Xbox One – What’s With the Name and Rumours?

Xbox One is the new name for the latest Microsoft console but should it really be called the Xbox One? Is this really for gamers?

“Get all of your entertainment, games, apps, sports, and whatever else from this one machine,” and yet you need to have another machine like an external HDD and/or cable box plus, of course, a TV plugged into the device.

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One box to rule them all, plus 1- 3 more boxes plugged into it. Wait, what?!

It doesn’t seem to be an “all in one” console when you consider the implications of plugging so many things into it to maximize its potential. The Xbox One name is stupid and a PR nightmare in my opinion. 

There’s also all the bad news surrounding the console which contradicts its name. For starters, let’s not forget zero backwards compatibility; so now you’re going to need to dust off your old Xbox 360 if you want to play the rest of your already owned gaming catalog.

Just imagine that every household with the Xbox One will have 360 sitting next to it. That really shouts out ‘all in one console’ to me! What if people can’t afford the Xbox One without trading in their last gen console? So, to get the best experience possible with the next gen console you need your last Xbox console still? Again, I question: is the Xbox One really an all in one console?

Now with all these scary rumours that are surrounding Microsoft’s new flagship console, people are beginning to speculate just how much of it is smoke and mirrors.

And just what have they lied to us about in the press conference? Well, for instance they have shown fake Kinect demonstrations in the past, so it’s only just to assume that the latest demo is also fake. The reason the whole thing may have been staged is to hide the reality of just what it is the console has to offer. After watching the T.V integration, many people suspect that the Xbox one is in reality laggy. You can watch the T.V integration, bought to you via Wired.

Another one of these rumours that has surfaced suggests that the Xbox One may need to be down-clocked to run efficiently; this is a fear for which people believe is the avoidance of the new Red Ring of Death (RROD). You can read more about this rumour here

Then we have more bad news surrounding the way the console will handle your games and your goddamn human rights!

Mandatory game installs are a bad idea for games that are on large Blu-Ray disks. A lot of hard-core gamers will buy 10-15 games per year. For this reason, 500Gb does not seem like a lot of space when you factor in the size of a Blu-ray disk, even more so if that disk is dual-layer.

DRM will most likely be used to monitor your games and stop you from lending games to a friend. According to Microsoft, their new DRM implementation will mean that if you were to borrow a game from a friend, your friend will be forfeiting the right to play that game, and you will have to pay to play it anyway. The Kinect 2 is now a mandatory peripheral device which means it’s always on, constantly listening in and watching your every move! This puts the console in a bad light for the many people who appreciate having their privacy.

The voice commands that the console has to offer is a fantastic concept, especially for people that don’t have full use of their limbs, or suffer from something such arthritis; however it is not so good for mute or deaf people.

Are we getting to the point of there being no need for physical button touching any more? This technology does not appeal to me as a gamer; I enjoy the physical interaction with a remote. Even though this technology may be more convenient, I fear that people will just sit on their sofa, becoming even lazier than just using a remote (which doesn’t require that much effort itself). Stop making people even more lazy, Microsoft! I feel more in control of the system when I press a physical button and I feel I would look a bit silly waving my hand in the air, hoping that Kinect responds correctly to my gestures whilst I sit on my couch trying to change the channel or skip something on my Blu-ray.

If you’re a gamer, PS4 seems like the logical choice because its main focus currently appears to be games, but it has all the media functionality too, of course.

 

Sony has made mistakes along the way, but at least they have learnt from them and continue to do so by catering to the hard-core gamer in each of us. The truth is that a majority of the early adopters of a new console are the hard-core gamers, technology enthusiasts, and parents desperate to get the latest family friendly entertainment package for their household but not usually the casual players.

Update: Wow, things have got from bad and worse with Microsoft prior to E3.

Microsoft have cancelled the Post-Press Conference Roundtable with Media and One-on-One Interviews with Xbox Executives at E3.

Annoyed Gamer host Marcus Beer responded to my post on Twitter regarding this news.

Are they scared of our reactions to the Xbox One and all the negative flak its been getting after their failed press conference?

Click here and here for the news.

 

I’m still shocked that pre orders are selling out fast according to ASDA in the UK. People wake up and listen… this new Xbox One console seems likely to breach your rights as a gamer. Vote with your wallet and don’t get the system unless you prefer to be out of pocket.

 


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Author
Rob3rt Gittin9s
An aspiring Visual Effects compositor and film editor. Enjoy's playing games during spare time on PC, Xbox and Playstation.