{"id":12121,"date":"2013-12-01T21:47:50","date_gmt":"2013-12-01T11:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=12121"},"modified":"2016-10-15T17:08:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-15T07:08:34","slug":"initial-impressions-xbox-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=12121","title":{"rendered":"Initial Impressions – Xbox One"},"content":{"rendered":"

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OVERVIEW<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The video game industry has not been kind to the eighth generation of game consoles.\u00a0 In the past three years I’ve written about the launch and my initial impressions of the Nintendo 3DS<\/a>, the Playstation Vita<\/a> and the Nintendo Wii U<\/a> and all have had a somber and pessimistic tone to their prospects in the marketplace.\u00a0 Today, each system has a decent catalogue of games and I believe are well worth owning but all three have sold dismally compared to their predecessors.<\/p>\n

How then, does the Xbox One launch fare by comparison?<\/p>\n

It will almost certain sell an order of magnitude better than the Wii U.\u00a0 Having said that, its launch comes six months after one of the most mismanaged pre-launch build ups the industry has ever seen.\u00a0 In a two month period, Microsoft has almost certainly squandered all of the good will that the Xbox 360 built up with console gamers over the last eight years.\u00a0 The initial plan to have an ‘always online’ system that had a mandatory Kinect plug-in was an integral design component at the heart of the original Xbox One vision.\u00a0 However, it received such a backlash from gamers that Microsoft spectacularly back-flipped on their plan a mere 30 days after the initial unveiling and ditched both requirements.<\/p>\n

After faltering with their internet and plug-in requirements, Microsoft headed to E3 determined to make positive waves by focusing on the games.\u00a0 They proceeded to trot out an uninspired assembly line of DudeBro shooters and then the next day, they had their asses handed to them by Sony who proclaimed that their graphically superior device would be $100 cheaper ($50 in Australia).\u00a0 Ouch.<\/p>\n

That was June and now its November.\u00a0 What happened with the finished product?<\/p>\n

THE HARDWARE<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Lets start with the hardware.\u00a0 The Xbox One is a chunky, boxy looking device that looks like a two tone VCR.\u00a0 It’s ditched the lime green colour scheme of the previous two iterations of the Xbox in favour of a more understated monochrome finish.\u00a0 It’s one of the most aesthetically uninteresting systems I can remember but I believe thats part of Microsoft’s intent.\u00a0 This thing isn’t supposed to look like a game console.\u00a0 It’s supposed to look and behave like an all-purpose entertainment unit.<\/p>\n

The system now has a BluRay player and an HDMI-In port which is part of Microsoft’s big plan to dominate the living room by having you watch all your entertainment through this one device.\u00a0 Hence the name.\u00a0 Those are the most noteworthy changes that come to mind.<\/p>\n

I don’t know enough about the technical specs of the graphics engine or the memory in this system but suffice to say the games do<\/em> look better than 360 games and even lazy launch titles developed across multiple systems like FIFA 14<\/em> have little graphical tweaks and features that make it stand out from its predecessors.<\/p>\n

The system comes with 500gb of internal memory which initially sounds like a lot (particularly compared to the Wii U with its miserable 32gb memory in the ‘Deluxe’ model) but I quickly realized that I’d run out of room in the fridge pretty quickly.\u00a0 Every game now has a mandatory installation and some of the early games this generation are already gobbling up 30gb of space.\u00a0 Not even factoring in games downloaded off the Xbox Marketplace, you’d think this equates to the system holding room for about 15 games or so but that number scales back rapidly if you had any intention of downloading videos, music or apps which the system is, y’know, constantly trying to get you to do.\u00a0 Looks like installing and uninstalling games constantly will become the norm for most gamers after the 12 month mark.<\/p>\n

