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[Delusibeta]

it depends on who if its a killer feature or not. When netflix was exclusive to the 360 console for a year or so, that was a killer feature to many.

Skype is on the frickin' PSVita, sans paywall. Skype is available for pretty much every phone OS worth a damn, sans paywall. Skype for the Xbone will be largely worthless when pretty much every tablet with a front facing camera can do the same thing without the $60/year requirement.

 

[Odrion]

Why are we talking about Skype? There is more to having a large cross-gadget app marketplace than just Skype.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

Xbox One will run Windows 8 Apps... and its rumored that Windows 8.x will run Windows Phone apps... so eventually Xbox one should be able to run Windows Phone app which is where the real ecosystem in the Metro world is.

MS are planning to merge Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT (most likely replacing WP8 with an RT OS), so yeah it will be interesting to see how Windows phone apps are brought over.

 

[linkeds2]

I'd rather pay $500 for a console that dedicates its hardware to gaming than one that sacrifices 1/3 of its RAM in order to host a W8 runtime environment and kludgy camera for Skype.

And I'd rather pay $500 for a console that gives me something more to do than just playing games but that lets me stream movies as well

but people do give a fuck

 

[Dougald]

You cannot disable Metro, its always there. You can now set Win 8 to start on the desktop, but Metro will always appear when you hit the Start button and you still need to use it to do things like shutdown your PC..

If you install (and gasp: BUY) start8 from stardock then it restores the win7 start menu and turns off metro (well, it's still there in the background but you can't bring it up any more). Basically makes win8 run like a slightly-more-cludgy version of win7

 

[bob page]

And I'd rather pay $500 for a console that gives me something more to do than just playing games but that lets me stream movies as well

but people do give a fuck

You do realize that pretty much every device nowadays can stream movies, right (including the PS4, without being behind a paywall)?

This rumor is worthwhile if you're interested in running social apps, productivity apps, etc on your XB1. As it stands right now, the Windows 8 metro gaming situation is basically non-existent. As stated by others previously, that will most likely change in a year or two once/if they merge the store with Windows Phone.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

I don't think skype's a killer app. You can get Skype on a toaster at this point. All of the apps are more of a complementary piece. If you're looking to jump into next gen next year, the ability to have all those features and apps together might influence you to pick up the console but by themselves it wouldn't really sway you.

 

[jim2011]

Skype is on the frickin' PSVita, sans paywall. Skype is available for pretty much every phone OS worth a damn, sans paywall. Skype for the Xbone will be largely worthless when pretty much every tablet with a front facing camera can do the same thing without the $60/year requirement.

Lets see... do I want to hold a tablet facing me the entire time of a Skype call or would I rather just sit on the couch and look at the tv to see a big image of the person I'm talking to.

Also, you're forgetting the group video calls. I don't know about you but I prefer talking to more than 1 person at a time.


Edit: I don't think its a killer app but it is definitely cool and a good thing. Can't see how you can make a negative out of it.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Can someone give an example of how this would be useful. I'm struggling to think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjTj0ymhbBw

 

[Via Purifico]

Really people are complaining about this?? Imagine having a decent mkv player or having a nes emulator etc.

 

[Pirzolaman]

I'm happy for fellow xbox one buyers.

 

[mitchman]

Xbox One will run Windows 8 Apps... and its rumored that Windows 8.x will run Windows Phone apps... so eventually Xbox one should be able to run Windows Phone app which is where the real ecosystem in the Metro world is.

Windows 8 does not run Windows phone apps, that's a fact. However, porting an app from Win Phone 8 to Win 8 is not a big task.

 

[linkeds2]

You do realize that pretty much every device nowadays can stream movies, right (including the PS4, without being behind a paywall)?

