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This review is brought to you by Full Sail University.
So here we are: our second new console in as many weeks.
Microsoft sat in an unfamiliar position as they approached this new generation. The Xbox
360 was a resounding success, and by many accounts bested Sony in areas like third-party
support and online functionality. The 360 - along with Xbox Live - was a symbol that
Microsoft belonged in the home console space, even if they were the relative newcomer. But
since the announcement of the Xbox One in May, Microsoft's ascension into the next generation
has been a stumble, replete with convoluted - and constantly changing - messaging, a major
executive departure, and the general sense that Microsoft was abandoning that which gave
them so much success: the hardcore gamer. Now, here we are - the Xbox One releases later
this week with a unique port, a higher price tag, and by some accounts a less powerful
spec. We've had about a week and a half with the device, so does the Xbox One signal a
final gasp in Microsoft's foray into the home console market, or is it an ambitious vision
of what television and entertainment should be?
The first thing you'll notice about the Xbox One is that it's big. Big, and depending on
your design preferences, somewhat ugly. But its biggest fault is that the Xbox button
on the front is capacitive, meaning it doesn't depress and is sensitive to touch, just like
the 360 slim. Due to its unfortunate positioning on the right front side of the console, we
accidentally turned the device on and off several times as we adjusted cables and moved
the console, although that's likely an issue that you won't encounter too much once it's
hooked up in your home.
Aesthetically, the Xbox One doesn't make a great first impression. There's been lots
of talk that it looks like an old VCR player, and it's hard to shake that sensation. It's
hefty, and not something you'd not want to move a lot .In fact, Microsoft has especially
placed a sticker on the front strongly advising you to NOT move the console with a disc in
the tray. On top of that, the console can only be placed horizontally. Microsoft has
never been a hardware company - although that's been changing somewhat in recent years - and
that certainly shows in the Xbox One. The 500GB harddrive cannot be removed or upgraded,
which is a bummer, and at launch the system doesn't support external storage. I did speak
with Microsoft and they mentioned this is an initiative they plan to address shortly
after launch. it will take some time to reach the storage limit on the hard drive but it's
unclear where you can check on how much space is already taken up. On the bright side, the
Xbox One runs MUCH quieter than it's predecessor, even when it's playing something off a disc.
The controller is a smaller iteration from the Xbox 360, featuring most notably a completely
redesigned d-pad that's a big improvement, and a new, smaller mold with differently shaped
triggers and bumpers. On a whole it's an inoffensive iteration, but the bumpers jumped out at us
as especially puzzling. They were difficult to press down with confidence, and repositioning
your fingers to facilitate their shape created some uncomfortable cramps - but this may change
as we get more familiar with them.
Hardware is important, but it's how we interact with these devices - and how they interact
with us - that ultimately determines whether or not we want them sitting under our TVs,
taking up valuable input space. And it's here, on the software and system side, that the
Xbox team has produced something with extremely high ambitions, and, in many cases, something
that hopes to reshape the role of consoles as we've known them. Live TV, along with the
all new Kinect, are the new pillars of Microsoft's vision for the next generation of Xbox, and
in many ways they've accomplished something astounding - and totally new.
At first glance, the operating system is very reminiscent to the late Xbox 360 dashboard,
or Windows 8's new dont-call-it-metro design language. Sharp, colorful boxes of varying
sizes make up your three main screens - the home, made up of your recent activity, personal
profile, and of course your games, apps and the current disc. To the left is your pins,
a custom assortment of top games, apps, artists, and web pages of your choosing. And to the
right is the store, with custom fronts for games, movies and tv, music, and apps. It's
a simplified version of the dashboard on the 360, but it functions well. It's clean, elegant,
and although it can lag when juggling multiple applications, it's overall quite speedy. It
fulfills the next-gen promise of quickly switching between apps, but game load times still felt
substantial, and some of the utility we were used to has now vanished. Functions like the
download list and the xbox 360's quick-guide are now absent, for instance, and memory management
appears to be gone. Additionally, be warned: if you jump out of a game and load up another,
you can lose some progress without warning.