THE CONTROLLER<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The controller is one of the best things about the Xbox One.\u00a0 It is a subtle refinement over the Xbox 360 controller, which already was the best in market for the previous generation.\u00a0 The analogue sticks have been refined for better grip and sensitivty.\u00a0 The triggers now have force feedback.\u00a0 The front-facing diamond layout of ABXY has been brought closer together and in fact the entire unit has shrunk slightly in size.\u00a0 Lastly, the DPad has been given a much needed overhaul.\u00a0 In short, the best controller in video games just got better.<\/p>\n

THE UI<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The UI for the Xbox One has been drastically dialed back in complexity compared to the Xbox 360’s current Metro interface.\u00a0 It’s been designed to look like the Windows 8 tile interface and has far fewer layers of hierarchy to reach the content you’re after which is a good thing.\u00a0 It’s also capable of multi-tasking which doesn’t sound like much but its a potentially revolutionary concept for a game console.\u00a0 It’s kinda neat to be able to flick between playing a game, having a Skype conversation or watching television.\u00a0 And thanks to the ‘Snap’ function, you can do these things at the same time.\u00a0 In the screenshot above, I’m playing FIFA 14<\/em> whilst keeping an eye an actual game of football being aired on Foxtel.\u00a0 It’s a pretty handy feature which I can see myself regularly.<\/p>\n

The UI does seem to be designed with voice commands in mind.<\/p>\n

Initially, I was pretty disappointed with this because my first impressions were that the voice commands flat out didn’t work<\/em>.\u00a0 But there’s a learning curve.\u00a0 After I began to memorize the commands<\/a> I began to feel a lot more familiar with the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the voice recognition software.\u00a0 Even though my natural tendency to play a game would be to say something like ‘Xbox…play FIFA 14<\/em>‘, you actually need to say ‘Xbox go to<\/strong> FIFA 14<\/em>‘.\u00a0 If you say ‘Xbox, play FIFA 14’<\/em> it actually tries to play FIFA 14<\/em> as a song in the music store.<\/p>\n

You also don’t need a pregnant pause between saying Xbox and then verbalizing your instruction.\u00a0 It’s far more likely to understand you if you say ‘Xbox, watch tv’ as opposed to ‘Xbox….watch tv’.<\/p>\n

Once I became familiar with the commands, I could quite comfortably switch between regular gaming, watching television, or utilizing picture-in-picture.\u00a0 Whats interesting to keep in mind though is that although I’ve now had much greater success in using this interface the Xbox One remains obstinate in taking instruction from Jen.\u00a0 For whatever reason, it struggles to understand even the most basic commands from her, even with the room dead silent and Jen clearly enunciating her words.\u00a0 There’s probably a joke in there comparing the Xbox One to marriage somewhere.<\/p>\n

As it stands, it’s not uncommon at the moment to hear one sided conversations coming from our lounge.<\/p>\n

‘Xbox, watch tv.’<\/em><\/p>\n

‘No, don’t go to Music.\u00a0 Watch tv!’<\/em><\/p>\n

‘XBOX WATCH TV!!!’<\/em><\/p>\n

‘FUCK YOU XBOX!!!’<\/em><\/p>\n

THE ONLINE STORE<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The Xbox 360 was active in the games market for eight years, one of the longest lifespans of any console generation.\u00a0 You wouldn’t know it looking at the Xbox One store.\u00a0 It looks like it was cobbled together and rushed to market.\u00a0 The thing is a barren wasteland that is bereft of content and what little that is there is gives plenty of pause for concern.<\/p>\n

On the Xbox 360 marketplace, game demos were mandatory and there was a healthy range of downloadable indy titles available in the launch window (in fact Geometry Wars<\/em> was one of the best games available on the system on Day One).\u00a0 By comparison, the Xbox One store has no demos.\u00a0 There are no indy games.\u00a0 All the retails games are going for full price.\u00a0 There are no trailers for upcoming games.\u00a0 And every single game is trying to sell you micro-transaction content.\u00a0 It’s absolutely putrid.\u00a0 I remember with the 360, the demos and trailers were a great way to learn about upcoming games or try out games that I might end up buying if I enjoyed.\u00a0 There’s nothing like that on there at the moment.<\/p>\n

