23rd May 2013, 5:49 AM
The device looks like my dad's old VCR. Basically, what all entertainment devices looked like when they ditched wood paneling. The d-pad, for the first time, looks like a d-pad. If it actually is what it looks like, I wonder how they managed it. Did they sign some sort of deal with Nintendo? Looks like they added rumble to the triggers on the device. Hmm... I mean, we've all talked about "real force feedback" before, where you might have to "fight the controls" on a plane or something. This isn't that, it's just rumble on the triggers. No hint of touch interface outside requiring the separate purchase of a smart phone to use their "smart glass".
The stats on the thing are pretty nice, much like the PS4.
The online functionality is getting some improvements, but I dislike things like "use our servers to boost game performance". That suggests that this console is some sort of weird hybrid with something like OnLive. That's the worst sort of hybrid. I want my game system's calculations to all be done right at home. They've confirmed that the system won't require an "always on" connection, but will require EVERY game to be directly installed to the hard drive (which means 500GB just got too small, considering this thing uses Bluray disks now) and then activated ala Steam. Steam activation is one of the more painless ways to do game activation, but the fact is, used gaming is dead on this system. MS just confirmed that if you trade the disk with someone else, they'll be paying full price on the store to "activate" that disk. Mah...
The hard disk took a generational step backwards. It is built into the hardware permanently, can't be upgraded, much like the actual XBox 1. You can plug in external hard drives, but even at USB 3.0, that's still under the transfer rates of a direct SATA connection. Nintendo's console behaves the same, but we sort of expect better from Microsoft's hardware division at this point. They really should have allowed the disk to be slid right out and upgraded by the user. As it is, I'm already seriously considering modding my original XBox so I don't lose my data to a hard drive failure (all hard drives eventually fail, it is only a matter of time, I may replace the existing drive with a solid state solution, I mean heck even a 32GB memory card would be 4 times the existing storage space on the original).
The interface focused a lot on TV. Again, this is a page from Nintendo's book. Most modern cable boxes have HDMI out at this point (surround sound systems do as well), so the second port handily solves the issue that Nintendo's lack of ports fails to address. All the same, I ditched cable some time ago in favor of using the internet for the scant few TV shows I want to watch (mainly, Daily Show and Colbert Report). Adding TV broadcast support feels a little anachronistic at this point. Heck, my cell phone is set up to receive emergency weather alerts, so I'm less and less inclined to care about broadcasts any more.
The people they set up to answer questions apparently barely knew anything about the system. One of them refused to answer something as basic as whether or not the Kinect could be removed and the system still function. Another said "no, it must be plugged in forever", or something like that. Microsoft really wants us all to use that thing to navigate the menu. Yes, the novelty factor of telling the xbox to start a game is nice, but it wears off. Using your hands to point to things or your voice to input commands is, simply, much slower and less accurate than using the controller. It probably always will be. Star Trek used the voice command thing a lot as a plot device, but realistically I'm pretty sure in actual space emergencies, it would simply be quicker to input the commands using their consoles than to navigate that phone tree of a voice system. For one, a line of text can be displayed all at once on a screen or input faster than speaking speed, but sound has to come out syllable by syllable, at a steady slow speaking rate. At the very least, we know that the system will not be backwards compatible with the 360.
Also, while they won't require an "always on" connection, they DID include functionality in the system for individual game developers (Ubisoft, maybe Capcom) to require that on an individual game basis. MS, that doesn't absolve you of responsibility. You might as well include electric shock pads in the controller, stating you'll never use them yourselves, but hey, if a 3rd party developer wants to, hey, they have the option.
The system apparently has the Windows 8 kernel built in. Okay then, why did you feel the need to tell me that? Unless you're telling me I can now run Windows games on the system (doubtful, the kernel is likely limited), this is nothing I really care about.
The 360 had an amazing interface when they did their second version of the built in OS. The third revision screwed it all up. The thing was messy to navigate and no longer put the important things like games front and center. Instead, it was all nested a few levels deep, and the top level stuff was mainly dominated by ads. Ads, on a service I'm already paying $50 a year for. Oh wait, not only did they add the ads, they raised, RAISED, the price of the yearly fee to $60 a year.
