Hooray for Xbox fans, the new console is finally on the
market and I wanted to sit down and let my friends, and possibly some new
readers, know what my first thoughts are on the system.
Hardware
The console is bulky and heavy, much more so than even the original
360. It also looks like a giant VCR. The
top of the Xbox is half smooth black and half vent. I can tell by the design
that Microsoft went to great lengths to make sure this console avoids a red
ring of death fiasco. This also explains why there is a large external power
brick to go along with it. The console is beautiful, though with it’s smooth
black features and stylized vents. Unless you’re anal about style you won’t be
bothered by this, just make sure you have enough room in your entertainment
center for it.
The Kinect is also a large piece of machinery, larger than
the 360’s anyway. It is, however, much more responsive than the original and
that is something I have found very valuable over the past few days.
The controller feels slightly different, but better, than
the 360 controller. The joysticks stick out more and they have grips on them
that feel extremely comfortable to game with. The D-pad is a much-improved
version of its predecessor. There is a noticeable click when you push down on it
and it’s reassuring to know which direction you’re pressing it in. The triggers
don’t pop out as much and they’re flush with the bumpers. That means, for me
anyway, no more nitwitted gap between the two. I always made that mistake on
the 360 controller where I would press my finger into that gap rather than the
bumper. I was hoping that the controller would come with a built in battery,
but it looks as if we’re still stuck using double A’s for now. You do have the
option to purchase a play and charge kit, but with this being a “new”
generation, I was hoping it would’ve come bundled.
The headset that came with the console feels like a plastic
hunk of crap, but the sound quality on it is absolutely stunning. I still miss
having a wireless headset though because it’s annoying to have that cord
getting caught up in the controller. It’s not the best headset, but it’ll do
for now.
Likes Dislikes
+Polished and smooth color -Bulky
and heavy console.
+Much-improved controller -Controller
needs batteries
+Kinect is very responsive -Wired
headset feels cheap
+Sound quality on headset is crisp and clear
Setup
Setting up the console was one of the easiest experiences
I’ve had. I’m not saying it was a chore with previous generations, but this one
just felt quick and smooth. The most annoying part of the setup was having to
download the day one update and that’s because I was too impatient to wait
thirty minutes. Other than that all I had to do was select my region, language,
and time zone.
Setting up the Kinect and logging in with my gamer tag was a
breeze as well. Unlike the previous Kinect, I didn’t have to map the area of my
playing space. Instead it took a look at me, matched me to my gamertag,
configured the audio, and I was ready to go. First order of business after that
was to receive my achievement for buying the Day One Edition. It was a card
that had a Q code on it.
“Xbox, use a code.”
Boom, point the Q code towards the Kinect and in literally
two seconds I had my useless gem. In your face.
Likes Dislikes
+Fast and easy setup -Day
one update took too long
+Q Codes are quick
+No long and pointless Kinect setup
Interface
The interface is much different than that of the 360 and is
a lot more reminiscent to Windows 8. I’m not a huge fan of the Windows 8
platform when I’m using it on a PC; however, I have found it to be very useful
on my tablet, phone, and now Xbox. There are three tabs on the dashboard. The
left tab is Pins and I can store all of my favorite apps there for quick and
easy access. The middle tab is the Home screen where all recent activity (up to
five apps), profile/friends/achievements app, snap feature, games and apps, and
disc tray options are found. The right tab is the store.
I want to note that the store is much easier to navigate,
for me anyway. Instead of having a different tab for music, video, and games,
all of these options can be found in one place. The tabs on the home screen are
colorful and flashy and they’re much more appealing to look at compared to the
360’s version. The home is notably absent of belligerent advertisements, which
was a big issue I had on the 360’s dashboard. You’ll see your ads when you
navigate the store and they’re ads that show up based on your previous game
history. For example, Assassin’s Creed IV was recommended to me based on me
having played every iteration of the franchise before it. These are useful ads
to me because they feel almost customized. In fact, I’m more inclined to look
into these ads than I was a Ford ad on my 360.
Getting around your dashboard is quick and easy to do as
well. Using a controller is a tad slower than voice commands, but it’s notably
faster than navigation on the 360. Voice commands can get you to every place
you need to be. Simply saying, “Xbox, go to (name app) and within seconds
you’re there. The speed of the interface is appealing to me because I switch
back and forth a lot. On the 360 I would waste time going to Netflix, then
Hulu, then Twitch, and then maybe to a game. Switching back and forth on the
360 now seems like a chore in comparison. Being able to switch between apps
within seconds is a feature I love and never even knew I wanted. My only issue
with this is that the Kinect only responds 90 percent of the time. Granted this
is an improvement from its predecessor, but I’d still prefer 100 percent to
avoid looking like a douche bag that is yelling at his TV to Bing midget porn
for the tenth time. The problem is more noticeable when the television is loud
or if there is a lot of chatter in the room.