THE GAMES<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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The launch line up for the Xbox One is safe and conservative.\u00a0 There is no industry game-changer like Wii Sports<\/em> or Halo<\/em> here.\u00a0 Instead you get FIFA, NBA2k, Call of Duty<\/em> and Assassin’s Creed 4<\/em>.\u00a0 Of all the launch titles,\u00a0Ryse<\/em> is by far the most interesting.\u00a0 It is the most graphically accomplished game for the system and its a new IP.\u00a0 The game launched to poor reviews from the games press but I think they’re being overly harsh.\u00a0 My full review will be posted next week but my assessment of the game is overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n

But that’s about it.\u00a0 At least until TitanFall<\/em> in March.<\/p>\n

THE INTIAL ASSESSMENT<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My thoughts overall?\u00a0 Not bad.\u00a0 Could’ve been better.\u00a0 The longer term prospects are definitely unclear.<\/p>\n

I have no doubt that the system will eventually be home to dozens of great games which is what I want from the device first and foremost.\u00a0 Microsoft has the support of enough third party developers that the Xbox One will be a modest commercial success.\u00a0 Thanks to its dreadful PR in the last six months however, I believe Sony will be the runaway leader in the marketplace on a scale similar to the Playstation 2 and Microsoft will be back to having marketshare that is comparable to the initial Xbox.\u00a0 They’ll be fighting for second place with the Nintendo Wii U.<\/p>\n

While I don’t doubt the potential for good games down the road, I do have concerns about Microsoft’s ability to deliver on its vision for creating a single all-purpose media hub.\u00a0 I’d actually like that and want them to succeed.\u00a0 As someone who currently has to switch betwen an Xbox 360 (streaming PC content), Playstation 3 (BluRays), Foxtel (live sport) and an Apple TV (movie rental service), I’d love to have a single box deliver the functionality I get from all these other separate devices.<\/p>\n

To date, all of the media demonstrations of the Xbox One have been based around American content.\u00a0 We don’t have a prospective date for when we’ll get a One Guide for Foxtel.\u00a0 Or a Fantasy League app for Australian sporting leagues.\u00a0 Disappointingly and inexplicably, the Xbox One doesn’t even stream media content off Windows 8 PCs.\u00a0 We presume that these feature will come later on but why not have them ready for launch?\u00a0 For those reasons, the system currently falls well short of its design aspirations and intentions and there is no clear ETA on when the rest of these features are coming.\u00a0 It could be weeks, months, years or not at all.<\/p>\n

I was never one of the people who were vehemently against the always online requirement.\u00a0 I think it would’ve brought a much needed point of differentiation to the Xbox One and the Playstation 4.\u00a0 If these two devices end up in a similar situation to the 360\/PS3 where ninety percent of the games are the same, look the same and play the same, then its the gaming community that loses out.<\/p>\n

Although the new Kinect sensor is greatly improved over the 360 iteration, I don’t believe its motion controls will be a point of focus for Microsoft.\u00a0 They are still too clunky and haphazard to ever become a core component of games.\u00a0 I think they’re wise to hedge their bets on the voice control technology instead.\u00a0 Even its simple and understated implementation in games like FIFA <\/em>and Ryse<\/em> show a much more feasible path to use the technology.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Initial Impressions – Wii U<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Initial Impressions – Playstation Vita<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Initial Impressions – Nintendo 3DS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OVERVIEW The video game industry has not been kind to the eighth generation of game consoles.\u00a0 In the past three years I’ve written about the launch and my initial impressions of the Nintendo 3DS, the Playstation Vita and the Nintendo Wii U and all have had a somber and pessimistic tone to their prospects in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2614,651,1643],"class_list":["post-12121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-initial-impressions","tag-xbox","tag-xbox-one"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12121"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20451,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12121\/revisions\/20451"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}