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Xbox One review: all-in

Xbox One is meant to be your "all-in-one entertainment machine," not only revolutionizing the way you play games, but TV and movies as well. Does it succeed?
Andrew Yoon
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On paper, the two next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony are largely similar. Both are online-enabled, social-centric, AMD-powered black boxes that play many of the same games. Yet, people's opinions on the two are wildly differently--largely due to the difference in strategy the two companies have taken. Whereas PlayStation 4 was touted as "the best place for gamers," Microsoft took a different approach. Even the name "Xbox One" signals a shift in focus away from just games. Xbox One is meant to be your "all-in-one entertainment machine," not only revolutionizing the way you play games, but TV and movies as well. Does it succeed? Design Xbox One is also "just another black box." However, it's not quite as elegantly designed as PS4. It's a behemoth of a console, larger than even the original Xbox 360, and still has a power brick to boot. This time around, there's also Kinect included--and Microsoft's next-gen camera is equally hefty. It's hard to imagine anyone being able to mount it on top of a slim TV. But Xbox One isn't large simply to be the Hummer of your living room. It's clear that Microsoft learned valuable lessons from Xbox 360. Burned by RROD, Microsoft may have played it overly-safe, designing a system that's mostly made out of vents. Even Kinect has its own dedicated cooling system. "Better safe than sorry" was clearly the motto when designing the system, but the end result is a piece of tech that is distressingly quiet. Microsoft intended the console to be always-on... and that seems entirely possible. For anyone that's ever suffered through the whirring fans of the original Xbox 360, Xbox One is a huge improvement. Controller Microsoft clearly took a "if it ain't broke" approach to their controller. Xbox 360's controller was best-in-class, and Xbox One makes subtle changes. For better and for worse, you'll need to use a proprietary headset with the controller, and you'll still be swapping in AA batteries. (I'm personally a fan of the integrated USB-rechargeable option offered by PlayStation.) Perhaps the most significant change made to the controller is the addition of impulse triggers. These extra motors give vibration an extra kick. However, it doesn't appear developers are really utilizing it, with Forza Motorsport 5 being the best (and only?) example of what's possible. Even then, it's a subtle effect. With the many advancements made to DualShock 4, Xbox One's controller is certainly far less exciting--although no less reliable than before.

Kinect is so large and heavy, it's unlikely to be mounted atop anyone's TV

Kinect One of the only controversial decisions surrounding Xbox One that Microsoft hasn't backtracked on is the mandatory inclusion of Kinect with every Xbox One. It's part of the system's DNA, although I can confirm that you do not need to have Kinect connected to have the system operational. But, it's included in the box--so why not set it up? Microsoft has smartly made Kinect a rather non-intrusive part of the Xbox experience, inviting users to try the camera if they so choose. The setup, for example, is remarkably easy. Gone are the calibration cards from last generation's Kinect. In fact, you can just "set it and forget it." On every TV I've tested Kinect on, I just put it in a reasonable place and it just started working. The only setup you'll have to do is an audio check, a process that takes less than a minute and involves almost zero effort to complete. The way you'll use Kinect is far less flashy than in the previous generation. You won't be waving your hands and flailing your arms trying to select menu items on the Dashboard. (Although if you so choose, you can operate Xbox One in that manner.) Instead, Microsoft has placed their focus on voice commands, which we'll go into in more detail later in the review. Kinect enables some "magic moments" that simply aren't possible on other consoles. I love it when Xbox One can recognize me and automatically sign me in. At GameFly, there were quite a number of people checking out the system. But the moment I walked in front of the TV, it instantly recognized me and said "Welcome Andrew" and logged me into my Dashboard. It can even recognize other registered users as well (like Ozzie) and sign them in. Another feature that I love is the ability to scan QR codes. Instead of inputting a 25-digit code, all you have to do is aim the QR code at the camera. It's so fast, it really feels like a magic trick. I didn't even have to stand up from my seat and walk closer to the camera. I just flashed a sheet of paper and it instantly activated. (ProTip: You can convert existing 25-digit codes into plain-text QR codes and they will work with Xbox One.) Neither of these features are particularly flashy, and neither them are the "killer app" that people may want out of Kinect. However, these are just some of the small things that you begin to appreciate by having Kinect around.

It's incredibly easy to connect your Xbox to your TV

TV, HDMI-In, OneGuide & IR Blaster Kinect is also pivotal when integrating your TV to your console. I don't have cable TV, but I still appreciated being able to control my television set through Kinect. The console has a built-in "IR Blaster," which effectively turns Kinect into a universal remote. A simple setup process has you inputting your TV manufacturer (and maybe model number). You'll then be able to adjust the volume of your TV, change the channel, or even turn it off using Kinect. By enabling the feature, you'll be able to say "Xbox, Mute" without having to stumble for a remote control. Once again, it's a minor feature, but one that you'll appreciate being able to do. If you do have cable TV, like Ozzie does, the console will go through yet another automated process to interact with your cable box. Once your box is connected, you can use Kinect commands to switch channels on the fly. For example, saying "Xbox, Watch ESPN" will switch you over to ESPN's HD channel. By saying "Xbox, Watch TV," you'll access OneGuide--an enhanced TV guide that lets you see content not only on your channels, but on apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus as well. Of course, you don't have to use Xbox One's HDMI-In for cable TV. You can use it for any HDMI-enabled device. And here's a surprise I couldn't mention in my PS4 review: it was running through Xbox One the entire time. There's absolutely no lag introduced by first going through Xbox One. And I personally appreciated having the ability to control the volume of my TV with voice commands while playing Sony's home console. However, I should note that the IR Blaster has been particularly problematic with my Toshiba TV, working only about half the time. Neither Ozzie nor myself encountered problems with two other televisions we tested, so be mindful that your mileage may vary.

