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[haikira]

Just watched Sessler's review. I thought it was pretty good. They certainly had some negatives to bring the table, but I felt it was positive about it as a gaming machine and Sessler seems ready to give MS the benefit of the doubt, for most aspects of the machine.

I'm still a little bitter that here in the UK, I'll be paying more to get less. But I've actually come around to the X1 a lot more recently. My priority currently is to get a PS4. But really, they both seem pretty awesome, just tailored to slightly different audiences.

Can't wait for that new console smell, for both machines.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

How many defective units until now?

I'd also like to know the answer to this.

 

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

Guiz, why fight and bicker over launch hardware reviews? Seems pointless to me, especially since both consoles already seem rather nice, and they're only going to get better. I'd suggest you read this good old article and try to remember that we're all in for good times. And good games, stupid.

 

[HariKari]

I'm glad to see good X1 reviews as I have one on the way. I just can't get over how almost every single reviewer gushes over the "magical" experience of saying "Xbox On". Tech reviewers should be used to voice commands by now. No one wants to break it down into specs or go into detail on software performance deeper into the OS. It's just "Oh boy! I can talk to it!"

Am I the only one who would rather pocket the $100 and just press a button? Honestly, I wouldn't even care if I had to (gasp) get up and push the button on the console itself. Why? Because it represents a few seconds worth of effort. It really doesn't get more efficient than the buttons on the controllers. I don't get how this voice activation (which both systems can do) is such a selling point. I have a smartphone that has robust voice commands but it's just so awkward and inefficient to use that it doesn't matter. I don't buy a phone for voice commands, the same way I don't buy a gaming console for voice commands.

Has anyone come up with a use for voice commands on either that is intuitive, more powerful, and easier than just using a controller? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[haikira]

Guiz, why fight and bicker over launch hardware reviews? Seems pointless to me, especially since both consoles already seem rather nice, and they're only going to get better. I'd suggest you read this good old article and try to remember that we're all in for good times. And good games, stupid.

Hear hear.

I often feel like a care bear when I'm on this site and perhaps I'm just easy to please, but I don't get all the hostility too. It's like that Louis C.K. quote "Everything's amazing and nobody's happy". Next Gen's here guys, it's a time to be happy.

 

[Skeff]

I bought a PS4 due to the fact that the Xbox One seemed to have so many features that wouldn't apply to me, but after reading all of the good things about "Upload Studio" and being able to save to Skydrive (I love to stream on Twitch and save videos to my PC). I use an Elgato capture device for streaming and hate having to wait for Sony to remove the HDCP restrictions, especially with no confirmed date when that patch will hit. Why do I feel like I backed the wrong console? I don't watch a lot of TV nor do I participate in "fantasy sports leagues" so I wouldn't use those features a lot. I am on disability and could only afford one console so the "why not get both" argument can't really help me right now.

All of the reviews seem to love Snap even though it can be sluggish and it seems like Xbox does have the better games right now. It worries me that if the Xbox One begins to pull away in terms of sales and popularity will devs develop games mainly for it and ending up with just a bad port for the PS4.

Does anyone else feel this way and is this common when new consoles are released so close to each other without having a year or so to really see how things may play out in the long run?

This is not a post to bash Sony and I am really happy to finally play AC: Black Flag in 1080p, but I am just thinking out loud and would like everyone's opinions on if I am alone in feeling this way or being a whiny b*tch.

I don't really understand...You can just stream to twitch directly from your console...Also if you wanted to you could just strip the HDCP from the PS4 very easily and cheaply ($10 or something.)

 

[mrklaw]

Guiz, why fight and bicker over launch hardware reviews? Seems pointless to me, especially since both consoles already seem rather nice, and they're only going to get better. I'd suggest you read this good old article and try to remember that we're all in for good times. And good games, stupid.

hear hear. Its also fucking UI, who cares? (or at least, who can't live with it for a while as we play fun games)

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Having read a few reviews now, I feel like a blue tooth mic would be the perfect solution for a lot of the voice command problems that could arise in a crowded/loud room.

The console is looking so nextgen to me. Can't fucking wait. Only wish I were getting it at launch

 

[Prine]

So Kinect puts the controller into standby mode when you place it down for a period of time, so damn cool.

Having read a few reviews now, I feel like a blue tooth mic would be the perfect solution for a lot of the voice command problems that could arise in a crowded/loud room.

The console is looking so nextgen to me. Can't fucking wait. Only wish I were getting it at launch

Mainstream press are going nuts over it. MS couldn't have asked for anything else for launch

 

[SaucyJack]

Whilst I'm glad the XB1 is reviewing well.

