Or am I to doom and gloom?

I mean they're hurting in sales, multiplat games look and run better on PS4 and they've done 180 after 180. They're in damage control mode now and decoupling the Kinect. The Kinect team must be slightly annoyed, right? And that Kinect sports game bombed and Rare had to fire people. And ontop of it all MS cut corners on hardware to force the Kinect on us and now they're stuck with inferior hardware compared to PS4.

At least they change things around, but it must be a very strange feeling at MS think they would kick ass in sales as the 360 did and force all the DRM debacle and things on gamers and then the console doesn't sell well.

The kinect-less Xbox will probably help sales. But still. All those suits with that Mattrick guy, or whatever his name was, and their vision is now watered down. At least Spencer is a gamer and taking the lead to make the Xbox more appealing.

And what a ride it has been (copy/pasted from neogaf):

May 21st 2013 - Xbox One is announced (TV, TV, TV, TV, TV, TV, TV, TV, Sport, Sport, Sport, Sport, Sport. Call of Duty).
May 22nd - Phil Harrison says the console will need to be connected online every 24 hours.
May 25th - Larry Hryb says the console will support trade in and resale of games
May 27th - Microsoft says it will be regionlocked
June 6th - Microsoft says it won't charge a fee for gamers to pass game discs between friends
June 10th - E3! Microsoft announces the system will cost 499 dollar. Sony publicly takes a stand against the policies of Microsoft.
June 19th - Microsoft announces they are ditching the previously announced DRM policies, 24 hour check-in and the regionlocking. They also say that Family game sharing is being scrapped as a result of the change.
June 25th - The Kinect will be the one and only headset included in the box, says Microsoft.
July 1st - Don Mattrick leaves Microsoft
August 8th - In an Unboxing video by Larry Hryb, a standard headset is revealed.
August 12th - Microsoft confirms that Kinect is no longer required to operate the console
August 14th - Microsoft delays Xbox One in 21 markets, stating it will instead launch in "Early 2014". It ended up releasing September 2014.
November 22nd - Xbox One officially releases in the US, Canada, select European countries, Australia and New Zeeland. Microsoft announces shortly after that it sold 1 million consoles within the first 24 hours.
March 17th, 2014 - Marc Whitten leaves Microsoft to join Sonos
March 31st - Phil Spencer is appointed as new Head of Xbox
May 6th - Microsoft dates their E3 press briefing, naming it "Xbox: Game On".
May 13th - Microsoft announces a new Kinect-less SKU of the Xbox One for 399 dollar. They also announce Games for Gold for the system, and that Xbox Live Gold will no longer be required for streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.

The new Guy is fixing everything wrong with it..

it's too late to re-design the chip, unless they slip a chip with more GPU Power in their Console Shrink, But that's not gonna help current games.

384 Stream processors difference between the 2, is a "meh" gap, easily fixed with some minor non visible changes, I think MS is testing the unit at higher Clocks..

I've bridged the gap between 7850 and 7870s with a mere 40 Mhz OC, so 50-60Mhz should work without putting out too much heat.

But when you add in that the Kinect II uses some of the Stream Processors, it further cripples the GPU.

So, Remove kinect II, tell developers it is no longer part of the Base package, Drop the Price $100, Give the GPU all of it's power back.

Overclock GPU to make up for Shader Difference.

Integrate DX12 in Spring 2015 Update, which removes most of the DX Overhead on the CPU/GPUs






Xbox Live Wise,
Fix it so People only Pay $60 if they wanna play games online, anyone that wants to watch Netflix/NHL Network/HBO/Whatever can do it for free.
Done.


Media Wise, Restore Media Center Extender Functionality.
Which is the #1 Requested XBO Feature.

Instead of making a NextGen gaming console, XBOX pissed on much of the gaming focus instead focusing on TV and DRM and Kinect.

Sony on the other hand focused on making a better NextGen gaming console and is reaping the benefits.

IMHO XBOX could still fix the fiasco and turn this around by focusing on GAMING instead of stupid crap like they did, glad to see good signs that they realize this recently.

They put the focus on Internet Streaming Supported by Ads (YouTube, Twitch, App Based Viewing).

They kinda peeved on TV by removing Media Center Functionality that alot of us used with our Ceton Tuners, in exchange for this HDMI Passthrough and guide.

Microsoft lost my business. If I buy a new system it will be a PS but that is unlikely at this point.

I approve of the removal of Kinect.