Snap lets you run a game and an app at the same time

Voice Commands, Snap & Multitasking Both consoles are impressive with their ability to multitask. On both consoles, I can play a game, watch a few minutes of a show on Netflix, go back to the game, and then resume the episode without losing progress in either the game or TV show. However, only Xbox One has the ability to Snap. Much like Windows 8, you'll be able to attach apps to the side of the screen that run in parallel to your game. It's a cool feature, one that's made much easier through voice. If you so want, you can say "Xbox, Snap Internet Explorer" and have a browser window pop up on the right side of the screen. To switch between the left and right side of the screen, you can say "Xbox, Snap" or double-tap the Home button on the controller. To close the Snap, you say "Xbox, Unsnap." It's a cool feature, but I'm not sold on its usefulness. Not a single Snap app really convinced me this was a good idea. Ozzie was particularly intrigued by the ability to snap live TV, however. You'll use the left side of the screen to play any of your games as normal, while your TV runs on the side, with both the game and television running at full volume. But having live TV snapped can be distracting, especially when the TV volume would drown out something happening in the game, for example. Snap does make it easy to know when to switch into full-screen mode, however. For example, you could be watching a sports game in Snap, and launch the full TV app when something big is happening. DVR functions are also tied to voice command, so you can "Xbox, Rewind" to go back a few minutes. Voice commands feel magical when they work--but there's still a lot of work to be done. Unfortunately, you cannot talk to Xbox in a natural way. Instead, Xbox is very particular about the commands it can respond to. For example, you'll have to say a game's full title in order for it to launch. Imagine having to tell Kinect to launch a Square Enix game with Kinect?! You won't be able to say "Xbox, take me back to my game" or "Xbox, lower the volume." (You have to specifically say "Xbox, Volume Down.") There's also some overlap with commands, particularly "Stop Listening" and "Stop" command. Yelling "Xbox, Stop Listening" will make Kinect stop listening for voice commands, but it'll pause your live TV, too. There are also times where Kinect will completely misunderstand you, launching Messages instead of Netflix, for example. Sometimes, Kinect won't recognize you at all. Perhaps the most frustrating moment when dealing with Kinect is the "Xbox, On" command. You can set your Xbox to go into standby mode, and it'll be awoken by that voice command. Unfortunately, it worked less than half of the time for me. (Ozzie has had more luck with it, although he struggles with the "Xbox, Turn Off" command.) It's especially frustrating because it's amazing when it does work. If you have your IR Blaster configured, it can even turn on your TV at the same time. But when it doesn't work, you'll feel a lot like this: You'll also run into moments where you'll need your controller or remote control to progress, defeating the entire purpose of voice commands altogether. For example, you won't be able to access any of your DVR recorded shows using a controller or Kinect. Oftentimes, it's simply faster to use a controller than voice commands. For example, why say "Xbox, Go Home" when you just hit the Home button on your controller? And the newly-redesigned Dashboard makes it so easy to get to content that voice commands are oftentimes unnecessary.

Your Dashboard Pins are saved to the cloud, letting you retrieve them from any Xbox console

Dashboard & The Cloud With its Metro interface, it's easy to think that much hasn't changed between the Xbox 360 Dashboard and Xbox One. But no, Xbox One is significantly less cluttered and easy to use. Crucially, it lets you suspend and resume your active app at a whim, simply by pressing the Home button. However, more importantly, the dynamically-generated menu of your four most recently-used apps gives you quick access to pretty much whatever you'll want to do next. For example, let's say you're playing Zoo Tycoon and you check the game's Achievements. The next time you press Home, you'll see Achievements as the first box on the bottom of the screen. You can also set Pins on the left side of the screen for your most-used apps. I have Netflix pinned, so the TTN (Time-to-Netflix) on Xbox One is quite fast. Certainly faster than the TTN on PS4. And I was impressed that my Pins carried over to another Xbox One thanks to cloud storage. In fact, everything carried over from one system to the other. I started playing LocoCycle at home and was able to continue my progress seamlessly on the office Xbox. Even more impressive: all my Game DVR clips were also accessible on a different Xbox One--and I had no idea I had uploaded them at all! With the exception of having to redownload my games and apps, it's as if any Xbox was my own--all without my having to think about it.

Upload Studio is one of my favorite features of Xbox One

Sharing I was checking my Game DVR clips because I wanted to work on a video review right from the system. PS4 makes it incredibly easy to retrieve gameplay clips and upload them online--you just press the button on the controller. However, you can only upload highly-compressed clips to Facebook. Xbox One makes it a bit more difficult to capture footage, as you'll have to Snap Game DVR and have the console save up to five minutes of footage. While it may be more cumbersome to access, Xbox One is far more versatile with what you can do with your captured footage. Through Upload Studio, you'll be able to actually do some minor video editing. Whereas PS4 only lets you trim clips, through Upload Studio, you'll actually be able to string together up to five different clips, trimming each one, and adding narration (if you so wish). The final product can then be uploaded to SkyDrive (Microsoft's Dropbox alternative) and downloaded as a standard MP4 file. This file can then be uploaded to YouTube or any other video service you'd like. Clearly, this is a much better alternative to "just Facebook." The video quality is serviceable, but it's still noticeably compressed. You can download my Zoo Tycoon video review from my SkyDrive to check out the video quality for yourself. This video was created entirely with Xbox One. Nothing was touched up, no other accessories were purchased. (Note: I used the headset included with the console to record audio. So, this is a good way to gauge the quality of the audio as well.) However, Xbox One won't offer any game streaming services at launch, a feature that Sony makes incredibly easy with PS4. In fact, you can broadcast directly to Twitch and Ustream on PS4. Microsoft says Twitch is coming in 2014, but it's clearly an oversight on their part.

Xbox Live for Xbox One revamps Friends with Followers

Xbox Live Perhaps the most meaningful enhancement to Xbox Live is the revamped approach to Friends. Yes, now you can have thousands of friends if you'd like and see their Xbox Live activity a la Facebook. Crucially, you can now "Follow" people instead of "Friending" them, akin to Twitter. This is incredibly smart, as you'll be able to follow your favorite video game celebrities, even if they won't follow you back. (Sorry, I'm a jerk.) However, while Xbox Live has proven to be one of Microsoft's greatest assets in the previous generations, it seems increasingly like a handicap. On Xbox One, you can pretty much assume you can do nothing without a Gold account. You can play single-player games, you can watch Blu-ray movies... and that's about it. That is ridiculous, especially given how much you can do on PS4 even without a PlayStation Plus account. And seriously, Netflix still requires a Gold account on Xbox? Perhaps the most frustrating thing about using Xbox One without a Gold account is how much the console spams you with Gold-related advertising. Many games automatically create Game DVR clips at set intervals. However, because that's a Gold-exclusive feature, it means that your offline single-player game will be constantly interrupted with an advertisement to get Gold. For gamers that don't want to pay the $60 annual fee, that's like getting spit on the face.

