What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

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Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #15 – June 01, 2013, 04:32:56 pm

There really is no such thing as cheap internet, cheap means low bandwidth and speed.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #16 – June 01, 2013, 10:21:30 pm

Yup, I live here in the great white north. All of Alaska is about the same max speed, never more than 2 MBps of actual throughput.

And it isn't cheap anywhere. At least GCI has cheaper plans with no data caps.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #17 – June 07, 2013, 03:55:06 pm

Would personally love to buy the next generation of Xbox, but until Google Fiber comes to town (or Cable atleast), my X-one considerations are nimb.

Same boat as Flying Jester here, rural area madness. Most of the hate for the new model is because of the always online, DRM-thing, the necessary Kinect 2, and a few other stuff too.
From perspective here, Microsoft is wanting to evolve into an entertainment system rather than stay a gaming system.
With excellent reasoning to do so: Broader audience means greater profits.

The problem with that is, everyone with a computer already has one. So, essentially what they're selling you on is gimmicks and presentation. From what I've heard, another major problem with entertainment systems is region lock. In the U.S., Microsoft leaps to ensure that a variety of entertainment is available with music via Xbox Music, and movie rentals via Zune, a number of TV, movie, and sports syndicates (ESPN, NHL, NBA) have launched their products to Xbox 360. In the rest of the world however, you will only access a fraction of what is offered in the United States (Netflix's lacking library, etc). Rumors are their competition is no longer just Sony, but Apple and Google, whom they're now trying to beat out the living room. Complete with 1984 jokes.

Microsoft failed to reach a lot of people with their presentation, introducing a multi-media set-top box where the games became an uninspired afterthought. This crashes the console hard since a majority of the 360's selling point was it's social aspect of it. Now the system is adapted to one room, one family, and with no way to trade used games. Thank Kinect 2 and Always-on DRM for that one, which have both been the major dents in the marketable factors of the system. With this generation, the two big names have done a switcheroo in the reputation department, with Sony now being the old Microsoft, and Microsoft the old Sony.

http://www.gametrailers.com/full-episodes/w5i2js/bonus-round-microsoft-s-next-move

Fastforward to (10:42) in the above link. Andy McNamara (Editor-in-Chief, Game Informer) giving points about movement in the gaming industry and about Indie devs being pissed at Microsoft, and Sony's embracing them. A large part of the struggle here is the console companies are trying to appease both their big time publishers (EA, Square-Enix, etc.), who want to get rid of used games and stop having retails like EB-Games rubbing profits in their faces, and the customers who want an open gaming console that enables a smooth standard efficient play of next generation software.

. . .

Now as why the Always-online DRM-thing sucks... sending a friend your game?
He will need to pay full price of the game.

Quote

www.kotaku.com/you-will-be-able-to-trade-xbox-one-games-online-micros-509140825

"You'll have to pay a fee—and not just some sort of activation fee, but the actual price of that game—in order to use a game's code on a friend's account. Think of it like a new game, Harrison said."

The Only way your friend doesn't have to buy the game (At full price) is if you are there signed into your account. The Kinect is mandatory, and can’t be turned off

[qoute] http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/the-kinect-is-mandatory-and-cant-be-turned-off-welcome-your-new-motion-sens [/quote]

"Kinect does require to be connected to Xbox One in all cases, yes," he said .
Always on, always watching/listening, giving Microsoft feedback.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #18 – June 07, 2013, 05:11:29 pm

A lot of that contains unsubstantiated facts if you read the xbox.com overview of the console and other news stories.

- You cannot disconnect the kinect sensor:
No, but you can completely turn it off. It's like the Wii motion bar in some aspect, but I'm sure it's somehow corded... We won't know until it's out.

- Lend games:
Not at launch, but is still possible in the future.

- Rent games:
Not at launch, but is still possible in the future.

- Trade in's:
What is "pre-approved?" They say: "participating resellers", so I don't think they've prejudiced anyone in that statement. Also there will be no fee for trades, which was an early concern that caused righteous levels of vehemence toward MS.

Some of it, though, is true and scary!

