I was so looking forward to the next-gen Microsoft Xbox console but now all that excitement turned out to be bitter disappointment. New console certainly has some pretty amazing new technologies but there are way too many downsides that made me think otherwise. First, lets take a look at the console.
8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, USB 3.0, HDMI in/out, 500GB HDD, Wi-Fi Direct, a Blu-ray disc drive and the improved Kinect 2.0 pretty much sums up the Xbox One’s tech specs. In it’s main features, Xbox One floats on the cloud and has a powerful online gaming system supported by a 300,000-server network and also features new LIVE TV, which turns the console into a TV box. Actually, you need to buy a separate device for that and it will only work in the U.S. by the time of launch.
New innovative features of the console includes, Smart Match. The match making feature that quickly finds you dating partners, I mean gaming partners to play online games. Game DVR is also a new feature that records “magic moments” on the cloud. Living Games, an “advanced artificial intelligence [that] can learn to play like you,” allows your friends to play against your “shadow”. What is up with that? Xbox SmartGlass brings ”the ability to quickly render content directly onto your device” and allows you to connect more devices for multiplay and many others.
So, what’s wrong with it? Well, for starters it actually looks a more like a VCR and is the size of a small car. Then the biggest lost of all, it’s not backwards compatible. BAM! which means you won’t get a chance to play any Xbox 360 games on the new Xbox One. Don’t faint yet, there’s more. The console requires an always-on Internet connection and the console check for the connection every 24 hours, even when playing single-player games. Technically it doesn’t have to be always on, but according to Microsoft, “it does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet.” Hard drive on Xbox One is also non-replaceable but, luckily supports external storage.
Did I miss anything? Well, I don’t care because I already hate this console. Microsoft certainly screwed-up big this time. And here’s a hint for deciding the next-gen console winner, Sony’s stock said to have jumped considerably during the Xbox One event. Now, what does that tell you?
Check out this short, funny video to watch a summary of the entire Xbox One conference in 2 minutes.
[Via: Kotaku / Source: Press Release]
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Roshan Jerad Perera