Likes Dislikes
+Less clutter on dashboard -Ads.
I simply don’t like them
+Pins has it’s own tab…finally -Have to repeat commands sometimes
+Store is condensed and easy to use
+Navigation is speedy
Content
There are the usual apps, Netflix, Twitch, Youtube, Hulu,
Amazon Instant Video, etc. The popular ones are there and I’m sure there will
be more on the way. Internet Explorer is back and, as you might imagine, it’s
still useless to use when you have a smartphone or computer that can complete
the job much quicker. Give me Firefox!
Everything on the Xbox one is it’s own app now. Achievements,
friends, and even party chat all have their own place. It may sounds like a
chore to use, but with the speed of switching back and forth, it’s hardly
noticeable. Also, the fact that nothing really closes is nice because you can
be in the middle of a match in Killer Instinct when you decide to check your
achievements. The system will pause the game to take you to this other app.
When you’re done you can easily switch right back to your game and pick up
exactly where you left off. It can be annoying though because problems tend to
arise when you can’t close all the apps. Not being able to join a party chat
and games not loading are two issues I’ve ran into. The solution is to turn the
Xbox off (which really means it’s going to sleep) and unplug it from the wall.
This way the console starts fresh when you turn it on. I’ll update this section
if I find an easier solution.
The snap feature is a pretty neat little toy to have,
although it is definitely not for everyone. You can snap most of your apps to
the right side of the screen while you continue whatever it is that you’re
doing in a different app on the left side. I’ve only found this very useful for
party chats and creepily stalking my friend via the activity feed. Although I’m
sure I’ll wind up snapping achievement guides in Internet Explorer for those
times I need it.
Watching TV on your Xbox is also a convenient thing to have.
My cable box is connected and I can now switch to the TV whenever I want as
well as control it with my voice. Using your voice is an absolutely useless
feature though. I’ve found that using the remote is still a much easier way to
go about watching television, despite how cool it is to ask your Kinect “what’s
on NFL?”
The party system feels smoother than it’s predecessor and
it’s convenient to have it snapped so you can see who’s talking. The annoying
thing is that when you join a party you have to select the, “turn party on,”
option. Why? I have no idea. Here I thought I wanted the party on because I
chose to either start or join one. And when I want to leave the party I won’t
“turn party off.” I’ll simply leave. It’s pointless and extremely useless. It
doesn’t take away from the experience but it does feel unnecessary and I hope
it gets removed in a future update.
The games that came with this console are scarce. I’m not sure I was even excited for any of the titles and have only had the chance to play two of them so far. Forza Motorsport 5 and Killer Instinct (a free to play title) have taken up most of my time on the Xbox One and I can admit to having fun with both of them. Keep in mind, though, that these games are not something I would recommend spending five hundred dollars on, assuming the features haven’t sucked you in. If you’re ONLY about games, it may be in your best interest to wait for the killer app *cough* Titanfall *cough*.
Skype is also available on Xbox One and I don’t have an
opinion on it yet. I haven’t actually used this app, but I’m hoping it’s as
simple to use as Skype on a computer.
Upload and Upload studio are my favorite apps so far. While
playing a game I can say, Xbox record that. It’ll automatically record the last
thirty seconds of gameplay. I can also snap the upload app and set it up to
record up to five minutes of gameplay. From there I can take my clips to Upload
Studio where I edit them into videos. Check out my Killer Instinct montage.
Likes
Dislikes
+Favorite apps are back -Internet
Explorer is still useless
+Everything is it’s own app -Apps
never closing causes issues
+Snap for easy multitasking -Voice
controls are hard to use with TV
+No more changing input to watch TV -Turning party on/off is unnecessary
+Party feature is easy to navigate -Needs more games
+Upload and Upload Studio
Overall
I have really enjoyed my experience on the Xbox One and that
is because it is targeted towards people like me who find the ease of
entertainment in one place useful. It may have certain setbacks but they’re
issues that can be fixed through a software update. I have to remind myself
that I’ll be going through the growing pains of the console since I decided to
become an early adopter. If you’re the type of person who is only about games
and could care less for the rest of the features, well, I can’t recommend this
console to you just yet. There are game to play, sure, but nothing that isn’t
worth waiting for. All the titles on this console may have gone over looked
(with the exception of Dead Rising 3 and Forza 5) had they released on current
gen systems. Regardless of your consumer choices, let it be known that I do in
fact enjoy this system a lot and I’m sure that one day you will too.
If you have any questions about things that I didn’t
address, feel free to ask me in the comments below.
First Impression: 8/10
