Take a look at one of the first Xbox One retail units (video)

There are still a few months until its November launch, but the Xbox One is already ready for primetime, apparently. One of the first Xbox One retail units -- among just 20 or so in existence -- made an appearance this morning in an unboxing video hosted by Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, director of programming for Microsoft's Xbox division. In particular, the video features a limited edition "Day One" version of the console, which is more or less sold out at every major retailer (at least Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy). It's just below the break.%Gallery-195690%

If you were one of the lucky few (thousand) to get in on Day One Edition pre-orders, you'll be getting the same stuff as standard edition pre-order folks, albeit with some extra "Day One Edition" branding flair -- the gamepad says "Day One Edition" on it and has a chrome d-pad, and there's an achievement exclusive to DOE owners. Both the standard and Day One editions cost $500, and both now include a wired Xbox One headset -- something that was previously excluded from the retail box.

Also of note, the video's subsequent blog post reveals that Xbox One gamepads recharge using microUSB rather than the proprietary cable used for charging Xbox 360 gamepads. Moreover, when the One's gamepad is plugged in, the internal wireless radio is turned off and it transmits data through the wire (which was not the case with the 360 gamepad). This has interesting implications for the One's gamepad in PC applications, which we'll assuredly explore more in the coming weeks as Gamescom returns to Cologne, Germany for another year of Euro-style game news.

Update: We've added some official press photos of the headset that comes in the box. Enjoy!

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Unboxing Xbox One

By: Lisa Gurry, Xbox Wire Editor

Our own Major Nelson has created a special surprise and we couldn't be more pumped to share this

video with you. It's kind of like opening that Christmas gift you've been eyeing under the tree, or the

birthday surprise you've been awaiting. That's right – we present to you – the unboxing of Xbox One.

While working on this video, we uncovered several cool facts about Xbox One and the components that

ship in the box. Below are my top favorites...make sure you keep reading below for other insider details

from Albert Penello, our director of product planning for Xbox One.

1. In the video, we are unveiling the Xbox One Day One edition – which includes a special Day One

package, specially branded DAY ONE 2013 controller with chrome D-pad, and a Day One digital

achievement. This will be available in limited quantities.

2. The Xbox One console, Kinect sensor – even the HDMI cable and the power supply - have a

"liquid black" finish, with a focus on a consistent 16:9 design ratio across all components. This

attention to detail was intentional and a great example of how every component in the box was

especially designed for Xbox One. You can hear more about our attention to design details from

our design team here.

3. The Xbox One console is state of the art - a 500GB hard drive, slot load Blu-ray drive, IR blaster

port, HDMI input and output connectors, a S/PDIF interface, new Kinect sensor port, three USB

3.0 Super Speed ports, Wired and Wireless network support and a Kensington Security Slot. Of

course, what's most important is what the console can do – if you haven't checked out the latest

product details on Xbox.com, you should.

4. The all new Kinect has improved gesture and voice control, 1080p color HD camera for video

with Skype and a greater field of view. On-board sensors improve fidelity of the depth-sensing

and low-light visibility, along with a four microphone array and IR blasting capability.

5. The Xbox One controller offers over 40 design improvements, including a redesigned D-pad for

accuracy, redesigned thumb sticks for better grip and control, new menu and view buttons,

redesigned triggers and bumpers for accuracy and comfort, as well as exclusive impulse triggers

for haptic feedback.

6. The new integrated battery compartment on the Xbox One controller blends seamlessly into

the back, offering better comfort. You can play wirelessly with standard AA or rechargeable

AA batteries, or via the standard micro USB port for wired gameplay. The micro USB cable will

charge the batteries if you are using the Xbox One Play & Charge Kit (it will not charge generic

rechargeable AA batteries).

7. The chat on Xbox One offers 3x the sampling rate of the Xbox 360. The quality of the Xbox One

Chat Headset speaker and microphone have been upgraded to take advantage of the much

improved audio quality. It's also super lightweight-only 44g-with a padded earpiece that can be

worn on either your left or right ear, and a bendable, rotating mic boom. You can control mute

and volume without taking your hands off the controller.

8. Of course, a HDMI cable, a power supply and a Quick Start Guide are included as well.

Here's a few other insider details – straight from Albert Penello, our director of product planning for

Xbox One:

When we say 4K HDMI cable, we mean it. The HDMI cable we're including is an actual Category 2 HDMI

cable, rated for 1080P, 3D and 4K, according to the HDMI 1.4 spec.

The built-in wireless on Xbox 360 just supported single-band A/B/G/N @ 2.4ghz. The Xbox One wireless

radio is A/B/G/N, but supports dual-band 2.4ghz and 5ghz frequencies.

The console shown in the video is one of the first production units – less than 20 exist in the world (and

yes, this box has the 853mhz GPU).

When you plug a micro-USB cable into the controller for wired gameplay, the internal radio is actually

shut off, transmitting data through the wire. You can even use the controller without batteries in this

mode.

Keep reading Xbox Wire for more details on Xbox One.