This rumor is worthwhile if you're interested in running social apps, productivity apps, etc on your XB1. As it stands right now, the Windows 8 metro gaming situation is basically non-existent. As stated by others previously, that will most likely change in a year or two once/if they merge the store with Windows Phone.

i was just using movie streaming as an example, of which probably would be non existent if video game consoles simply played games, or cellphones simply made phone calls

 

[CoG]

i was just using movie streaming as an example, of which probably would be non existent if video game consoles simply played games, or cellphones simply made phone calls

Roku was streaming Netflix in early 2008, long before it came to the 360.

 

[Skeff]

They chose 8 gb for apps? It's a stupid argument. That's not being an "arsehole". That's me reacting to a bad supposition.

Yes, they decided in 2010 that they wanted 3GB for multiple OS (to run apps) and so needed 8GB total.

I'm not making a negative out of this article, I'm pointing out that saying "running apps as well as games doesn't diminish the games" is factually incorrect.

 

[linkeds2]

Roku was streaming Netflix in early 2008, long before it came to the 360.

I'm not referring directly to movie streaming or video game consoles, I brought them up as examples to explain the idea of innovation. its the reason netflix is so widespread and the reason MS brought the W8 platform to a video game console.

Albeit corny sounding and for the sake of sounding crazy to most of you, try looking at the bigger picture of why MS and Sony make big decisions when they design their consoles (or any corporation that develops products for that matter)

 

[UNCMark]

Yes, they decided in 2010 that they wanted 3GB for multiple OS (to run apps) and so needed 8GB total.

I'm not making a negative out of this article, I'm pointing out that saying "running apps as well as games doesn't diminish the games" is factually incorrect.

No, it's not. Your assumption only holds water if you can prove they wouldn't have gone with 8 gigs of memory without running apps.

 

[RedSwirl]

Am I the only one who buys a gaming console to, you know... game? Why the hell would I want to compromise that in the name of apps when I've got three other devices that are much better for apps and the like? This may be a great thing for some, but I'd rather see all that extra effort put into the gaming side. It just lends more credibility to the horsetrading stories that come out of MS over what the Xbox is supposed to be.

It's not a zero sum equation. Focus on apps won't compromise the playing of games. That effort isn't effort being taken away from making the Xbox One a great games machine.

Look, ultimately, a game console is really just a computer that connects to your television and interfaces through a certain kind of game pad. The only two real differences between a game console and a PC are that 1) A console is a closed box, and 2) People only choose to develop games for it.

If someone had chosen to develop spreadsheet software for the Super NES, that wouldn't compromise the system's ability to play games. By the same token, allowing Windows 8 apps to run on Xbox One, thus allowing developers to make all sorts of apps for the console, isn't gonna all of a sudden affect the people developing games. When you think about it the ecosystem of a game console right now isn't that different from iOS: iOS operates on a closed box where people develop and sell software the revenue from which the hardware manufacturer get's a cut. That software just happens to encompass a range of categories instead of just games.

Xbox One, if it does in fact run Windows 8 apps, can pretty much just be the same thing, just connected to a television with a controller as the user input. I think if this does happen, the Xbox One could end up becoming the most popular Windows 8 device. The biggest thing is that it would essentially increase the number of Xbox One developers and free up the process of making software -- all kinds of software, which would eventually give the Xbox One potentially much better media and entertainment support than the PS4.

Really people are complaining about this?? Imagine having a decent mkv player or having a nes emulator etc.

Shit like this is what I'm talking about. I don't know if Microsoft would allow an NES emulator, but for a lot of people an MKV player would be a game changer. Imagine if a bittorrent app existed for Windows 8 (if one doesn't already).

This is basically what I was hoping would happen to the next-gen consoles: for them to become more open app boxes with robust development communities instead of just handpicking a few apps.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

It really doesn't make any sense that Windows 8 apps wouldn't be supported considering the CPU architecture of the Xbox One is x86, and all those apps really don't require that many system resources to run anyway.

And being a fan of Windows 8, as well as having found a number of apps that I enjoy using on my PC, I certainly look forward to being able to use a number of those same apps on my Xbox One also.

 

[_Ryo_]

Is there a Netflix-Hulu Win8 app? If so what's stopping people from using those instead of having to pay for Live Gold, unless running Win8 apps is also behind a paywall.

