Xbox ONE: Unboxing Impressions

So lets just get right to it!

THE PHYSICAL UNBOXING

The box was pretty big, unpacking it's contents revealed that the xbox itself is also large, larger than any console on the market today.  The Kinect was included of course and it is necessary to truly utilize the features Xbox ONE has to offer.  The Xbox ONE still has an external brick, it's also quite large.  Being a former Xbox 360 player, setting the box up was second nature for me.  The initial update took about 10 minutes (It was a pretty big update lol).  I didn't setup the cable or computer settings, otherwise It would have taken forever.  After that I setup the Kinect, standard audio test, lasted about 5 minutes.  There was a neat intro that eventually took me to the home screen.  The dashboard still subtly resembles Windows 8 (which is now 8.1) but the interface looks crisp!  The Kinect, Snap, TV, Music, Multi-tasking, and other features are definitely noteworthy.  It is easy to see why the XBOX ONE is $100 more than the PS4 with everything Microsoft is trying to do. At least the setup process was black and white.  So because of that:

I give it an A

XBOX LIVE

You can't do anything worthwhile on this console without a GOLD xbox live subscription.  It cost $60 for a year, $10 more than PSN's year subscription.  I feel like Microsoft could have come down on the price considering they are already forcing people to buy the Kinect.  The service itself runs ok, but the catch 22 is the fact that Microsoft reserves the right to tamper with this service.  Given their recent flip flopping in commitment to the end user (which is us the consumer), I already notice that xbox live is becoming a hub for ads, gimmicky third party applications and services that illicit our personal information.  The hardware behind Microsoft's network infrastructure is good enough. I just don't know how long that will matter.

C+

GAME PLAY

Everything plays smoothly.  Interacting with the menus using Kinect works alot better than the old Kinect, but there are still a few bugs to be worked out.  I'm sure a couple patches will fix those nuisances.  Since Microsoft's primary goal is to dominate the living room, I don't feel this category fully encompasses all the feature rich applications the Xbox ONE has.  But rest assured, it plays games and plays them well.  Does it play the games "Next-Gen" well???  I think it depends on the game personally.  Some games may better use Xbox ONE's next gen features than others.  It doesn't play in a native 1080p resolution so what you have is a game that looks better than the 360, but not quite as crisp as the PS4 (Assuming you can see the difference). With Microsoft's deep pockets and firm grasp of technology I really did expect them to surpass the PS4 in terms of hardware and software as seen through Game play and UI interface but so far I do not feel that is the case.  

B+

THE CONTROLLER

To me, I thought it was perfect.

A+

Conclusion

The games run smooth, there are still some kinks to work out with the Kinect but for the most part it runs really well.  Everything from software and hardware looks like an improvement over the Xbox 360.  The controller felt really good in my hands.  However, My impressions of the Xbox ONE out of it's box was not so one sided.  In my opinion, It's awfully big for a next generation console, and that is not including the Kinect and external power brick. What my eyes see is a system that is inferior in specs and design to the PlayStation 4.  It plays games well, but most of the ONE's innovative changes come from the interactions through Kinect.  Voice recognition and body gestures are being championed more than ever and while they are convenient, I've yet to see them play an integral role in any worthwhile video game to date.  It displays at a native 720p too.  Not a big deal for most but certainly a con when compared to PS4's native 1080p.  Of course, this is all to say, these features were meant to deepen the interaction with the dashboard, the TV apps, the Video streaming apps, and other Microsoft living room activity.  A lot of stuff I really don't care about if the system wasn't designed optimally for games first.  Microsoft may be trying to change the nature of what "next generation" means, but only time will reveal Microsoft's true agenda. 

My Overall Impression: B

I'm convinced that those who put down the investment on this console will have a great experience with it.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts as things develop and/or change.  If you can wait until the price drops I highly recommend doing so!  

Here is a great synopsis on the Xbox ONE, watch it here! 

Peace,

- JA