Microsoft’s Xbox One: Disappointing

Just a couple of months after Sony revealed its plans for the PlayStation 4 in February, Microsoft announced its own plans for the new Xbox, the Xbox One.

The event was replete with presentations on the many capabilities of the console, as well as showcasing the console itself. However, with the euphoria of Microsoft’s announcement somewhat abating, video game enthusiasts have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths, figuratively. I use ‘enthusiasts’, mainly because I’m trying to be a bit fancy, but I really mean the every-day consumers; the average joes; you and me. Watching the event, I went through a roller-coaster of excitement and disappointment as feature upon feature were unveiled to the world. This continued until suddenly, the unveiling was over! That’s when you get a sudden realisation of great truth- Microsoft looks set to disappoint its Xbox fans.

It is important that I mention that since Microsoft introduced the first in its Xbox series back in 2001, I immediately fell in love with the console, and it has had my heart ever since. It was no wonder that I never owned a Sony console again. It was better in many regards, and in those areas where it failed in comparison to the PlayStation, I could easily overlook it- well, until now. So what makes me so mad about the new console? Well first off, we like consoles because they enable us play video games with a fantastic experience. That’s the point. Video games. Yet, Microsoft somehow successfully mentioned every other feature of the console,  apart from the video gaming capabilities. In truth, this is because more attention went into the creation of peripheral features, and less on the video gaming capabilities. What we do know, is that it will utilise an 8th generation video games technology (same as the PS4) but beyond that, there’s little more gamers were HAPPY to see.

No Used Games:

The Xbox One will not allow the playing of used video game disks on another console. The way this works is that a unique code which is matched to your Xbox One console is ‘burnt’ on every new game disk you insert into your system. Therefore, once you put a game into your console, it is unplayable on any other device. This comes with a caveat though. Only ‘licensed’ video game retail outlets will be able to sell used games. To do this, they will have to own a device that links up with Microsoft’s servers which will make the game playable again, and forwards part of the proceeds to Microsoft, of course. So if you know someone with an Xbox One, you can definitely rule out exchanging games. Furthermore, due to the new structure which will ensure that Microsoft gets a cut from every used game sale, it will increase the price of used games (or make it impractical to sell, even) making the difference between a new game and a used one, just about 15%. The implication of this is that if a new game cost $30, it will then cost about $25 for a used, slightly scratched one. This defeats the purpose of a cheap, used game. $5 won’t be economical enough to make me buy a used game. Everyone would rather buy a new one if the prices are not so different.  Not mad yet?

Kinnect Always On and Constant Internet Connection:

There are two parts to this frustrating heading. Firstly, every Xbox One will come with a Kinnect controller (good!), but to play the game, it requires full kinnect functionality. This means your Kinnect will always be on. For those who don’t know what the kinnect is, it’s basically a controller which has a lens and microphone. It maps out your physical structure, and obeys your voice commands. Hence, you can control the Xbox simply by waving your arms around, and speaking commands. Moving on, you’ve now got a device which will always be on standby mode, waiting for you to wave your arms or speak a command, and you can’t turn it off as long as you’re playing video games. Just this morning, it was reported that Australian Civil Liberties’ director Tim Vines was considering court action, and said “Microsoft has a lot to answer about delivering a product that listens in on what people are doing”. He added that “people should have the ability to turn off the camera or microphone even if it limits the functionality of the machine. Privacy is all about control. Microsoft’s new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws”.

Furthere, there are rumours about the requirements of constant internet connectivity in order to use the Xbox One. When asked, Microsoft’s answers have been a conflicting “Yes”, “No”, “Maybe” and even the old “We don’t know”. The latest reply was that it needed to be connected at least once every 24 hours. Ridiculous.

Xbox One: A Sophisticated DVR

Literally 80% of the Xbox One unveiling was about what most video gamers do not care about- internet TV. Polls showed that only about 13% of video gamers cared if their consoles could stream TV shows or not. Many people just download these shows off the internet anyway. However, that seems to be what Microsoft has centred it’s Xbox One around. It has the ability to record multiple shows simultaneously, and Skype while watching TV shows “so that you do not miss anything”. This is a contradiction, if you ask me. Watching a TV show while skyping? That’s already enough distraction. I might as well pause what I’m watching, skype, and then return to my show. Frankly, that’s a feature I couldn’t care less about. And yet, its the crown jewel of the Xbox One.

This is not to say that the Xbox One’s unveiling was completely disappointing. On the plus side, the controller does look fantastic. I think that was all I was impressed with. I definitely look set to own a PlayStation instead, this year. I certainly hope things are rectified before the E3 convention. Thoughts, anyone?