How Xbox Live makes Xbox One games better

This is part of our ongoing series about games and trends of the upcoming next generation.

With less than a week left to hype up gamers before the launch of the Xbox One, Microsoft released a video this morning that explains the benefits of Xbox Live.

These additions include Forza Motorsport 5’s evolving artificial intelligence, which uses data collected from all online players to make computer-controlled opponents more lifelike. For a game like Battlefield 4, Xbox Live enabled developer DICE to stream a multiplayer map to a mobile device in real time using the SmartGlass app.

“We have the parameters for the characters just sitting in the cloud,” Killer Instinct producer Torin Rettig said in the video. “At any time, we can go in and tune those parameters on our own, and any time a player goes online, they’re basically going to download those new parameters kinda without even knowing it.”

This feature should enable Double Helix, which is developing the Killer Instinct fighting game, to keep their game balanced. Rettig noted that the process is “almost too seamless,” and the developer plans on informing Killer Instinct fans when they do make changes to characters.

Watch the video below for a few more examples:

Xbox One debuts Friday for $500. It’s Xbox Live service has a free and premium tier. The subscription aspect of Xbox Live gives players access to things like online multiplayer. Xbox Live costs $10 a month, $25 for three months, or $60 annually.