- 24 hour connection
I dislike this, but you are going to connect this console to the internet anyways. If you aren't doing that you haven't moved on in the gaming world. But if your internet is down for more than a day, that will really suck. I think Microsoft was only looking at the broad market of people that have a reliable connection to the internet rather than the narrow market of people who do not. But that kinda sounds sensible for one perspective at least. However: it should work offline no matter what. They failed on that.

- Sell games freely:
The restrictions there are stupid. That means in order to sell a game at a garage sale, I'll need to be a "participating retailer of video games". That's just shit stupid from MS.

- Privacy concerns:
I know they have indeed said they look out for your privacy, but if there's a way, it's gonna get abused. I'm expecting MS to slip up on this in the next 5 years. But, a lot of people keep their webcams plugged into their computer, I can't see this being much different.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #19 – June 08, 2013, 12:33:04 am

Well, I agree that a lot of this is just par for the console course nowadays (or at least close to it), for me this raises a simple question.

I can (and have already) built a desktop computer that is at least comparable to the XBox One. I don't really know that for sure, but I'm willing to bet that a pair of GTX 550s, overclocked and in SLI, are at least good enough to compare, and that a Phenom II x6 is probably better than its CPU. So I can play games on that desktop, and in addition I can use netflix on it (though I don't). If I use Steam, I can take it back with me from university and play all the games I've bought all summer long, with no internet.

Why would I bother to buy an XBox One? For that matter, why would I buy any newer console? The only reason would be that it could do better than a computer in some way. I consider never needing internet to play games (over how Steam and Games for Windows do it, for example), being able to share games just by lending someone the disk examples. I'm willing to bet that none of the new consoles will offer anything that, for me anyway, puts them over a good old fashioned desktop computer. And in the case of my desktop, upgrading it to be as powerful as it is only cost me about $300, and it also functions handily as a computer. In fact, some friends and I use that one machine to play minecraft several times at once (so that they don't have to bring their computers) using VNC, virtual machines on my desktop and iPads (and one Galaxy).

In addition it acts as a web server when I'm at university. Why would I want an XBox One? I already have a single machine that was cheaper (I'm assuming, again I did no research on that), does more, and doesn't have at least all of the limitations when I use it to play games. And most of the games I want to play are available for it. The 'most' is unavoidable, though--there are exclusives in any case--including PC (and Linux!) and/or Steam exclusives.

I know that's not really comparing apples. But that's why I'm just disinterested in general to all new consoles, including the XBox One.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #20 – June 08, 2013, 01:47:19 am

Your computing power is peanuts compared to the potential the cloud can add to the 360. You might have more raw power on a physical location than it, but it can really go the extra mile w/ the cloud. That said, you do need an internet connection to utilize the cloud (and a fast one!!)

So, in order to like the new console you'll have to be okay on many fronts with it. So far I'm okay on some things (things others would not be okay with). Other things I'm not sure about until E3 and user (read: horror) stories after it releases.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #21 – June 08, 2013, 02:17:23 am

@FJ: Simple, you would buy the Xbox One for the same reason you would buy the PS4. For it's exclusives (games).

Exclusives are excluded from PC-gaming, and force you to own a console to play them. You're correct on that the new consoles would offer you nothing that you PC cannot already do (multi-media wise), but it's the market for PC that's currently the problem. While Steam's library is average, nothing satisfies me more than console exclusives (Fable, Halo, Killzone, Final Fantasy Versus)... especially if you're a single player type of guy. Multiplayer games are sometimes better reserved for the mass marketed, like Call of Duty, which includes the PC market. So it's only if you include yourself in this single-player campaign demographic that owning a console should be a priority for you, in my opinion.

Another thing, PS4 this year is optimizing their system for indie gaming, and have personally invited the creator of Minecraft to E3 this year with a golden PS1. Leads me to infer, they'll be catering to a market you're interested in. PC also has the advantage in virtual reality with Oculus Rift already out for devs, so that's one gimmick the consoles don't have yet.

I personally feel the same way you do though, and am very uninterested with this year's console generation. However, it does depend on what exclusives might be released that might influence my decision to purchase one. That'll be a few years down the road though, after a good many have already been released.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #22 – June 08, 2013, 03:44:03 am

I'll grant you (completely and utterly) that I do like Halo and many other console exclusives.

