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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Gaming One Step Closer (and I'm about to RROD): The Xbox One Discussion

Discussion in 'Community' started by Ezio Skywalker, May 21, 2013.

  1. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    Nearly every home console has been a different take on a black box - especially in this day and age, it matters not at all.
     
  2. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 13, 2008
    Hey, that's completely disingenuous - some of them were white boxes.

    Black goes better with my entertainment center, though; I'm quite fine with the aesthetic directions MS and Sony are taking.
     
  3. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
  4. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

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    Oct 3, 2004
    Penguinator: I tend not to, or at least I try not to. Covers can make a difference though. Take the Cadfael books by Ellis Peters. I have an older edition with a plain and boring cover and they're releasing new editions with nice covers. Even though I know they're exactly the same I'd still rather have the nicer newer covers.
     
  5. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    But your console is going to sit on a shelf, maybe even behind a small door, and you're not really going to be looking at it. You're gonna be looking at what's on the TV - the content, not the cover.
     
  6. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    I agree. While I'm playing I'm not going to be looking at it. It won't be on a shelf though, it'll be right next to my gaming statues and figures and stuff as I don't have anywhere else to put it.
     
  7. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Sure, you're not looking at it- while you're playing it. When you're not, you/others may be looking at it as part of the room. Particularly if it's not in a fully enclosed cabinet- a lot of A/V stands are open designs to make ti easier to get at your equipment. Or you simply may just have it standing next your TV.

    A more pleasing design is easier to keep out in the open without it being obtrusive/garish or requiring it be tucked away in a bulky A/V cabinet that might make accessing ports and cables more cumbersome.
     
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  8. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
  9. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005

    Pretty sure a nice hutch, sofa, chair or table is gonna generate more interest and compliments than a home console. Like, if people are commenting on decor and a room, they are not looking at the generic black boxes - unless they're tech-savvy or whatever, in which case the discussion probably isn't going to be, "Man, that box has a nice aesthetic."
     
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  10. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Penguinator: [face_laugh] If I ever visit you're house I'll have to try and remember to say exactly that! :p
     
  11. Ezio Skywalker

    Ezio Skywalker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2013
    My houseguests have actually often commented on the aesthetic appeal of my DirecTV box/DVR. It's a rectangular black box with several blue light-up rings along its face and not much else, but people are often drawn to those blue rings and ask what the heck that awesome-looking thing is.

    EDIT:

    My neighbor has a black Wii and it also looks pretty slick on their TV unit (as opposed to my white Wii, which looks seriously out of place next to my big black TV atop my huge black TV unit and alongside my black DirecTV DVR, black Xbox 360-Slim, and black Blu-ray player).
     
  12. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Yeah, I was dissapointed the original Wii didn't come in black as a launch color. I was really digging the possible look of a black Wii with 4 dark red Wiimotes. Would have been very slick.

    Ah well, Wii U fixed that issue, now I just need me some red Wiimotes...
     
  13. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    It's looking like the Xbone is still shipping with Kinect 2.0 but it won't be necessary for operation. Apologies for the Kotaku link; I can't stand their practices/ethics/style (and Schreier is a prime example of that), but this is the article I found.

    I can't help but think that if Microsoft had just been clear with everything planned out beforehand, they could be dominating right now. If they had just said "To make full use of our cloud computing stuff, you'll need to be hooked up to the internet at least once every 24 hours but if that's not a big deal for you, that's cool! You don't have to be online."

    If they had just said, "We realize some of you like the features Kinect 2.0 is offering, but some of you are uncomfortable with the camera - we get it, man! Don't worry, you can turn the camera off completely."

    If they had just said, "I guess you could buy used games, but Gamestop and EB Games are places where dreams die, so if you're buying used, godspeed," they'd be in a far happier place right now.
     
  14. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    It's good that they're addressing the privacy concerns, as well as providing multiple levels of options in that regards (ie: if you just want "Xbox on" commands and nothing else). Somewhat amusing, though, that XB1 has had yet another reversal.
     
  15. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    It's another backwards step about a topic they were grilled on months ago - I think calling it "good" is being generous!
     
  16. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

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    Jan 27, 2000
    Well, I am a generous person.
     
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  17. 07jonesj

    07jonesj Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2010
    I've really got to praise Microsoft for these reversals though. They could easily have been stubborn and refuse to acknowledge complaints (while that may not make sense business-wise, some companies are unwilling to admit mistakes so quickly).

    I, for one, will now be buying an Xbox One along with my already pre-ordered PS4. So there's a reward for catering to backlash MS.
     
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  18. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    As long as the Kinect features will work just the same, I'm probably getting both systems. Most likely a PS4 first, but the Xbone is looking better and better - just took a few reversals and a lot of angry fans.
     
  19. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    I agree. It has been handled badly. I think it's a shame when you look at what Kinect is capable of and all the other great things about the X1. We won't know whether this is originally what was planned, but critics and haters will just say this is to appease the fans or whatever.

    Oh, and an OXM article that says the same thing, for those that don't like Kotaku: http://www.oxm.co.uk/60303/xbox-one...ft-reveals-but-its-still-part-of-the-package/
     
  20. 07jonesj

    07jonesj Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2010
    What does that even mean? Microsoft has changed their minds. That's not up for debate. What possible reason would MS have for knowingly announcing controversial details and then reversing them?

    The console has been changed as a result of backlash, and I thank MS for appeasing their consumer base.
     
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  21. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    The article on OXM seems to imply that the X1 needs Kinect, which is what they've been saying all along, but it'll work fine without it, which they haven't said until now. I can't remember whether they explicitly stated that it wouldn't work at all without Kinect, unlike the internet connection where they explicitly stated it wouldn't work without one. I could be wrong though. I'm not trying to debate it and I don't really care enough to do so, just explaining myself better.

    I agree though. I does show that they're listening to the fans, and in the case it's a good thing. It's not the only thing they've listened on though. They reintroduced the digital sharing thing that was removed when they removed the internet connection requirement. It does need Gold to work, but you can share that too.
     
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  22. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    May 23, 2005
    Major Nelson (man, I cannot stand that guy) did the unboxing and showed off their on/off button. That was literally the only thing I took away from his unboxing. I'm not sure why Kinect was ever necessary because you could do everything with a controller, but I suppose it was necessary in the "these features are designed to work with Kinect" way, which is to say, only because they said so.
     
  23. Darth_Invidious

    Darth_Invidious Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 21, 1999

    I can't stand him either. Anyway, this all seems to confirm that, in all likelihood, the oh-so-mandatory function of the Kinect sensor may have been overblown. Or otherwise, it never was a mandatory peripheral for the bloody thing to work and was just there to add to the console's price point or to otherwise push software sales. Considering how little time has passed since the initial unveiling and now, I seriously doubt any major design overhauls have been implemented since. They're simply exercising as much damage control as possible to ensure their projected sales numbers.

    Still, all the changes in the world won't mean a thing if they don't have a major killer app that will push people to buy their new toy on Day One. It's certainly not going to be a new Halo or Gears of War. But so far, I haven't seen anything that would make me want to get this thing and ditch my 360 come X-mas time or if at all.
     
  24. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Darth_Invidious: nothing will make me ditch my 360, but there are lots of things that make me want the X1. There's Quantum Break, Forza 5, and Dead Rising 3, for a start.
     
  25. Penguinator

    Penguinator Former Mod star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    What is Quantum Break, though? A simulator for the weird mythos of Lost alongside a boat crash sim?
     
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