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[Maulik]

Another concern I have with voice controls:

If i start a xbl party with 4 other people, will they have to keep hearing me issue commands and me in turn them? It could get crazy annoying hearing each other say "Xbox___" the entire time we are in a party. Anyone know if it cuts that audio out when you are issuing commands?

 

[mrklaw]

It's voice control which requires you to use specific commands. MS never claimed natural voice recognition like Siri or Google Now.

The ideal way to use the system is a mix of commands and controller.

Also, someone pointed out before, one big issue is people saying things in one word, you have to have a pause after Xbox (just like if you have Google Now you have to pause after saying "Ok Google") and then say the command.

Saying the whole thing should be scrapped is ridiculous.

you don't need to pause. If you just say it normally, you say something like 'Xbox go to Ryse". If you pause after saying Xbox, the available commands light up in green and you can just directly say 'Ryse'. Different grammar for different contexts. It is supposed to support both.

 

[Killing_Joke]

See, I find this to be true...in MY OPINION...(for what it's worth)...PS4 did nothing innovative...they refreshed hardware and put in much better memory and GPU etc. They didn't push the envelope in ANY way shape or form. And that's fine, clearly Sony is positioning the box as pretty much 90% games and 10% everything else.

XOne is going after input one...has that vision been realized out of the gate, NO! Resounding NO! But again, in my opinion they are pushing the envelope much harder with multiple ways to interact with the device, be an all in one entertainment hub. I understand that on a gaming site like this that may not be a priority for all but to me it makes a world of difference. I want all of that all-in- one functionality even if others here profess not to want it...doesn't mean none of us want it.

Just but whatever meets your needs...you don't see me going into the PS4 review thread and shitting it up with things like lolygon and claims of bias. I understand different folks want different things...just get what makes you happy.

What's your definition of innovative?

Is streaming innovative? No but PS4 is the first to do it. Is recording gameplay on the fly innovative? No but PS4 is the first to do it. Even though it's not ready yet being able to interact with someones game over Twitch is seriously awesome. They will also be the first to have cloud gaming for old games (we'll see how it turns out). So i fail to see how PS4 wasn't innovative. In fact all of those innovations have 1 thing in common. They all revolve around gaming.

X1's "all-in-one" is a marketing line that doesn't live up to the hype. Can it play old games? No. Does it work like a DVR? No. Voice controls and facial recognition is innovative, even the first kinect literally did the same things? All it has is a HDMI-in port that seems to be hogging up the OS. Add the fact kinect does the same with GPU, they both in some shape or form hurt it's core functionality: gaming.

If xbox has the games you want then great. But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Maybe not directly, but certainly the implication was there. They've talked time and time again about how powerful and next gen the new Kinect is, how it is the future. That plus the infinite power of the cloud makes you think it's going to work at least as well as stuff that's been out for years already.

If it doesn't I think it's a non starter in a casual household. People nowadays don't have the patience to learn commands for something like this. They just can't be bothered. If Kinect never evolves to function with natural language then I honestly don't see the point in voice commands.

It is never going to evolve this gen at least to work with natural language. The idea has always been to control the system using specific commands, not talk to it. Unlike your phone which resides in your personal space, kinect sitting in a bigger space listening to natural voice commands and processing them would be much more difficult.

 

[PeregrinSe7en]

If xbox has the games you want then great. But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

agreed

 

[crazygambit]

You are wrong in saying the whole thing should be scrapped/killed with fire. I have never had 100% success with any voice recognition apps I have used, Siri, Google Now. To say, it all should be done away with makes no sense.

IMO Siri, Google Now and the like are useful when you can't otherwise look at the screen (like when driving). Also they seem to work a lot better than this.

Why should you put up with something that doesn't work 100%, when you already have a controller in your hand that can (or at least should) replicate the same functions at a fraction of the time?

 

[RadarScope1]

You are wrong in saying the whole thing should be scrapped/killed with fire. I have never had 100% success with any voice recognition apps I have used, Siri, Google Now. To say, it all should be done away with makes no sense.

You're missing the point. It's forcing you to speak an ad out loud. That is gross. It's not defendable whatsoever.

 

[QaaQer]

But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

nuads will change television as we know it

 

[TonkuySlon]

IMO Siri, Google Now and the like are useful when you can't otherwise look at the screen (like when driving). Also they seem to work a lot better than this.

Why should you put up with something that doesn't work 100%, when you already have a controller in your hand that can (or at least should) replicate the same functions at a fraction of the time?