Nothing they've shown me of the new interface answers one simple question. Is the interface designed with the user's desires first and foremost, or the advertiser's desires? Frankly, I don't think Nintendo is willing to cut out all that ad revenue at this point. They swallowed that pill and now they're hooked. But it comes down to another matter. How long before ALL online services on the 360 are shut off? That's a hell of a bitter pill to swallow, but it may be inevitable. I can see MS simply stating "oh, well, in order to properly upgrade Live services, we needed to eliminate legacy code that was holding us back, so now you can have a friend's list higher than 50!". Why not? It's exactly the line they gave us when they shut off original XBox Live support (and I'll note they still haven't raised that friend's list limit, their original reason for shutting the old service off). I was annoyed with the shutoff of XBox Original services, but at the very least, I could count the number of online games on that system I actually care about on my fingers. There was so little extra DLC that MS could literally fit it all, plus patch data, on a single DVD if they were so inclined. However, this time around turning off 360 game support will be turning off a MASSIVE number of online communities, online games, and online services. At least with the original XBox, most games had basic LAN play, so they can still be played online through LAN spoofing. This is the sort of thing that makes me wish MS had required LAN play on the 360, because as it is, when the 360 finally goes dark, we will have no options. I just got Dead Space 3. Sometimes it takes a while to convince my friends to play a co-op campaign with me. It is entirely possible that I won't get to play that game online with my friends until their services go "dark", then I won't be able to play it online at all, ever again.
You want a reason why so many people got upset about things like dedicated servers when "their online service is way better than anything you could cobble together"? That's why. Some of us like playing retro experiences with friends, and this generation in particular has made such a proposition harder than it has ever been before. It's going to suck for game collectors in the future unless some novel hackers come along with a modified 360 interface to allow custom online servers. Even then, there will be difficulties, there will be problems, all because those hackers are going to be editing HEX code instead of working directly with the original source code.
The PS4 is looking like the better deal, but E3 will answer more questions there too. In the end, we may look upon the Wii U as the last true gaming console. Both the PS4 and XBox One are certainly going to be incredibly expensive, so Nintendo may yet turn their sales around completely. People may be perfectly satisfied with the "current gen" of graphics after all if the next big upgrade requires sacrificing so much.
The PC has been gaining a lot of traction lately. MS is fine with that, I'm sure. The PC may "take over" the role of system of choice, especially if well designed "system in a box" setups start taking off and Steam's "big picture" mode proves popular enough.
The stats on the thing are pretty nice, much like the PS4.
The online functionality is getting some improvements, but I dislike things like "use our servers to boost game performance". That suggests that this console is some sort of weird hybrid with something like OnLive. That's the worst sort of hybrid. I want my game system's calculations to all be done right at home. They've confirmed that the system won't require an "always on" connection, but will require EVERY game to be directly installed to the hard drive (which means 500GB just got too small, considering this thing uses Bluray disks now) and then activated ala Steam. Steam activation is one of the more painless ways to do game activation, but the fact is, used gaming is dead on this system. MS just confirmed that if you trade the disk with someone else, they'll be paying full price on the store to "activate" that disk. Mah...
The hard disk took a generational step backwards. It is built into the hardware permanently, can't be upgraded, much like the actual XBox 1. You can plug in external hard drives, but even at USB 3.0, that's still under the transfer rates of a direct SATA connection. Nintendo's console behaves the same, but we sort of expect better from Microsoft's hardware division at this point. They really should have allowed the disk to be slid right out and upgraded by the user. As it is, I'm already seriously considering modding my original XBox so I don't lose my data to a hard drive failure (all hard drives eventually fail, it is only a matter of time, I may replace the existing drive with a solid state solution, I mean heck even a 32GB memory card would be 4 times the existing storage space on the original).
The interface focused a lot on TV. Again, this is a page from Nintendo's book. Most modern cable boxes have HDMI out at this point (surround sound systems do as well), so the second port handily solves the issue that Nintendo's lack of ports fails to address. All the same, I ditched cable some time ago in favor of using the internet for the scant few TV shows I want to watch (mainly, Daily Show and Colbert Report). Adding TV broadcast support feels a little anachronistic at this point. Heck, my cell phone is set up to receive emergency weather alerts, so I'm less and less inclined to care about broadcasts any more.
