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Video: Xbox One dash app/game snapping

G

GlassCity

Banned
W!CKED said:
Explanation of how modern smart phones work together with smart TVs: Let's assume I'm playing Guacamelee and I want to watch the latest trailer of The Witness. I pause the game, grab my smart phone, press the youtube app, type in "the witness trailer" (super fast thanks to Swipe) and send it with one button press to my smart TV which starts playing the video immediately.

What the video in the OP shows: The guy starts the Snap, tries to hit the Bing search mask with the analog stick, types in some stuff with the analog stick and waits until IE has finished loading the stuff. Maybe you can install a Youtube app, but that doesn't change the fact that analog sticks are crap for controlling any OS.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to call you out but your assuming some things here.

First off, you assuming everyone has a smart phone with web access, which is something a decent part of the population don't have.

Second, your assuming that everyone has a "smart TV" that can be connected to by a phone which I'm certain most people don't have at this point.

I still think adding an unnecessary device just complicates things myself. If the console lets you do these things without taking your eyes off of the TV, why use a phone at all ?
 
F

fatgamecat

Member
A 2 minute video is one thing, the OS running for hours/days stable while using snap, etc. is another.

We'll have to see on launch day I guess.
 
C

cool_dude

Banned
I like it and will use it often. Hopefully there is an Xbox live poker game so I can surf or watch tv awaiting my turn.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Snap should bloody work well. It is pretty much the only reason to need three operating systems, it is fundamental to the design of the machine. I'm interested to see how people use it, and it will take time for things to develop, but I still don't think it is such a valuable feature to warrant such compromise across the rest of the machine
 
W

walltowall

Member
coldfoot said:
Way to twist my point. Doing two things at the same time is not the same thing as paying attention to two things at the same time.
Click to expand...

I get your point but I disagree. Ask any football fan with the Red zone channel, or even a person who works with spreadsheets or text documents. Side by side kills Alt+Tab.
 
G

GlassCity

Banned
W!CKED said:
So basically you're saying this snap feature is for people without a smart phone and a smart TV?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily...

It's just easier... I often see the smart phone argument brought up on here like it some how equals what you can do on the X1. It simply doesn't...Just the fact that you can do everything on the console itself, without going through another device is proof of that.

Why would I want to bring my phone into the mix when I can just snap a window next to what i'm playing and never take my eyes off the screen ?

It just doesn't make sense to me....
 
W

walltowall

Member
W!CKED said:
So basically you're saying this snap feature is for people without a smart phone and a smart TV?
Click to expand...

I think you are purposely being obtuse to his point. The vast majority of smart TVs do not have this feature. When I pair my phone to my TV it's far from instant. I would much rather say "Xbox snap YouTube ..... The witness trailer" and not pause my game for fully divert my attention till the trailer is ready.
 
M

Mr_Zombie

Member
W!CKED said:
Explanation of how modern smart phones work together with smart TVs: Let's assume I'm playing Guacamelee and I want to watch the latest trailer of The Witness. I pause the game, grab my smart phone, press the youtube app, type in "the witness trailer" (super fast thanks to Swipe) and send it with one button press to my smart TV which starts playing the video immediately.
Click to expand...

You assume people have smart TV that smartphone can connect to. The point is, that's a false assumption because not everyone has a smart TV AND a smart TV that can be controlled with a smartphone. For example, I bought my TV before smart TVs were all the jazz and I really don't see a reason to replace it anytime soon (and even then, I would prefer buying a usb dongle like MK II instead of relaying on manufacturer's OS that will or will not be supported months after it's released).

I really don't understand people who diss additional functionality just because they can replace it with another device. It's like saying smartphones don't need mp3 players because you can already own a separate device that plays mp3. Or that smartphones don't need e-book readers, because there are dedicated e-book readers that are more suited for their functionality thanks to better screens. Hell, if we're going that far, smartphones shouldn't even exist because people already own devices that can replace all the functionality that smartphones are providing. However, instead of using a single device you have to use several ones.

That said, I don't think the video posted in the OP can be treated as a proof that there are not problems with the snap crashing OS. Wasn't it said that the main reason OS is crashing when user use snap mode and Xbox Live chat? Neither of those videos posted in the OP show that use case.
 
Meus Renaissance

Meus Renaissance

Member
The fact that this is the first social media launch is perhaps diluting the image we get from the development status. For those not familiar with the books that covered the development process of the Xbox 360 almost a decade ago, Redmond were plagued with various hurdles and problems - particularly in relation to the concern that Sony's machine being more capable.