However, the positive aspects that the reviews are highlighting actually convince me that the PS4 was the right decision.

First of all, none of my consoles are in the living room. My main living room TV has a Sky box and Blu-Ray player attached and is used almost exclusively for watching TV and movies, if I put my console in there I would get virtually no gaming time. It is a smart TV so has the various streaming services wired in and also supports Skype.

My consoles are all in the playroom/games room with one PS3 in the bedroom for streaming netflix, bbc, etc.

So for all the neat and/or clever things the XB1 does it provides literally no functional benefit in the living room - where I get no gaming time but have other devices that do everything the XB1 offers media wise and more. Added to that I'm not convinced that MS understand or recognise the dynamic of a typical family living room, my Mrs would go mental if the living room TV had an overlay that started giving gaming notifications!

In the gaming room the XB1 media functionality (much of which is "not at launch" anyway) is of no interest as I pretty much only game there. I do not want to shrink a game to snap an app next to it - I'll use the whole screen for the game thank you very much.

So thanks reviewers, for confirming that whilst much of the XB1 functionality is nice it is also pretty much useless for me and therefore not worth gimping the console for.

 

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

Has anyone come up with a use for voice commands on either that is intuitive, more powerful, and easier than just using a controller? I'm genuinely curious.

Yes, in Skyrim, Mass Effect 3, Forza Horizon and elsewhere, but which method you'll prefer is a matter of taste. I feel like Kinect's been included not only because of current UI features and to encourage better software support, but also because of Microsoft's future hardware add-on plans. It'll be much easier to sell, say, AR glasses, if one costly component of the system is already included with every box.

 

[Wulfegang]

I don't really understand...You can just stream to twitch directly from your console...Also if you wanted to you could just strip the HDCP from the PS4 very easily and cheaply ($10 or something.)

I've been using the built in streaming app, but the quality (even on best the best setting) seems to have a lot of artifacts during fast moving scenes and the layout that includes chat seems poorly designed. Why not use the space below the camera to include more lines and get rid of the bland, gray background). I would feel like idiot buying a splitter then Sony releases the patch a week later. It's late and I am dealing with a lot of family issues so that doesn't help a lot heh. Like I said, just thinking out loud and looking for what people think of how I feel about the situation (which I appreciate you replying and what I am looking for).

 

[Ulumsk]

Glad to see it's competitive, but at the same time it confirms for me that I made the right choice in getting a PS4 first. Not that the Xbone is launching here this year with most of those cool features any way. I look forward to a good duking out. The most impressive linup this year for me is WiiU and PS3 which i already own anyway.

 

[Milchjon]

So Kinect puts the controller into standby mode when you place it down for a period of time, so damn cool.

Really? That's awesome.

I think it's little things like these that will make the PS4 eventually feel pretty limited in comparison.

 

[Roland1979]

When they rate a console by giving it a grade when it's barely released you know you shouldn't take them serious. At best they can make a pros/cons list or just write and explain different strength and weaknesses of the system.

 

[onQ123]

I bought a PS4 due to the fact that the Xbox One seemed to have so many features that wouldn't apply to me, but after reading all of the good things about "Upload Studio" and being able to save to Skydrive (I love to stream on Twitch and save videos to my PC). I use an Elgato capture device for streaming and hate having to wait for Sony to remove the HDCP restrictions, especially with no confirmed date when that patch will hit. Why do I feel like I backed the wrong console? I don't watch a lot of TV nor do I participate in "fantasy sports leagues" so I wouldn't use those features a lot. I am on disability and could only afford one console so the "why not get both" argument can't really help me right now.

All of the reviews seem to love Snap even though it can be sluggish and it seems like Xbox does have the better games right now. It worries me that if the Xbox One begins to pull away in terms of sales and popularity will devs develop games mainly for it and ending up with just a bad port for the PS4.

Does anyone else feel this way and is this common when new consoles are released so close to each other without having a year or so to really see how things may play out in the long run?

This is not a post to bash Sony and I am really happy to finally play AC: Black Flag in 1080p, but I am just thinking out loud and would like everyone's opinions on if I am alone in feeling this way or being a whiny b*tch.

Wait a minute! lol

PS4 let you stream right to Twitch without the need for a PC or any capture equipment & you're upset about it?

 

[Roland1979]

So Kinect puts the controller into standby mode when you place it down for a period of time, so damn cool.

Really? That's awesome.

