XBox One AND PS4 Discussion

[Aristo]

I'm in the same boat. I don't get many of the complaints. It's different, and I wouldn't blame anyone for hooking up like normal and forgoing the TV stuff. You can still use the Kinect and get plenty of functionality out of it. Hell, I've been half tempted, but my wife would be pissed if I took away her ability to pause, mute, skip back, rewind, and fast-forwward TV with voice control.

I don't use the One Guide at all. It's a big swing and a miss. It has no effect, good or bad, on my TV viewing. I look forward to the eventual apps for the major cable and sattelite providers that will allow the Xbox to fully interact with our DVR libraries, though. It makes so much sense, I fully expect it sooner than later. I would also have liked a pass-through to let us watch TV with the console off. But it is hardly a deal breaker, and my wife and daughter adopted to it nearly instantly. and neither was a fan of me getting the Xbox One already.

I'd like a nice quick menu like the old Xbox Button brought up ion the 360, but the friends feed is much more informative and useful now. I love the feed that shows the achievements and clips from my friends. And snapping my friends list and activity feed accomplishes the same goal. We used this to invite folks to Forza the other day. snapping is good for some stuff, but it will take some time to get a feel for it. I have no doubt it will be second nature.

I have no idea what more people want from a UI. One RB press brings up the Games, Video, and Music Stores. Under those menus is a Bing search box that will track down specific games or types of games. If you type sports, it brings up NBA Live, FIFA, Powerstar Golf, Madden, and Forza on the initial screen, and it has groupings of Sports and Rec, Racing and flying, and Family to look further.

Anything you will use often can be pinned one LB press to the left. Once I had 12 or 15 items, I simply used to place at the front function, starting with my least used stuff, until the items just to the left are my most played games and apps. You are very few button presses away from anything, and even less if you just use the Kinect.

On the main page, in addition to the large box for your current game or app, there are four smaller ones under that represent the last four things you've used. Just to the right is a search box and a box that sends thou to a list of all games and apps, which are there whether they have been pinned or not. To the left is the profile box that tells you how many friends are online and your gamerscore. Press that and you can your feed of friends activities, and can choose from your friends (people you decided to follow) or your followers (people that added you as a friend, even if you haven't added them). When I bring up a friend, it gives me the normal menu stuff for chatting and such, and also shows me their recent achievements, recent clips they have uploaded, and a few of their friends, all with menus to dig deeper if you want.

It's weird at first, but taking a few days to just play around revealed how to do most everything I want to do. It does a ton in what is actually a very small space. What seems cluttered on day one becomes intuitive and useful by day 5.

And despite preferring a console that does so much more, the real draw is the games, and so far, I think MS nailed their launch line-up. I really have no idea how anyone can prefer the PS4 launch line-up over Forza, Dead Rising, Zoo Tycoon, and Ryse. Unless what you really wanted was a $400 console to play indie games, there is no advantage, unless counting pixels is more valuable than gameplay. NBA 2K14, BF4, and Madden were all just great not he XB1. And since it has launched, I regularly have 20-30 friends online playing, which makes them even better for the same reason similar games were better last gen. XBL still works. And not only is voice chat significantly better, once Microsoft decided to put a headset in the box, they also put one in that is comfortable and useful.

And we have not even talked about Titanfall, Quantum Break, Fable Legends, Halo 5, Sunset Overdrive and Project Spark for great looking upcoming exclusives. I'm sure Sony will have their fair share of exclusives at some point. But no one with an Xbox One is going to be hurting for games.

There are bumps. I actually have my Xbox set for Energy Saving instead of Instant On because it is interacting poorly with my DVR. It's weird glitch some are facing. So that means I just turn my Xbox on with the controller instead commanding it via the Kinect. Everything else is normal.

[Macca00]

I finally got to see Killzone: Shadowfall in action - if this next-gen console launch has taught me anything it's that the PC still smokes both of the XBONE and the PS4 when it comes to visuals. I thought I'd get multi-platform titles on the PS4 when I eventually get one (except for shooters, I still can't go back to non-split-stick configuration for FPS so the XBONE wins out there) but I think I might stick to the PC for those games. Watchdogs is probably going to be on PC for me.