Can you imagine Neogafs reaction had we insiders tweeting that sort of information as commentary during the development process?

It's a danger for people like thuway and mortimer who have an audience that wants constant updates because you run the risk of providing live commentary. For instance, if you share that there are OS issues -- even with the belief that they'll eventually be overcome for launch -- it'll add fuel to the overarching narrative of the XB1 being inferior; it won't be about the status of the OS anymore.

So, the idea that the OS looks more stable than initially thought doesn't surprise me at all because the leaks were based on a prior development cycle. Likewise for the Xbox Live rumours; it will be ready come launch regardless.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
GlassCity said:
Not necessarily...

It's just easier... I often see the smart phone argument brought up on here like it some how equals what you can do on the X1. It simply doesn't...Just the fact that you can do everything on the console itself, without going through another device is proof of that.

Why would I want to bring my phone into the mix when I can just snap a window next to what i'm playing and never take my eyes off the screen ?

It just doesn't make sense to me....
Click to expand...


This is the basic argument, and I think it is subjective and so will just go round and round here on GAF

The fundamental question for me is: what activities benefit more from sharing the same screen vs having a dedicated separate screen like a tablet? Personally I have a tablet and can't think of much i'd want to snap. A separate screen like a tablet seems much easier to navigate and switch focus, plus at ten feet that small sliver could be difficult to read unless it is optimised for snap
 
J

jizzlobber

Member
I'm generally pro Xbox, but I don't think i'll use this feature much personally, I want my games to use as much screen as possible.

I could see myself using it to have say, media control/info displayed as I surf the web or something, or if windows 8.1 apps work I can have the cricinfo commentary displayed while the kids watch a movie.

Its a neat feature, I'm glad the option is there, but I won't use it much... but I bet i'll discover some good combinations as I use it
 
D

DjRoomba

Banned
I dont even care if it works. Its a dumb fuckin idea anyway. I dont wanna surf the internet while simulatenously playing a game while simultaneously skyping while watching netflix. And if I did I would just use my laptop or ipad or iphone which has a keyboard and I can actually type on and would be much easier.

So who is this for? people with severe ADHD? People who can afford an xbox one but not a tablet or phone? Seems weird to spend the time/console horsepower to make a feature for such people
 
P

Protome

Member
I still don't really understand the appeal of the snap. Giving up screen real estate for something you could easily do on a second screen just seems absurd. I mean, I multitask on my PC of course, but if I'm playing a game and doing something else the latter gets placed on the second monitor. I don't make the game look purposefully worse to do something else.
I guess it'd be useful for when you're not actually multitasking but closing the snapped app when you're going back to gameplay, but then that again makes me wonder why you need it to snap at all. Especially if as it seems to be, it'd take less actions to not snap it and just use it full screen or to use a second screen.
 
D

Dukey

Banned
Game with long load times? Snap. Installing a game to the HD? Snap. Waiting for the round to be over in a multiplayer game? Snap. Livestreaming a game? Snap. There's plenty of times when I can see it as a useful feature. I wish I thought enough of the console to buy one.
 
C

Clefargle

Member
Snap is the one feature that I was jealous of windows users having. I'm a Mac user and had to download cinch to get the same effect. This is like the first big positive thing I've seen in the XBone OS so far.
 
D

DjRoomba

Banned
I feel like this was a feature some low level programmer came up with at Microsoft headquarters and everyone agreed with it cos it sounded impressive. But noone really stopped to think of the practical applications of such a feature on a console.
But Microsoft already had this same issue with the Kinect, so obviously they will never learn their lesson and continue to fail horribly
 
J

John Caboose

Member
jond76 said:
I think the program was calling MS out on a buggy OS while its still in development.

I'm the Ihop insider guys, my source told me that the pancakes you're ordering tomorrow at breakfast are still just eggs and flour right now!

People just need to wait til the stuff is on their plate in front of them. If MS fucks it up, they will fail spectacularly.
Click to expand...

dPQel.gif
 
G

GlassCity

Banned
mrklaw said:
The fundamental question for me is: what activities benefit more from sharing the same screen vs having a dedicated separate screen like a tablet? Personally I have a tablet and can't think of much i'd want to snap.
Click to expand...

I see this side of it, I really do.