One very small example...Xbox, record that...the same things via controller is significantly more problematic. It's just one example...

 

[tkalamba]

nuads will change television as we know it But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

Let's not start this again, they aren't the only ones pushing the ad space.

 

[mrklaw]

nuads will change television as we know it But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

I think it's a little sad that we've come down to reviewing OS UIs.

 

[TonkuySlon]

You're missing the point. It's forcing you to speak an ad out loud. That is gross. It's not defendable whatsoever.

Agreed...if this type of nonsense becomes standard then I will unplug the Kinect. Even as an Xboner...I'm not tolerating that nonsense...

 

[SeaOfMadness]

Another concern I have with voice controls:

If i start a xbl party with 4 other people, will they have to keep hearing me issue commands and me in turn them? It could get crazy annoying hearing each other say "Xbox___" the entire time we are in a party. Anyone know if it cuts that audio out when you are issuing commands?

honestly, how on earth could it do that? It would have to somehow mute your mic before it even knew what your command was.

just push the mute button on the headset first, or better yet, don't use voice commands in this case. Its not a requirement.

 

[TonkuySlon]

nuads will change television as we know it But i fail to see where X1 trumps the PS4 in the innovative department.

This is great...and I may even take part...but how does this benefit ME? If you start crediting me for my feedback and I can buy games cheaper...I'm in.

Otherwise if you are just using me as a feedback whore...we gonna have a problem!

The advertising angle irks me a bit but willing to see how it benefits me.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

Agreed...if this type of nonsense becomes standard then I will unplug the connect. Even as an Xboner...I'm not tolerating that nonsense...

you are not forced to use it and you can completely disable it. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water...

 

[Resident_UA]

OK. I'm not getting Xbox One at launch and I already have PS4, so fell free to dismiss my commnets as fanboy reaction. But...

It REALLY PISSES ME OFF that reviewers still give benefit of the doubt to the Kinect 2.0. Yes it's sort of cool and if it works for you it is OK to praise it, but you CAN'T say that there's a great promise in a future!!! You can't keep saying that it will be improved and that Xbox One if too "futuristic"!

Did they forget the whole Kinect 1.0 fiasco? Do you remember all those articles promising "scanning" functions? Do you remember how fast Kinect went from a coll gadget to the piece of plastic collecting dust?! Why do reviewers go along with this thing again?!

EDIT: I just want to remind people that I'm talking about reviewers here, not about technology or Microsoft.

 

[kaching]

One very small example...Xbox, record that...the same things via controller is significantly more problematic. It's just one example...

"Significantly more problematic"? It's one button press.

 

[HawksWinStanley]

Just, no. I'm not saying "Xbox play Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag" every time. Why did they think people would be ok with this?

Then don't? It doesn't seem like the voice control is an all or nothing kind of thing. If it's more convenient to do something with a controller then do it. The voice control seems to be more useful when changing between a bunch of different things quickly when they aren't all in the same spot on the dash.

I don't think starting games with voice activation would be as convenient at all unless you wanted to start it up while you're up and moving around. But if they didn't give you the option to start games via voice control then people would be up in arms complaining about not having the option.

 

[SPDIF]

"Significantly more problematic"? It's one button press.

Not on the XB1.

 

[orion434]

That OP is full of apologies, you'd think with the length of the previous generation the initial launch reviews would be more exciting... too many "ifs" and "For now"

You know... "For now" I'm putting my 156K Gamerscore on Hiatus, more focus on gaming and lower the price.

 

[Fuchsdh]

OK. I'm not getting Xbox One at launch and I already have PS4, so fell free to dismiss my commnets as fanboy reaction. But...

It REALLY PISSES ME OFF that reviewers still give benefit of the doubt to the Kinect 2.0. Yes it's sort of cool and if it works for you it is OK to praise it, but you CAN'T say that there's a great promise in a future!!! You can't keep saying that it will be improved and that Xbox One if too "futuristic"!

Did they forget the whole Kinect 1.0 fiasco? Do you remember all those articles promising "scanning" functions? Do you remember how fast Kinect went from a coll gadget to the piece of plastic collecting dust?! Why do reviewers go along with this thing again?!

You're forgetting that the Kinect 2 is far more powerful technologically and developers can count on everyone having one. That's the two biggest issues with the original, dealt with at launch.

 

[TonkuySlon]

you are not forced to use it and you can completely disable it. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water...

I understand...but if you are going to pitch voice command to me and want me to use it...don't think for one second I'll be doing so while repeating every time Redbox by Verizon...simply not going to use the voice command for anything like this.