Xbox One Day One Edition

Game Reviews Conclusion Xbox One is the logical follow-up to Xbox 360, a natural evolution of what Microsoft attempted in the previous generation. With or without Kinect, Xbox One is a powerful multitasking system that has incredible potential as a true "all-in-one" entertainment device. It's not quite there, though. The app library is still rather limited, and its inability to fully interact with DVR systems will frustrate the kind of user that's likely to use this functionality the most. When it works, Kinect is a wonderful addition to Xbox One. Already, I find myself drawn to its conveniences--notably the features enabled by the IR blaster. Of course, these consoles don't exist in a bubble and many will ask "which system is better?" At launch, it's much too early to say. Personally, I can tell you that I've been enjoying my Xbox One more than my PS4. But, I have the luxury of not having paid for either of these consoles, nor having to pay for Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus. Is Xbox One $100 better than PS4? Is it worth paying an extra $60 a year for? Being able to scan QR codes is nice, being able to connect live TV into the system is novel, and using voice as a universal remote is fun--but how much is that worth to you?
This Xbox One review was based on a 500GB debug system provided by the publisher. Ozzie Mejia contributed to this report.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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  • Shacknews legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
    reply
    November 19, 2013 9:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Xbox One review: all-in.

    Xbox One is meant to be your "all-in-one entertainment machine," not only revolutionizing the way you play games, but TV and movies as well. Does it succeed?

    • [deleted] 92559685 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:03 PM

      [deleted]

    • RomanMF legacy 10 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:06 PM

      Andrew you're a trooper! Good work with all this coverage. You're due for a very long nap.


      SIDEBAR: I really wish I could shoot you guys video for you lol. Budget constraints I know...

      • AndrewYoon legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 9:11 PM

        At the very least, we're still learning and, I think, getting better! Feel free to ask me any questions.

    • Fenring42 legacy 10 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:23 PM

      So if I plug a PS3/360/PS4 into my hypothetical Xbone, would I be able to stream that game?

    • cerealSAM2 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:27 PM

      X-Bone Huge!

    • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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      November 19, 2013 9:30 PM

      [deleted]

      • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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        November 19, 2013 9:35 PM

        [deleted]

        • veras legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 19, 2013 9:36 PM

          Have you used a DS4 yet? It really does feel completely different imo, the handles naturally angle your thumb in a different way plus the stick placement is somewhat diff

          • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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            November 19, 2013 9:41 PM

            [deleted]

            • Sailor of Fortune legacy 10 years
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              November 19, 2013 9:56 PM

              I remember seeing an article they did consider an assymetrical layout for the sticks but higher ruled against it. Probably because it would be a sign that they were wrong the whole time.

              Would have been cool if you can detach the D-pad and Sticks to swap them instead. So it's more like, "You can do what you want! We care more about your the gamer!"

          • rodneystubbs legacy 10 years
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            November 19, 2013 11:23 PM

            Because of the location of the left thumb stick, my thumb is always on the verge of slipping off. It doesn't help that the stick is a bit smaller than the xbox stick.

    • jaga legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:52 PM

      Man, the hardware design for XB1 looks so busted in comparison to PS4, like it's just an amateur PC maker putting it together. Couldn't they have spent a little time making it nicer? Even the 360 looks svelte in comparison.

      • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:01 PM

        [deleted]

      • AxeMan808 moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:43 PM

        I was thinking "Why does it look like some Frankenstein device, joined in the middle?" (like Chris from Family Guy)

      • Mmmmmoo legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 12:05 AM

        I think the XB1 is designed to be on all the time for its entire lifespan.

        Sticking in a giant fan probably helps to address heat dissipation and noise issues that will arise when a device is on for a very long time. Downside to a giant fan is that it's a giant fan and you can't make something slim and sleek with a giant fan inside.

        • yoshimi20 legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 12:26 AM

          I don't mind the look of it, but it's going to be interesting to see how you can stack it. I wonder if putting a cable box on top of it is going to mess up the airflow?

          • derelict515 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 1:21 AM

            I would not be stacking my consoles with any other electronics

    • TheJoeker legacy 10 years
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      November 19, 2013 9:55 PM

      I don't think I'm alone on this, but what is the big deal of the entertainment features if I don't see the value in cable or satellite anymore? I have been without for over three years now, saving myself a good $100 a month. I can pay for $7 for Netflix, have Amazon Prime that is $80 over 12 months(Approximately $6.67 a month) with free Amazon shipping, and can get almost every network TV show streamed day after. If I really want something day one, can find a Redbox with it for $1.50. Plus most of these apps are available on anything. I'm still saving myself $80 a month here, and can't use any of these features with Xbox One's digital only in with my antenna for local HD. I still intend to have a Xbox One in my house by next fall for the exclusives like Quantum Break, but the entertainment side is a no sell for me.

      • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:03 PM

        [deleted]

        • Vincent Grayson moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 1:53 AM

          Is he? That's how I, and nearly every single person I know operate TV/movie watching these days, with one or two streaming services plus the occasional rental. I don't know a single person other than my own parents, that still subscribes to cable.

        • Rauol Duke legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 4:34 AM

          Not in anyone under 40. Cable television is a dying whore.

        • vassili_zaitsev legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 6:48 AM

          nope. i would wager there's a huge chunk of <35 y.o. that don't have cable these days. you can stream basically everything except sports. that's the only downside. but you have apps from NHL/NFL that do it now, so cable is basically useless.

          • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 7:07 AM

            [deleted]

            • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 7:12 AM

              [deleted]

              • Vincent Grayson moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                November 20, 2013 7:33 AM

                Most people I know that really want current TV shows as they air buy them via iTunes/Amazon/etc, but then most people I know also don't give a fuck what's on *right now*, they just watch whatever is on Netflix when they're in the mood and aren't big TV watchers at all.

              • TheJoeker legacy 10 years
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                November 20, 2013 8:42 AM

                I do watch TV as I have time, rather than live. I only watch it live if I'm home when it airs. Breaking Bad I've only watched the first three seasons up to this point. I've been watching Sleepy Hollow on Hulu in bursts. There are a few shows that I find a way to watch near when it airs, like say Doctor Who, but nothing is too urgent to me. I find there is so much TV to watch that it is just another backlog, "pile of shame" that I watch as I have time. It only hurts as a sports fan, that I only catch games when I go to them live occasionally, NFL is still regularly on FOX, CBS, and NBC, or happen to be out where they have it on.

            • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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              November 20, 2013 7:24 AM

              I buy season passes on iTunes. I don't need to watch a show the moment it airs. I'd rather save money.

            • atom519 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 7:31 AM

              Isn't Mad Men on Netflix? I remember watching it on there last summer.

        • deadhorse legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 22, 2013 8:28 AM

          So damn wrong it's hilarious.

      • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:24 PM

        [deleted]

      • Alpha Geist legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:51 PM

        I'm with you. I don't even have basic cable programming as we (the household) rarely put in more than 2-3 hours max a week on the our TV with only six channels available.

    • boarder2 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 10:01 PM

      And here's a surprise I couldn't mention in my PS4 review: it was running through Xbox One the entire time. There's absolutely no lag introduced by first going through Xbox One.

      How many people said there was no way this was possible?

    • biofrog legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 10:06 PM

      Something I haven't heard much of is how AMD is responding to the console releases. Obviously they have more money bags, but have they more to say comparing the consoles or how each development system took place?

      • Topsiderover legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:36 PM

        The PC market is roughly 300 million units a year. As far as profits from selling CPU's go, consoles are small potatoes.

        • biofrog legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 19, 2013 11:05 PM

          Which is why money isn't the focus of my question :)

      • Ajax legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 9:22 AM

        I'm sure they'd have much more to say if they could slap their sticker on the front of each PS4/XB1

    • code-e255 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 10:27 PM

      How optional is Kinect? Can I not plug it in at all? I don't want to waste any electricity on that shit and have my privacy invaded.

      • xylothan legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 19, 2013 10:34 PM

        You don't have to plug it in -- and if you do plug it in your can turn it off in the menu. You have full control of your privacy via multiple options/settings. Beyond that, everything else is tinfoilhatville.

        • Pneum0 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 5:21 AM

          What? they 180'd that too? Good for them

      • FreshwaterAU legacy 10 years
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        November 20, 2013 5:53 AM

        You have to provide them a tasteful nude pic before you can use the xbox. Sry.

    • lord cecil legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 10:33 PM

      How does Pirates Creed run on Xbox One? Has anyone talked about this definitively?

    • ossprey legacy 10 years
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      November 19, 2013 10:51 PM

      According to Digital Foundry, plugging a PS4 into the Xbox One's input DOES add a decent amount of input lag. Maybe Andrew would have liked Knack better if he had his PS4 plugged straight into the TV.

      • the archvile legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 4:30 AM

        Yeah, it's not like the analog video days. Cascading digital video inputs means you're adding extra processing in between the source and the TV, and that means lag.

      • LoioshDwaggie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 5:01 AM

        Yeah, no. A little lag is not that game's problem. Boring design, repetitive gameplay, and repetitive unrewarding gameplay is Knack's problem.

      • Dolemite legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 1:59 PM

        Considering a lot of people don't like that game I doubt that was the issue.

    • yoshimi20 legacy 10 years
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      November 19, 2013 11:01 PM

      How is the controller battery life? Another review mentioned the controller has lasted over a week without being charged as Kinect tracks when you put the controller down and puts it in a low battery mode?

      Thanks for the review btw .... nice read.

      • OzzieMejia moderator legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 11:06 PM

        I'm at almost a week and counting with my original Duracelll AA's, so I'd say the battery life's pretty good.

        • yoshimi20 legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 12:20 AM

          Sounds good. Nothing worse than picking up the controller and finding out it needs to be charged.

        • Beady legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 12:45 AM

          Some of the stuff they are doing is pretty clever, the Kinect senses when you put the controller down and puts it into standby mode until you pick it up again.

          • g3dHorse legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 2:26 PM

            Do you really need Kinect to see if a controller is not being used? Cool though

      • sleepytea legacy 10 years
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        November 19, 2013 11:32 PM

        The DS4 battery life is pretty fucking crumby. I would have been happier with better life and fewer features. That damn light in the front for instance does nothing for me with no camera and the touch pad has yet to really pay off. Might as well be wired :\

      • FreshwaterAU legacy 10 years
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        November 20, 2013 5:54 AM

        Thats pretty neat

    • Beady legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 11:04 PM

      The stuff about the thing being featureless without gold is what will stop me from picking one up. Especially if it advertises to you in-game regularly about not having gold.

      • jtthe2nd legacy 10 years
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        November 20, 2013 1:08 AM

        The in-game Live ads have to go before I think about picking up an XB1. I bought a 360 but if it was hounding me with Live ads in-game I would've passed.

    • [deleted] 1931869945 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 19, 2013 11:08 PM

      [deleted]

    • kurumba legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 12:15 AM

      Nice review Andrew. Cancelled my PS4 order after hearing about the day one issues with the hardware. No way can I go through another Xbox 360 style launch where all I do is worry about it breaking whilst using it. I'll grab its second iteration on price drop and get an Xbox One for launch. I didn't like the look of the PS4 UI either, it looked a little bland and it seemed as if most features were missing. The video editing software for the Xbox One is pretty awesome from what I've seen. Oh well, roll on Friday!

      • the archvile legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 4:36 AM

        Sony is expediting replacement of any faulty launch units, exactly because they don't want gamers making snap decisions on reports of launch defects.

        "SCEA is exchanging units with new replacements for those who call our support line," a Sony rep told GameInformer. "The exchanges are immediate with expedited shipping."

        http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-20-sony-is-exchanging-faulty-ps4s-asap

        Also, the PS4 probably isn't going to be dropping in price for a while, considering that they're making a small margin on the MSRP. The PS4 isn't the Wii U.

      • [deleted] 853058975 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 7:33 AM

        [deleted]

    • MikkleThePickle legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury ultra mega
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      November 20, 2013 12:33 AM

      a very informative and insightful review... awesome work, thanks Andrew!

    • VegasX legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 2:13 AM

      Still thinking about canceling my pre-order and getting a Wii U with SMW and Zelda HD. Just not sure I see it worth the investment right now until some of te exclusives start coming out, like Titan Fall.

    • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 4:57 AM

      Why do you prefer the non-replaceable batteries in the PS4 controller over being able to use your own rechargeable AAs in the Xbox Controller?

      • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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        November 20, 2013 5:11 AM

        Have you ever needed batteries only to realize you're out? Aside from the short charge cord, I love non-replaceable batteries in the DualShock 3 and 4. Batteries are one last accessory I need to buy. Not that I'd consider that a deciding factor in choosing which console to buy.

        • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 5:13 AM

          No, because I always have a spare set charged?

          • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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            November 20, 2013 5:24 AM

            Do you? You seem unsure.

            Look, to each his own. I consider batteries archaic and prefer being able to just plug a near-death controller and keep playing.

        • nakedsavage legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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          November 20, 2013 5:36 AM

          The 10 seconds it takes me to swap in a fresh set of rechargeable AA batteries is a small sacrifice to make so that I can use the same batteries in several devices around my house and never worry about having to charge something. Just have 2-4 extra ones sitting around and never worry. Why would you prefer a proprietary non-replacable product over a universal replaceable one? I'm honestly curious.

          The quality of modern rechargeable batteries is so good that I can't fathom why people are still buying standard batteries for everyday use. Between remotes, game controllers, flashlights, work tools, etc., I use a lot of batteries and I haven't bought a single one in over 6 years.

          • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 5:44 AM

            I know, for AA and AAA all we buy are Amazon Rechargeables because they are so close to eneloops and the price is so much better.

          • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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            November 20, 2013 5:56 AM

            That's fine! I've never had to replace a PS3 controller in five years, and my couch is close enough to my 50" plasma that I can keep my seat while the controller recharges. The wife and I keep them charges, though, so I don't have to keep them tethered to often.

            I just find it easier to plug in a cord than fuss with batteries.

        • Sailor of Fortune legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 9:11 AM

          Rechargeable batteries lose their effectiveness over time. I have Eneloop batteries which I keep charged and use between my 360, Wii, and other devices. If I need new ones it's much easier and cheaper to replace those (still Eneloop batteries are very good still) but non-replaceable means you have to replace the entire thing. Also swapping batteries means I never have to worry about plugging in a cable to play while it charges or forgetting to plug it in after I'm done. It's easy to remember to plug in rechargeable batteries since you take them out after they are done.

    • Rauol Duke legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      November 20, 2013 5:04 AM

      What exactly are you enjoying in the One over the PS4? Is it the better launch exclusives or just an overall experience?

      • Gwyndion legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 5:56 AM

        Based on the review it sounds like the IR blaster and ability to control TV with voice commands etc.

    • rtricoche legacy 10 years
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      November 20, 2013 5:11 AM

      I think he likes the "Minority Report" like experience. Makes him feel tingly inside.

    • Pneum0 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 5:26 AM

      I hate batteries in controllers. Surprised they didn't fix that.

      • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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        November 20, 2013 5:27 AM

        Talk to mancide for me. He's pretty hung up on THIS PARTICULAR aspect of the two consoles.

        • [deleted] 1050027680 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 5:27 AM

          [deleted]

        • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 6:07 AM

          Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's be clear here. I would not base my decision on either console on the battery situation of the controller alone.

          I do favor being able to use my own eneloops/amazon rechargeables though. And the fact that every PS4 review dinged it for the short battery life and they were getting over a week on Duracells makes you really wonder the quality of the battery they shoved in that $18 build.

          • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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            November 20, 2013 6:39 AM

            Good enough!

            I'm genuinely curious: you seem like a diehard supporter of the Xbox brand, and I'd like to know what brought you there. I don't dislike Xbox, nor Sony. I'll own both consoles eventually. The only brand I feel anything for is Nintendo, and that's because I grew up playing their games and still feel they're the best GAMES around. So I enjoy learning about what connects other gamers to their favorite consoles, brands, franchises, etc.

            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 6:48 AM

              I don't hate Sony.

              I had a PS2 in the past.

              I've had systems from everyone.

              I had an OG Xbox, and a 360. I really got big into the achievement system of the Xbox 360 and started changing the way I played games chasing those points.

              I have a Surface and a Windows Phone 8.

              I actually secured "mancide" on PSN because for a while I was really enticed in switching for Instant Game Collection. Now that Microsoft has brought that to the 360, and coming to the One in 2014, I don't feel the need to jump ship.

              My wife and toddler really use the media stuff heavily on the 360, so she really didn't want to change to a lesser platform in that respect. They make use of the voice controls, so they wouldn't want to give that up.

              I'll admit, the NFL exclusive stuff is really a plus in the One for me.

              Again, I don't hate Sony. I just didn't feel they did enough to bring me over, and Microsoft didn't screw up enough to push me away.

        • Pneum0 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 6:39 AM

          Why bother? It's useless

      • dantastic legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 5:33 AM

        i love them. means that when the batteries die in the middle of the game that i don't have to pull out a 4 foot usb cable and play 4 ft in front of my 50" tv while it charges.

        having a reliable set of eneloops have been pretty handy last generation

        • dantastic legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 5:34 AM

          also means that i don't have to replace a 60 dollar controller when the battery only lasts for an hour later in its life.

          • [deleted] 1271987451 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 6:33 AM

            [deleted]

            • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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              November 20, 2013 6:39 AM

              This. I own three PS3 controllers and they all hold charges just fine.

            • Sailor of Fortune legacy 10 years
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              November 20, 2013 9:19 AM

              My PS3 controller that I use more than my second lasts about 4-5 hours on a full charge where the other I rarely use (which I'm switching to now) lasts 6-7 hours before it bothers you about low battery.

              This was very apparent when my friends and I were doing a hotseat coop marathon for The Last of Us.

              I've had both controllers since the MGS4 Bundle came out whenever that was.

          • eyetyrant248 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 6:41 AM

            I'm a PS3 dev. I've never seen one of the controllers die, and their batteries would recharge even if they'd been sitting unused for months.

        • Volatus32x legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 5:42 AM

          lol, okay

        • eyetyrant248 legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 6:43 AM

          I know what you mean. I would keep two PS3 controllers handy so I could swap them out easily.

          • Sailor of Fortune legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 9:24 AM

            Haha this is what I used to do. Especially after Sony got rid of stand by charging so my PS3 only charged controllers when I was using it. I wasn't keen on taking up a AC power outlet on my strip to dedicate to charging of controllers.

        • Pneum0 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 6:45 AM

          Quicker, easier, and cheaper to plug in the cable, but everyone has a preference. For me, it would call for 30 minutes in the car. Last thing I want to do in the middle of a session.

          • sigpro legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            November 20, 2013 8:57 AM

            And then you are using a wired controller. Fuck wires. Also the point is moot anyways because with the xbox one controller you can use a micro usb cable and plug it in and run it wired. It won't charge the batteries but the controller will still work just fine.