I think it's little things like these that will make the PS4 eventually feel pretty limited in comparison.

ROFL you can set your PS3 already to turn the controller into stand by after X amount of time. Maybe the 360 never had it. And why would you need a camera for that!?

 

[madmackem]

Man watching the upload stuff it doesnt look anywhere near as good as ps4 offering, i thought it was suppose to be recording the last 5 minutes at all times? its doesnt seem to be doing that at all watching gamespots stream, only when you say xbox record that, thats a bit of a let down.

 

[snap0212]

I bought a PS4 due to the fact that the Xbox One seemed to have so many features that wouldn't apply to me, but after reading all of the good things about "Upload Studio" and being able to save to Skydrive (I love to stream on Twitch and save videos to my PC). I use an Elgato capture device for streaming and hate having to wait for Sony to remove the HDCP restrictions, especially with no confirmed date when that patch will hit. Why do I feel like I backed the wrong console? I don't watch a lot of TV nor do I participate in "fantasy sports leagues" so I wouldn't use those features a lot. I am on disability and could only afford one console so the "why not get both" argument can't really help me right now.

All of the reviews seem to love Snap even though it can be sluggish and it seems like Xbox does have the better games right now. It worries me that if the Xbox One begins to pull away in terms of sales and popularity will devs develop games mainly for it and ending up with just a bad port for the PS4.

Does anyone else feel this way and is this common when new consoles are released so close to each other without having a year or so to really see how things may play out in the long run?

This is not a post to bash Sony and I am really happy to finally play AC: Black Flag in 1080p, but I am just thinking out loud and would like everyone's opinions on if I am alone in feeling this way or being a whiny b*tch.

Don't worry about it too much. Both the Xbox One and the PS4 will turn out to be absolutely worthwhile systems. Just look at what kind of systems the Xbox 360 and the PS3 were when they first launched. Can't say I was too happy with them but I ended up having loads and loads of fun with both of them. If I were you then I'd just enjoy the system I own as much as possible and stop comparing everything and anything to the other system.

 

[Chû Totoro]

Really? That's awesome.

I think it's little things like these that will make the PS4 eventually feel pretty limited in comparison.

I asked for a list of all these little things but it seems that there is no place to find this easily :/

I'll have to make my own list I guess.

 

[haikira]

ROFL you can set your PS3 already to turn the controller into stand by after X amount of time. Maybe the 360 never had it. And why would you need a camera for that!?

It's just a neat extra, one that's hardly being being touted as a system seller. Hardly anything to get worked up about.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Mainstream press are going nuts over it. MS couldn't have asked for anything else for launch

Pretty much. CNN was practically gushing over it right now. Must feel incredible for the guys involved with the Xbox project to have their work recognized in the manner that it is right now. Congrats to Pannello/Major and the lot.

 

[Milchjon]

ROFL you can set your PS3 already to turn the controller into stand by after X amount of time. Maybe the 360 never had it. And why would you need a camera for that!?

Well, of course pretty much any electric device does that. But using a timer only is very basic tech, while this would allow for much smarter battery management.

 

[Haribo]

I thought the UI & Kinect stuff was supposed to be the big Xbox One 'thing' that makes the lack of power not matter? Both of those things seem slow and broken. FFS.

 

[Thrakier]

Glad to see it's competitive, but at the same time it confirms for me that I made the right choice in getting a PS4 first. Not that the Xbone is launching here this year with most of those cool features any way. I look forward to a good duking out. The most impressive linup this year for me is WiiU and PS3 which i already own anyway.

Well, how you define competetive?

 

[Wulfegang]

Wait a minute! lol

PS4 let you stream right to Twitch without the need for a PC or any capture equipment & you're upset about it?

Like I said a couple of posts back, I've been using the built in streaming app, but the quality (even on best the best setting) seems to have a lot of artifacts during fast moving scenes and the layout that includes chat seems poorly designed. At least with Xbox One I would be able stream right away using the Elgato since it doesn't use HDCP through the HDMI cable (at least from what I remember/understand).

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Should we expect a review from Edge? I'd love to know what they after the whole 'THIS IS YOUR NEXT CONSOLE' phase and its slow retraction.

 

[Fabrik]

Console reviews really? Totally useless. Only the games matter. It's just a plastic box in the end.

 

[Roland1979]

It's just a neat extra, one that's hardly being being touted as a system seller. Hardly anything to get worked up about.

Who's getting worked up? Are you getting worked up?