 

[Alx]

Did they forget the whole Kinect 1.0 fiasco? Do you remember all those articles promising "scanning" functions? Do you remember how fast Kinect went from a coll gadget to the piece of plastic collecting dust?! Why do reviewers go along with this thing again?!

It's only a fiasco for those wanting it to be one. Kinect 1 did evolve a lot, scanning functions were proven to work in kinect labs, the voice recognition evolved in quality, got support for several languages, and later received the "bing" function, body tracking was first unable to track people sitting down and got that feature later...
Yes of course you should expect it to evolve and improve. The only question is at which quality level you consider it good enough to be worth its price. And that will depend on each user. Some people thought the first kinect was great and others that it was trash.

 

[QaaQer]

This is great...and I may even take part...but how does this benefit ME? If you start crediting me for my feedback and I can buy games cheaper...I'm in.

Otherwise if you are just using me as a feedback whore...we gonna have a problem!

The advertising angle irks me a bit but willing to see how it benefits me.

Achievements!

 

[Resident_UA]

You're forgetting that the Kinect 2 is far more powerful technologically and developers can count on everyone having one. That's the two biggest issues with the original, dealt with at launch.

My point is that the REVIEWERS can't keep saying that this will improve. They already played that card with Kinect 1.0 and lost. They don't have that privilege anymore. It's great if it works, but it's not up to the reviewers to decide what Kinect 2.0 is promising especially since they've been wrong in the past.

(And for the record I do have Kinect 1.0, so I sort of know what I'm talking about)

 

[GrizzleBoy]

OK. I'm not getting Xbox One at launch and I already have PS4, so fell free to dismiss my commnets as fanboy reaction. But...

It REALLY PISSES ME OFF that reviewers still give benefit of the doubt to the Kinect 2.0. Yes it's sort of cool and if it works for you it is OK to praise it, but you CAN'T say that there's a great promise in a future!!! You can't keep saying that it will be improved and that Xbox One if too "futuristic"!

Did they forget the whole Kinect 1.0 fiasco? Do you remember all those articles promising "scanning" functions? Do you remember how fast Kinect went from a coll gadget to the piece of plastic collecting dust?! Why do reviewers go along with this thing again?!

Its quite obvious that Kinect 2 is a marked improvement over Kinect 1 and its also quite obvious that MS are only just about making a 2013 launch.

To attempt to assert that this is the best they'll be able to do is more ludicrous imo.

And what you do you mean they can't "keep" saying it will be improved? If Kinect 2 was out for two years and there was zero progress then you'd have a point.

If 360 was designed from the ground up to support Kinect 1 and they didn't make progress, then you'd have a point.

Except that Kinect 2 is brand new on the market and the package that surrounds it is easily accepted as "coming in hot" (aka rushed to make release). Then there's the fact that Kinect 2 and its overall package in terms of software integration and what not has brought improvements.

 

[Resident_UA]

It's only a fiasco for those wanting it to be one. Kinect 1 did evolve a lot, scanning functions were proven to work in kinect labs, the voice recognition evolved in quality, got support for several languages, and later received the "bing" function, body tracking was first unable to track people sitting down and got that feature later...
Yes of course you should expect it to evolve and improve. The only question is at which quality level you consider it good enough to be worth its price. And that will depend on each user. Some people thought the first kinect was great and others that it was trash.

Yes, it improved. But it never became what it was promised to be. Where's that skating game that lets you scan in your skateboard?

I'm OK with Microsoft promising a lot of stuff that might or might not happen, but I'm not OK with reviewers promising stuff that they don't have control over (or even any knowledge of).

 

[TonkuySlon]

Not on the XB1.

Correct...again, perhaps that's a matter of stupid menu design but that's the reality. It appears they build the record feature to use the Kinect.

 

[0xCA2]

nvm

 

[borghe]

overall not bad write ups.. It seems like everyone was very positive on the potential... some added that potential to the score, others did not.

in the end review scores aren't going to sell this, or bring potential to fruition. People will either be sold on it or not... and if sold on it, we still need MS to capitalize and follow through.