        • deadhorse legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 22, 2013 8:36 AM

          Buy a longer cable. Boom. I got a 12-foot cable for my PS3 and could easily play from my couch. If one controller dies, grab a charged one and begin the (much quicker than PS3) charging process on the dead controller.

      • MikkleThePickle legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury ultra mega
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        November 20, 2013 6:13 AM

        There's nothing to "fix" as far as I'm concerned. I absolutely love the batteries in controllers. I don't want more cables around my living room. In fact I haven't plugged in a 360 controller since 2007.

        If that's what you prefer though, the $11 play & charge kit allows you to do just that. With this setup you have the option to do both.

        It really sucks that the DS4 gets 3-5 hours before needing to be plugged in to recharge. The Xbox controllers do 40+ hours on one set of batteries.

        Buy an eneloop starter pack, and never look back.

        • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 6:14 AM

          I really think, at least in my controllers, the Amazon Rechargeables perform just as well as the Eneloops and are far better value.

          • MikkleThePickle legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury ultra mega
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            November 20, 2013 6:30 AM

            The Amazon batteries are cheaper but they don't come with either a charger or spacers, so my recommendation for people starting out is always the $20 Costco eneloop pack that comes with 10 batteries, a charger, and C & D spacers.

            Once you've got that, sure, the Amazon batteries are probably a better buy :)

            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 6:39 AM

              Yea, I got an eneloop starter pack back in the day then switched. Yea, I guess it would be nice for Amazon to have that starter pack as well.

      • daroach1414 legacy 10 years
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        November 20, 2013 6:50 AM

        This just proves that its damned if you do, damned if you dont. How many people bitch at the iphone for not having removable batteries?

        • MikkleThePickle legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury ultra mega
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          November 20, 2013 6:55 AM

          the Xbox setup allows you to do both though, so you can just do whatever you like best... whether that's using rechargeable AA's, or a battery pack w/ a charging cable. There's no downside to having this flexibility, other than additional cost which is minimal.

          • [deleted] 1167568288 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 7:09 AM

            [deleted]

          • daroach1414 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 7:11 AM

            Oh i know. Im just saying that people bitch no matter what you do. Give them options for a battery, or give them no options for the battery. Someone is bitching.

          • omnova legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            November 20, 2013 7:37 AM

            I don't know how this generation will be but the 360 rechargeable packs were the most unreliable pieces of shit ever. They lasted like 10 hours and never really seemed to charge consistently. I went through a handful of them before giving up.

        • FrayLo legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 8:53 AM

          The iPhone is $299+ with contract. We are talking about $30-$50 controllers

      • omnova legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 7:35 AM

        American disposable "convenience."

      • g0nk legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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        November 20, 2013 7:37 AM

        I wont ever use a controller again unless it's powered by kinetic energy!

      • [deleted] 1271987451 legacy 10 years
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        November 20, 2013 7:40 AM

        [deleted]

      • boarder2 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 7:40 AM

        Buy these and stop worrying about it. http://www.amazon.com/eneloop-2000mAh-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B004UG41W8/

    • RowjinZee legacy 10 years
      reply
      November 20, 2013 6:51 AM

      Andrew, just wanted to say that I appreciate all the work you've been doing. Thanks for this review.

      Not that it matters, but there's no score for console reviews, right?

    • BlockheadBrown legacy 10 years
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      November 20, 2013 7:01 AM

      Nicely written. Thanks for this.

    • hatelull legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 8:00 AM

      I will carry on my Xbox Live account to the next generation, but walling everything off is still a cheap tactic on Microsoft's part. I'm curious as to why they do this when their direct competition allows so much without the premium PSN account.

      • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 8:03 AM

        I don't think it's a cheap tactic, and I still think Sony would have done the same thing if they had a pay service setup when they started rolling out video apps back in the day.

        Now that they are giving you some games each month on both systems, I think the $60 for Live is even harder to justify not having at this point.

        • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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          November 20, 2013 8:06 AM

          It's absolutely a cheap tactic. Why should I have to pay for XBL Gold, a video-game service, to use Netflix and other services that have NOTHING to do with gaming? It makes no sense in a day and age when consumers can stream Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and other streaming services from practically any device at no additional cost.

          • [deleted] 1474657234 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 8:08 AM

            [deleted]

          • FrayLo legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 8:20 AM

            basically it's 'because they can'. i agree it is disappointing. i turned on my 360 a few nights ago and wanted to play some call of duty online just for shits (since i haven't played in a while). then remembered i let my gold subscription lapse, so i can't use it. or netflix.

            but i just accept it , and accept that i will probably buy an xbox juan, and pay for gold. ms loves me :(

            • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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              November 20, 2013 8:40 AM

              There's certainly more value to Gold now than there was as little as two years ago. I dumped Gold long before I dumped the Xbox brand (two RRODs; "fool me twice" and all that) because I could watch Netflix, at no additional charge, through my PS3; and because I don't care for multiplayer. Gold Games or whatever they call that aspect of their service adds considerable value, or at least it will. They've got to hustle to catch up to the trove of games available through PS+.

              • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                reply
                November 20, 2013 8:42 AM

                Well, Games with Gold games are yours even if you stop your Gold, so that seems like a + for them over PS+ Instant Collection games that expire.

                • Vincent Grayson moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                  November 20, 2013 8:44 AM

                  It's only a plus if you let + expire, and why would you do that, given the value of games you're getting each month?

                  • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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                    November 20, 2013 9:39 AM

                    mancide raises a fair point, but so do you. I don't plan on ever allowing Plus to expire. It's a great service.

                    • Vincent Grayson moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                      November 20, 2013 9:52 AM

                      Yeah, short of Sony fucking up + and removing the features I like (mostly the games), I can't see canceling it ever, especially as I now have all three of their systems so the free games are even more useful than if I had only one or two.

          • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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            November 20, 2013 8:26 AM

            [deleted]

            • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 8:37 AM

              [deleted]

            • FrayLo legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 8:39 AM

              Letting it lapse sounds good until you can't play multiplayer without gold. While I have less and less time to play these days, I hate not being able to just turn on and play multiplayer without it :(

              • sigpro legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                November 20, 2013 8:54 AM

                No different with PSN now.