Although I don't put much fate in this DX12-thing being the best thing to ever happen. Didn't AMD tried to do that with Mantle? Anyway, we'll see how DX12 fares I imagine.

Well, they listened to customers and have given what was asked for. Used games, digital game sharing (sometime I guess), no Kinect and a price drop.
From what I heard, they're trailing Sony, but by no means failing. Possibly even selling as well as the 360 did at this point in its life cycle.

You mean they've finally woke up and are making it so you can watch streaming services without have a gold account. To little to late for me. When I upgrade it will be a PS4 since more of my friends have them.

Well, I probably won't be making a decision on a next-gen console until next fall or holiday season. But, this is a step in the right direction (finally) by MS.

In all honesty, I wantto buy an Xbox but I'm worried about performance. It really seems like they screwed the pooch with their hardware choices, all to satisfy the damn Kinect.

What happens at E3 will also have a bearing on which console I choose as well. A lot could happen between now and next fall.

As it stands now, I really only know for certain of ONE friend that as the Xbox One (slash, that'd be you, so I'd be interested in hearing your opinion if you still frequent this site).

I still haven't seen a game worth buying a console for is the problem. I don't care about new/redone Halos, and I think that will be the big E3 item.
Chromehounds is why I bought my 360, and I see nothing like that coming. Different, innovative, intelligent and MP by which I judge all other MP.

I have a PS3 for Gran Turismo. I may purchase a G27 wheel this year and that might open up a few possibilities for me. The only racing I do on the PC is Simbin stuff, so my gaming PC is mostly for FSX and SF 2.

I've heard GT6 is awesome.

GT6 was horrible, arcade rubbish. I got it with my PS3 and traded it in.

Microsoft also pissed off half of Europe by still not releasing the motherfucking console here. Won't arrive until #%&*$# september.

#%&*$# you, Microsoft.

I'd edit your post MadDog, the language filter didn't pick up MF

IMO it is still very early in the game. XBOX can still bounce back from their rough start. I've got my money put aside, I don't feel an urgency to choose yet. The last 2 gens I ending up buying both, it's more a matter of what to get first.

PS3 outsold Xbox 360 in the beginning with a more powerful systems (remember the Cell Processor Hype?).

Once XBL/Game Catalog and Features Matured on Xbox 360 it took off.

Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for such a long time, PS3 was even hindered by a delayed launch. Plus the specs were in no very comparable due to completely different architecture and difficulty in coding which made the PS3 a poor choice for multiplatform games as well and Playstations network infrastructure was a joke.

Xbox 360 had it super easy last generation. If Microsoft had actually bothered to work on getting great games out at the end of the generation, the PS3 wouldn't have overtaken them in the end. However Microsoft stagnated hard. Also PS Plus made quite a difference because of what it offered, which was great.

However this time, they are on a comparable scale down on power, difficulty in coding, launch availability and their reputation has taken a significant hit. PS Plus also has a great reputation as mentioned from the last generation whilst with Live they kinda have to catch up now.

I honestly doubt the Xbox One will ever really catch up and overtake.

The Moon is a beautiful planet.

Sony learned from their mistakes. Microsoft seemed intent on making all new ones.

I'd heard it was WAY better than GT5.

Hahahaha,



Only reason I'd buy an XBO is for FM5, which I wont play with a controller, so.. i'd have to drop $700 ish regardless, not worth it.

I'd rather stick to FM4, or Fm3 with Networked Cockpit.

Hi PFunk,

Do yourself a favor and set aside the SimBin titles and grab a copy of Game Stock Car 2013. It'll be the best $23 you've ever spent on a racing sim. Pair it with the G27 (which I have) and you'll be wondering why you hadn't done it sooner.

Trust me.

Still here Lee!!

Yup, I've had the Xbox One since launch day and overall I will say that I have not regretted my purchase at all. I'm pretty much online on a daily basis and I currently own 6 games (COD Ghosts, Battlefield4, NBA2K14, Madden 25, Forza5, & Titanfall). I also have several games for my son (Zoo Tycoon, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, & Kinect Sports Rivals).

So far I would say that I have not noticed any of the "fails" so many talked about. To me, I really don't care what they said at what one point or another. All that matters is that I can do all the things I want to do now. It certainly wasn't a smooth launch but than again, I wasn't expecting that. There are always going to be problems with a launch. The important thing is how they respond to the problems and so far I would say I'm very pleased with MS's response to all problems. They appear to be listening. We get a system update about every 6 weeks so far and many of the problems have been fixed.