What I wonder is... When people have this snap feature at their disposal, the TV, Internet, Skype, apps, will this become the "standard" ? Not just snap, but the ability to switch between fullscreen TV, Internet ect. Will this become a selling point, or a feature that people see as a benefit over other consoles?
 
W

walltowall

Member
W!CKED said:
No, no, no. I'm just stating my opinion. I'm not claiming to be right. My opinion is one of many opinions on this board and I recommend to ignore it (for once) if you really like this feature.

The point is: I just keep all the trade-offs in mind that Microsoft has to make for snap. For me personally, I can get the same result without snap with the aforementioned combination of smart phone and smart TV and that makes all these compromises to the gaming performance completely in vain.
Click to expand...

If that's merely your opinion I'm fine with that and it makes for a fruitful discussion where we can all learn something.
The tenor of your post suggested to me that you were making definitive blanket statements. To me, you did not leave room for the other side of the discussion as being valid.

As to the trade-offs; the other members of my household will gladly take the features MS has shown over Sony's raw power. They are not enthusiasts like I am so TFLOPs and ROPs mean nothing to them. I'm pretty sure there are many households like mine. If things were different, and I could not get both systems I would have a very hard choice to make, PS4 with the best graphics, but potentially less welcoming UI and less app choices that only I would use or an Xbox one with medium graphics, a familiar UI and features that extend beyond games that would entice the entire household to enjoy using the console.
 
N

Nightengale

Member
GlassCity said:
What I wonder is... When people have this snap feature at their disposal, the TV, Internet, Skype, apps, will this become the "standard" ? Not just snap, but the ability to switch between fullscreen TV, Internet ect. Will this become a selling point, or a feature that people see as a benefit over other consoles?
Click to expand...

To me, the elephant-in-the-room for this snap feature is 'how easy to use it is in real life.'

Voice-controlled features have always been finicky, and even more so once you actually have to micro-manage what you're looking for in that particular app that you're snapping.

Eg.
' Xbox, snap Netflix'
'Xbox, watch House of Cards episode 10'
'Xbox, snap Bing'
'Xbox, search for How to Defeat Boss'
'Xbox, go to link'
'Xbox, snap Youtube'
'Xbox, Youtube search Angry Joe'
'Xbox, play 2nd video'
'Xbox, snap Twitter'
'Xbox, search for #BreakingBad'

Snap has no problem with simple things like answering Skype calls, jump to specific games, etc, which are basically one-command attributes, but how effective will it be once you actually have to 'use' the snapped app?

Some are saying you can use your tablet/smartphone to work as a keyboard to type in commands, but at that stage... you're forced to basically escape your screen and use your actual second screen.

Even on the current Windows 8 tablets where snap is easy to use because of the touch controls, I find it still unpolished. It's going to be even scarier once you lose touch controls, and rely on voice + gesture.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
walltowall said:
If that's merely your opinion I'm fine with that and it makes for a fruitful discussion where we can all learn something.
The tenor of your post suggested to me that you were making definitive blanket statements. To me, you did not leave room for the other side of the discussion as being valid.

As to the trade-offs; the other members of my household will gladly take the features MS has shown over Sony's raw power. They are not enthusiasts like I am so TFLOPs and ROPs mean nothing to them. I'm pretty sure there are many households like mine. If things were different, and I could not get both systems I would have a very hard choice to make, PS4 with the best graphics, but potentially less welcoming UI and less app choices that only I would use or an Xbox one with medium graphics, a familiar UI and features that extend beyond games that would entice the entire household to enjoy using the console.
Click to expand...

What app choices that are on Xbox one and not PS4?

I know Sony has focused on games for launch, but just looking at PS3 and 360, you have to think PS4 will have most or all of the major media apps. They actually had OTA TV support via playTV and nasne in Europe and Japan, so you could argue they had better media support on ps3 than 360
 
Alx

Alx

Member
It looks as exepcted, which is very nice. It looks less "magical" without the voice and gesture commands, but still quite functional and smooth. The only part that seemed weird was the moment when it had a page with tiles (settings), embedded within the home page with its own tiles. See at 1:11 for example. That may be considered confusing or intricate.

As for people saying "I could do the same with my phone or my PC", I think the whole point is precisely that you don't need to grab another device. It's all about convenience, being able to do anything without putting down the controller is better than having to stand up and grab another device. And those features are not mutually exclusive, since there are also ways for the X1 to communicate with PC and phones (Smartglass etc).
The new consoles are all about giving you the choice, you can control them through controllers, or voice/gestures, or "second screen", you can use it to play or do other things, change activity to come back later, etc.

p3tran said:
this UI looks great

do we have equal recent video of ps4 UI? (dont mean shu_chair vid)
Click to expand...

