Xbox One

[JonD]

Standard practice for EA. Makes me worried about the Titanfall launch.

Indeed. It would be a shame for such a highly anticipated game. I haven't read a lot about this one, but the tidbits I have picked up make it look awesome.

I just reupped with GameFly so I could check out a lot of the new titles coming out. I'll have Ryse, Dead Rising, AC, and unrelated to XBO, Killzone within the next couple days-weeks.

Have not returned to battlefield since my original, and might I add very unpleasant experience with it online a month ago. Surely the kinks will be worked out eventually, I just hope all the dudes with the best guns don't ruin the experience for me then (see: Battlefield 3).

AC continues to get good reviews. I've been a staunch fan for the entire series until the last iteration. Nothing wrong with it at all, I think I'm just over it for now. Could be something I get back into later down the road though.

Yeah, it does suck when there's a bunch of dudes running around with all upgraded gear. The great thing about BF though is there's so many ways to level up, you can usually get around it.

 

[jlukes]

I just reupped with GameFly so I could check out a lot of the new titles coming out. I'll have Ryse, Dead Rising, AC, and unrelated to XBO, Killzone within the next couple days-weeks.

Have not returned to battlefield since my original, and might I add very unpleasant experience with it online a month ago. Surely the kinks will be worked out eventually, I just hope all the dudes with the best guns don't ruin the experience for me then (see: Battlefield 3).

BF4 on ps4 has been running flawlessly for me since mid december. And some of the best guns are the ones you start with. it's just a matter of getting some grips/sights to work with.

 

[Jugger18]

The lack of DLNA is really pushing me towards the PS4, that and the huge powerbrick

 

[Jank]

AC continues to get good reviews. I've been a staunch fan for the entire series until the last iteration. Nothing wrong with it at all, I think I'm just over it for now. Could be something I get back into later down the road though.

I'm the same way. I loved the one's with Ezio and Altair and played through them in a couple of days. It took me a while to get through AC3 because I got bored with it. I just cannot get into AC4 for whatever reason. I have maybe 3 or 4 hours on it, but I have no motivation to keep playing it. I'm sure I will eventually.

 

[Badger_Golfer]

One of my coworkers has an Xbox One and he loves it. He says Forza is amazing on it and he likes the voice command and how you can do so many different things with it.

 

[JonD]

One of my coworkers has an Xbox One and he loves it. He says Forza is amazing on it and he likes the voice command and how you can do so many different things with it.

Yeah, the voice stuff is pretty sweet. My favorite implementation so far is in Madden. You can call coverage audibles pre-snap based on the defensive formations.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

Okay I am still on the fence on whether to get an XBox One or a PS4....haven't really been much of a gamer in the last several years..but maybe it's time to go back to it.

 

[ArmyGolf]

Microsoft started to gear everything towards "money grab" with the 360 and now it appears they are honing their abilities. I have always enjoyed console gaming for it's lack of complicated interfaces and no need to upgrade your hardware every 6 months but I dread the day it becomes so "involved" that a bonehead like me can't figure the stuff out anymore haha.
Those are great thoughts Dan, thanks for taking the time to post them. I can't believe in this day and age they would make the controller and headset crappier than the one they designed 5+ years ago. I mean, seriously? They must just laugh at the consumer as they count their money in a back room.

I will probably hold off until PGA 15 comes out...then I will need some extreme willpower to stay away.

 

[Mulligan9111]

So, there's a video games thread, but there's also a thriving PS4 thread, so it would seem logical to discuss Xbox One games and the console elsewhere.

Jury is still out on the console for me, but I am really, really unimpressed with the departure of the guide feature from the 360 -- Where you used to go to your guide/friends list/party tabs, it now takes you to the main XBL hub where you are forced to navigate through a ton of crap you don't need. Kinect voice is useful at times, and will make navigating a ton easier, but it certainly did not improve from the transition. Turn on time is fantastic, with very little wait once the console is active. I haven't messed with the Kinect recognizer and probably won't.

Friends are now 'followers' which is really weird (high five twitter for the idea?), and the in game party systems need quite a bit of work (CoD game invites appear really easily in game, however, they don't tell you who is inviting you!!!).

Xbox has also shut off notifications when people sign on and sign off the console, which I found really weird. It was nice to have an option to turn it on and turn it off on the 360... Not really sure why that's been dropped altogether. They now have a news feed which shows the activity of the people you're following. Certainly there is a setting to shut off updates, but the idea of incognito gaming seems like a hassle anymore unless you have a separate account with no followers.

The controller is a mild improvement from 360, which is probably a smart move because the 360 controller was better than all others, however, they made the bumpers kind of cheap, and the sticks are extremely loose which drop a ton of control in game. Additionally, unless you plan to burn through batteries, you have to spend an extra 25 dollars to get the rechargeable batteries, making the controller now 85 dollars (nice job breaking it up so people don't think you're raping them MS) -- All big misses in my opinion, as I now favour the PS4 controller by a large margin and will be seeking out an adapter to use one universally. I may try a set of KontrolFreeks which increase range of motion (which I assume would improve control). Hopefully that helps.