I use the live TV option frequently and I switch between games and TV quite often. This feature works as advertised. It's great to be waiting in a game menu for a game to start, and be able to tell Xbox to go to TV so I can check on my Bruins or Red Sox (never leaving the party), and switch back to the game when it starts, without any delays at all. I have also used PIP, which also works as advertised, but I'm not a fan of this feature because if anything I want to make my screen larger, not smaller.

I have not had an opportunity to use any of the live streaming options because quite frankly, I'm always gaming.

As far as gaming is concerned, XBox Live is now as it always was. There were some difficulties at the start but with the latest set of updates, they have brought back many of the features that had been left out. As far as the games, I would say so far, you're probably not missing out on much. Not sure what "next gen" gaming really means because everything has been pretty much the same. As I understand it, Forza5 is the only game that really pushes the system and it works flawlessly for me. Graphically, Forza is incredible! Prague is extremely well done. The drivatar addition is a really cool addition and it certainly retains specific aspects of certain player's driving styles. This makes for great conversations when you do hook up with your buddies. I guess Titanfall is also considered to be a "next gen" game but even though I really enjoy it, at it's core, it really is just another shooter where you have jet packs and can do parkour moves from building to building. Battlefield4, although finally playable now, was a complete disaster. Most of the problems were related to DICE however, not MS. I could play any game in my library with zero problems and the second I put in BF4, all hell would break loose. This was very frustrating!!

I would say it is simply wayyyyy too early to determine whether or not XBox One has "failed". We are 6 months from launch and approaching the first E3 with the new consoles on the market. I might agree more with the game developers having failed because they really have not pushed the limits yet, but again, it's wayyyy early. All this talk about the system's specs and limits are pointless until there is something out there that actually tests those limits IMO.

It's great to have a Veyron. It can go 200+MPH, blah blah blah but who cares if the fastest you can drive it is 65 without going to jail!

Thanks for the synopsis, slash.

I'm still very much on the fence about which console I'll be getting but I've always been leaning towards the Xbox One, mainly for XBL. If it's not easy to connect with friends and get into a game with the PS4 (and I don't know if it is or isn't) then I want no part of it.

I've heard of XBO running at only 720p with only 30 fps and that is disconcerting but I also don't know if it's true.

As you said, it's way too early. I agree. I'm very interested in what comes out of E3 next month.

I remember the 360 having a lot of problems at launch too and that system turned out terrific so I'm holding out hope that the XBO will be as well.

I think MS has done some good (and smart) things recently. A new guy in charge and fixing a lot of the early problems. I, for one, have NO problem with them pulling an about face and tanking the Kinect. Admit your mistake, take the steps to correct it and move on. It beats the hell out of having them being stubborn and shove unwanted features down our throats.

Anyway, I won't be making up my mind about the next-gen console until fall, at the earliest. In the meantime I'm playing a LOT of racing sims on my PC along with BF4 and BF3 (also on PC).

Good to hear from you again, slash. Don't be a stranger!

for these XBO vs PS4 Games running resolution wars..

1080p vs 900p vs 795p or whatever.

like 100 vertical pixels is really gonna be that much more visible 5 feet from your TV.

Decent Scaling and MSAA and you wouldnt know the difference if they didnt tell you.

I ran BF3 w/ 2x MSAA to my HDTV via HDMI, and Added custom EDID tags to change from 1080p, to 900p, to 720p, and from a normal viewing distance, I didnt notice one bit of difference. (ok, MAYBE I saw the guy swimming from the carrier while camping on top of a crane easier without the scope.)

Jaggies and overall appearance were pretty much the same throughout.

I completely agree Skate!

I have no idea what my games are currently running at, nor do I care. You can tell me they run at 1080, 720, 300, 0...I don't care. I think they look fantastic!! My wife (who has zero interest in all things tech, and cares even less about gaming) has even commented on how realistic everything looks. I'm willing to bet that if you were to run a game with no knowledge of what resolution it's running at, no one would be able to tell the difference and again does it really matter??? I'm not convinced it does. If a game is great and I can enjoy it with my buddies, that's all that really matters IMO.

Now, I completely understand the argument of not wanting to spend $500 on a new "toy", unless it does something outstanding that you can't already do with what you have. I get that. But the resolution issue to me is really pretty irrelevant....again IMO.