Xbox One Post-Release Examination

[iroboto]

Hands down agree that Kinect is still the better differentiator.

But I wouldn't mind a world where I code VS on x1 and debugged on the unit directly. Smaller, quieter, lower power footprint, no driver issues. No optimization issues from an OS
standpoint.

If x1 had no walls on what it could run could it replace PCs at home? Would MS care if it ate PC sales.

 

[Nesh]

To a degree. But the suggestion is X1 getting apps as used on phones and PC as a differentiator. Sooner or later there will be smart device saturation. When your TV is smart, your PVR, your phone and your watch, how much will functionality be used on a console and lack of it result in missed sales vs its primary role? We used to use PS3's web browser, but now there's no need as there's a tablet on hand. A docked browser with a walkthrough has some convenience, but it's hardly going to be the USP that moves a console. Compatibility with Yo! on your phone is going to be reason to buy an XB1? I'm not seeing it. The only value as a USP I see app support bringing would be a killer app, and I can't envision that. Plus any out-of-the-way app like Facebook VR Worlds can readily be ported as an app to the rival, so it wouldn't remain a differentiator for long.

The biggest problem with non-mobile devices like consoles and TVs is that their interfaces and control methods havent developed enough to mimic the fast accessibility of mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

But they will as the next step is crossfunctional integration between devices. Manufacturers will be finding new and improved control solutions that make the accessibility much better. In addition some apps will find better suitability for bigger screens than small ones.

If the consoles dont improve on that area, they will simply appear outdated and less desirable as every other device will. Its not a matter of making the console more desirable. Its more of avoiding to make them look less desirable as everything else improves

I often find myself wanting to use the big screen of my TV but I dont have the means to do what I want because the functionality isnt there.

This has become even more common with my PS4. Everything is faster and I can jump from one app to the other. Sometimes I want to do something that unfortunately doesnt exist on my PS4.

If my PS4 had all the apps of my Smartphone I would have been spending less time jumping from my console to my smartphone

For example while I was playing Second Son, there was a secondary mission that required me to jump from game to a webpage. I found it very convenient that I could use the browser of the PS4 to visit the required webpage (which is infinitely faster than the PS3 browser) only to find a few issues with the browser not showing properly some content or the fact that there is no trackpad or mouse support. The smallish screen on my Note 3 wasnt convenient either.

 

[Dave Baumann]

If x1 had no walls on what it could run could it replace PCs at home? Would MS care if it ate PC sales.

Then they'd release Office 365 and get a chunk of money from that...

 

[Deleted member 86764]

It I could run MS Office on an Xbox One I'd buy one tomorrow. Honestly I would, it'd completely remove the need for me to have a desktop or a laptop.

My phone is awful at those application, the Xbox has all the required hardware and power to make it work.

 

[Deleted member 86764]

They should sell a version with it included. And a mouse/keyboard instead of Kinect.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It I could run MS Office on an Xbox One I'd buy one tomorrow. Honestly I would, it'd completely remove the need for me to have a desktop or a laptop.

My phone is awful at those application, the Xbox has all the required hardware and power to make it work.

They should sell a version with it included. And a mouse/keyboard instead of Kinect.

(Removing my PC console tablet post and just looking at the more relevant in topic conclusion I came to...)

So I guess effectively you're agreeing with OnQ, that XB1 is presently redundant and the way to make it relevant is to turn it into a cheap PC?

 

[Deleted member 86764]

No, I don't think it's redundant at all as it currently is. I think making an AppBox variation would generate sales

 

[Deleted member 86764]

To be completely clear, I'd love to be sat on my sofa working on my TV, come lunch time I could switch to Titanfall with my work buddies then minimise it and get back to Excel afterwards. What's not to like?

Cheaper than a laptop too.

 

[Nisaaru]

Ergonomics.

 

[Reznor007]

That's literally easily doable on a pc right now.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

To be completely clear, I'd love to be sat on my sofa working on my TV, come lunch time I could switch to Titanfall with my work buddies then minimise it and get back to Excel afterwards. What's not to like?