 

[Via Purifico]

It's not a zero sum equation. Focus on apps won't compromise the playing of games. That effort isn't effort being taken away from making the Xbox One a great games machine.

Look, ultimately, a game console is really just a computer that connects to your television and interfaces through a certain kind of game pad. The only two real differences between a game console and a PC are that 1) A console is a closed box, and 2) People only choose to develop games for it.

If someone had chosen to develop spreadsheet software for the Super NES, that wouldn't compromise the system's ability to play games. By the same token, allowing Windows 8 apps to run on Xbox One, thus allowing developers to make all sorts of apps for the console, isn't gonna all of a sudden affect the people developing games. When you think about it the ecosystem of a game console right now isn't that different from iOS: iOS operates on a closed box where people develop and sell software the revenue from which the hardware manufacturer get's a cut. That software just happens to encompass a range of categories instead of just games.

Xbox One, if it does in fact run Windows 8 apps, can pretty much just be the same thing, just connected to a television with a controller as the user input. I think if this does happen, the Xbox One could end up becoming the most popular Windows 8 device. The biggest thing is that it would essentially increase the number of Xbox One developers and free up the process of making software -- all kinds of software, which would eventually give the Xbox One potentially much better media and entertainment support than the PS4.



Shit like this is what I'm talking about. I don't know if Microsoft would allow an NES emulator, but for a lot of people an MKV player would be a game changer. Imagine if a bittorrent app existed for Windows 8 (if one doesn't already).

This is basically what I was hoping would happen to the next-gen consoles: for them to become more open app boxes with robust development communities instead of just handpicking a few apps.

There are actually several bittorent clients availlable on the windows 8 app store.

 

[satam55]

So I wonder how Sony can compete against this.

Try and implement Android app compatibility?

I've mentioned this several time before, The PS4's OS is based on FreeBSD 9, so that means it has a built-in Linux-compatibility layer that can run Linux programs. There's no doubt that the Linux-compatibility layer will be used for Apps on the PS4. Just like Windows 8 on XB1 will be used for Apps. Android, Google TV, Google Chrome OS, Ubuntu, & most Smart TV/streaming media boxes OS that run apps are linux-based. So devs will have easy time porting over their app to the PS4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plP50wUZPzM

 

[Quasar]

Windows 8 does not run Windows phone apps, that's a fact. However, porting an app from Win Phone 8 to Win 8 is not a big task.

And I expect the same will be true of the XBone and Windows 8 apps. Of course aside from media apps I don't know what Windows 8 apps I'd want on a console. Assuming MS even allowed them through.

 

[BigJoeGrizzly]

I'd rather pay $500 for a console that dedicates its hardware to gaming than one that sacrifices 1/3 of its RAM in order to host a W8 runtime environment and kludgy camera for Skype.

Doesn't the PS4 dedicate a decent amount of RAM for non-gaming features? I know we still don't have an exact idea what the RAM split is, but hasn't it been suggested at around 2-3 GBs or so? Why do you think Sony is dedicating RAM for things other than games? Just for fun? If you think Sony doesn't have aspirations outside of gaming on their console, you're incredibly misguided.

 

[cool_dude]

It would be awesome to have study apps and fantasy sports app snapped while skype-ing or playing games. That would be cool and very useful for me.

 

[TheLegendary]

The Xbox's hardware is already set; anyone who would complai about additional features that adds value to the console just doesnt make any sense.

This is going to end up being a big deal for a lot of people.

 

[satam55]

Doesn't the PS4 dedicate a decent amount of RAM for non-gaming features? I know we still don't have an exact idea what the RAM split is, but hasn't it been suggested at around 2-3 GBs or so? Why do you think Sony is dedicating RAM for things other than games? Just for fun? If you think Sony doesn't have aspirations outside of gaming on their console, you're incredibly misguided.

This! Unlike the PS3, the PS4 has been designed to match any new features in the future that will be possible on Xbox1 or Steam.