There are several new features. Snapping, the highly-touted multi-tasking function,
can be activated with either the controller on the main home screen, or by using your
voice. It worked well enough in Live TV, and I can see it being useful when bringing up
a walkthrough on Internet Explorer, but it definitely chugged when we tried to play back
internet video while in a game. ***Also, the xbox automatically mixes the audio from both
sources, so if you want to mute just one app, there doesn't appear to be a way to do that.***
There's also game DVR, which can record up to five minutes of gameplay. This works in
parallel with the Upload studio, which allows editing of clips, and can help you assemble
voice over and even video if you so choose. The whole process is not quite as seamless
as Sony's implementation - you can trigger a 30 second gameplay clip by using a voice
command, but you have to snap in the Game DVR app to have control over longer gameplay
clips. Most intriguingly, Xbox One gives you a lot of freedom over what you DO with those
clips - you can choose to save those gameplay clips to SkyDrive, which will give you access
to the raw h.264 video files, allowing you to then edit or distribute to whatever service
you choose. Additionally, Twitch streaming will be there on day one, but wasn't yet activated
for us to test out.
Of course, the biggest new thing is Live TV. The Xbox One's hdmi-in port is meant for your
cable or satellite box (although it really supports any device outputting video), and
Microsoft has gone to great lengths to make that experience as elegant as possible. If
your service is supported, inputting your zip code and cable provider will automatically
populate the shows and create a customizable guide that matches your cable box - only,
it's probably much better looking. You can set favorite channels and video apps, and
even use your DVR's pause, rewind, and fast forward functions. Unfortunately it doesn't
interface with recordings on your DVR, but being able to simply watch and control your
cable was a pretty incredible experience. The setup was painless for us, and the entire
interface was responsive and speedy. If you're someone who watches a lot of TV, this is one
of the Xbox One's killer apps.
Of course, the brand new Kinect is at the foundation of the Xbox One, and its presence
is felt in nearly every corner of the operating system. The OS is clearly designed to be controlled
by the Kinect, from simple commands like starting a game or opening an app, to more complex
tasks like watching a specific TV channel, or changing the volume on your entertainment
system.
The previous version of Kinect was more novelty than anything else - the kinect-specific games
were almost totally worthless, and the voice commands --tacked on to an aging operating
system -- never felt substantial enough, or responsive enough, to be worth anyones time.
The new Kinect is a massive improvement in every way, and when it works, it truly feels
like something from the future. Walking into your home and saying "Xbox On", and seeing
your TV and Xbox jump to life is something that still feels like science fiction. Aside
from a brand new camera and microphone array, the Kinect is also a giant IR blaster, which
is how it can communicate with the rest of your home theater set up.
There are voice commands for literally every aspect of the experience, from starting games,
to toggling Game DVR, to turning on snapping, to starting a skype call - the Xbox One is
covered in Kinect sauce. And they work... mostly. The Kinect responds to specific commands
determined by the Xbox team, and it doesn't parse natural language, like Siri or Google
Now. So to start a game you have to say the complete name with the specific task: "Xbox,
Go to Forza Motorsport 5" - saying "Xbox, Play Forza" won't work. I suppose this was
done so that the always-listening Kinect doesn't accidentally trigger commands based on common
natural language, but the result is a system that can often be frustrating. Repeating "Xbox,
Redeem a code" several times only to remember that I have to say "Xbox, Use a code" instead
isn't a great user experience. That being said, these commands may become easier to
recall as we spend more time with the system, but creating user frustration so early in
the experience might lead some to abandon the dream of voice commands entirely.
When the Kinect works it can be great, and there ARE instances where it's faster and
more useful than using a controller. Redeeming a code is actually one of them, as that command
is hidden a few levels deep in the operating system, requiring you to jump through several
menus if you want to use a controller. And being able to hold up a QR code to the kinect
is a nice touch, even if it requires some specific lighting situations.
Similarly, switching between games on the fly, as well as snapping apps, can be a breeze
with the kinect, and saves time over using the Xbox's home button and searching for what
you want. Navigating lists of items like on the oneguide can be done with the Kinect,
but we found it much easier to use a controller. Motion-sensing hand navigation is also enabled
by Kinect, but we found this much more spotty than voice commands, and quickly abandoned
them entirely.
