Microsoft touts Xbox One as all-in-1 entertainment

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Microsoft thinks it has the one.

The company unveiled the Xbox One, an entertainment console that promises to be the one system households will need for games, television, movies and other entertainment. It will go on sale later this year, for an undisclosed price.

For the past two years, Microsoft has led the gaming industry in console sales with the Xbox 360. But it's been eight years since that machine came out, and Microsoft is the last of the three major console makers to unveil a new system.

The stakes are higher as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all using their latest machines to not only draw gamers but also command the living room. That could translate into revenue from deals with content providers and sales of movies and music.

With the Xbox One, people will be able to get a feed of TV channels from their cable provider. The Xbox One has its own guide and lets people change channels by voice command.

The interface for the TV goes well beyond the functionality in the Wii U, which still requires users to press buttons to change the input source on the TV. Xbox One seamlessly switched between games, movies and TV shows with a single voice command.

Microsoft also unveiled a new version of its camera-based Kinect system with better motion and voice detection. It also introduced a more ergonomic Xbox controller, with new buttons and a slightly different layout from the Xbox 360 controller. The new console will also add the ability to play Blu-ray discs, matching what Sony has in its older PlayStation 3.

Among the games previewed for Xbox One were the military shooter "Call of Duty: Ghosts" from Activision Blizzard Inc., the soccer extravaganza "FIFA 14" from Electronic Arts Inc. and the racing simulator "Forza Motorsport 5" and time bender "Quantum Break," both from Microsoft Game Studios. Microsoft said more games will be shown at next month's E3 video game conference in Los Angeles.

The company said there will be more than 15 games available exclusively on the Xbox One in the first year after it launches, eight of them new franchises.