Microsoft didn’t intend to occupy your living space. The Xbox 360 was just a gaming console when it first came out in 2005, or, in MTV’s immortal words, “the Holy Grail of gaming.” If you connected in a thumb drive, it would display your images, but it was made to be the best gaming experience ever. you can buy this product from Xbox’s official store.
It happened gradually, but the emphasis shifted. Along with new and improved games, the Xbox 360 also had Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go available. Microsoft even redesigned the Xbox interface in 2008, replacing the previous side-scrolling “blades” interface with something that resembled the Zune and Windows Media Center more. More recently, the Xbox interface has begun to resemble Windows 8 in appearance. On the 360, media apps gained popularity at the expense of multiplayer gaming, and Microsoft started mentioning that the term “Xbox” no longer just referred to video games.
Microsoft created the Xbox One by adding two and two. The new $499 console is still very much a gaming device, but it also aspires to be the most significant item in your living room for the ensuing ten years. Microsoft wants to be the first thing you see when you turn on your TV, giving everyone in your home an incentive to wield an Xbox controller for PC.
Xbox One review: Design and Build Quality
The Xbox One doesn’t have the same slick appearance as Sony’s PS4. It actually resembles a Betamax video recorder from the 1980s more than just a little bit. It’s a gigantic, lumbering beast of a computer. The slab is 263 x 80 x 305 mm and weighs roughly 3.2 kg. Its top is divided in half, with a reflective surface on one side and a sizable vent on the other. It is cast in “Liquid Black.”
This particular console, by the way, is made to fit flat underneath your screen while the Kinect sensor glumly scans the objects in your living room. Microsoft won’t be held liable if you place it on its side and your discs are scratched. Along with a number of connectors, including HDMI-in, HDMI-out, three lightning-fast USB ports, an Ethernet jack, S/PDIF for optical audio out, and an additional IR port, Kinect slides into the back of the Xbox One.
The Xbox One’s front panel contains a disc slot that can play Blu-ray discs after the appropriate app is downloaded, along with a power stud, eject tab, and a sync-tab for connecting the console’s single wireless controller. The Xbox One has an eight-core x86 processor, a GPU clocked at a faster 853 MHz, 500GB of local storage, and 8GB of RAM with 32MB of embedded memory. Through its 802.11 wireless radio with built-in Wi-Fi compatibility, it also offers wireless networking capabilities. Additionally, when you turn it on, there is hardly any sound.
Xbox One review: Interface
The Xbox One’s UI can best be summed up by comparing it to looking for treasure in a disorganized room. There are many excellent items in those piles, but sometimes it’s hard to find them. The Xbox One’s Windows 8-inspired tile-based look is much less troublesome on devices with Kinect; voice commands may quickly move you from one area of the user interface to another.
However, when using a controller, further investigation is needed to access fundamental components like Parties and Messages. It also gets more difficult to snap apps to the right side of the screen, even though doing so is still useful. Instead of saying “Xbox, go to app>” on a controller, you have to double-tap the Guide button, push the d-pad, then scroll to select the app you want.
By connecting to your Xbox One using the SmartGlass companion software on a tablet or phone, you can somewhat minimise this. You may load information like TV listings and Achievements on the second screen in addition to faster navigation when using it as a remote to prevent switching between apps and games on your TV screen. However, there is one aspect that significantly detracts from the overall experience until Microsoft fixes controller-only navigating to be as quick as when using Kinect or even as basic as it is on the Xbox 360.
I’d love to be able to choose which programmes load as full-screen experiences and which appear as snapped windows or on my second screen. Hopefully, Microsoft’s answer to this problem will provide users control over where an app or game automatically loads. You wouldn’t have to wait for an app to load or deal with being switched out of a full-screen game to a different app in order to access non-essential information; instead, it would help streamline the interface in a way that would benefit Xbox One owners regardless of whether they have Kinect plugged in.
Xbox One review: Software
Microsoft learned from the previous generation that, while hardware cannot be changed or improved, software upgrades have the power to fundamentally alter the entire user experience on an annual basis. The Xbox One has already made the transition from a Windows 8-based dashboard to what is essentially a brand-new operating system built on Windows 10, but with a more gaming-focused interface.
There’s no doubt that the new UI puts the most crucial components, like your games, apps, and friends, close to the surface while lessening the emphasis on Kinect and the home entertainment hub stuff that, as it turned out, we’re not so keen on. At times, the new UI feels too busy, packed with pages you can flick between with the bumpers and strange slide-out panels. By include App Channels in the OneGuide and making it useful to those of us who aren’t using the Xbox One as a TV hub, Microsoft has also done a better job of making apps feel less like an extra and more like a part of the ecosystem (which is most of us, I suspect).
Additionally, the most recent update added some extra delights. To locate movies and television shows to watch, start games, or even rapidly search the web while playing a game, you can now utilise Cortana using Kinect or a headset microphone. It’s simpler to add Facebook friends who already have Xbox Live accounts to your friends list, and sharing videos and screenshots is also quicker.
Xbox One review: Controller
The DualShock 4 gamepad for the PlayStation 4 represents an excellent design improvement over the conventional Xbox One controller in terms of comfort. It is a primarily matte black gamepad that resembles the Xbox 360 controller in both appearance and feel. The gamepad’s Menu and View buttons perform the same duties as the Start and Back buttons.
In addition to the gamepad itself, the triggers offer individual force feedback that rumbles in reaction to what you’re playing. This is especially satisfying for racing games like Forza Motorsport 5, as the resistance and acceleration response of the right trigger feel considerably more exact with force feedback.
The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller that comes with the Elite package is noticeably more durable, cosy, and adaptable than the basic controller. It is available as an extra accessory and retails for $149.99 apart from the package.
Final Words
If you’re reading this review after the first few months of release, there’s a strong chance you don’t have access to a Kinect sensor, but we’ll go through its features and usefulness anyway because we’re thorough like that. Since the Kinect sensor was first introduced on the Xbox 360, it has undergone several changes. Since it can now track heart rate and muscle density, the Fitness App’s virtual drill instructors will benefit gamers more than ever.
Kinect excels when used with Skype’s video calling feature. The camera will follow the player if they stand up and move around the room in addition to producing a stream of quite decent quality video of them. Players no longer need to stand so far away from their television due to improvements in the sensor’s fidelity and space requirements, albeit they may occasionally need to repeat a vocal instruction.
Up to four people can now join a Kinect game, and the sensor’s facial recognition technology can distinguish between them. Kinect can also keep track of extra players. Finally, it’s important to note that Kinect has improved noise and light filtration. The new Kinect module, in contrast to the previous version, can operate in almost complete darkness and is not hindered by lights pointed in its direction. Additionally, it is able to distinguish between the player’s voice and speaker noise from the TV.