Considering what games are available, I can definitely say though that I prefer the multiplayer games that are console exclusives. So in that respect, I'm certainly not saying the XBox One or PS4 (or Wii or Wii U, I do love Super Smash Brothers) are bad. But I have always been able to rely on others owning the consoles for that. And that is completely my own experience, and also just the luck I've had.

And I don't like the cloud. I may just be old fashioned (actually that's probably all of it), but I like my programs and games and data and general processing to be on the machine that sits in front of me. I grudgingly accept it where it has been forced on me.

I too wait for E3, and it's been in the wild for a little while at least, until I totally make my proper judgement. But right now, I don't judge the XBox One well.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #23 – June 08, 2013, 04:44:18 am

@Jest: I'm old fashioned too! The first game console I played was my dad's old Atari Pong, then the NES (even though I got into gaming c. 1996) even though the SNES was already out and the N64 was just about to.

Well, I view the cloud as a double-edged sword. It can be good in the sense that it will increase certain computational capabilities, and data processing. But it also needs to have a strong internet connection. And I shudder to think of what'll happen when their servers go out. They may scoff at it right now but in 30 years from now will they still support an old game? Should they?

And isn't it weird that if after 30 years there was virtually no one playing it? I'm impressed to still see a pong console these days, but in 30 years these old dinosaurs from the past will be 60-70 years old, and today's games will then be treated like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. Except Pac-Man never needed an internet connection - you just put it in the console and go. A book can be read 50 years later before adapting it into a movie (like LotR), what can we say about a game in the same time?

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #24 – June 08, 2013, 03:07:24 pm

Ignoring all the rumors and hype surrounding the Xbox One and PS4, my reasoning for not getting either can be summed up in two sentences:

I haven't bought a single DLC for any game on any console or system.

I play Chrono Trigger from start to finish at least once a year.

For me, it's about the quality of games available, and I don't see either console having quality games anytime soon.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #25 – June 08, 2013, 05:45:27 pm

That's definitely one of the reasons I like old games. I can still play my 2600. I can still play my NES. In fact, my NES has had fewer problems than my friends' 360s. I kind of foresee older consoles still working (at least enough working examples that they won't be priceless) in 30 years.

I'm not sure of the longevity of newer games. At least on a computer, you can crack abandonware games (I don't condone cracking if you don't own the game!), even after the company has long since died out and the verification servers (or in a case like SimCity, the processing servers) went silent. I certainly hope that some companies will be kind and benevolent when they are nearing death, and release their games from DRM that won't work after they die. Notch promised that with MineCraft--once there is hardly anyone buying it, he will make it public domain.

Part of the reason I like old consoles is also that they have soul to them. The N64 has a MIPS processor. The Sega Saturn has a weird dual core GPU that thinks in terms of quads instead of triangles. The Dreamcast uses CDs written with DVD technology, and has dual SH processors. There's weird, unique hardware in them, good games for them take advantage of their very different strengths, and make clear their unusual weaknesses. It gives them style and soul. I don't get that from newer machines--they are very fast approaching PC technology, which from a conceptual standpoint hasn't changed too much in a long time, and there's relatively little variation in a lot of cases. It doesn't have the same feeling to it. I doubt I will ever look on the original XBox with much more enthusiasm than I do about my old PIII, Win2k computer. Someday nostalgia, but no sense of wonder, interest, and uniqueness. That's what keeps me coming back to my Saturn and N64, but doesn't push me start up my PIII machine (even though it has games on it that don't work on anything newer than XP).

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #26 – June 08, 2013, 05:50:23 pm

@Jest. amen.

Re: What are your thoughts on the Xbox One?

Reply #27 – June 15, 2013, 06:50:53 pm

Some of the info is already old, they're apparently leaving DRM up to the publisher which also means they can leave it up to them if they want a special code downloaded to play the game on one system.

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/06/publishers-decide-if-you-can-resell-or-lend-your-xbox-one-games-to-friends/
The same applies to the PS4 as well.