I do like Adam Sessler's point though about cabled TV (satellite, cable, etc). It's almost been two years since I've had satellite.. and when people ask if I will ever go back I literally laugh. I don't have enough time to play all of my games and watch all of my shows (legit mind you, not even pirated) the way it is.. The thought of spending $50-150 per month on top of that for MORE content? So right there, about 70% of the novel features of XBONE are basically moot to me. All that's left (compared to PS4, for me) is snap. Again this is for me and only as it applies to me. But yeah... if other people head this route also... they are going to end up with a box that is largely equal in features to PS4 that is $100 more and runs games a little bit worse. Exclusives definitely sell the systems, but even at launch we have what, 2-3 exclusives per box? Horrible basis for any decision right there.

Anyone wanting one or the other for exclusives, for god sake wait until next Holiday when both systems have 12 months under their belt.

 

[TonkuySlon]

overall not bad write ups.. It seems like everyone was very positive on the potential... some added that potential to the score, others did not.

in the end review scores aren't going to sell this, or bring potential to fruition. People will either be sold on it or not... and if sold on it, we still need MS to capitalize and follow through.

I do like Adam Sessler's point though about cabled TV (satellite, cable, etc). It's almost been two years since I've had satellite.. and when people ask if I will ever go back I literally laugh. I don't have enough time to play all of my games and watch all of my shows (legit mind you, not even pirated) the way it is.. The thought of spending $50-150 per month on top of that for MORE content? So right there, about 70% of the novel features of XBONE are basically moot to me. All that's left (compared to PS4, for me) is snap. Again this is for me and only as it applies to me. But yeah... if other people head this route also... they are going to end up with a box that is largely equal in features to PS4 that is $100 more and runs games a little bit worse. Exclusives definitely sell the systems, but even at launch we have what, 2-3 exclusives per box? Horrible basis for any decision right there.

Anyone wanting one or the other for exclusives, for god sake wait until next Holiday when both systems have 12 months under their belt.

If I could cut the cord I would...if true IPTV existed in my area...my problem is, I'm a big sports guy. How am I going to get my MSG (watch Knicks) or local sports as it's not streamed anywhere?

 

[Alx]

Yes, it improved. But it never became what it was promised to be. Where's that skating game that lets you scan in your skateboard?

Well like I said they proved that the scanning function was possible. Apart from that and as far as gameplay is concerned, the Sonic snowboard game was quite close to that skating game concept.
I've been saying it in many kinect threads past years, but everything that was shown in the original kinect concept video were done in a way or another in kinect games. The only thing obviously missing is the quiz game where you would use your hands as a bumper (although it would be perfectly possible to detect a raised hand instead)

 

[Resident_UA]

Well like I said they proved that the scanning function was possible. Apart from that and as far as gameplay is concerned, the Sonic snowboard game was quite close to that skating game concept.
I've been saying it in many kinect threads past years, but everything that was shown in the original kinect concept video were done in a way or another in kinect games. The only thing obviously missing is the quiz game where you would use your hands as a bumper (although it would be perfectly possible to detect a raised hand instead)

Just to be clear. I'm talking about reviewers, not about features of Kinect. I disagree with you about those features working well at all, but that's not even the point.

Ask any reviewer of Xbox One what he thinks about original Kinect? I can bet that it won't be anything positive...

 

[Timurse]

Kotaku's review of Xbox One was the most balanced, true-ish and fair. All the pros and cons, all the possible user scenarios. I am relieved that someone is still writing fair reviews out of Microsoft pink marketing bubble of perfect world where everything magically works their way.

 

[Maxy]

Looks very very nice! I'd say that the only thing they really should update soon are the voice commands. If it works better after that I really think that it's an extremely impressive achievement, which really could make me change my mind about getting a PS4 first this gen.

 

[Jburton]

"Significantly more problematic"? It's one button press.

Like many things it seems if you are not using Kinect voice control it is many button presses.

 

[mrklaw]

the lack of storage management is a bit odd. I kind of like the idea of auto-deleting old stuff, a bit like Tivo. But they should at least have some way for you to see how much free space you have, and which game is on the chopping block - so you can be informed and know to delete an earlier game if necessary to make space.

It'd also be good to mark individual games as 'never delete'

 

[Allforce]

Do any reviews talk about the setup? I know you can disconnect Kinect but does the system REQUIRE it for initial setup? And along those same lines, if you disconnect the Kinect does the Xbox prompt you or suggest that you plug it in at any point?

I honestly would consider buying one of these if I could just sell off the Kinect to someone who wants to tinker with it via a PC (as I'm sure a community will emerge for this purpose like it did for the original Kinect)

 

[twobear]

Did anyone read today's Penny Arcade front page?