It's not about that. It's about making XB1 a relevant games console. There's a different debate about turning XB1 into a cheap PC, which I suppose one could start here. But the issue isn't adding features that some people might like - it's about creating a 'must have' product that people want to buy instead of the competition. Excel on your console may be nice for you, but I doubt it's a great sell for most people. I expect most people value a desk for productivity (PC's have been able to connect to many TVs for probably a decade but it hasn't taken off). Meanwhile, tablets offer both portable computing and can be connected to KBM for more traditional working practices. You may be onto something that everyone else has missed, but it's worth noting that Apple released a tablet computer and not a living room TV based PC. Likewise MS released a tablet computer and/or laptop hybrid and not a TV based computer. That to me shows pretty compelling market research that TV based computing isn't a popular thing. The converse could only be true if no-one's market researched the possibility.

 

[Dave Baumann]

If the universal apps is a serious prospect for XBOX One then I wouldn't view Office on XBOX as a "why" but a fait accompli, or, at least, logically it should be. Office 365 is subscription based and they have already brought it to no-MS OS's/platforms, so it would make sense to have it on XBOX one as well - I already have access to SkyDrive / OneDrive, so viewing and editing presentations and word docs should be simple.

 

[rockaman]

Everything around Xbox One would be judged differently if the Xbox remained loyal to the initial philosophy of Xbox.

I feel like this shouldn't be asked, but I'll do it anyway for fun.

Is there a philosophy of Xbox that is permanent? Was there really an overarching philosophy at the beginning that was realistically intended to last for fifteen years or more?

Is philosophy paramount to design in the context of the many policy reversals of Xbox over the last year and a half?

Or is this assigned by us or other users per our own experiences?

Were the previous Xbox consoles designed with a strict philosophy in mind, whereas the current one was not?

Or was each console more heavily a product of its own time and circumstance and decision-making by the leaders at the time?

 

[SlimJim]

turning XB1 into a cheap PC

Why not turn a cheap PC into XBOX One???
Like a steam box. But with exclusive titles.
MS could retake the PC gaming market from steam, and stop any steam-powered boxes dead in the water.

The high-end console market is lost though; they can try again in a few years

 

[AlNom]

Is there a philosophy of Xbox that is permanent? Was there really an overarching philosophy at the beginning that was realistically intended to last for fifteen years or more?

OSsy Philosophy!

 

[mosen]

Then they'd release Office 365 and get a chunk of money from that...

Isn't it possible to use Office using IE on XB1?

Microsoft pitching Xbox One to small companies as justifiable business expense

“As the owner of a small business, you find great value in your computer and your phone. Between the two of them you are prepped for presentations, up to date on your appointments and able to create documents with relative ease. However, let me throw another device into that mix: The Xbox One.

“What is being positioned as an excellent entertainment device can be just as enticing for you and your small business. In fact, it’s entirely justifiable to make the Xbox One a business expense.

“The Xbox One, priced at $499, is an affordable option for small business owners, as there are many features built into the console that could help it rival even the most modest of video conferencing and networking platforms.”

The blog continues, covering apps such as Skype, SkyDrive, Internet Explorer, Office Web Apps, Wi-Fi Direct and more.

On future, unannounced apps, Lyons adds, “The app story of Xbox One has yet to be written, therefore it is entirely possible to find apps down the road that could be of benefit for you and your business. With the processing power, snap mode, and connection to a large screen, that the Xbox One has, this device is capable of going from the ‘break room’ to the ‘board room’.”

http://www.vg247.com/2013/07/11/mic...all-business-as-justifiable-business-expense/

It's not the full version, but it should be better than nothing. http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-launches-new-office-online

With next version of windows, XB1 will have universal app like other Microsoft platforms and DX12 will be on all of those platforms, too. If it was possible for Microsoft/developers to make their games with minor differences on XB1/PC and sell them once (as a universal app) then people would have game libraries that last for years and there would be no concern about backward compatibility. I could buy my game on XB1 and 3 years later play it with higher quality (think about The Witcher 3) on PC or 6 years later on my phone and even on next Xbox platform. This is wishful thinking, but it should be possible for some indie games.

 

[onQ]

Its not that people didnt agree with the vision of Kinect. Its just that it didnt offer the value that people were willing to pay $100 extra for. It compromised technical advantage with something else and charged extra for it. The Kinect didnt offer anything substantially exciting ready out of the box either. It was mostly a promise for the future. People either would wait for a price drop or buy competition if not convinced.

The pricing was a bigger problem.

