Xbox One Console - Day One Edition

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have been playing my Xbox One Day One Edition non-stop this weekend and felt comfortable giving a first impression review. The first thing you notice out of the box is that the design is nothing that is going to blow you away. They made it big and when it was opened up by those sites that take these boxes apart a large part of it is a fan. I don't really mind at all to be honest. Too much has been made of how it looks. I have it in an entertainment center that has nothing but large black boxes in it. Well here's another one. Not really a big deal.



I plugged it in and went through the initial set up in around 20 minutes. I will start by saying I have a small child who also uses this television, so I will not be reviewing anything regarding the TV features. I decided not to use them, as I don't want my son to have to use the Xbox. The user interface is very nice and simple to use once you get going. I had an Xbox 360 and PS3 last generation and always liked the 360 interface better. I feel the same way about this one. You can still pin your favorite apps and games and navigating is fairly easy. The Kinect in my household with a small child (lots of noise) works well. I have had no problem with the commands and have found that they add quite a bit of easy navigation to the system. I will say it helps to learn what the commands are that the Kinect understands. Microsoft has released a sheet of all those commands since release. I will note that this would not have been a bad sheet to put in the box with the console, but I'll print it out on my own I guess. There is nothing better than saying Xbox On and Xbox Turn Off, or Xbox Go To Forza Motorsport 5 and it just goes! So in that sense I'm very pleased. I wouldn't say these are lazy features either as some may think. It's just a convenience that they have decided to give you. If you don't want to use it you can unplug it. I also really like the auto sign in when it sees me. The biggest thing that the Kinect brings to the table for non- gaming is the ability to scan in QR Codes. The last generation brought us all that dreaded DLC and 25 digit code entry. Nothing worse than entering all 25 digits and then trying to figure out which one was wrong. Well the Day One Achievement and a 7 day Xbox live pass come with the system on a QR code sheet. Ask the Xbox to use a code and the Kinect will ask you to hold it up to the screen. Here the beep and you are all done. Thank you so much for this. Now if everyone can just start including these rather than the typed in codes with the games it would be appreciated. So you must be wondering how Kinect is for games. Well it is really a huge improvement. Kinect Sports has a free demo on Xbox live right now and the interactions were read well and precise. I really can't complain about how well the new Kinect works. All in all the Kinect and UI have really been integrated into the new system well. I really think Microsoft really sees how we interact with a lot of UI as stale and the Kinect is an attempt to change that. I don't mind it and the possibility of where they could go is intriguing. Hopefully including one with each system will turn into some great features from Kinect.



The new controller is another plus of this system. I'll add that last generation the Xbox 360 controller was my favorite and that will likely continue this generation. The new thumb sticks with the new grippy feel and updated LB and RB buttons are all great improvements. I also like the new D-Pad as it is very clicky and precise. Yes I know these are not real words I'm using. The controller also feels like the general shape has been changed a little, as it fits into your hands much more comfortably than the 360's, overall a great improvement. I had some really long gaming sessions this weekend and the controller didn't cause any fatigue from holding it. I for one am also a fan of the double A batteries in the controller. I know a lot of people feel this is a thing of the past but it just works for me. I don't like having the controller wired to the system to charge and the battery packs all eventually die and need to be replaced. Batteries can be charged and recharged simply and I will never have to replace the controller due to battery life waning over time. I know I am the minority with this opinion but it's mine and I'm sticking to it. I'll step down from my soap box now. Finally how about those force feedback triggers. Nothing like slamming on the brakes hard in Forza Motorsport 5 and having the trigger for braking shaking, just like if you slammed on the brakes in a real car. Also love when I'm holding down RT in Call of Duty Ghosts and it's shaking like a leaf just like it should. I think this will be a great feature moving forward.



The One also comes with a headset much like the 360 did. If you are not going to be a heavy gamer then it will do just fine. I have to say this was my only area of disappointment with the One out of the box. The headset that came with the 360 had a habit of being pretty cheap as well but this one is a downgrade. The set is not adjustable on the head as it's just a solid piece of flexible plastic. The sound quality is what it is, nothing earth shattering. I had a Turtle Beach headset with my 360 and I think I'm now spoiled. If you are not going to be using the headset often this one will likely take care of your needs. If you are a heavy multiplayer gamer you will likely be investing in a new headset, as this will not get it done for you. The Kinect is also auto set to be used as a headset out of the box, but I turned that off. That's a great way to be the guy online who has a ton of background noise!



There is also an included 4K capable HDMI cable that is included with the system. It's a fairly nice cable and I think we are all at the point where we expect the Xbox One and PS4 to have these included. The power brick is also outside the box. Ohhh nooo. I have no clue why so much has been made of this. Power bricks create heat. Putting them in the box may be nice for the end user but not for the ones who are trying to make this box as cool as possible. I understand why they kept it out considering the heat issues the previous console went through. Underneath the entertainment center it goes. Why are we even discussing this!



The longest that I have run the system was on release day and that was for about 8 to 9 hours non-stop with a disc in the drive. The system remained whisper quiet the entire time. I was playing at night with the volume down and couldn't hear that it was running in the room. Overall I would have to say that I feel much more confident in the hardware effort this time around by Microsoft. It seems like a sturdy well-made piece of hardware. Obviously the RROD that I experienced with my release edition of the 360 was not until over a year later, but at this point my initial impression of the One is that it's a much better made machine. Time will tell and I could not be happier after my first few days with the Xbox One. GadgetT