Xbox One Reveal

[Nathan]

Microsoft has just revealed the next Xbox console to the world at a press conference that was live-streamed on the Xbox website as well as over Xbox Live. The "Xbox One" (an interesting name choice which came as quite a surprise to many) is set to be released worldwide later this year.

At this press conference we weren't shown many games, instead it focused on the technical specifications of the console. They may have had the upper-hand on Sony as almost immediately they showed what the console actually looks like. Kinect is still a feature that Microsoft is pushing, and it will be essential to the console, it won't be built in like many people suspected though. Changes to Kinect have supposedly been made to improve its functionality, and in the demonstration it did seem to run a lot better although it is doubtful that it was actually being shown live rather than being pre-recorded. Fortunately though the connect does now allow you to stand much closer to it which was a much needed change that needed to be made.

Another thing that Microsoft is clearly pushing is the Windows 8 style interface which was very prevalent in the press conference and seems to basically replace the Xbox Dashboard. The console boasts that it runs on 3 different operating systems, one powering Windows 8, another one powering the apps, and a 3rd OS connecting them. What does this mean? Well, it means that non gaming apps can be partitioned to a specific system to run them, meaning that if you have Skype open for example it shouldn't interfere with the resources need to run the game your playing. A new feature related to this is Snap Mode which lets you run multiple functions at the same time and to switch between them easily with voice control.

Microsoft was pushing the Xbox One as a Media Center rather than specifically a Gaming Console, and most of the conference was spent showing the Live TV capabilities (which were later revealed to require a seperate device) and new features for fantasy sporting teams. Microsoft has done media center's before but they don't seem to understand the fact that people who already have the same functions available to them on their phones and tablets and TV probably aren't going to see why their product is worth it just because all those functions are in one place rather than being spread across different devices. The other thing is many of these features were later revealed to be unavailable outside of the US, at least at launch.

Something that many PlayStation users consistently quote as the reason for it being better than the Xbox is that it uses Blu-Ray, but the Xbox One will play Blu Ray. This may seem like an obvious thing to do at first but Blu Ray is owned by Sony so there must be some agreement that Microsoft and Sony have come to despite being competitors. Something many people will be upset about is that the Xbox One is not backwards compatible, meaning Xbox360 games will not work with the Xbox One. It was revealed after the conference that the Xbox One requires all games to be installed to the Hard-drive, although this does seem like a nuisance the alternative way to combating piracy which had been rumored was that it would need a constant internet connection, which to many people just isn't possible. Gamertags people have on Xbox Live will be transferred, and achievements have been reworked to apparently show the way you play games.

The controller hasn't been changed to much fortunately, however they now have "dynamic impulse triggers" meaning that it senses different amounts of pressure put on them and can react even to a slight touch. The new thumbsticks are slightly smaller and apparently allow for better grip.

343 Industries announced that they will be producing a Live Action TV series (similar to the Forward Unto Dawn web series) and Steven Spielberg will be involved somehow (it hasn't been revealed exactly what his role in the series is). It was revealed that all DLC for Call of Duty will be exclusive to the Xbox One for some amount of time and some of the next COD game was shown, a lot of work seems to have been put into improving the storyline of the game, which is a major issue most people have with the franchise. A new game called Quantam Break was shown and was mostly live action.

In summary I'm not sure what to think of the console at the moment. It was hinted that we will see a lot more in terms of gameplay within a few weeks at E3 and I think that will really give a much better indicator of what to expect.

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[David]

I don't agree with some of the analysis (though it's just a difference in opinion), but a good write-up. Thanks a lot for doing it, it is appreciated.

 

I've visited all of the GameSpot, IGN, etc. coverage, as well as numerous threads on message boards, and the prevailing opinion from gamers seems to be overwhelmingly negative. I'll admit it's unfair, but Microsoft is taking tons of heat for not having any focus on games.

 

Say what you want about potential, but a reveal for a game console without any games is disappointing at best. Most of the stuff they talked about was garbage most won't care about, such as the built-in programming and TV integration. They spent an insanely weird amount of time on nothing other than sport-TV. All of this focus on TV doesn't make any sense because people are already canceling cable/satellite left and right for things like Netflix and internet streaming.

 

They pass it off as a "media center" and not a console, but that's simply a complete misfire for the demographic that lifted the 360 over the PS3.

 

I'm not really sure what you meant by this...

 

 

Something that many PlayStation users consistently quote as the reason for it being better than the Xbox is that it uses Blu-Ray, but the Xbox One will play Blu Ray.

 

Sony developed and supported Blu-Ray as the next-gen media format, while Microsoft supported HD-DVD (what the 360 used). Blu-Ray won the war while the last generation was ongoing; HD-DVD was rendered extinct other than for 360 games, which had to use it regardless. Blu-Ray was going to be used for sure this generation because it's the standard format. If anything, this is ANOTHER reason for PlayStation users to boast - Microsoft is making the Xbox One into the "Blu-Ray" media center that the PlayStation 3 has already been since 2005.

 

It's also one of the reasons the gaming-focused 360 outperformed the PS3 for gaming.

 

We already saw this last-gen. The PS3 was undoubtedly the all-powerful "media center" compared to the gaming-specific 360. People like me who cared about things past gaming got the PS3 and utilized it for things far past what the 360 was capable. Everyone else (the vast majority) didn't care and bought the 360 for gaming.

 

 

they may have had the upper-hand on Sony as almost immediately they showed what the console actually looks like.

 

Strongly disagree here. Sony is laughing right now. There are thousands of comments on IGN about people switching to the PS4 because of the mess the 360 reveal was for the gamer demographic.

