Updated Xbox One beta hardware contains a number of improvements to the original zebra beta hardware units that began shipping in March 2013. This guide details the top-level changes and provides setup instructions, so you can quickly transition from the beta kit to the new hardware.
The Xbox One beta hardware refresh bundle contains:
(1) Xbox One beta refresh development kit with a power unit
(1) Xbox One beta refresh controller
(1) Xbox One beta refresh Kinect One sensor (in some bundles)
Similar to the original beta hardware, the refresh hardware arrives in separate shipments. All hardware materials in the refresh are new or updated, and the materials don’t have the zebra markings that are present on the original beta hardware. Further changes are detailed in this guide.
Your bundle may include an updated Kinect One sensor. The original beta sensors will still work with the refresh kit, but while the beta peripherals are compatible with the updated kits, you must return your beta peripherals to Microsoft by August 2013. See Return you original beta kits for more information. If your team needs additional updated sensors, please contact your account manager.
Note An Xbox One Chat Headset is not included in the refresh bundle. Headsets will be delivered at a later date.
The refresh kits use an Xbox Live update–based recovery. When first receiving a beta refresh kit, you must recover the kit from its initial state, and you must provision the kit as a developer kit. Before beginning the setup, you will need an empty 2 GB or larger USB flash drive formatted to NTFS, your refresh kit, a development PC, access to the Game Developer Network, and a network connection with access to Xbox Live.
To setup and provision your refresh kit:
Download the Xbox One beta refresh recovery package from the Game Developer Network.
Unzip the package onto an empty USB flash drive (2 GB or larger and must be NTFS format).
Do not power on your refresh kit yet, but connect the kit to power, accessories, A/V output, and to a network connection with access to Xbox Live.
Insert the 2 GB USB flash drive (containing the unzipped recovery package) into your refresh kit.
Now power on the kit. The USB recovery package will automatically install and reboot the kit.
Once the kit reboots, remove the USB flash drive and follow the prompts to reach the Setup app.
In the Settings app, click About my Console. Then in the Developer section, click Enable Devkit. On the controller, press the B button to return to the Settings page.
Reboot the kit.
In the Settings app, click About my Console. Write down the Tools IP value—you will use this value later.
On your development PC, install the July 2013 Xbox One XDK at XGD Software Downloads.
Through XDP, ensure that your refresh kit has an associated developer kit entitlement. For more information on associating entitlements to kits, see Provisioning a Development Kit in the Getting Started section of the Xbox One XDK documentation.
Note At least one person in your company should be designated as an XDP administrator. However, if no one in your organization can access XDP, contact GDN Portal Help.
On your development PC, open an Xbox One XDK command prompt and enter: xbconnect.exe [Tools IP value from step 9]
Next, in the command prompt, enter xbprovision.exe
To finish setting up your kit, in the command prompt, enter xbreboot.exe\ \ Once that command finishes running, your development PC will boot into the Home app.
Your devkit is now ready for development use.
For more information on setting up your refresh kit, see the Getting Started section in the Xbox One XDK documentation.
The refresh kit more closely represents the hardware that will be available at retail, and the refresh kit has been updated with the following performance increases:
As mentioned in the Xbox One GPU Memory Access white paper, the original beta kit had an issue that resulted in a performance penalty when using write-combined memory. This issue is fixed in the refresh kit, which allows non-coherent access to write-combined memory without the performance penalty.
A memory collision between the memory controller (MCT) and the DRAM controllers (DCT) has been fixed, so the refresh kit has better performance under high GPU load.
The controller supplied with the refresh kit more closely resembles the design that will be supplied at retail, and the controller contains a number of improvements:
Improved USB enumeration. The controller now pairs more reliably with the devkit.
Wireless enabled. The updated controller has wireless functionality to communicate with a wireless-enabled kit. At the time of this writing, the refresh kit ships with wireless functionality turned off—to be turned on in an upcoming kit update.
Player-controller pairing. This feature now works throughout the full play space.
Controller stick refinements. Several refinements to the controller sticks and directional pad, including improved dead zone, improved envelope, and reduced latency.
Vibration and feedback improvements. The action of the vibration motors and Impulse Triggers has been refined.
The Kinect One sensor supplied with the refresh kit more closely resembles the design that will be supplied at retail. Improvements to the sensor include:
Improved USB enumeration. The sensor now pairs more reliably with the devkit.
Improvement in audio input functionality. Beam forming and sound source separation now work more reliably.
The refresh kit is compatible with the July 2013 or later XDK and the corresponding recovery. Earlier XDKs and recoveries cannot be installed on these development kits.
The refresh kits are compatible with the original beta sensors, beta controllers, and Xbox 360 controllers. Keep in mind that while the original beta peripherals are compatible with the updated kits, you must return your beta peripherals to Microsoft by August 2013. See Return you original beta kits for more information.
While the zebra peripherals are compatible with the refresh kits, once you have received your refresh kit, you must return your original zebra beta kit, beta sensor, and beta controller to Microsoft. All kits must be returned by August 2013. Contact your account manager to arrange return shipping.
The updated Xbox One beta kits are a step forward in performance and reliability for your development experience, and the kits more closely represent the hardware experiences that will be available at retail launch.
We recommend that you move your development efforts over to these new kits as soon as possible in order to take advantage of the improvements and get the maximum benefit for your title.