Final gripe is not having the ability to use third party headsets (yet) forcing people to use the garbage XBO stock headset rather than the 100-300 dollar pair they paid for... It just seems ridiculous to me that you can't utilize a USB (aka UNIVERSAL) cable to connect like you can with the PS4 after the 1.51 update. They are going to charge 25 dollars for the adapter they are currently building, which will only add to the bulk of the controller.

Overall the gaming package is quite strong. Graphics aren't a big gap from PS4 but that will take years before any real division is visible in my opinion. I think the design elements saw some really solid improvements, yet took away some of the best features of the 360 which will disappoint a lot of people making the switch.

Once you get used to the voice navigation, a lot of the navigation problems you mention disappear. If you google Xbox One commands you can find a list with all the different commands you can use. I personally very rarely use my controller to navigate anymore because it's just so much more convenient to say the command, I've even caught myself trying to use voice commands when playing GTA V on my Xbox 360.

Regarding 3rd party headsets, you can still use them and then use Kinect for voice chat. It's not ideal, but you at least get to use the headset for sound. Surprisingly the Kinect picks up my voice for chat pretty well, only bad part is that you sound like you are on speaker phone.

I agree with the friend's/follower's list thing being pretty stupid. I personally don't care to know when people sign on/off, but not having the option to have that turned on has to be an oversight by Microsoft. Seems like a simple toggle option, but ah well.

Overall I think the Xbox One is a great next gen console. It's a month and a half into it's life-cycle and there is still a lot more to come, which excites me quite a bit based on how much I like it now. The one great thing about Microsoft is that they aren't afraid to adjust the UI at all. Looking back to the beginning UI of the Xbox 360 to where it is now is a pretty good indication of how much they are willing to change. Just have to hope that they make changes for the better going forward.

*EDIT* Good article that talks about some UI changes Microsoft has planned: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/01/09/xbox-one-update-planned-to-fix-social-features

 

[Canadan]

Sounds like improvements will be slow coming, but on the way to ease navigation.

Microsoft doesn't really have a formal presence at this year's CES, but that doesn't mean that the corporation isn't checking out the lay of the land. In an interview with Engadget, Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten teased some planned improvements to the Xbox One.
Whitten hints at improvements in dashboard functionality and ease of use based on consumer feedback, particularly smoother party integration. No specific timeline is given, but it sounds like it shouldn't be too far off.
As far as live game streaming activation, that is still several months off. Twitch's comments earlier today supported that sentiment.

 

[Canadan]

Once you get used to the voice navigation, a lot of the navigation problems you mention disappear. If you google Xbox One commands you can find a list with all the different commands you can use. I personally very rarely use my controller to navigate anymore because it's just so much more convenient to say the command, I've even caught myself trying to use voice commands when playing GTA V on my Xbox 360.

You're assuming that people want to use voice as a primary navigator on a platform that has almost always been controller driven. That's great that you enjoy the functionality of voice commands, but there are MANY who prefer to navigate with a controller, just like I prefer to open my messages on my phone rather than telling it to. The option should be there, and it should be easy (or at least as easy as previous gen).

Regarding 3rd party headsets, you can still use them and then use Kinect for voice chat. It's not ideal, but you at least get to use the headset for sound. Surprisingly the Kinect picks up my voice for chat pretty well, only bad part is that you sound like you are on speaker phone.

It's not a good option at this point. Too much interference if you're in a room with other people doing other things or talking. There's no good excuse for not having immediate integration, unless they are openly willing to admit that Sony is smarter than they are hahaha

 

[Canadan]

*EDIT* Good article that talks about some UI changes Microsoft has planned: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/01/09/xbox-one-update-planned-to-fix-social-features

In the article he says "So what I'm trying to do with the team is kind of theme some stuff up. Let's take an update and really go through a big list of what we're hearing from customers, what we know is broken with the architecture, areas that we want to improve or complete. I think that's a theme you'll really see us push on -- that Live experience."

That is brilliant. There SHOULD be a theme based platform where users who are geared towards controller based gaming have easy navigation, and users who are more inclined to utilize voice based navigation can have an entirely separate theme, built not unlike we see with forums and their themes.

It's so damn simple. They already have the logic built from 360 for controller based navigation. Bring it over and let XBO users have that raw functionality.

 

[Mulligan9111]

You're assuming that people want to use voice as a primary navigator on a platform that has almost always been controller driven. That's great that you enjoy the functionality of voice commands, but there are MANY who prefer to navigate with a controller, just like I prefer to open my messages on my phone rather than telling it to. The option should be there, and it should be easy (or at least as easy as previous gen).



