Xbox One Full Review

Beyond the controversy, Xbox One defines next-
gen
There's more to the Xbox One than meets the
eye. Sure, Microsoft's E3 2013 press conference
revealed a price that was higher than the PS4,
and then Sony's media briefing brought down the
house by making fun of its rival's insistence on
daily check-ins and used games-crippling DRM.
The good news for Microsoft is that while all of
the E3 theatrics were an unwanted distraction,
the Xbox One console and its games provide
serious next-generation innovations that no one
else is doing right now.
The result is a number of "Why hasn't anyone
thought of that before?" Xbox One features. From
the so-far-superior Kinect camera to the live TV
integration, Microsoft's system feels as if it isn't
beholden to the past.
It's a forward-thinking system, and sometimes
that's a bit jarring.
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Xbox One design
Okay, Xbox One is forward-thinking everywhere
but its chassis' boxy design. Compared to the
Xbox 360 , the new system typifies "It's what's
on the inside that counts." Yes, Xbox One is a
walking cliche.
The polished front of the console contains only a
slot-loading disc drive that replaces the flimsy
disc tray that current generation gamers have
had to deal with on the Xbox 360. It also plays
Blu-ray discs now. On both counts, Microsoft is
catching up with PS3.
Where Xbox One surpasses even Sony's new
machine is on the backside. While the minimalist
front of the console contains exactly zero ports,
the rear is filled with eight.
The most exciting of those eight connections is
the HDMI In. This is where Microsoft makes the
Xbox One truly an "all-in-one" device. When
combined with the HDMI Out, this input port
allows for pass-through technology that can take
over a cable box signal. And we're talking real
live TV, not some hokey app with a smattering of
day-old TV shows.
Gone are the days of having to constantly switch
inputs to flip between video games and TV. Now,
with the Xbox One's triple-layered operating
system, flipping back and forth is as easy as
saying "Xbox, TV" and "Xbox, game."
This instant switching functionality is built into
the new Kinect, which is finally a camera sensor
that Microsoft's legion of core gamers are going
to enjoy using. Furthermore, while the Xbox One
is more expensive, it comes with this 1080p
Kinect out of the box.
Sony has finally admitted that its similar
PlayStation 4 Eye is being sold separately . That
means more people are going to have a Kinect
plugged into the console at all times. Only a
fraction of PS4 gamers are likely to pony up for
the PS4 Eye.
If 100 percent of Xbox One owners have a Kinect,
more developers are going to take advantage of
its next-generation functionality and make their
games compatible with the sensor. Contrast that
with the bound-to-be lower install base of
Sony's camera add-on. It would naturally be less
appealing in the eyes of developers if only a
fraction of PS4 owners opt to buy the PS4 Eye.
Microsoft was also willing to share what the new
Kinect can do, while the PS4's dual camera
sensor remains somewhat of a mystery.
The smarter, more sophisticated sensor can
process a whopping 2GB of data per second and
track up to six skeletons at once. Microsoft's
much-hyped Time-of-Flight technology also
measures the time it takes photons to rebound
off of a person or object.
This translates into a sensor that looks and feels
much less like a toy when compared to the Xbox
360 Kinect controller.
Xbox One controller
Microsoft's real controller improves upon its
eight-year-old predecessor thanks to subtle
changes - changes that could maintain its status
as console gamers' standard-bearing gamepad.
Of the more than 40 innovations that Microsoft
literally puts in the hands of its Xbox faithful, its
refined dual analog sticks are the most
important. Not only are these two joysticks
sleeker and smaller than the ones on the Xbox
360 controller, both contain a grippy micro-
texture.
Sony may have been able to copy Xbox 360's
dimpled thumbstick approach having seen its
effectiveness in the last eight years. However, it
didn't know to make the edges of its DualShock
4 texturized until May 21.
Another area in which Microsoft stands alone is
in its unique idea to add impulse triggers to the
Xbox One controller's left and right analog
shoulder buttons. Not all Xbox One game demos
have implemented this new technology, but the
system's tech demos prove that it's a worthy
refinement to the rumble concept that hasn't
changed since its debut in 1997.
Our hands-on time with the DualShock 4 proves
that Sony's gamepad is extremely enjoyable as
well, and even leaps-and-bounds better than its
DualShock 3 controller. Microsoft's changes are
more subtle. The Xbox One's face buttons are
slightly closer together for faster button-pressing
and its trigger and bumper buttons are larger to
the point in which they touch each other.
The Xbox One controller's changes aren't as
revolutionary, but that's because Microsoft had
tweaked its gamepad to near-perfection in the
last generation. It's even more comfortable now,
and with new contoured handles that fit a wider
variety of hand sizes, more gamers' should be
able to enjoy it.
Xbox One games
Games for Xbox One were finally shown off at E3,
proving that the console is more than just an all-
in-one multimedia hub. Ryse: Son of Rome gives
Microsoft its long-overdue answer to Sony's epic
God of War series thanks to its brutal, Crytek-
engine powered graphics.
Another high-fidelity in-house game is Forza
Motorsport 5. Demoed by developer Turn 10
Studios, it laps Sony's PS4 racer DriveClub in
terms of visuals. The game also has a unique
feature in which it can learn and mimic your
friends' tactics with "Drivatars" that aim to make
single-player a thing of the past.
Xbox Live Arcade games are also continuing in
the next-generation, even though Xbox 360 titles
remain locked to the old console. At E3, old
favorites like a Killer Instinct reboot from Rare
are joined by whacky, new ideas like LocoCycle
from Twisted Pixel Games.
Microsoft is also publishing Dead Rising 3 as an
exclusive title, hoping that a horde of zombie-
loving gamers will wander over to its side of the
Xbox One vs PS4 console war. The game's open-
world environment is enticing, after all. Combine
Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2 and then double
the size, and you've pretty much have an idea of
how vast the worlds is in Dead Rising 3 .
Let's not forget an exclusive Halo game, an Xbox
One version of Minecraft and Kinect Sports Rivals
- which will look to take advantage of the
improved Kinect functionality and build on the
360's original hit.
Early verdict
Microsoft is touting the size and scalability of its
next-generation games as proof that cloud and
internet connected gaming isn't just a
requirement, it's a necessary evolution.
Offloading the system's processing power to
Microsoft's server gives developers the ability to
create better, more complex games.
Xbox One doesn't have that Halo 5 launch title
as a killer app, but what it does boast is
horsepower to make its game and entertainment
experiences that much better. Even the
company's first-party titles look as if they're
able to compete with Sony's in-house software
without having to be named Halo of Gears of
War.
With Microsoft having already sold out of pre-
orders on Amazon, early adopters of technology
and its Xbox Live-loving diehards are already
going to pony up the $499 (£429) on day one.
The question remains whether or not the
company can convince everyone else that these
benefits outweigh some of the negative spin
that's been thrown its way.