 

[M3d10n]

Can someone give an example of how this would be useful. I'm struggling to think.

Unless the whole app-side is behind a paywall, this means Netflix, Skype, Youtube and many others should work without requiring a Gold subscription.

It also means XBOne owners can finally play Halo: Spartan Assault.

 

[mocoworm]

Maybe this will be a great reason for more devs to start making quality Windows8 apps. Give the W8 store a boost.

 

[fritolay]

So if you made a windows 8 weather app, it would be able to install on your windows phone and xbox one? Does it have to be approved for the MS store and installed that way? Or can any person develop and publish on these if they are their own?

 

[SPDIF]

So if you made a windows 8 weather app, it would be able to install on your windows phone and xbox one? Does it have to be approved for the MS store and installed that way? Or can any person develop and publish on these if they are their own?

You'd have to slightly tweak the code for each version since the APIs still aren't quite the same, but yeah pretty much. That's the plan anyway. And yes MS will have to approve it before it gets to go up on the store.

 

[tensuke]

I forgot Windows 8 even had an app store until yesterday when I needed it to download 8.1.

 

[fritolay]

You'd have to slightly tweak the code for each version since the APIs still aren't quite the same, but yeah pretty much. That's the plan anyway. And yes MS will have to approve it before it gets to go up on the store.

So if you are the weather channel or something, you have little code to adjust to get on all 3 platforms. I see the benefit. Maybe if 1 store of any 3 platforms takes off you will have a lot of apps for the other platforms that do not. MS benefits there. And this is probably what MS wanted 12+ years ago but couldn't swing it at the time.

 

[RedSwirl]

I've mentioned this several time before, The PS4's OS is based on FreeBSD 9, so that means it has a built-in Linux-compatibility layer that can run Linux programs. There's no doubt that the Linux-compatibility layer will be used for Apps on the PS4. Just like Windows 8 on XB1 will be used for Apps. Android, Google TV, Google Chrome OS, Ubuntu, & most Smart TV/streaming media boxes OS that run apps are linux-based. So devs will have easy time porting over their app to the PS4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plP50wUZPzM

The real issue is encouraging an actual development community to back the PS4 on the same level as Windows 8 apps. Yeah Windows 8 is a distant third behind Android and iOS, but it's probably still a whole lot more expansive than whatever apps Sony will handpick to have on the PS4.

 

[satam55]

The real issue is encouraging an actual development community to back the PS4 on the same level as Windows 8 apps. Yeah Windows 8 is a distant third behind Android and iOS, but it's probably still a whole lot more expansive than whatever apps Sony will handpick to have on the PS4.

You forgetting the point that Android is Linux-based. Porting over apps from Android/GoogleTV to the PS4 will be easy.

 

[SenjutsuSage]

There's lots really cool apps that make Xbox One support very exciting. For some this may not matter, but for people that care about added bonuses or features such as this, it's a very big deal.

 

[SPDIF]

So I've just been looking at old articles discussing the possibility of this, and I'm surprsied that I've never come across this image before.

The original image is from one of the files that Kotaku got from that SuperDaE guy.

"AppxManifest.xml" is usually a file you'd only expect to find in Metro/Modern apps, as you can see in the image. Is it possible that there's some exclusivity deal between MS and Crytek to develop Homefront 2 as an XB1, Windows 8 and Windows Phone app? Or is it completely fake? It would be pretty easy to do so I suppose.

Of course it's possible that all XB1 games, whether they're in app form or otherwise also contain the "AppxManifest.xml" file, but it'd be strange if they did. Thought I'd post it regardless.

 

[Pumpkincutter]

My PS3 ran Linux, a bunch of Apps, and was sold by Dell. He must have missed the current gen. But seriously, since when is added functionality a bad thing on any of these consoles?

It's not a bad thing at all. For hardcore gamers it may be off putting.

 

[Mugatu]

Complete access to the Windows 8 app store would be huge IMO, might push me over the edge even with Kinect included.

