After much speculation Microsoft have finally played their first hand and revealed their next generation hardware, but the biggest surprise was that we’d all got it’s name wrong, it will not be called the “XBox 720” as the world has believed for the past two years, no, it is the “XBox One”. And despite the picture above, it doesn’t float.
It has a rather uninspiring black box design, made interesting only by the vented right-hand side, but with that said, it is powerful and fast, comes with voice command and can talk other devices connected to it including your Digital TV provider. But that’s about it as far as leaps go.
“Generation Y?”
Ahead of Microsoft’s “big reveal” yesterday I was discussing the current state of console gaming with a colleague, she was surprised by how long it’s been since the XBox 360 first launched (8 years) and I explained that the reason the current generation of consoles have lasted so long is because the leap was so big that there was never really a need to replace them. Sure, both Sony and Microsoft have refreshed their current console designs by slimming them down, giving them new colours and skins, but under the hood these machines are still capable of providing engaging and powerful gaming experiences, and for people who want more; there’s full-throttle PC Gaming. So yesterday, as I eagerly awaited the news on the new XBox, I argued: “Is there a need to replace the current generation now?”.
So after watching Microsoft’s largely lacklustre reveal and following the aftermath and rabble last night and this morning, I think the answer is – If that’s all they’ve got, why bother?
Microsoft have realised that the days of set top boxes are coming to an end, with the increasing power and dominance of SmartTV’s and the unrelenting rise of internet provided television channels and viewing options, so their solution is to provide one box to rule them all by creating the XBox One.
The key selling point of this new device seems to be it’s ability to multitask, using a unique software combination to allow it to switch seamlessly between services and functions. Corporate VP of XBox hardware Todd Holmdahl used the example that players could watch watch videos on Internet Explorer whilst waiting for in-game matchmaking to throw you back into team deathmatch on your XBox.
Downloads and game streaming – The big idea?
Beyond the purported connectivity and controls that will connect your whole living room (in theory) to your gaming device, the biggest and boldest news for gamers is Microsoft’s commitment to maintaining 300,000 dedicated servers worldwide for downloading and streaming games and video content. But while the shift towards downloadable and re-downloadable games may save you from having to queue up at the shop for the midnight release of Call Of Duty: Ghosts, downloading NexGen Games are going to require a particularly good broadband connection.
Spec-less but connected
Without a full spec list from Microsoft we don’t know the machine’s full capabilities but it’s clear that it won’t be able to rival a topspec gaming PC. The XBox One runs an Octa-core x86 AMD processor, 8GB RAM, 500GB HD Storage, Blu-Ray Drive (finally gave in) as standard, and on the connectivity front – three USB 3.0 ports, Wifi Direct and Bluetooth.
The inclusion of Skype as the XBox One’s audio/video chat client will be a boost to multiplayer gaming with friends, and a further boost to gamers online life with Microsoft is that XBox Live accounts will carry over to the new generation with added benefits. There will also be more options for personalising who you encounter on multiplayer games – an option for “no stupid American pre-schoolers please” would be my personal default.
There was some brief mention of SmartGlass being built into the console so we look forward to seeing some interesting second screen gaming and entertainment applications.
We’ll all be ‘Kinected’
Microsoft’s Kinect has received a major overhaul and will come as standard with the XBox One, now capable of transmitting 1080p video and can ‘see’ six figures, up from two previously. Impressively, it can also now detect eye movement and can tell whether or not you’re watching the screen and can also tell which player is holding which controller thanks to IR sensors built into the new controls and it’s powerful voice and facial recognition software. The premise is that the Kinect will operate as “always on” and that, coupled with the detailed information it will know about it’s users, it’s a little freaky.
Similar …but different Controller
The XBox One controller looks like a third party XBox 360 controller but don’t be fooled, it has some subtle but key differences. The first being the IR sensor mentioned above, the other being haptic feedback enabled shoulder buttons. Some slight ergonomic design improvements have also been made and the D-Pad is now more articulated. But disappointingly, despite similarities, XBox 360 controllers will not be useable with the new console.
No XBox 360 Game disc compatibility?
Just as the controllers will not be supported, there’s also no support for XBox 360 Game discs, but that said, it’s likely Microsoft will find some way of making it possible to download old XBox games to the new device – for a fee of course. But for fans who have a serious collection of games, this will undoubtedly be a blow.
XBox One will know whether a game is used or not and charge you for using old games?
This is one question raised after Microsoft revealed that once a game is installed on the One’s 500GB hard drive, it will be automatically linked to a user’s profile and if you want to play a game previously linked to another gamer’s profile, you will have to pay an “activation fee” – wtf?
Bricks and mortar retail is under a sustained attack and will soon face a much larger threat than internet outlets such as Play and Amazon, as Microsoft and others seem keen to move towards a licensing model rather than ownership. Meaning that when you buy a game, you don’t own it, you’re just licensing it until you’ve got bored and trade it in, give the disc to someone else or sell it. Anyone picking your old game up will then have to license it for themselves – paying the retail cost of the game rather than a small fee – putting more money in the publisher’s pocket with every subsequent transaction of that game license. It’s hard to predict how this will impact third party rental, retail and game trade outlets, but a wild guess might suggest the outlook is going to be bleak – particularly the rentals. Hopefully Microsoft think again on this, because it could be a fatal blow to some of the core pillars that support the gaming culture.
However, Microsoft have confirmed that you can take your game to your friend’s and play on other XBox One consoles as long as you log in on that machine – still I predict a riot if these plans aren’t ironed out.
What about NexGen games?
Sony’s PS4 reveal was packed with some stunning NextGen game footage that got everyone excited, but Microsoft seemed to forget that they were launching a games console and largely left out any concrete demonstrations of what Xbox One games will look/run like. EA Sports VP Andrew Wilson took the stage to throw their support behind the new console, showing teasers of their latest titles including FIFA 14. Speaking about the XBox One’s Ignite engine, Wilson said that the powerful technology will “blur the line between reality and sports games”.
Activision also chimed in with some chatter about the new Call Of Duty: Ghosts, accompanied by an impressive video comparison between COD: Ghosts and Modern Warfare 3, but those titles will all be on the PS4 so “meh”. However, we are excited about Quantum Break, an Xbox One exclusive from Remedy Entertainment (Max Payne 1 & 2).
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First impression conclusion
The big reveal was lacking some key detail, release date and pricing for example, but at least we now have a clearer idea of what XBox are planning. However, it seems strikingly similar to what they proposed eight years ago when they first announced the XBox 360 announcement – hence the name – that device was supposed to be the all-in-one hub for your entertainment needs, and for the most part the XBox 360 delivered and still does thanks to the XBox Live overhaul. So again, I argue – If the XBox One doesn’t go that much further, what’s the point?
The key decider will be price because at the right price, this will be an attractive device. But now that it’s finally here, I just can’t help feeling like the leap into the “next generation” is more of a tentative hop from Microsoft, compared to what we saw between the last generation and the current crop of brilliant consoles already entertaining us.
