At My Limit: Are We Getting Xboned?

Yesterday I made a post about the Xbox One. I did my best to be as kind to it as possible. Today, the gloves are off, I'm going to tear this console a new one. The presentation was awful, the game line up thus far is really bland, and the console itself seems to be, well, not a console. I know that E3 is right around the corner, and Microsoft will probably show off their games, but that doesn't seem like that great of an idea either. At E3, Nintendo will probably be showing off the newest installment to the Smash Bros. franchise, and Sony has their supposed exclusive Final Fantasy game to get people to buy their console. Microsoft's plan seems a little flawed to me.

Microsoft Exec Don Mattrick Showing Off the Xbox One

Lets start with the presentation itself. People talked, a lot, but not a lot about games. They seemed to have a bigger focus on television then on gaming itself. They talked about the new Halo TV series that's being directed by Steven Spielberg. They talked about how they were partnering with the NFL so you can watch football on your Xbox and manage your fantasy football team. They had interviews with sports athletes regarding the Xbox One. They talked about how you can use your Xbox as a TV more. Is this a gaming console or a fancy DVR? It almost feels like Microsoft wants to compare gaming to Hollywood and say "see we can do that stuff too!" It seems like its trying to make gaming the little brother of the movie and television industry, chasing the heels of its older brother, trying to aspire to be like him.

What about the games they announced? Oh yeah, Madden, like I haven't seen that before. Forza 5, looks just like every other racing game from the current generation, shiny cars going really fast. How about this new game from Remedy? They did some cool survival horror games in the past. Oh, wait, this trailer is so vague I can't discern anything about the game. Wait, is that a live action cut scene? Yeah, that's a real step forward, its not like we can't render near human images that move on computers... oh wait. Finally, at the end of the presentation they talk about a big title for their console. I get excited, what could this be, something that actually makes this console look appealing? Nope, its just footage for the next Call of Duty game, and its not even stuff that's exclusive to the Xbox One. And with this new Call of Duty, they use such advanced AI that fish move out of the way when you approach them!

The Xbox One User Interface

The rest of the information on this system is just as abysmal. Yeah, we can use fancy voice and motion commands to do everything. It makes us feel like we're in some awesome sci-fi movie. I give it a week before that loses its glamour. All right, we can use Skype, or Netflix, or surf the web, or watch youtube videos on our new game system. Wait, can't I do all those things on say, an iPad, iPod, Smart TV, or computer? Hell, even the 3DS can surf the web and use Netflix, and it isn't even the most powerful handheld on the market right now. Seriously, this console is trying to make itself appeal to me by showing me that it can do everything my other stuff can do. What else can it do? Can I put it on the floor and have it roll around my house vacuuming like the Roomba?

What about these restrictions on gaming? You have to pay a fee if you want to use a game registered on someone else's account? So basically, your trying to piss off used game retailers, rental stores or websites, and people who like buying their games used all at once. Oh, and being required to connect to the internet every day because of the cloud? This is a great idea, every person who would have one of these consoles has to have a stable internet connection. Ever want to have a console accessory that you can't ever disconnect? Well then the Xbox One with Kinect 2 is for you, because you can't operate the system without having this bad boy connected, its that revolutionary. And if it couldn't get worse, you aren't supporting standard definition televisions? What are you Microsoft, some multimedia snob that can't have your games played on anything but the best?

You did a real nice job putting your foot in your mouth too Microsoft. Having the Xbox Live General Manager advertise the ability to support always online games. Then having him say that he hopes that developers take advantage of this feature. That sure doesn't seem like there's any ulterior motives there. Or how about putting restrictions on indie developers on your console. It must suck up so much money to have aspiring game developers make small games for you. Oh, and when you addressed the lack of backwards compatibility, it was totally smart to say "If you're backwards compatible, you're really backwards." Also, nice arbitrary figure saying that only 5% of gamers actually play games from previous generations. I am the 5%.


Well, if you've made it through my long winded, sarcastic rant, I congratulate you. So far the Xbox One, or Xbone as the public has dubbed it, does not impress me in the least. Maybe E3 can bring some hope to the console, but they need to really show off a big exclusive to win my favor. At this point, even if I got an Xbone for free, I'd either sell it or it would collect dust. Even the Wii U has more appealing titles than this. Saturday I'll be doing a full edition of Breaking News, you can click here for yesterday's special report detailing the Xbox One presentation. The ball is in my court again next week, and I'll be reviewing Soul Sacrifice. Feel free to comment telling us what you think about the Xbone, and who you think will come out on top this console war.