You’d never guess that the video game business has slowed from the Microsoft campus, where the company unveiled its new Xbox One console in a high-voltage event, designed to build anticipation for the system’s release this fall.

Unlike previous versions of the console that initially targeted game enthusiasts, the new version is designed from the start to be both a game and an entertainment system that adds Microsoft’s technology to users’ televisions, including motion-control, voice recognition and online entertainment services.

Don Mattrick, president of the company’s interactive entertainment business, said the new system was designed to be “simple, instant and complete.”

“We believe we can evolve what you love to make it decidedly better and deliver breakthrough innovations,” he said.

Mattrick declined to provide a sales price or specific launch date beyond “later this year,” saying more details will be released at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) game conference in June.

More interactive

The console leans heavily on a new version of the Kinect sensor to advance home entertainment. Microsoft sees the Xbox One as the heart of the living room, where the TV and video services can be controlled with voice commands and gestures recognized by the Kinect sensor. The console also blends broadcast and online services, such as fantasy football games that surface during live broadcasts of games.

Microsoft showed a new TV guide that will be provided by the console but didn’t say anything about supplanting cable TV services as some had speculated it would do with the console.

During a demo by Xbox vice president, Yusuf Mehdi, the box was used to turn on a TV set with voice controls. On startup, the TV displayed the Xbox tiled menu with services such as Skype and Netflix.

“What if that device can turn on your TV and talk to all the devices in your living room,” Mehdi said.

“Xbox, watch TV,” Mehdi said to the box, launching a TV show, “and with that simple command, I’m watching live TV.”

Mehdi also demonstrated “instant switching,” by saying “Xbox game.” The console then switched immediately to a racing game. Switching between games, movies and TVs is as quick as switching channels on a TV, Mehdi said.

The hardware

The console itself looks like a stereo receiver or a large DVD player, with a disc slot in front of the silver and black box. A new, smaller version of the Kinect sensor system is contained in a separate, rectangular device and not built into the console as some had predicted.

The console has 8-core processsors, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi Direct and 8 gigabytes of RAM. The new Kinect sensor, which will come bundled with the console, tracks more joints and can read your heartbeat, Xbox Vice President Marc Whitten said, calling it the “binding power” between devices connected to the console.

Mehdi also demonstrated a group video call using the Skype app on the console. He also showed a new interactive ESPN TV application that blends live TV and fantasy sports; if you’re watching a game and one of your players scores, a small window surfaces with the update.

Xbox Live update

The new console will arrive with a new version of Microsoft’s Xbox Live service powered by 300,000 servers — “more than the entire world’s computing power in 1999,” Whitten said.

New features of the service include a “game DVR” that saves games online, improved matchmaking and achievements, and bigger matches with more players, Whitten said.

Andrew Wilson, head of EA Sports, said his company is developing four games for the new console — “FIFA,” “Madden NFL,” “NBA Live” and “UFC.” They run on a new game engine called Ignite that’s designed to “help us blur the line between real and virtual” and provide ten times more animation detail, he said.

Exclusive new titles for the console include Microsoft’s “Forza Motorsport 5,” an even more realistic version of its photorealistic racing game.

The platform’s enabling developers to build new types of games, such as cloud-powered games that change based on the actions of the gaming community, with visuals so real you’ll see imperfections from wear and tear, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s game studios said.

Spencer showed a demo clip of a game called “Quantum Break” that started with a filmed, movie-style opening with real actors before transitioning back and forth between animated sequences of mass destruction.

Other ventures

The platform also will be used to further blur the line between games and TV. Microsoft’s working with Steven Spielberg to produce a live-action TV series based on the company’s “Halo” franchise. Spielberg appeared via video to announce the project.

Microsoft’s also working with the NFL to add new interactivity features and bring exclusive content to Xbox One, including extended content that will be available on tablets and phones through its Smart Glass technology. While watching a game, real-time fantasy football stats can be displayed on the screen and people can chat with friends via Skype, for instance.

Mattrick said the partnership with “redefine” the NFL experience for fans using the console.

“We’ve an ambitious vision for Xbox One to become the all-in-one system for every living room — the one system you’re going to use and love every single day,” he said.