                • FrayLo legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                  November 20, 2013 8:55 AM

                  I swear latest chatty iOS is eating some of my posts. I post and they disappear.

                  • sigpro legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                    November 20, 2013 9:00 AM

                    Yeah happens to me using the winchatty API after the new update to the iOS 7 version of lattestchatty

              • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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                November 20, 2013 8:56 AM

                [deleted]

            • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
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              November 20, 2013 9:00 AM

              [deleted]

              • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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                November 20, 2013 9:04 AM

                [deleted]

                • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
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                  November 20, 2013 9:05 AM

                  [deleted]

                  • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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                    November 20, 2013 9:20 AM

                    [deleted]

                    • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                      November 20, 2013 9:21 AM

                      Games with Gold is continuing on the 360 "indefinitely" and coming to the One in 2014.

                      • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
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                        November 20, 2013 9:26 AM

                        [deleted]

                        • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                          November 20, 2013 9:45 AM

                          Oh I agree, they need to step up the games they offer there. I'm fine with offering some old missed gems, but you need to throw a relatively new game in there as well too.

                    • Chandler55 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                      reply
                      November 20, 2013 9:26 AM

                      the stores for both consoles will matter less since we'll be able to buy games from a browser similar to google play. It's just much easier to browse for games using a mouse and keyboard

                      • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
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                        November 20, 2013 11:22 AM

                        [deleted]

                        • Chandler55 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                          reply
                          November 20, 2013 1:43 PM

                          I'm just very unimpressed with both the xbox live and psn store interfaces. I absolutely love how you can download stuff to android from the browser, you read an article about something and there's a link right there to instantly download it. Imagine IGN or kotaku reviews having links right there for you to click. It's a lot more seamless and makes sense.

                          Yes the consoles should have a good refined UI for finding stuff to play, but meh, I prefer tablet/PC for browsing for content. A lot of people have tablets these days as part of their living room, to have with them for walkthroughs or looking up stuff for games.

                          • derelict515 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                            reply
                            November 20, 2013 1:50 PM

                            I absolutely love how you can download stuff to android from the browser, you read an article about something and there's a link right there to instantly download it. Imagine IGN or kotaku reviews having links right there for you to click. It's a lot more seamless and makes sense.

                            The 360 lets you do this today I'm fairly sure, it has for awhile. Buy stuff on Xbox.com and your console will download it. Problem is the console hardware was not designed to be always on, now it is.

                            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                              reply
                              November 20, 2013 1:59 PM

                              Yep. However it can sometimes get weird if you had multiple Xbox 360 if one of them wasn't set as your "main" or whatever. But those were edge case scenarios.

                          • AndrewYoon legacy 10 years
                            reply
                            November 20, 2013 1:51 PM

                            We've actually been including links to the console marketplaces at the bottom of our reviews, so if you want to queue up a download of a game, you can.

                            • Chandler55 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                              reply
                              November 20, 2013 2:31 PM

                              Oh snap I didn't see that. See I'm not crazy

                    • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
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                      November 20, 2013 11:21 AM

                      [deleted]

          • Gwyndion legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 9:33 AM

            The only reason I can think of from a MS perspective (as opposed to a consumer perspective) is that MS hosts everything in their data centers. As far as I know everything runs inside their network so all of that processing and bandwidth comes out of their pocket. I think Sony's approach is a bit more modular where they have their stuff and they let vendors and partners host their own shit and they work to get thier stuff talking to eachother as smoothly as possible. MS's approach is what makes their service so nice though because since it's all in one environment, everything works together and follows similar rules and standards etc. Sony's approach is easier for them because it's less work and cost less money to run... but it means more is left up to the 3rd parties to keep their stuff up to quality and working with everything else. I might be totally wrong about this, but that's how I always imagined it based on what I've read.

            From a customer's standpoint.. none of this matters because they just see they have to pay money to use Netflix... which I think everybody agrees; just sucks.

          • jake legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 9:45 AM

            Because they can. If subs were hurting, they'd stop doing it.

        • hatelull legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 8:10 AM

          I would swallow the $60 Xbox Live pill slightly better if the Xbox Music Pass wasn't an additional fee. I can see the reasoning, but they should at least give me a premium plan that lumps all that in together.

          • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 8:14 AM

            Xbox Music Pass is usable on more devices than just Xbox though...

            • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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              November 20, 2013 8:36 AM

              Let's face it: Xbox Music Pass has the same chance of catching on as Sony's service, whatever it's called. Sony already backpedaled and promised to patch in MP3 and CD compatibility.

              • [deleted] 330156526 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                November 20, 2013 8:40 AM

                [deleted]

              • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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                November 20, 2013 8:40 AM

                Music Pass at least is more enticing for people completely in the Microsoft Ecosystem (like me) with Windows Phones and Surfaces. Hell, even saying that, music isn't that big of a deal for me to pay for something. We end up using Pandora for free.

              • hatelull legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
                reply
                November 20, 2013 9:04 AM

                I disagree with this. Xbox Music Pass is robust, and as people have pointed out pair it up with all the devices will work with (phone, tablet, pc) and it's a solid service. I absolutely see the reasoning why it's peeled off from the Gold subscription. I just wish there was a lump package that would give it all to me.

          • MilkDud legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 8:15 AM

            I've been thinking the same thing. I don't mind swallowing the live pill at all to be honest, but I would like to start seeing more things added to it. I'd actually prefer that over them trying to give out free games like Sony is doing. Give me some sky drive space, xbox music, xbox fitness (free for the first year, but costs extra after that) for one fee. Heck, make it $100 a year and give me all that and I'd be happy even.

            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 8:19 AM

              I would not be shocked to see a higher tier Xbox Live service that rolls some more features in.

            • yoshimi20 legacy 10 years
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              November 20, 2013 8:26 AM

              This is why they put Netflix and Hulu behind the paywall to make you feel like you're getting more than what you are. It doesn't really bother me to be honest because I'm quite happy to always have Live anyway. Plus if they do get better apps for Netflix etc with full voice support that would be cool.

              Also you do apparently get Xbox Fitness free up to December 2014 so that's neat.

        • grendel legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 8:30 AM

          mancide this is a silly post. Sony had the opportunity as recently as a few months ago (before they announced it) to wall everything behind their paywall and they didn't do it. Don't defend poor practices by saying the other guy does it too, that's no defense at all.

          • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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            November 20, 2013 8:41 AM

            That's my problem with mancide's post: he can love Xbox. I love Nintendo! But I can also speak about the Big N objectively. mancide's fanboyism colors every post he makes. It's hard to take anything he says seriously.

            • David Craddock legacy 10 years mercury mega
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              November 20, 2013 8:41 AM

              *posts, I should say.

            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 9:00 AM

              Should it be free? Maybe, I don't know. I don't know anyone besides you who makes the decision on which on-line service to purchase based on Netflix being behind the paywall or not.

              I do think after they yanked party watching out of Netflix it really lost some of the original reason for it to be behind the paywall.

              Again, I've never had a time since signing up with the original Xbox Live that I haven't had gold coverage. It's just something I've never thought of dropping.

            • [deleted] 853058975 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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              November 20, 2013 9:05 AM

              [deleted]

          • yoshimi20 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 8:46 AM

            I think it's more a case of some people it's going to bother a lot (who maybe don't have Live all the time). People that have Live all the time aren't really going to care are they.

            • LoioshDwaggie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 8:48 AM

              Which means, if you're the latter, you shouldn't even bother replying to the thread, right?

        • FreshwaterAU legacy 10 years
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          November 20, 2013 8:47 AM

          You defend Xbox like its your political party of choice.

    • cptstern legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      November 20, 2013 8:43 AM

      would like to see how useful the tv capabilities are for territories outside of the US. partnering with HBO , for example, is kinda useless if you cant have it in canada

    • Visceral Monkey legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      November 20, 2013 8:58 AM

      Good God, the .gifs from this neogaf thread showing graphical differences between the ps4 and bone are brutal if accurate. There's just real AA going on in the xboxone :(


      http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719483

      • Visceral Monkey legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 8:58 AM

        real AA= NO real AA

      • LoioshDwaggie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        November 20, 2013 9:01 AM

        If aliasing is a concern, the best answer is generally a PC if you can afford it. If not, the PS4 would be the better choice.

        If it's not, which is the case for most console gamers, pick whichever one your friends are on.

        • Visceral Monkey legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 9:04 AM

          I just find in it interesting that in a nut shell's it's being tacitly accepted that its 1.) PC 2.)PS4 3.)Xbox One in terms of image quality. So the selling point for the Xbone becomes the exclusives alone, because it *appears* so far that the PS4 will probably always have the technical/image quality advantage.

          • [deleted] 1167568288 legacy 10 years
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            November 20, 2013 9:08 AM

            [deleted]

            • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 9:16 AM

              The image quality could improve on the One since some of this stuff may be software limited? The ROP thing is concerning from that review, but I guess we will have to see how it plays out over the lifetime.

            • Firefly1985 legacy 10 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 11:07 AM

              This is what makes the XB1 the most intriguing console in my mind. The whole Trojan Horse thing that MS started off back with the original Xbox is starting to come to fruition, and it's very exciting.

            • Derringer legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
              reply
              November 20, 2013 12:35 PM

              I give the controller edge to the PS4 this time, and I really like the 360 controller.

          • Ajax legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 9:28 AM

            You could be right, but the launch window titles might not be the most accurate indicator of things to come.

        • [deleted] 1114310971 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          November 20, 2013 9:54 AM

          [deleted]

          • LoioshDwaggie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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            November 20, 2013 10:42 AM

            If the WiiU was $150 I'd totally get one. I want that new Mario game.

        • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 11:24 AM

          [deleted]

          • LoioshDwaggie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            November 20, 2013 3:00 PM

            I'm well aware of the difference between aliasing and resolution. In this case I was addressing aliasing since I know your (among others') stance on resolutions above 720p.

      • [deleted] 1271987451 legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 9:52 AM

        [deleted]

      • bouxdag legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 9:53 AM

        I look at those differences and just think "meh."

        What's crazy to me though, is if you're going to be that concerned about it, just buy a damn PC.

      • gmd legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury mega
        reply
        November 20, 2013 10:53 AM

        There is no difference between the GPU's and only noticeable from 50 feet away : uncleanmonkey

      • [deleted] 293573417 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury super mega
        reply
        November 20, 2013 10:56 AM

        [deleted]

    • [deleted] 1152023714 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      November 20, 2013 11:16 AM

      [deleted]

      • MaxPete82 legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 11:19 AM

        Not really into games? Here's a $500 console just for you!

      • daroach1414 legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 11:19 AM

        2/10

      • EvilDolemite moderator legacy 10 years legacy 20 years mercury ultra mega
        reply
        November 20, 2013 11:20 AM

        i heard it won't even have any games. you just stream your xbox 360 through HDMI and that's the "library". xbots are so dumb though that they probably won't notice!

        also did you hear PS4 is so fast games get choppy! lol at xbones.

      • D45hiz legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 11:22 AM

        I almsot fell for it.

      • [deleted] 1474657234 legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 1:52 PM

        [deleted]

        • mancide legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          November 20, 2013 2:00 PM

          Even if you don't have cable, the other media on the box is all integrated together. There are 100 million cable subscribers, there may not be that number at the end of this consoles life. But that's 100 million reasons why they integrated this stuff.

          • [deleted] 1474657234 legacy 10 years
            reply
            November 20, 2013 2:09 PM

            [deleted]

          • Andre Mitchell legacy 10 years
            reply
            November 24, 2013 1:39 PM

            I read online that the apple Tv could work through the hdmi as your tv cable box. I set mine up tonight and was impressed. Now via voice commands I can play/control my apple TV which I watch much more than my sky cable subscription.

      • [deleted] 2147343529 legacy 10 years
        reply
        November 20, 2013 2:22 PM

        [deleted]

    • ashkie legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      November 20, 2013 1:50 PM

      PS4ever. Suck it M$hitbox

    • Nadeem Ansari legacy 10 years
      reply
      November 21, 2013 4:40 AM

      The XBOX One is here guys!! Check out this awesome review along with its cool new features right here!! http://goo.gl/7bCFNT

    • bigimp legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      November 22, 2013 10:43 PM

      "At GameFly, there were quite a number of people checking out the system. But the moment I walked in front of the TV, it instantly recognized me and said "Welcome Andrew" and logged me into my Dashboard."

      To me, that sounds fucking scary! It's one thing if it recognizes you at home because it stores your face on your console... it's another if you're walking around and it detects you personally somewhere else (e.g. a store).

Hello, Meet Lola