The Xbox One has an incredibly complex challenge before it; arriving a week late, even full feature parity is insufficient to seize momentum. The Playstation 4 is like an Xbox 360 with better graphics; they devoured their foe, and gained his power thereby. I always wondered what it would have been like to be on Alderaan while hot, green beams coalesced overhead, and I suspect that in Redmond they know.

http://penny-arcade.com/2013/11/18/exponential-decay

The last sentence is literally perfect.

 

[schuey7]

This cvg video has me excited for kinect.Hope it works as well for most peple after setting up and using for a while.

 

[a.wd]

Did anyone read today's Penny Arcade front page?



http://penny-arcade.com/2013/11/18/exponential-decay

The last sentence is literally perfect.

People always rag on penny arcade, but they are normally pretty on point for the gaming community

 

[Maxy]

This cvg video has me excited for kinect.Hope it works as well for most peple after setting up and using for a while.

That guy is the kinect master. I shall learn from this man...

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I read the Eurogamer and Polygon reviews, and this sounds like it could have great potential. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll need another year of patching and updates to really get going.

They'll need to sort out the TV situation in countries outside the US soon, too. I don't know why they are so US-centric.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

One very small example...Xbox, record that...the same things via controller is significantly more problematic. It's just one example...

This is largely understated IMO. The quick, simple commands while you're in the middle of something else is going to be great.

I'm sure we'll all be using the "Xbox, record that" as a quick way to capture something worth saving during a game without completely taking yourself out of the experience.

 

[weekend_warrior]

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
.

Why do all these sites have similar sounding titles? It's almost as if someone was telling

Spoiler

paying

them to write that.

 

[ShOcKwAvE]

Why do all these sites have similar sounding titles? It's almost as if someone was telling

Spoiler

paying

them to write that.

Yeah let's accuse everyone of taking bribes!!!

 

[Winterblink]

Why do all these sites have similar sounding titles? It's almost as if someone was telling

Spoiler

paying

them to write that.

Anyone using Rolling Stone magazine as a source for games hardware reviews needs to have their head examined.

 

[Milchjon]

Why do all these sites have similar sounding titles? It's almost as if someone was telling

Spoiler

paying

them to write that.

Microsoft just bought the media wholesale.

 

[Nymphae]

A couple of thoughts on the Polygon review. I don't understand these guys at all.

despite its familiar elements and concepts, the Xbox One still manages a genuine sense of wonder, all without losing sight of the strong gaming foundation the Xbox was built on.

Really, a sense of wonder? Alright then.

The new bumpers split opinions at Polygon — some editors feel they're more difficult to click than the 360's shoulder buttons.

I wish I knew which editors thought what, these sites are supposed to be about the personalities and getting to know the ins and outs and tastes of the people writing, but in this review it's one big collective for some reason. Did 3/5 editors not like it? 4/5? Who were the editors in question?

While the Xbox One's UI is a departure from the Xbox 360, it should be familiar to anyone who's used Windows 8

Great. Because we're all familiar with Windows 8 already right? Especially average joe gamer? I get them wanting to consolidate their UI experiences, but people like familiarity (I rather like the redesigned XMB, familiar with improvements)

Also missing at launch is Twitch livestreaming support. While Sony revealed its console — and its streaming ability — first, Microsoft was first to specifically announce Twitch streaming support.

Good for them?

Skype on Xbox One has the potential to be huge.

Points for potential. I really don't feel like Skype is going to be a big deal at all, but I'm willing to be proven wrong on this one. Again though it just feels like they're giving them points for stuff that is still unproven.

We're most interested in ways for Microsoft to take the SmartGlass functionality even further, both in games and elsewhere.

"We're most interested in imagining features that aren't available yet."

The Xbox One costs $100 more than its direct competition, and several third-party games run in lower resolution than they do on the PS4.

OMG THEY ACTUALLY SAID IT IN A SENTENCE.

That it has a handful of strong, exclusive games at launch only supports its legitimacy as a gaming console and not just an entertainment hub.

So a handful (2?) of decent exclusives means we can rest assured this thing will be a great gaming machine? I'm not seeing it Polygon. I'm seeing a lot of praise for features that will not work outside of the US, I'm seeing a lot of slack given to a device that doesn't do a hell of a lot more than the PS4 does (at least not yet, and not any better). The voice commands are, by all accounts, cumbersome and unreliable, and the TV angle just isn't fully realized yet. But they seem pretty confident the Bone will be a success. I am reminded of the Polygon PS4 launch stream, and how they all shit on the PS4 for being great, but not proving it's greatness right now. smh.

 

[Maxy]

Guys please...