I wouldnt say it is a lot like the Saturn although I may agree it is a bit in some areas. The PS3 was closer to being the equivalent of Sega Saturn than XB1 is now.
I believe the XB1 sells well and unlike the Saturn, developer support is almost identical to competition. Developing on the console isnt as hard as the Saturn. It's actually "easy" just relatively "harder" compared to competition. They also demonstrate fast changes to their business plan according to market reaction.
Fortunately they got the price down. In terms of features and design I must admit that its well thought, well made and has some nice polish for a launch console although not perfect yet.
The Saturn was a disaster in almost every level. Marketing wise, hardware wise, pricing wise, development friendliness, decision making, UI design, demo packaging......it had some amazing internal talent software wise though, which is what XB1 lacks. But when everything else is executed badly, you arent helping your talent shine in software

To be honest I think the plan MS had before that leaked in the documents is the plan that would have worked better for them.

$299 Set-top box with Kinect.

At that price Sony would have been the one's scrambling trying to lower their price as people bought up the cheaper next-gen console. At $299 the Xbox One could have sold off of it's features, the same features that's not making much difference now would have been a good selling point at $100 cheaper than your competition. Sony would have to prove that their better graphics was worth $100 more & that it was worth not having the features that the Xbox One has like a bundled Kinect.

 

[Rangers]

But you couldn't get to 299 without making it even weaker substantially, probably. And that would just make things worse. It would be trending more towards the Wii U.

Kinect has been around for how many years? Look guys, the killer app isn't happening. It doesn't exist. There was nothing coming down the pipe for Kinect for the first 6 months when it was packed in. Literally nothing. There was Kinetic Sports Rivals, that flopped. That's it.

Ok I've been saying it for ten+ years, it's really just all about power in core gaming. That's it. People want to argue, but less so now that Sony has the edge there and we see it coming true. There ARE other factors, but imo they all pale in comparison to hardware power, for the core gamer (so leave out Wii!).

I like my Xbox One a lot, and I'll stick with it. But it's still a heck of a shame it's not at least as many flops as PS4. That way I could own it without any nagging regrets whatsoever. Now if it was lets say, 2.4 teraflops or above, that would just make the decision even more clear cut. I would be confident in the future potential and owning the best product. I would be excited to see what 2.4 teraflops could do oneday, and things like that.

I think Microsoft is probably going to have to get to 299 now, while PS4 remains at 399. Whether they have any inkling or possibility of making this happen, I dont know. The scary part for MS is even then it may not be enough. I know in a vacuum I'd rather pay the extra $100 for better specs. There isn't that much cognitive difference between 300 and 400 dollars, both are a major purchase. It is the same way that if I can spend $600 for a 50 inch TV, or $800 for a 60, I'll go for the 60. A major purchase, I want it to be future proof, and when you're already spending substantial sum X, X+marginal sum is easy to justify.

That's what happens when you have less power, you only have one way to compete, price. It ends up costing you so many more dollars than just putting in decent hardware in the first place. Microsoft is exactly stuck in that place right now. They only have one way forward, and it's expensive. 10 million consoles is an average year for 360, $100 off 10 million consoles is one billion dollars.

 

[onQ]

But you couldn't get to 299 without making it even weaker substantially, probably. And that would just make things worse. It would be trending more towards the Wii U.

Kinect has been around for how many years? Look guys, the killer app isn't happening. It doesn't exist.

Ok I've been saying it for ten+ years, it's really just all about power in core gaming. That's it. People want to argue, but less so now that Sony has the edge there and we see it coming true. There ARE other factors, but imo they all pale in comparison to hardware power, for the core gamer (so leave out Wii!).

I like my Xbox One a lot, and I'll stick with it. But it's still a heck of a shame it's not at least as many flops as PS4. That way I could own it without any nagging regrets whatsoever. Now if it was lets say, 2.4 teraflops or above, that would just make the decision even more clear cut. I would be confident in the future potential and owning the best product. I would be excited to see what 2.4 teraflops could do oneday, and things like that.

The Xbox One is only 1.3TFLOPS I'm sure they could have came close to that with a $299 price tag having good enough graphics.

Notice I said it would have worked better for Microsoft ( not for gamers).

At $299 with Kinect it would target a different market. Dance Central , Just Dance or a new Karaoke game that take advantage of the new Kinect could be killer apps at $299 for the full bundle.

I think most of the people who still bought the Xbox One with everything that was going on already had their mind set on buying the Xbox One anyway & probably still would have bought it with weaker specs at $200 less & they would have justified the weaker specs by saying "well it only costed $299 with Kinect"

 

[NRP]

bkillian,
Do you expect MS to ever get its head out of its ass? The whole XBone launch seems like one big fumble. How could they seemingly F things up so badly after the momentum they gained with the 360?