Xbox One Console Discussion

[Jonnas]

Quick! We need 50ccs of Sense of Humour. STAT!

 

The fact that it doesn't look ironic in the slightest is what makes me sad.

[Ashley]

It's a PR stunt more than it is Gamespot trying to encourage a flame war. They just want their name out there.

 

It's cheap and easy, but it's intention isn't destructive.

[Jimbob]

Just have to remind yourselves, you pay Xbox Live Gold and the PS Network is free. So whose network was hacked and rendered useless for a period of time?

 

I think the pricetag for Gold may be justified from that perspective.

[Clownferret]

I'm not a fanboy. I should point out that at this juncture I'm more inclined to get a PS4 than an Xbox One. And that I have a PS3 and an Xbox, subscribe to both PS+ and Xbox Live Gold, I think I'm in a position to have an objective stance on the services. I don't want to be called a fanboy by someone who put "Nintendo fanboy" as their forum biography.

 

And next person to claim I mentioned gas bills is getting banned.

 

@Shorty I wasn't calling you a fanboy per se, I was making a point that there is no logical argument to defending the subscription, when Sony & Nintendo offer the same service for free and anybody who would do so would be offering a biased opinion. Of course PS3 got hacked, but that could just have easily happened to Nintendo or Microsoft and anybody who thinks that paying a fee to Microsoft prevents this is deluded.

 

Yes I am a Nintendo fanboy, but one who has owned Sega, Sony & Microsoft consoles and found them all wanting, so I am an educated fanboy. Once again I am seeing Sony & Microsoft releasing expensive machines offering a tonne of stuff I already have and just making games look better than on Nintendo. The bottom line for me is I want a GAMES consoles and nobody does that better than Nintendo whether it's a brilliant controller, or just great games. Sony & Microsoft largely copy what Nintendo does and it drives me insanse when all these teenage idiots prattle on about Nintendo blissfully ignorant that without them the industry would stagnate and we would all end up buying a new COD every 6 months and playing FPS for eternity, some would argue we are already at there.

[Ashley]

Just have to remind yourselves, you pay Xbox Live Gold and the PS Network is free. So whose network was hacked and rendered useless for a period of time?

 

I think the pricetag for Gold may be justified from that perspective.

 

I think this argument will eventually lose ground. At the moment it has some traction, but I get the feeling that Xbox Live hacking is a case of "not if, but when". And that's nothing to do with Microsoft per se, but rather the hacking community will probably get around to it (either to prove it can be done, or because a hacker/group of hackers gets annoyed at Microsoft about something).

[Jimbob]

I think this argument will eventually lose ground. At the moment it has some traction, but I get the feeling that Xbox Live hacking is a case of "not if, but when". And that's nothing to do with Microsoft per se, but rather the hacking community will probably get around to it (either to prove it can be done, or because a hacker/group of hackers gets annoyed at Microsoft about something).

 

True, they did apparantly try to hack XBL but failed. So indeed, it has traction as you put it for a while until a full-scale attack brings it down.

 

Until then however.......

[bob]

Some might argue that the subscription to Live pays for extra servers which give a better online service, less downtime, faster downloads etc.

 

Not sure if this is necessarily true though.

[Shorty]

I think it's time to move away from the subscription discussion now. Of all the things that are going to change in the next generation, this is something which is going to remain exactly the same.

 

Now, about that mess of a reveal...

 

Without changing any of the facts, I wonder what would've made the Xbox One event more successful? Might be nice if developers could do away with the cheesy say-two-words-each montage videos and all the crappy phrases like "world class storytelling" and "a level of whatever that we've never seen before". I think Apple popularised this kind of approach and it just doesn't seem to work. Unless everything you're showing is everything we want, it just looks like you're going out of your way to avoid certain topics and stretch out single features to cover 15 minutes.

 

This video Bob posted is more interesting to me than almost everything that happened on that stage. It's not exactly candid, but it's much easier to relate to and believe. We need much more of this, and much less twitter debating, non-statements and muddy facts.

[Ike]

You should have the same level of security regardless if it's a paid for service or free, they both store personal information.

[Ashley]

I think it's time to move away from the subscription discussion now. Of all the things that are going to change in the next generation, this is something which is going to remain exactly the same.

 

Now, about that mess of a reveal...

 

Without changing any of the facts, I wonder what would've made the Xbox One event more successful? Might be nice if developers could do away with the cheesy say-two-words-each montage videos and all the crappy phrases like "world class storytelling" and "a level of whatever that we've never seen before". I think Apple popularised this kind of approach and it just doesn't seem to work. Unless everything you're showing is everything we want, it just looks like you're going out of your way to avoid certain topics and stretch out single features to cover 15 minutes.