The people they set up to answer questions apparently barely knew anything about the system. One of them refused to answer something as basic as whether or not the Kinect could be removed and the system still function. Another said "no, it must be plugged in forever", or something like that. Microsoft really wants us all to use that thing to navigate the menu. Yes, the novelty factor of telling the xbox to start a game is nice, but it wears off. Using your hands to point to things or your voice to input commands is, simply, much slower and less accurate than using the controller. It probably always will be. Star Trek used the voice command thing a lot as a plot device, but realistically I'm pretty sure in actual space emergencies, it would simply be quicker to input the commands using their consoles than to navigate that phone tree of a voice system. For one, a line of text can be displayed all at once on a screen or input faster than speaking speed, but sound has to come out syllable by syllable, at a steady slow speaking rate. At the very least, we know that the system will not be backwards compatible with the 360.
Also, while they won't require an "always on" connection, they DID include functionality in the system for individual game developers (Ubisoft, maybe Capcom) to require that on an individual game basis. MS, that doesn't absolve you of responsibility. You might as well include electric shock pads in the controller, stating you'll never use them yourselves, but hey, if a 3rd party developer wants to, hey, they have the option.
The system apparently has the Windows 8 kernel built in. Okay then, why did you feel the need to tell me that? Unless you're telling me I can now run Windows games on the system (doubtful, the kernel is likely limited), this is nothing I really care about.
The 360 had an amazing interface when they did their second version of the built in OS. The third revision screwed it all up. The thing was messy to navigate and no longer put the important things like games front and center. Instead, it was all nested a few levels deep, and the top level stuff was mainly dominated by ads. Ads, on a service I'm already paying $50 a year for. Oh wait, not only did they add the ads, they raised, RAISED, the price of the yearly fee to $60 a year.
Nothing they've shown me of the new interface answers one simple question. Is the interface designed with the user's desires first and foremost, or the advertiser's desires? Frankly, I don't think Nintendo is willing to cut out all that ad revenue at this point. They swallowed that pill and now they're hooked. But it comes down to another matter. How long before ALL online services on the 360 are shut off? That's a hell of a bitter pill to swallow, but it may be inevitable. I can see MS simply stating "oh, well, in order to properly upgrade Live services, we needed to eliminate legacy code that was holding us back, so now you can have a friend's list higher than 50!". Why not? It's exactly the line they gave us when they shut off original XBox Live support (and I'll note they still haven't raised that friend's list limit, their original reason for shutting the old service off). I was annoyed with the shutoff of XBox Original services, but at the very least, I could count the number of online games on that system I actually care about on my fingers. There was so little extra DLC that MS could literally fit it all, plus patch data, on a single DVD if they were so inclined. However, this time around turning off 360 game support will be turning off a MASSIVE number of online communities, online games, and online services. At least with the original XBox, most games had basic LAN play, so they can still be played online through LAN spoofing. This is the sort of thing that makes me wish MS had required LAN play on the 360, because as it is, when the 360 finally goes dark, we will have no options. I just got Dead Space 3. Sometimes it takes a while to convince my friends to play a co-op campaign with me. It is entirely possible that I won't get to play that game online with my friends until their services go "dark", then I won't be able to play it online at all, ever again.
You want a reason why so many people got upset about things like dedicated servers when "their online service is way better than anything you could cobble together"? That's why. Some of us like playing retro experiences with friends, and this generation in particular has made such a proposition harder than it has ever been before. It's going to suck for game collectors in the future unless some novel hackers come along with a modified 360 interface to allow custom online servers. Even then, there will be difficulties, there will be problems, all because those hackers are going to be editing HEX code instead of working directly with the original source code.
The PS4 is looking like the better deal, but E3 will answer more questions there too. In the end, we may look upon the Wii U as the last true gaming console. Both the PS4 and XBox One are certainly going to be incredibly expensive, so Nintendo may yet turn their sales around completely. People may be perfectly satisfied with the "current gen" of graphics after all if the next big upgrade requires sacrificing so much.
The PC has been gaining a lot of traction lately. MS is fine with that, I'm sure. The PC may "take over" the role of system of choice, especially if well designed "system in a box" setups start taking off and Steam's "big picture" mode proves popular enough.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)