Well, of course pretty much any electric device does that. But using a timer only is very basic tech, while this would allow for much smarter battery management.

Not if it does not give options for anything under 10 minutes (PS3). And laying it down or not touching it is practically the same. Not pressing anything is actually slightly more precise (unnoticeable difference), Since every time you release a button a timer starts. And i'm sorry but IMO it has no added benefit over a timer and people just want to see features where it does not exists.

 

[Eusis]

Really? That's awesome.

I think it's little things like these that will make the PS4 eventually feel pretty limited in comparison.

Probably not too hard to slap into the PS4. What it lacks in camera fidelity and software maturity it'll probably make up in using that light and gyroscope.

 

[Deadly Joker]

With my cable box plugged into my Xbox, can I access content I recorded on my Comcast DVR?

I really hope so.

 

[SRTtoZ]

Having read a few reviews now, I feel like a blue tooth mic would be the perfect solution for a lot of the voice command problems that could arise in a crowded/loud room.

The console is looking so nextgen to me. Can't fucking wait. Only wish I were getting it at launch

Well, it IS next gen, so i'm glad you see it lol. If it wasn't nextgen I think MS would have a huge issue on their hands.

 

[Penguins&PolarBears]

Mainstream media perspective is extremely positive:


Xbox One review: This is the console of the future - Fortune

Xbox One Is a Slice of the Future - Rolling Stone

The Xbox One is the closest thing to the future of television we’ve yet seen - Hollywood Reporter

Xbox One a great game player _ and more - AP

Xbox One review: The gaming device that goes far beyond gaming - Consumer Reports

Xbox One: A family-focused console that goes beyond gaming - Washington Post

Xbox One review: Compelling console with a strong lineup of games - NBC News

Some mainstream sites were really definitive in saying the Xbox One was definitely the best choice this holiday:

The Xbox One really is a compelling piece of hardware, complete with a strong lineup of launch games. And that's more than I could say for Sony's PlayStation 4, which arrived last Friday.

... if you're really craving a new system now — or need something to bring home to the kids — the Xbox One is your best bet.

If the Xbox One isn't already near the top of your holiday wish list, it should be.

Sony's PS4 is not the entertainment hub we were expecting. But Microsoft's next-gen gaming console unifies your gaming, movie and TV watching under one voice-controlled roof

The images in the games I tried are on par with the PS4's — as detailed and realistic as anything yet produced by a living-room console.

"Forza Motorsport 5," the latest auto racing simulator from Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios, takes full advantage of the Xbox One's graphic oomph. You can see the attention to detail in every car. From the driver's seat, you can read every instrument on the dashboard. The beauty extends to the gorgeous environments, from the Bernese Alps to the streets of Prague to famous racetracks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And the specs are everything that you may expect of a next-generation console and well matched against newly released PlayStation 4. Xbox One graphics are smooth and fluid, with responsive game play and few glitches.

Microsoft does, however, arguably have a stronger launch lineup of games, bringing heavy-hitters such as “Forza Motorsport 5” and “Ryse: Son of Rome,” which shows the promise and limitations of the Kinect’s potential for gaming.

They all seemed to love Ryse and Forza the best.

 

[madmackem]

With my cable box plugged into my Xbox, can I access content I recorded on my Comcast DVR?

I really hope so.

denied, nope cant do that.

 

[Penguins&PolarBears]

denied, nope cant do that.

Yes you can. You say "Xbox Watch TV" and then you just use your Comcast remote as you always do. With voice control you can even control playback of the recorded show you select and you can control playback of live TV with the DVR functions (pause, rewind, fast forward).

Connecting an Xbox One does not suddenly make your existing remotes stop functioning. :-D

 

[madmackem]

Yes you can. You say "Xbox Watch TV" and then you just use your Comcast remote as you always do. You can even control playback of the TV show and you can control playback of live TV with the DVR functions (pause, rewind, fast forward).

I thought it was well known you couldnt dig into your dvr on your pvr?.

Edit so you have to use your remote access it?.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

They all seemed to love Ryse and Forza the best.

My main takeaway from a lot of the reviews is that most of them list Ryse as a killer app next to Forza. I was under the impression that the former would be receiving loads of 6 and 7s, but it's looking more like 8s today.

 

[SRTtoZ]

I would take some of those mainstream reviews with a grain of salt. Just browsing at the Rolling Stone one I see they think Ryse and DR3 are 1080p/60fps.