With that in mind, for me personally, I'm happy with just the XBONE for now - not interested in the PS4 launch exclusives and am having fun with Forza 5 and Dead Rising 3 so far. I don't have my cable box connected to my XBONE so I haven't had to deal with any problems from that end. I've also been really happy with the Kinect and voice/player recognition thus far. Like others have said, it's definitely not without it's issues but I am excited for the future of the device. I also don't have any issues with the UI - I actually really like it.

Will still get a PS4 when Infamous Second Son comes out but the real winner in the next-gen system stakes is Naples with the Oculus Rift!

[Spooky]

How do you "reboot" the XB1? I know how to turn it off and on but I want to actually reboot the damn thing and can't figure out how.

[Aristo]

How do you "reboot" the XB1? I know how to turn it off and on but I want to actually reboot the damn thing and can't figure out how.

I'd have to look to see if there is a specific method, but at the very least you can go into Settings and select the options for Power and Start-up. Change it from Energy Saving to Instant On. On Energy Saving, it actually shuts down 100% when you turn it off. On that setting it will not wake to "Xbox on." Once you've reboot, just switch it back.

I'm pretty sure there is an easier way, but I don't know it offhand.

[Zeppo]

It's quite the discussion going on here now, eh? I'd really like to hear some feedback from other folks who have multiple members in the household who game and use the Xbone and whether or not their experiences match the frustrations Terry is having.

As for myself, I have to say getting home from work with the football game already going, being able to walk into my living room and say "Xbox On ... Xbox watch TV" and boom, there's the game, flat out screams "next gen" to me. I know it's got nothing to do with next gen gaming but it is definitely not like any other device i have in the home.

I agree that the implementation of the friends list is far too much of an intrusion right now - it needs to be an overlay, or there needs to be a simple way to snap the friends list - but otherwise the voice activation works well for me, the gestures have come in handy from time to time, and hey, look at that, I just said "xbox, snap NFL" and with a couple presses on the controller could look at the current stats of this Monday night football game I'm watching. The Seahawks are crushing them! Over 300 yds already in the first half!

[GameSeven]

How do you "reboot" the XB1? I know how to turn it off and on but I want to actually reboot the damn thing and can't figure out how.

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/ ... le-console

Power cycle instructions above.

[Spooky]

How do you "reboot" the XB1? I know how to turn it off and on but I want to actually reboot the damn thing and can't figure out how.

http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/ ... le-console

Power cycle instructions above.

Thank you sir.

[Spooky]

As for myself, I have to say getting home from work with the football game already going, being able to walk into my living room and say "Xbox On ... Xbox watch TV" and boom, there's the game, flat out screams "next gen" to me. I know it's got nothing to do with next gen gaming but it is definitely not like any other device i have in the home.

Agreed. And what's great is that you don't even need to go from "on" to "watch TV" to "Watch ESPN". You can go straight from powering on into the home screen and then just say "watch ESPN". It knows to go to he TV "app" for that command. Love it.

[Teal]

I just think some people are more 'Francis' than they'd care to admit...

[GameSeven]

As for myself, I have to say getting home from work with the football game already going, being able to walk into my living room and say "Xbox On ... Xbox watch TV" and boom, there's the game, flat out screams "next gen" to me. I know it's got nothing to do with next gen gaming but it is definitely not like any other device i have in the home.

Agreed. And what's great is that you don't even need to go from "on" to "watch TV" to "Watch ESPN". You can go straight from powering on into the home screen and then just say "watch ESPN". It knows to go to he TV "app" for that command. Love it.

I've found switching apps via voice commands to be among the more convenient as well. Especially for Youtube and Netflix. With YT paired to my laptop, sometimes my wife or kid will ask for something available on YT and I pull it up on the laptop, say "Xbox go to youtube" click play and away it goes. Although, I will say, I get sporadic voice command prompts in the actual YT app, like it's sensitive to some other commands that are not being preceded by "Xbox..."