The Kinect can also be used as a microphone for Xbox Live's party chat and multiplayer
games, and it actually works surprisingly well, assuming the noise in your room isn't
too bad. The same goes for the Skype app.
Ultimately, how much you enjoy the Kinect will likely come down to how much effort you
want to put into using it. It's a significant leap in technology over the first Kinect,
and it's utility is absolutely felt in app switching and turning the console off and
on, as well as the automatic login with face recognition. It's at its best when used in
conjunction with a controller: using your voice for big app and screen changes, and
then using controller for menus within apps. But it's still not perfect, and it can struggle
with certain inflections or noisy environments, which may lead some to abandon it entirely.
And if you're not comfortable with a camera and microphone array sitting in front of your
TV waiting on your commands, well then it's not going to be for you.
The Xbox One requires all games be installed to the hard drive, and given the massive size
of those titles, this process can be quite lengthy. Thankfully, you can start playing
some games as they're downloading/installing, although when that occurs depends on the title.
Ultimately, Microsoft's vision for Xbox One is daring. It's a game console, and a good
one at that, but it's also hoping to be the only entertainment device you need in your
living room; and it's trying to create an entirely new framework for UI and navigation
based on your voice. The execution is almost there, but it's certainly not perfect, and
whether or not the Xbox One's more expensive price tag is for you, depends entirely on
what you're looking for.
Its main competitor, the Playstation 4, is a clear iteration on last generation's gaming
consoles, and with its cheaper pricetag, that's what a lot of gamers want. But if you're avid
TV watcher, or someone who wants to skype with Grandma on the couch, the Xbox One has
a lot of potential. It's not with compromise, with its sometimes-working voice commands,
having to resort to your cable box's remote to access recorded TV shows, and an OS that
obfuscates some utilities if you prefer to use a controller, but for many people what
it brings to the table will outweigh those sacrifices. When it works the Xbox One offers
a fresh interactive experience that feels next-gen and there's little reason to doubt
that these aspects will be refined and iterated over time. And if you only care about games,
well then you can pin all your favorite games to the main hub and never worry about the
other stuff.
The ability of Microsoft to court third parties and curate a stellar gaming library remains
to be seen, but for now, the Xbox One is a compelling platform with inventive ideas and
lots of potential. But - it's also a walking contradiction. It's a device built around
new media, supporting video apps, live video chat and custom gameplay videos. But one of
it's primary features is also a lifeline to old media, to live television, and what value
does that really bring outside of news and sports? Everything else is already being delivered
in a much more consumable and better designed way, through apps like Hulu, Netflix, and
HBO Go.
Microsoft is betting big on live TV staying relevant over the next decade, and we'll have
to wait and see if that pays off.
So, that's what we think of the Xbox One at this point. Obviously, these consoles are
rapidly changing beasts, and how we feel about them will also change over time; so, we'll
be doing check-ins and recaps as we spend more time with both the Xbox One and the PS4.
And if you're curious why we did such an in-depth review of the Xbox One and not the PS4, it's
simply because we - along with most of the gaming press - had significantly more time
with Xbox One's final hardware and software.
Look for our updated impressions in the weeks and months to come, but for now, stay tuned
for the rest of our Xbox One coverage this week, including our 3 hour live special on
the eve of the Xbox One's launch, from 9 PM PST to midnight. That'll be at youtube.com/rev3games
and twitch.tv/rev3games.
Let's take a moment to thank our sponsor, Full Sail University. Ever thought about making
games? Well, whether you're interested in programming, art and animation, story creation,
or even producing games, there's a game degree program at Full Sail University to fit your
needs. Full Sail grads have worked on a ton of huge titles, including Assassin's Creed
IV Black Flag.
And If you're looking for an online program, Full Sail's game art and game design bachelor's
degree programs give you the ability to earn your degree from anywhere in the world.
Visit Fullsail.edu/rev3games to learn more.