we have included below:
[gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="202659,202660,202661"]
The gamerpics, as gamers can see, also include a player's reputation, which will factor into their online experience. Reportedly, the higher a gamer's reputation, the less likely they will be matched up with hooligans with a poor rep.
Those gamers who aren't interested in the gamerpic selection, however, will also be able to use their avatar for their profile. And like with the Xbox 360 they will be able to pose them in all sorts of funny poses.
Whitten also promises that gamers will see Microsoft "do much more here in the future," but for the moment that's what they have on tap. It might be safer not to allow gamers to upload their own pictures, but that doesn't mean some more creative options aren't on tap.
While not exactly the type of high profile news that gamers might be looking for, this reveal from Whitten is still worth mentioning because it provides yet another glimpse into the Xbox One experience. Yes, we know practically all there is to know about Kinect 2.0 and gameplay sharing, but there are finer details that are still a mystery.
We will know for sure what will and won't be available on the Xbox One when Microsoft's next-gen console hits on November 22nd. One thing's for sure: it will definitely play games.
Are you disappointed that Microsoft won't have more options for gamerpics on the Xbox One at launch? What do you think they should work on for the future?
Microsoft's next-gen console, the Xbox One, releases November 22, 2013.
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Source: IGN