Same with Netflix. I'm watching a sporting event, my daughter asks for a show on Netflix. I hit record on the DVR controller, say "Xbox, go to Netflix" and you're in the dash almost instantly.

I'm with those who don't see what all the fuss is with the Xbox controller, although I will agree that what I've seen of the DS4 is very nice and I'll be glad to own that sometime in the new year, too. I think the sticks and dpad of the XB1 controller are fantastic, the triggers are incredibly smooth compared to my old 360 controllers which seem to invariably squeak, and the knock on the bumpers is disproportionate in my opinion.

Now, I've only one controller and can't contradict Terry's frustration with the controller 'sensing' issues, but I'd think MS has a serious usability issue if it's as bad as described.

I'm not without my own quibbles with the box either. I'm one for which the 'BETA' Dolby Digital passthru does not work (DirecTV, not sure if others are seeing this as well). Starting the One out of standby does not auto-switch my auto-sensing HDMI switch, although a cold-start will but is more time consuming. The One Guide is not *bad* in principle, but it needs the ability to pare down the lineup without resorting to putting the whole thing in Favorites. Like Aristo, I think there is real potential for integration with custom provider plug-ins for the DVR capabilities.

[greggsand]

At this point I have zero regrets about my decision to go with XB1 exclusively, but I do feel bummed that so many others are disappointed.

I'm not sure disappointment is the right word. I fully expected this to be the case, and I stated it many times prior to both systems launching and everyone wanted to argue with me about it. There's just no way you can be so damn ambitious and be completely successful. As you mentioned, it's just a fact of the electronic/software industry these days. Ship it and patch it. People were so hard up for a new system that they knew they could make that happen. I know the limitations and have accepted them to keep the wife happy...sometimes, a 500 dollar investment is worth a little interface headache. At least I have the "other" system as well...and it works just fine for exactly what I want it to...gaming. The XB1 will get it smoothed out eventually...but you're right, it's a beta test. To be fair, there are some beta things about the PS4 as well (installs/updates/etc as Terry mentioned).

I like reading this. I have had zero headaches around Xbox 1 in my living room. Things could be work better (and will ), but geez. Some people here are either so impatient or over expecting, they should considering dumping the xbox for now. One rant about family accounts is something that's seemingly easy(is) to resolve. Running your cable though the one is easy (as you want it to be). Before, you likely had a tv remote & xbox controller on the coffee table:that doesn't have to change. It's as easy as that. Party systems? Create one, people join. Different button sequence to do that? Ok, but still.

Anyone debating a system based on these posts should of do so cautiously. My own story was I hooked it up, play games, watch tv, and play more games later. No major struggles, but def can't wait see what they deploy in the next release. That's all folks.

[Teal]

Whoa, now. Terry's experience is Terry's alone, and it's not invalid just because someone else's experience has been quite the opposite. Opinions based upon experience are both valid and valuable. Let's not start bashing people for their thoughts on something they're seeing. I'm gaining a good bit of insight through all this.

[Spooky]

I don't think Greg was bashing anyone really. But after re-reading it, I DO think that there was a bit of scotch or perhaps tequila poured before that post.

[Sudz]

Ryse is cool, but I am spending more time playing ACIV and Madden on the next gen systems. Anyone want to buy it for $45 shipped? PM me if you are interested.

[greggsand]

I don't think Greg was bashing anyone really. But after re-reading it, I DO think that there was a bit of scotch or perhaps tequila poured before that post.

Are you watching me through my kinect (vodka btw)!!!! And no, I was not intentionally going after anyone, just using his post as an example. I love hearing everyone's impressions on both consoles. Carry on!

[sportdan30]

Sony needs to put out a blu-ray remote ASAP. Watched a movie last night on the PS4, and using the controller as a remote is a mess.

[RobVarak]

1. I've had no problems with parties, although I've only really done it twice. I'm pretty surprised at Tycho's rant, actually. I don't think it's any less intuitive than last gen. Just a slightly different sequence. The quality of the voice chat is not an insignificant improvement, fwiw. It's rather striking. Also, if they've improved the reliability of parties be minimizing the drop ins/drop outs that still plagued the system on the 360, it'll be a huge net gain.