It's not a good option at this point. Too much interference if you're in a room with other people doing other things or talking. There's no good excuse for not having immediate integration, unless they are openly willing to admit that Sony is smarter than they are hahaha

You have to look at it from Microsoft's perspective. They are trying to get consumers used to the idea of the Kinect, and having the voice navigational features being as easy to use as they are, is a great way to get consumers on board with it. If you want to use your controller to navigate you have the option. I personally don't see how navigating with the controller is any different versus the Xbox 360 UI, but I understand that you must feel different about it.

Here is an article which talks about the Microsoft chat cable adapter/port: http://gamerant.com/xbox-one-headset-adapter-explanation/

I too really want the chat adapter so I can use my A40's to chat with.

 

[motoo344]

A lot of good ideas but the execution isn't there yet. It does a lot of things well but its a little quirky sometimes. It is actually quieter than the PS4 but its heavy and bulky. I decided to unhook mine the other night, the thing kept losing tv signal and it got annoying. Just not as much time to play anymore unfortunately.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

Can't decide if I want to grab one now or wait to see how the improvements go


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[Canadan]

You have to look at it from Microsoft's perspective. They are trying to get consumers used to the idea of the Kinect, and having the voice navigational features being as easy to use as they are, is a great way to get consumers on board with it. If you want to use your controller to navigate you have the option. I personally don't see how navigating with the controller is any different versus the Xbox 360 UI, but I understand that you must feel different about it.

Here is an article which talks about the Microsoft chat cable adapter/port: http://gamerant.com/xbox-one-headset-adapter-explanation/

I too really want the chat adapter so I can use my A40's to chat with.

Hey man, I'm the consumer, and I want what I want and think what I think. With Microsoft openly admitting the navigation is weak, I'd say I'm right here.

Also, on the 360 you could hit the Xbox button and cycle tabs to see friends, your party, recent players etc.. Now, you have to go through a variety of menus to get to each one. It's terrible.

 

[Mulligan9111]

Hey man, I'm the consumer, and I want what I want and think what I think. With Microsoft openly admitting the navigation is weak, I'd say I'm right here.

Also, on the 360 you could hit the Xbox button and cycle tabs to see friends, your party, recent players etc.. Now, you have to go through a variety of menus to get to each one. It's terrible.

You are free to your opinions just like everybody else. I personally don't see the huge difference between hitting the guide button and cycling to your friends versus hitting the home button and doing the same thing. To each their own though.

 

[motoo344]

Hey man, I'm the consumer, and I want what I want and think what I think. With Microsoft openly admitting the navigation is weak, I'd say I'm right here.

Also, on the 360 you could hit the Xbox button and cycle tabs to see friends, your party, recent players etc.. Now, you have to go through a variety of menus to get to each one. It's terrible.

I liked the tabs as well, they should have implemented it, like a quick tab thing. Double tap the Xbox Button to go the tabs and hit it once to go to the home screen. While its pretty quick, I think its slower to go back and go through everything, rather than just have a tab that pops up with a friends list or achievements. I liked the way that was setup for the 360 better.

 

[Custom Method]

I read on CNET that they are working on a software update right now. He acknowledge (Mr. Xbox dev) the problems with the social aspects, and how they aren't as simple as the 360 and they he understands its a problem and that they are working on it. :thumb:

 

[Canadan]

So I've got a bit of time into Ryse: Son of Rome.

I'm probably not going to spend any time in the multiplayer, but the campaign has been very enjoyable. It plays a lot like the older Assassin's Creed games where you have an attack, a block, and the ability to do combos and executions.

I tend to enjoy these as button mashers, and like that Ryse is less sandbox and more straight line campaign. As fun as open world games are, having an obvious line towards the goal is a nice relaxing change of pace. To add to everything, the game looks great, and it's not the typical 'shooter' which is a great adjustment from the norm.

 

[Lockman850]

Anyone download the powerstar golf? I got it a couple if days ago. It's so so, the boy seems to like it? I also have cod, bf4 and forza. Gamertag lockman850

swing your swing

 

[mayday1775]

So I've got a bit of time into Ryse: Son of Rome.

I'm probably not going to spend any time in the multiplayer, but the campaign has been very enjoyable. It plays a lot like the older Assassin's Creed games where you have an attack, a block, and the ability to do combos and executions.

I tend to enjoy these as button mashers, and like that Ryse is less sandbox and more straight line campaign. As fun as open world games are, having an obvious line towards the goal is a nice relaxing change of pace. To add to everything, the game looks great, and it's not the typical 'shooter' which is a great adjustment from the norm.

I really liked the game, but after awhile it is very repetitive when it comes to leveling through the game. The multiplayer is pretty fun to play through if you have someone that you know to play with.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

We put one on our wedding registry as an all in one "entertainment system" haha. In really liking the new xbox. I really need to upgrade though because I have the first generation 360 and it's always freezing.

 

[Robman7]

We put one on our wedding registry as an all in one "entertainment system" haha. In really liking the new xbox. I really need to upgrade though because I have the first generation 360 and it's always freezing.

I did the same thing. Unfortunately no one got it for me

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I did the same thing. Unfortunately no one got it for me

Haha yeah I doubt I will get it, I'll buy it after the move at least.