 

Sony has not revealed the PS4 yet, and that is absolutely no mistake on their part. They wanted to see what Microsoft was going to do, and smack them right in the areas they were weakest. Sony being vague thus far is no mistake.

[Nathan]

Grr, I was halfway through typing a response to this then my browser went back for no reason (my laptop seems to have been pressing random stuff by itself recently) and lost it all

 

 

 

 I'll admit it's unfair, but Microsoft is taking tons of heat for not having any focus on games.

 

Say what you want about potential, but a reveal for a game console without any games is disappointing at best. Most of the stuff they talked about was garbage most won't care about, such as the built-in programming and TV integration. They spent an insanely weird amount of time on nothing other than sport-TV. All of this focus on TV doesn't make any sense because people are already canceling cable/satellite left and right for things like Netflix and internet streaming.

 

They pass it off as a "media center" and not a console, but that's simply a complete misfire for the demographic that lifted the 360 over the PS3.

I agree that its a strange thing to do and at first I was frustrated about that (and I'm still dissapointed by it) but when I thought about it more and listened to other peoples thoughts on that I realized maybe its for the better as it allows them to put a lot more focus on games at E3 which is only just over two weeks away. It was really an announcement showing the capabilities of the console and it seems like from what I've heard that's how they referenced it to the media beforehand.

 

I do agree though that this "media center" thing is a step in the wrong direction, the people who want that from the Xbox are only a very small number of people so if they're going to turn this into a media center they still need to have a focus on gaming.

 

 

 

I'm not really sure what you meant by this...

 

 

Sony developed and supported Blu-Ray as the next-gen media format, while Microsoft supported HD-DVD (what the 360 used). Blu-Ray won the war while the last generation was ongoing; HD-DVD was rendered extinct other than for 360 games, which had to use it regardless. Blu-Ray was going to be used for sure this generation because it's the standard format. If anything, this is ANOTHER reason for PlayStation users to boast - Microsoft is making the Xbox One into the "Blu-Ray" media center that the PlayStation 3 has already been since 2005.

Okay, so what I was getting at is that people who defend the PS3 over the 360 always go on about how it supports Blu-Ray and therefore is better, so its an obvious decision to include Blu-Ray support in the next gen of consoles however Sony actually has some degree of ownership over the Blu-Ray platform and thus I imagine Microsoft would have to be paying them some kind of royalties or something. I also think that the Blu-Ray format is a lot more common now than it was back when the PS3 was first released (for a long time there were only a few movies available on Blu-Ray)

 

 

 

 

Sony has not revealed the PS4 yet, and that is absolutely no mistake on their part. They wanted to see what Microsoft was going to do, and smack them right in the areas they were weakest. Sony being vague thus far is no mistake.

I disagree but for similar reasons (if that makes sense). A lot of people were angry at Sony for not showing the actual PS4 console and obviously Microsoft noticed that and took it on board (one of the benefits of being last to reveal anything). I also think Sony's attempt to overshadow the Xbox reveal by showing blurred images of the box was completely unsuccessful and they should have known it would be.

 

I do think though that Microsoft is in a bad position now because clearly they have been overconfident since they kind of won this past generation of consoles (similar to what Sony did with the PS3) and they've forgotten to keep focusing on the things that caused them to win, particularly their exclusive games (although they did say that they had something like 17 exclusive launch titles).

 

Like I said I'm still unsure what to think of the console as a whole and I think I'll have to wait until E3.

[Eric the Bard]

Guysh, Xbox only won in the USA. PlayStation seem to be a clear winner elsewhere. I know like one person who got an Xbox, compared to like 10 with PlayStation. Also, I remember the HD-DVD Bly-Ray launch, and at the start there wasn't much. It kinda seemed unneccessary, and I'm still not sure how much better it is compared to normal DVD's. Btw. I've got no idea why Blu-Ray won. Is it actually better than HD-DVD?

[Huygens]

Guysh, Xbox only won in the USA. PlayStation seem to be a clear winner elsewhere. I know like one person who got an Xbox, compared to like 10 with PlayStation. Also, I remember the HD-DVD Bly-Ray launch, and at the start there wasn't much. It kinda seemed unneccessary, and I'm still not sure how much better it is compared to normal DVD's. Btw. I've got no idea why Blu-Ray won. Is it actually better than HD-DVD?

 

I think out here more people have Xboxes,

 

[David]

Sony actually has some degree of ownership over the Blu-Ray platform and thus I imagine Microsoft would have to be paying them some kind of royalties or something

 

They do, but it's really not uncommon. Corporations of that size are already undoubtedly paying each other royalties on hundreds of other things.

 

 

I disagree but for similar reasons (if that makes sense). A lot of people were angry at Sony for not showing the actual PS4 console and obviously Microsoft noticed that and took it on board (one of the benefits of being last to reveal anything). I also think Sony's attempt to overshadow the Xbox reveal by showing blurred images of the box was completely unsuccessful and they should have known it would be.

 

It may not have helped Sony, but I certainly don't think it actually hurt them. I think it's important to mention that difference.

 

Sony made a 30 second video to try to make hype during the 360 reveal to steal some of the spot light. In that sense, it definitely worked.  The PS4 hasn't been revealed yet at all, so you can't really compare the two.

 

I do think that Sony is making a mistake by doing it at E3, where there will be dozens of other presentations that steal the spotlight. They could be doing it, say, right now, and have literally 100% of every article on gaming sites featuring them.

[Brad]

my thoughts.

 

[Tynisa]

my thoughts.

 

HAHAHAHA