2. No problems with my daughter's profiles or having them utilize second controllers. They usually play Kinect stuff, but we've probably done 3-5 hours of other stuff with no problem. I'm sure that Terry's experience isn't unique though, so that's definitely something they need to address.

3. If there is a significant difference between graphic quality in 2 years (there just isn't right now), upwards of 80% of us will have both boxes, so this is a bit of a tempest in a teapot for our particular community.

[webdanzer]

Edge tears into the One interface today:

There's a lot mentioned in there:

http://www.edge-online.com/features/xbo ... interface/

It looks like an improvement. And as long as you aren’t actually using it, it is

Mindful of its prior issues updating the functionality of Xbox 360, Microsoft has elected to make almost every system function an app. This might make more sense from a development point of view, enabling more rapid updates – and for Microsoft’s sake, let’s hope so – but Xbox One’s debut user experience is stuttering, clunky, and a serious challenge to Xbox Live’s long-held status as the premier console service. Bluntly, they take too long to load, don’t offer the functionality that Xbox Live was built on, and are, inexplicably, badly handled by the OS.

The most perfect example of Microsoft ruining its prior work is Achievements, and the number of hoops you have to jump through to view them. Rather than the quick tap of yore, you have to spend several seconds holding the button down. This, incredibly, then reboots the Achievement app – even if it’s already running – in order to display some challenges, which you have to skip past to view an Achievement list built not around charmingly crafted icons but a slew of previously-released screenshots, which take several seconds to appear and then have to be selected to show what you did to unlock them.

The party system, another former highlight, is similarly broken. It now insists on inviting every member to each game launched. The Friends list, which also grinds ponderously to life where previously it was available instantly from the Guide menu, doesn’t show if people are in parties, gives no option to join them and no longer shows the biographical detail that enabled you to identify people. It not only fails to match Sony’s smart Real Name feature but actually takes a step backwards from its implementation on 360.

This shambling, zomboid clunkiness permeates the entire interface. You have to go into the Games & Apps list to view downloads. Missed game invitations aren’t stored, but lost forever. You can’t view or manage storage, a spectacularly poor decision given that the 500GB hard drive will be approaching capacity by March. The overall sense is of a design handed over to the team behind the similarly unloved Windows 8 interface, rather than anybody who has used an Xbox 360 regularly or had any familiarity with its strengths.

And finally, why I'm hoping this is all moot by the time I get around to considering purchasing one:

There are two bright spots in Xbox One’s future. The first, as previously mentioned, is that all of these problems can, hypothetically, be fixed by app updates rather than a full-scale interface reboot. Given the strident complaints around the party system in particular, we would hope it does so sooner rather than later. The second is Titanfall.

[webdanzer]

Sony needs to put out a blu-ray remote ASAP. Watched a movie last night on the PS4, and using the controller as a remote is a mess.

Worse than PS3, or the same? I haven't tried to watch movies on mine yet.

I continue to worry about the build quality of the controllers, as I continue to hear about the coverings of the analog sticks wearing out/off. My kids are rough on controllers, and they are not exactly cheap.

[webdanzer]

Unless what you really wanted was a $400 console to play indie games, there is no advantage, unless counting pixels is more valuable than gameplay.

Wait, you are trying to bash in both directions here. If gameplay is what is valuable, then the indie game slate -which offers unique and interesting gameplay experiences- should not be pooh-poohed. If graphics and graphical performance matter, than you shouldn't knock it as pixel-counting.

[TCrouch]

Yeah, it is what it is. Impatient or too demanding? Had I not used the PS4 for a week, I don't know what I would expect. But I didn't expect the headaches it's produced, and I've had 4 buddies over to the house since the XB1 released. Each of them came to the same conclusion I did, without me saying a word. I just wanted to watch them play the PS4, play the XB1, and fumble around on both of them. Watching one play on PS4 on a screen right next to the one playing on XB1, then both of them making the same comments as they looked at the two versions of the games was entertaining.

And to be clear--I don't have any problem slapping a disc in and playing. The problem I have is the clunkiness of the other things I used to be able to simply do. Like view my friends list and achievements, etc. Now it's this sluggish mess any time I try to do either one in-game.