 

This video Bob posted is more interesting to me than almost everything that happened on that stage. It's not exactly candid, but it's much easier to relate to and believe. We need much more of this, and much less twitter debating, non-statements and muddy facts.

 

"Xbox new topic"

 

Is that how this works?

[Rowan]

How much live TV do we really watch these days? I was always under the impression that we were slowly drifting towards using on-demand like Netflix & LoveFilm in addition to catch-up like iPlayer. Sure, social media has reignited some of the popularity in watching broadcast television but the vast majority of my viewing is now recorded to watch when it suits me on a PVR/Sky+. The only TV I watch live are sports.

 

So with Microsoft including HDMI-In on X1, are they hoping we step back a few years to a time when we cared what was on the guide right now and predominantly only watched TV as it aired? I would have thought Microsoft would offer a subscription package which not only provided Xbox Live, but also television content on demand over the internet such as subsidsized Netflix, HBO, Sky etc and would hence be all in one. Therefore removing the need for our separate cable/satellite subscriptions. My guess that the content providers are not playing ball and feel they don't need to split their profits with Microsoft as they're getting enough revenue as it is - which is something that Apple is struggling with now for their Apple television.

[Daft]

I only watch stuff I download or stream. If I have the TV on, it's maybe for the news but mostly just to have in the background while I'm doing other stuff.

 

It's weird, I never really realised how little I watch TV until this question came up. It's not a lot.

[MATtheHAT]

A quick Google tells me Xbox LIVE was hacked in 2007

 

It wouldn't surprise me if LIVE gets hacked again due to the controversy surrounding the online and used games policy. I seem to recall the excuse for the PSN hack was retaliation for the removal of 'Other OS' feature.

[Ashley]

How much live TV do we really watch these days? I was always under the impression that we were slowly drifting towards using on-demand like Netflix & LoveFilm in addition to catch-up like iPlayer. Sure, social media has reignited some of the popularity in watching broadcast television but the vast majority of my viewing is now recorded to watch when it suits me on a PVR/Sky+. The only TV I watch live are sports.

 

So with Microsoft including HDMI-In on X1, are they hoping we step back a few years to a time when we cared what was on the guide right now and predominantly only watched TV as it aired? I would have thought Microsoft would offer a subscription package which not only provided Xbox Live, but also television content on demand over the internet such as subsidsized Netflix, HBO, Sky etc and would hence be all in one. Therefore removing the need for our separate cable/satellite subscriptions. My guess that the content providers are not playing ball and feel they don't need to split their profits with Microsoft as they're getting enough revenue as it is - which is something that Apple is struggling with now for their Apple television.

 

I get Sky TV within my rent and in the month I've been here I've watched it four times. I thought I'd watch HIGNFY one day, but forgot programmes start at a certain time and missed half of it.

 

Knowing what I do of the American television industry (which is more than your average Joe, but by no means am I an expert in it), there is no way in hell that they would agree to an overarching subscription, even if subsidised by Microsoft. They're very reluctant to change. One only needs to look at the TV networks reactions to Aereo (i.e. threatening to go to cable, essentially spiting their customers) to see how reluctant they are to approach new models.

[-Dem0-]

The hilarity continues...

Microsoft’s Mattrick says he doesn’t think compatibility is really a problem. He said only 5% of customers play older games on a new videogame system anyway, so spending time and money to develop technology to allow them to play older games isn’t worth it.

 

“If you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards,” he said.

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/05/22/microsoft-and-sony-diverge-on-gaming-cloud/

[ReZourceman]

[jayseven]

Backwards compatability isn't a huge deal for me, really. I know nothing about the complexities of using new OS from console to console or new nvideoForceX and all that bollocks. What about XBLA games linked to your profile?

 

@Shorty the PS4 was really impressive with its reveal and set a good tone for the gamers and the gaming industry. Xbox didn't build on this (or the fact that it's bound to get the same non-exclusive games that sony gets and so the gaming library for the next generation will be good either way). Instead the presentation seemed to be geared towards the sorts of companies that will invest in advertising on such a system rich in market research and control.