There was this topic where you could see a recent version of the debug UI, which according to posters in that same topic is quite similar to the 1.5 one. Although we can only see the first "layer" of the interface, which is the minimalist one. The more detailed pages with tiles, images etc. are not visible there (see explanation by KennyLinder).
 
W

walltowall

Member
mrklaw said:
What app choices that are on Xbox one and not PS4?

I know Sony has focused on games for launch, but just looking at PS3 and 360, you have to think PS4 will have most or all of the major media apps. They actually had OTA TV support via playTV and nasne in Europe and Japan, so you could argue they had better media support on ps3 than 360
Click to expand...


I said potentially. And I am basing it on 360/PS3. HBO go is huge for me, so is live TV on Verizon Fios, and ESPN, and Xfinity, even The PBS app is awesome because I don't have to wait for a re-run. I know this is US centric, and I understand that others will make different decisions based on where they live.
 
P

Prine

Banned
jizzlobber said:
I'm generally pro Xbox, but I don't think i'll use this feature much personally, I want my games to use as much screen as possible.

I could see myself using it to have say, media control/info displayed as I surf the web or something, or if windows 8.1 apps work I can have the cricinfo commentary displayed while the kids watch a movie.

Its a neat feature, I'm glad the option is there, but I won't use it much... but I bet i'll discover some good combinations as I use it
Click to expand...

Yeah i think youll have to wait until you have it in your hands, i can see mysepf using it when a game is installing or loading or youve died in an online match and are waiting for your turn. I can see lots of people asking for this on other consoles
 
S

Steroyd

Member
GlassCity said:
Not necessarily...

It's just easier... I often see the smart phone argument brought up on here like it some how equals what you can do on the X1. It simply doesn't...Just the fact that you can do everything on the console itself, without going through another device is proof of that.

Why would I want to bring my phone into the mix when I can just snap a window next to what i'm playing and never take my eyes off the screen ?

It just doesn't make sense to me....
Click to expand...

Because it's all context on a game by game basis and what app is in conjunction, if you're playing a FPS you're not going to want to give up real estate because your chances of seeing who to frag or who is shooting you lowers, or navigating gamefaqs website for that moveset for Orchid needs controller input, the moment you stop controlling the game or the need to pause the game to use snap features the advantage over a smartphone is lost (bar something more interesting is happening on the TV instead.) then it becomes a question of which device is faster and easier to use and browse through.

I can see it being great for RPG's.
 
B

Black Mantis

Member
Entrecôte;88395677 said:
Why not just put your sky box into the bone and snap the native output? Seems that is what it is meant for.
Click to expand...

I use my mum's details to access the Sky app, I don't have a physical box and don't pay Sky anything. That's why some of us need a new Sky app confirmed.
 
S

something fishy

Member
shem935 said:
Hey famous any scuttlebutt on the PSN? Flaming Mess? Gift from God?
Cerny?
Click to expand...

directly dismissed here on Morts blog http://doddscientifics.com/

but he has tweeted that he hears of more problems with the xb1 os and n4g have run with another xbx1 in crisis story as a results

http://n4g.com/news/1385705/famousm...-os?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Yet Mort tweeted that he said nothing about that stuff, only live issues.

seems we now have the same people quoting each other in ever escalating stories and the fans are lapping it up No amount of videos showing it works will stop this until it's in the wild and people see it works or doesn't now.
 
O

Omni

Member
DjRoomba said:
I dont even care if it works. Its a dumb fuckin idea anyway. I dont wanna surf the internet while simulatenously playing a game while simultaneously skyping while watching netflix. And if I did I would just use my laptop or ipad or iphone which has a keyboard and I can actually type on and would be much easier.
Click to expand...
Salt.jpg

So who is this for? people with severe ADHD? People who can afford an xbox one but not a tablet or phone? Seems weird to spend the time/console horsepower to make a feature for such people
Click to expand...
enough-internet.gif
 
GetemMa

GetemMa

Member
Loads battlefield 4....doesn't play it so he can do something else like loading an IE window.

Next gen is truly here.

I've always wanted to do that.
 