The problems I had were entirely based around multiple profiles and maintaining controller "ownership"--and that may be due to my kinect being too close to where my couch sits in the corner of the room where I have my little gaming setup. When I reconnect my Xbox One, I'm going to leave it kinect-less and see if that helps.

The bottom line (FOR ME) is that every time I load up the XBox One, I get frustrated at some point. Whether it's the "achievement" notice being sluggish and stuck on screen, or somebody walking by and going "is that the XBox One?", then the system listening for voice commands and sending me who knows where (in a house with an autistic son who may run down the hallway screaming in a high-pitched shriek throughout the day, voice commands are...interesting, to say the least), to any number of UI changes that I don't want crammed down my throat...yeah, it apparently boils down to me expecting too much or being impatient.

I guarantee you I'm not alone in this, but if your XB1 does everything you need it to and you're happy as a clam, more power to you. I wish I could count myself in that group.

[RobVarak]

The Edge piece is incredibly illuminating. If anyone thinks this interface is designed to be used with a controller, they are so very wrong.

The most perfect example of Microsoft ruining its prior work is Achievements, and the number of hoops you have to jump through to view them.

Huh? "xbox go to achievements". Whew, that's really a workout jumping through all those hoops.

You have to go into the Games & Apps list to view downloads.

Before you had to go to the Guide and check "active downloads". Two clicks. Now you say "go to my apps and games" and you'll see the same info. If not an improvement, it's at least a wash.

You can’t view or manage storage, a spectacularly poor decision

True, albeit a mistake that they've admitted to and for which a patch is already in the works.

The Friends list, which also grinds ponderously to life where previously it was available instantly from the Guide menu, doesn’t show if people are in parties, gives no option to join them and no longer shows the biographical detail that enabled you to identify people.

It's "available instantly" by saying telling the machine to either go to or snap friends. It's not significantly slower than the 360 process for me and unlike the 360 guide, doesn't require me to interrupt my game while I'm doing it.

I didn't notice if it shows friends are in parties or not, but you can join them or invite them. I have no idea what biographical data one needs to identify your friends, but I'm apparently missing out by not keeping fingerprints and school transcripts on hand for all of you guys.

Joking aside, I think so much of this stems from a reluctance or refusal to use the voice commands. I can't imagine what the experience would be like for the pure control pad user, but I think it would be akin to driving a car without a steering wheel. You can still make the thing start and move, but it would be a distinctly sub-optimal result.

[Sudz]

I never even bothered to set-up the Kinect and the Xbone works just fine.

[webdanzer]

I didn't notice if it shows friends are in parties or not, but you can join them or invite them.

Are you sure about this, inviting or joining from the friends list? If so, a lot of sites are reporting that information incorrectly, like below.

You can still see which friends are online and what they’re playing, and you can join them if they happen to be in a party (depending on privacy settings), but that’s about the extent of it. There’s no option on a friend’s Playercard for inviting them to a game or joining a session in progress, and there’s no way to see which friends are grouped up together in parties. Add to that the fact that your friends list is now a separate app, which means you need to switch away from whatever you’re doing in order to see who’s online. You can’t snap your active friends list for quick access either, only your party. We’d like to see general improvements to the way friend connections and communications work, including a more direct route to seeing who’s online and a wider range of invite/join options.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/fiv ... -xbox-one-

Joking aside, I think so much of this stems from a reluctance or refusal to use the voice commands. I can't imagine what the experience would be like for the pure control pad user, but I think it would be akin to driving a car without a steering wheel. You can still make the thing start and move, but it would be a distinctly sub-optimal result.

Very possible! Great point.

[GameSeven]

Huh? "xbox go to achievements". Whew, that's really a workout jumping through all those hoops.

I'll add here, that the context-sensitive achievement details gleaned from pressing the Xbox button at the on screen prompt/indicator seems more sluggish than I would expect, enough that I'm thinking it may be a disincentive to use it in-game for me.

But that's purely subjective and I'll need to run some comparison tests to see, I just haven't gotten as much screen time in with the One over the last few days.