By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Xbox One is shrinking in size and growing in power.
Microsoft unveiled during its Monday media briefing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo a new, slimmer version of the video game console coming later this year and a more powerful one that's due in 2017.
The company says the white Xbox One S is 40 percent smaller than the original black Xbox One and will feature support for 4K high-definition video.
Other changes include moving the USB ports to the front of the console, adding a built-in infrared blaster and eliminating the port for the motion-detecting Kinect camera system.
Microsoft says the console will go on sale in August for $299 to $399 depending on the size of the hard drive.
The company also detailed Project Scorpio, a more powerful Xbox One that will feature support for 4K gaming and virtual reality. The new console will feature six teraflops – or 6 trillion floating point operations per second – of power.
"Our vision for the future of gaming is beyond generations," Xbox head Phil Spencer said. "When it ships next year, we believe it will be the most powerful console every built."
Spencer promised that all Xbox One games would work across the three systems: Xbox One, Xbox One S and Project Scorpio, which was not shown on stage at E3.
While they have comparable specs, Sony's PlayStation 4 is slightly more powerful than the current version of the Xbox One.
Since they were both launched in 2013, sales of the Xbox One have lagged behind the PS4. Sony said last month it has sold 40 million PS4s. Microsoft has not revealed sales figures of the Xbox One.
During the presentation, Microsoft also heavily promoted its new Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, which will allow users to play games on both the Xbox One or Windows 10 computers.
The sci-fi shooter sequel "Gears of War 4," Christmas-themed zombie-slaying installment "Dead Rising 4," cooperative pirate adventure "Sea of Thieves" and driving simulator "Forza Horizon 3" were among the Xbox Play Anywhere titles showcased at the briefing.
Civil rights groups call on major corporations to stick with DEI programs
A broad group of civil rights organizations called on the CEOs and board members of major companies Thursday to maintain their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that have come under attack online and in lawsuits.
An open letter signed by 19 organizations and directed at the leaders of Fortune 1000 companies said companies that abandon their DEI programs are shirking their fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers and shareholders.
The civil rights groups included the NAACP, the National Organization for Women, the League of United Latin American Citizens, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
"Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, policies, and practices make business-sense and they're broadly popular among the public, consumers, and employees," their statement read. "But a small, well-funded, and extreme group of right-wing activists is attempting to pressure companies into abandoning their DEI programs."
Companies such as Ford, Lowes, John Deere, Molson Coors and Harley-Davidson recently announced they would pull back on their diversity, equity and inclusion policies after facing pressure from conservative activists who were emboldened by recent victories in the courtroom.
Many major corporations have been examining their diversity programs in the wake of a Supreme Court decision last year that declared race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions unconstitutional. Dozens of cases have been filed making similar arguments about employers. Critics of DEI programs say the initiatives provide benefits to people of one race or sexual orientation while excluding others.
In their letter, the civil rights organizations, which also included... Read More