H

Hedge

Member
Looks surprisingly fluid. I was expecting a lot of stutter in the performance.

Still won't make me buy one, though. ;)
 
D

Doffen

Member
GetemMa said:
I think I do.

To display that the tech works while at the same time displaying how it is borderline useless for anyone who uses their game console to play games.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have web Spotify snapped with IE and play music while I play Forza.
Porbably going to have E3/event count downer also snapped while I play games.

Skype videochat snapped would also be nice.
 
D

dripdripsplash

Member
RoadHazard said:
"Snapping" refers to placing an app side-by-side with the game, and no, the PS4 won't support that. Those GPU and memory recources will go to the game instead of that other stuff on the PS4. But it does support multitasking, yes, in that you can leave the game, do something else on the console, and instantly return to where you were in the game.
Click to expand...

That's what I meant, thank you! Awesome then!
 
I

IRQ

Banned
Some of the comments here are ridiculous. Are you really serious complaining about a feature that is OPTIONAL? Don't you use it if you don't want it. Just play games or do whatever you do on a console. It's like saying why does MS include a headset with Xbox, am never online. Or why Sony wasting resources on remote play, I will never buy a vita. Why does my cellphone plan includes SMS, I never use them. Why is there a Bluetooth on my car, I have a Bluetooth headset right here. Why have two good things, its absurd right? Why do I have have a camera on my tv? Why do I Have Skype on it? I have Skype on my phone. Why do I have Netflix on my tv? I have it on my PC. I have it on my phone, and ps3 and Xbox and tablet.


This not about you and me. Its about giving people options. Like web browsing on PS3. Why have it when I can do it from my PC and phone??

OPTIONAL features. No one is forcing anyone to use it. Not gonna use it? Don't talk about it. Talk about something you wanna do with the console. Not gonna buy it? You have another options, why wasting time here?

This so fucking stupid. Complaining about an optional feature on a device is sickening.
 
M

madmackem

Member
Hedge said:
Looks surprisingly fluid. I was expecting a lot of stutter in the performance.

Still won't make me buy one, though. ;)
Click to expand...

It looks fluid because nothing works, hes just flipping in and out of non working apps on that video, we need to see it flipping in and out of working apps before we can pass judgement.
 
C

CadetMahoney

Member
Dukey said:
Game with long load times? Snap. Installing a game to the HD? Snap. Waiting for the round to be over in a multiplayer game? Snap. Livestreaming a game? Snap.
Click to expand...

oh_snap.jpg

I expect lots of porn bookmarks ready and waiting no doubt. No wonder they wanted a camera to spy on you for blackmailing purposes. It all makes sense now.
 
S

Steverulez

Member
GetemMa said:
Loads battlefield 4....doesn't play it so he can do something else like loading an IE window.

Next gen is truly here.

I've always wanted to do that.
Click to expand...

He was at the Xbox One Tour and testing a new feature on the new console. Im glad MS don't pay attention to people like you otherwise games consoles would probably be stuck with OG Xbox online functionality.
 
M

madmackem

Member
IRQ said:
Some of the comments here are ridiculous. Are you really serious complaining about a feature that is OPTIONAL? Don't you use it if you don't want it. Just play games or do whatever you do on a console. It's like saying why does MS include a headset with Xbox, am never online. Or why Sony wasting resources on remote play, I will never buy a vita. Why does my cellphone plan includes SMS, I never use them. Why is there a Bluetooth on my car, I have a Bluetooth headset right here. Why have two good things, its absurd right? Why do I have have a camera on my tv? Why do I Have Skype on it? I have Skype on my phone. Why do I have Netflix on my tv? I have it on my PC. I have it on my phone, and ps3 and Xbox and tablet.


This not about you and me. Its about giving people options. Like web browsing on PS3. Why have it when I can do it from my PC and phone??

OPTIONAL features. No one is forcing anyone to use it. Not gonna use it? Don't talk about it. Talk about something thing you wanna do with the console. Not gonna buy it? You have another options, why wasting time here?

This so fucking stupid. Complaining about an optional feature on a device is sickening.
Click to expand...

Like kinect this is optional but your paying for it as this whole thing is taking 10% of gpu away from gaming.
 
D

derFeef

Member
madmackem said:
It looks fluid because nothing works, hes just flipping in and out of non working apps on that video, we need to see it flipping in and out of working apps before we can pass judgement.
Click to expand...

So watch the other video in the OP, are people ignoring that on purpose?
 
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