Performance
Microsoft's most impressive exclusive launch titles are Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5 and Dead Rising 3, which all run in 1080p at 60 frames per second. None represent a giant graphical leap beyond the last generation, but it's been eight years since Xbox 360 debuted, and it certainly shows. Xbox One games now look like high-end PC games – unsurprising, perhaps, since the console uses largely PC components. This isn't a bad thing, and the performance you get out of the machine easily bests an equivalently-priced PC.

So glad they did their research.

 

[haikira]

Who's getting worked up? Are you getting worked up?



Not if it does not give options for anything under 10 minutes (PS3). And laying it down or not touching it is practically the same. Not pressing anything is actually slightly more precise (unnoticeable difference), Since every time you release a button a timer starts. And i'm sorry but IMO it has no added benefit over a timer and people just want to see features where it does not exists.

Poor choice of words I'll admit, but you seemed to create a pretty thorough argument explaining how unnecessary it is, considering it's just a small convenience feature.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

Really? That's awesome.

I think it's little things like these that will make the PS4 eventually feel pretty limited in comparison.

Please tell me that was sarcasm.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

Connecting an Xbox One does not suddenly make your existing remotes stop functioning. :-D

Isn't that the whole point of that non-sense?

 

[boredandlazy]

Like I said a couple of posts back, I've been using the built in streaming app, but the quality (even on best the best setting) seems to have a lot of artifacts during fast moving scenes and the layout that includes chat seems poorly designed. At least with Xbox One I would be able stream right away using the Elgato since it doesn't use HDCP through the HDMI cable (at least from what I remember/understand).

Well streaming most games from XBOne will have inherently lower quality anyway, but if the apparent motion artifacts make it that unusable to you on the PS4 then you've sort of answered your own question.

 

[TheKayle]

im waiting to seee the full reviewww to chose if hte xbox is worty to buy

 

[GavinGT]

I thought it was well known you couldnt dig into your dvr on your pvr?.

Edit so you have to use your remote access it?.

Yep. After starting it with the remote you can pause, rewind, and FF.

 

[Deadly Joker]

Yes you can. You say "Xbox Watch TV" and then you just use your Comcast remote as you always do. With voice control you can even control playback of the recorded show you select and you can control playback of live TV with the DVR functions (pause, rewind, fast forward).

Connecting an Xbox One does not suddenly make your existing remotes stop functioning. :-D

Ok that sounds fine to me. Good news.

Also, does that mean that my comcast remote can control the OneGuide?

 

[Prine]

Who's getting worked up? Are you getting worked up?



Not if it does not give options for anything under 10 minutes (PS3). And laying it down or not touching it is practically the same. Not pressing anything is actually slightly more precise (unnoticeable difference), Since every time you release a button a timer starts. And i'm sorry but IMO it has no added benefit over a timer and people just want to see features where it does not exists.

erm i may have my controller held, inactive but not placed down (when im speaking to a friend which i do a lot), i can see Kinect implementation being convenient here.

 

[Chuck Norris]

My main takeaway from a lot of the reviews is that most of them list Ryse as a killer app next to Forza. I was under the impression that the former would be receiving loads of 6 and 7s, but it's looking more like 8s today.

Mainstream press has had a similar look towards Ryse since the start. The gaming press are going to eat it alive though

 

[kurbaan]

Ok that sounds fine to me. Good news.

Also, does that mean that my comcast remote can control the OneGuide?

The xbox guide? No.

You also cant set up DVR recordings from the xbone. But can play them back.

 

[Penguins&PolarBears]

Ok that sounds fine to me. Good news.

Also, does that mean that my comcast remote can control the OneGuide?

Assuming you have the IR code for Xbox One to enter into your Comcast remote then yes you can.

Microsoft has said that it is working with Logitech to have the Harmony remotes working with Xbox One for launch day.

The xbox guide? No.

You also cant set up DVR recordings from the xbone. But can play them back.

You can setup DVR recordings while using the Xbox One, you just can't do it with voice or game controllers. You'd have to use either the DVR remote or a universal remote like Harmony.

Isn't that the whole point of that non-sense?

No. This is the same convo I have with people who think a touch screen on a PC means you have to get rid of your mouse and keyboard. It's an additional input option, not a replacement for everything.

 

[Matriox]

erm i may have my controller held, inactive but not placed down (when im speaking to a friend which i do a lot), i can see Kinect implementation being convenient here.

For longer than 10 minutes? If thats the case then is it really so hard to press the button when youre done talking to said friend? Lets say hypothetically the reverse happens where you set it down while talking to said friend but wanted it left on, wouldn't this create a similar annoyance? It's nit picking.