Because reasons: [b]1. Cloud capabilities:[/b] MS is putting up hundreds of thousands of servers to back up XBL and Xbox One. Not only does this provide more storage for things like user-generated content, but it can also allow developers to offload computations to free up more processing power on the console itself. Players can also pick up where they left off with games and media on other devices. Having access to a powerful service like Windows Azure will allow the Xbox One to become more powerful and flexible with time, even though the hardware doesn't change. [b]2. Specs and architecture:[/b] the Xbox One is certainly a more powerful machine, and it includes goodies like USB 3.0 and a Blu-Ray drive. It also features three different OS's: the usual Xbox OS, a Windows environment for web and apps, and a host OS that links the two. Having a WinNT kernel is an obvious bonus, since apps can easily be ported from Windows 8. But it also means lightning-fast switching between games and apps, and the ability to actually multitask, whether it's Skyping and watching TV, or playing a game and browsing the web. This "instant access" also means you can jump between games, if you're really impatient and waiting for a match to start. [b]3. Multimedia and cross-platform integration:[/b] The Xbox One drops a "smart" layer over live TV. Its custom-built guide allows you to find shows and movies by simply asking what's on a channel or saying its name. Its Trending feature sorts through the hundreds of channels by showing what's popular among friends and the community, much like search engines and social networks do to increase the relevance of content. Finally, it allows for unique experiences: fantasy football updates as NFL matches happen, stat-tracking with NBA players. Future partnerships could involve TV series and interactive, live content. Smartglass implementation means you can use any phone or tablet to control the Xbox. And cross-compatibility with Windows8/RT/Phone opens up possibilities for more services to be added, which can move from device to device effortlessly. [b]4. Kinect:[/b] IMO, the Xbox One's real killer app. It's already an insanely complex and fascinating piece of technology, but it gets even more powerful: 1080p video recording, wider field of vision, better voice recognition, a heart rate monitor, an infrared sensor to see in the dark, better depth perception, the ability to track minute movements like wrist rotation, etc. Developers are only limited by their own imaginations in creating new and [i]meaningful[/i] gaming experiences. A horror game that responds to the player's level of fear or relaxation to provide better scares, for example. Developers are have been lazy in the past, with gimmicky and exaggerated Kinect control-- but the potential for something much more is there. The Kinect's voice commands are to a TV remote what a TV remote was to a TV's knobs. You can walk into your living room, turn on the TV, channel surf, launch apps and games, and browse the web-- without pressing a button. Kinect can filter out background conversations and even recognize individual voices. And there's one sold with every Xbox. Ultimately, a gaming console is only as good as its games, and that still holds true for a multimedia device like the Xbox One. MS has announced 15 new IP's to be revealed at E3 and released in the One's first year, so that's nice. But, after filtering out all the knee-jerk reactions, I fail to see how the console itself [i]isn't[/i] pretty amazing.