 

[RedSwirl]

You forgetting the point that Android is Linux-based. Porting over apps from Android/GoogleTV to the PS4 will be easy.

I just wonder if as many developers would be willing to do that as opposed to just straight up developing W8 apps to run on Xbox One.

 

[mitchman]

And I expect the same will be true of the XBone and Windows 8 apps. Of course aside from media apps I don't know what Windows 8 apps I'd want on a console. Assuming MS even allowed them through.

If they allow it, I expect it won't be much more work than just recompiling and maybe replacing some APIs with others (controller support is one area).

 

[BigJoeGrizzly]

Yes, they decided in 2010 that they wanted 3GB for multiple OS (to run apps) and so needed 8GB total.

I'm not making a negative out of this article, I'm pointing out that saying "running apps as well as games doesn't diminish the games" is factually incorrect.

How does 5 whole GB plus good bandwidth diminish games? That's more memory allotted for gaming than most graphics cards! Doesn't the PS4 have around 6 GB (unconfirmed) allotted for games? I'd think both those RAM amounts would be more than sufficient for what devs want to do this generation.

 

[Coolwhip]

more people than you think.

its your type of mentality that shuns innovation. If everyone thought like this, we wouldn't have ANY apps on consoles and we'd be paying 5-600$ for consoles that only played games + another 600$ for a laptop so I can be able to skype my family in the Phillipines or my highschool friend in New Orleans.

Don't have a phone or tablet?

 

[StevieP]

Complete access to the Windows 8 app store would be huge IMO, might push me over the edge even with Kinect included.

Anything that runs in RT/Metro should run just fine here.

 

[WAR recon zero]

metro apps are fucking trash and stuck in tablet mentality. They are not even designed for multitasking

 

[nhlducks35]

How does 5 whole GB plus good bandwidth diminish games? That's more memory allotted for gaming than most graphics cards! Doesn't the PS4 have around 6 GB (unconfirmed) allotted for games? I'd think both those RAM amounts would be more than sufficient for what devs want to do this generation.

Xbox One and PS4 Ram is shared among graphics and system, which is not the case for PC. Not to mention the Xbox One only has 68GB/s bandwidth, which is a lot less than most graphics cards.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

metro apps are fucking trash and stuck in tablet mentality. They are not even designed for multitasking

Except for the part where pretty much every metro app has the ability to snap itself to either side of the screen, auto re-sizing/re-formatting itself in the process so as to facilitate multi tasking?

 

[HariKari]

more people than you think.

its your type of mentality that shuns innovation. If everyone thought like this, we wouldn't have ANY apps on consoles and we'd be paying 5-600$ for consoles that only played games + another 600$ for a laptop so I can be able to skype my family in the Phillipines or my highschool friend in New Orleans.

The PS4 is $400 and selling just fine. Not sure where the "$500-600" comes from. The added W8 functionality may very well appeal to you if this is the only device in your home. The problem here is that the type of person who drops $500 on another W8 device probably already has a PC, a smartphone, and a tablet. All of those form factors are better than the XB1 at doing W8 functionality. I'm not really going to pull up my email or finance app on a gaming console.

This is simply shoehorning Windows 8 functionality into every device possible.

 

[BigJoeGrizzly]

Xbox One and PS4 Ram is shared among graphics and system, which is not the case for PC. Not to mention the Xbox One only has 68GB/s bandwidth, which is a lot less than most graphics cards.

Yes, the RAM is shared, but even when shared both the Xbone and PS4 have at least 5GB of memory JUST for gaming (which once again, is more than most top graphics cards). And Xbone devs have more than 68GBs total bandwidth to play with (that's just the DDR3 memory, not including the benefits from the eSRAM). Devs have more than enough to play with on both consoles.

 

[Everdred]

I've been on Windows 8 since day one and there are very few good apps. Jetpac Joyride, Wordament and Spartan Assault for games. Social media apps like StumbleUpon, Twitter and Reddit. That's about it. If this is true, hopefully it will flesh out the market. It's mostly garbage right now.