Microsoft Build 2016: Get The Latest Need-To-Know News On Xbox One, Windows 10, And More
If you’ve been watching Microsoft, you know they’ve got a lot of new stuff to announce at their Build Conference 2016. Microsoft has been working on some pretty cool stuff, including a new Xbox One that will be backwards-compatible with certain Xbox 360 games and games that will play across all Windows 10 devices. There is also the matter of Microsoft’s HoloLens, a sweet wearable technology that lets you interact with and view holograms in the real world.
Join us. And help us create this holographic landscape. #Build2016https://t.co/3Gx5mvvKUlpic.twitter.com/JlFBFoPlrQ
— Microsoft HoloLens (@HoloLens) March 30, 2016
Microsoft also dropped another huge bomb during Build 2016: AI Chatbots. As the Verge noted, these bots are the wave of the future for Microsoft, who wants to get them inside a variety of apps and programs, both those made by Microsoft and competitors’ programs. Mobile assistants are already starting to take over smartphones, and they seem to be tying more and more into apps every single day.
Microsoft’s assistant Cortana is no exception and has already crossed platforms to make her way into Windows 10. Microsoft’s friendly little assistant appears when you surf the web with Microsoft’s Edge browser and offers things like directions to the restaurant whose site you’re looking at. If you’re okay with that odd feeling that someone at Microsoft may be watching your every move, Cortana is definitely worth a look.
With the idea of artificial intelligence chatbots in mind, Microsoft also unveiled new Skype chat bots at the Build Conference. Each Microsoft bot has its own unique way of helping the user, and in the future, Skype enthusiasts will be able to use audio and video chat with these robots as well. The bots will also be able to interact with the holograms Microsoft has already built and, when given voice commands, can do things such as changing the color of a holographic object.
In Microsoft’s own words, Build 2016 is about “viewing conversation as a platform.” What that might mean for the future is that any or all Microsoft devices are able to speak and be spoken to, which is either the coolest thing ever or the beginning of the robot apocalypse. We’ve already seen this sort of thing in its early stages through Cortana’s ability to “answer” the user after having been asked a question, carry on a short conversation, or even tell a joke when asked.
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There are other big announcements from Microsoft’s Build 2016 Conference as well. As Engadget discovered, Microsoft’s new Xbox Dev Mode app was announced during the Build Conference keynote. Xbox One users who want to develop applications for the Microsoft platform can simply download the app, sign up, and start making apps on their Xbox.
Never before has Microsoft or any other company’s mobile gaming system allowed someone to make apps right on the console, which is especially big because Microsoft’s Windows 10 is also becoming more and more tied into the Xbox ecosystem. This could mean an app created on an Xbox One might be playable on Windows 10 or other Microsoft devices in the near future.
Microsoft is also changing the game by offering Cortana on its competitors’ smartphones. If installed, Microsoft’s handy little app will, for instance, offer to make an appointment for you when you’ve opened the calendar. Cortana is by no means the only game in town when it comes to smartphone assistants, but it may be one of the most effective.
The assistant seems to know what you want before you want it (or sometimes right when you want it). Cortana will likely also be upgraded as part of Microsoft’s new focus on chatbots and voice commands. Build 2016 isn’t over yet, so there could be more developments on the way.
Let us know what you think of Microsoft’s new toys. Are they ahead of their time or just overkill? What else would you like to see Microsoft unveil during the conference?
[Image via YouTube]