 

It leads the way to betting apps being used in conjunction with the sports shows, potential to watch the same film with multiple friends and chat at the same time from different houses, googling "who's that actor?" on the fly... the potentials for the non-gaming markets are huge and if the console can promise a strong presence in a large number of households with promises of overlaying the screen with stuff... it also means that the broadcasters themselves can pay microsoft to host their own apps that interlink, or offer promotions or interactive elements to viewers. Gives a lot of industries a chance to increase public awareness of their product or service.

 

The focus on what we used to call 'casual' gamers just reincforces this; going for the largest, safest market who know what they like and like what they know -- yearly franchises. It ties in better with their overall business model going forwards, but it ignores what we wanted to see.

 

In this respect, I can understand their preference to use E3 to showcase the more 'core' element of what's in store, but we're a cynical bunch and it feels that they've overlooked us when they needed us most. While the 'casual' gamers like their franchises we're only really talking about a very finite number of games -- halo, gears, AC, fifa/football/other sports, COD. Other IPs like Bioshock (I can't think of others! Arg!) can sometimes hit the casuals up as well. But we feel (correctly or not, I wouldn't know) that we're the guys who invest in the new and the unproven IPs. We feel like we water the sproutlet ideas that actually drive the spirit and backbone of the art inasmuch as the industry. We spend more on games in general, and we spend more of our time gaming. So all we care about are the games!

 

The potential of Rare's back-catalogue being resurrected is most definitely a massive tug at the rose-tinted heart-strings, and there's already a niggling preemptive tinge of regret that I may not get to play them -- I can, of course, be comforted by the fact that 99% of the original team (and thus vision) isn't with the studio anymore, but still.

 

E3 is sure to show us not only these 'exclusive new IPs' which is a phrase that sets off the bullshit alert for being fairly unspecific and meaningless, but it's a chance to see if they can elaborate on their foundation of scary, big-brother reveals so far with some decent, gamer-approved ideas. I'm willing to give the console the chance to shine at the expo, but as far as the horserace goes Sony have shot out of the gates and microsoft appears to have lost their jockey and the horse appears to be having a nap.

 

If steambox can promise to be a gamer-orientated console then it may not be the 'winner' of the next generation of consoles, but I'm sure it'll win the hearts of many of us, especially as we become more disgruntled with the industry's direction.

 

As for nintendo? I think they're at the opera instead.

[Babooo]

Not interested in this or the PS4 as of yet. Waiting for the games. The games alone will decide which console I'm getting. Simple really.

 

Sometimes I wish Microsoft/Sony realised this instead of just talking about it.

[madeinbeats]

So MS has come out and said the Xbone is 10x as powerful as the 360, but, with clould based calculations, it's 40x as such. I nearly wet myself laughing.

 

I still haven't got over the 200Gb/s bandwidth statement yet.

 

Unbelievable tall tails coming from them. They're fudging any figure they than think of.

 

One thing about the cloud thing though is it might sould quite alluring to joe public and help them paper over questioning the whole always online thing. Scary how MS are trying to steer the entire industry down their and EA's path.

[Debug Mode]

Just have to remind yourselves, you pay Xbox Live Gold and the PS Network is free. So whose network was hacked and rendered useless for a period of time?

 

I think the pricetag for Gold may be justified from that perspective.

 

Jimbob, you're pulling straws here mate. It comes across as humorously defensive. Sure, PSN was hacked, but the fact that you say it is "justified" is hilarious considering you equate 24 days of free multiplayer you can't enjoy to the £30 you must pay for a whole year with Xbox.

 

It's not justified. You're paying something for nothing.

[Retro_Link]

What the Box Art will look like.

 

Edited May 23, 2013 by Retro_Link

[Jonnas]

Ok, the boxart actually does look pretty nice. That soothing green is rather appealing.

 

And it also made me realize just how awful this past generation was for shelf aesthetics. The 360 games had a tacky bright green, the Wii was white, white, white everything (seriously, bland as fuck) and the PS3's cases were unusually small and needlessly transparent.

 

Between the X1's darker green and the Wii U's light blue, I'd say this generation is already winning in the game case department

[Cube]

PS3's cases were unusually small and needlessly transparent.

 

The PS3's were the only normal-sized ones. The other two had big, bulky outdated DVD sized cases.

[Jonnas]

The PS3's were the only normal-sized ones. The other two had big, bulky outdated DVD sized cases.

 

Why that's a format I still use!

 

(Seriously, no Blu-Ray at my house. But the DVD-sized cases still go well with most of my books.)

[bryanee]

The boxart isn't bad for something that you can just throw in a wardrobe and never look at because of the forced install.

 

edit -

 

Ok this made me laugh

 

Edited May 24, 2013 by bryanee