5 things you should know about the X-Box One

So last night (21/05/2013 at 23:00 IST), Microsoft unveiled the new X-Box. They called it X-Box One. Now I am primarily a PS fan boy, but my current console is an X-Box 360 and as you might have guessed by now, I like gaming in general; So I had a passing interest in the unveiling. It’s a nice time to be around, while the consoles enter their 8th and possibly their last generation (as believed by a lot of experts, of which I am not one). You can find all the information you want for the new X-Box One online (IGN, Machinima, Xbox.com), the following however is a 5 pointer (which is a staple of 1HundredWorks) about the new X-Box, and what I made of it after the conference.

1. This is an entertainment Hub
Lets get this argument rolling. X-Box One is not a gaming device (and let the flame wars begin). Why, you ask me, let me illustrate; The iPhone today is able to host Final Fantasy and Skulls of Shogun; does this make it a gaming device? Similarly the PS 3 can play Blu-Ray discs, but does that make it a DVR player? X-Box One is a complete hub, which when coupled with your TV, aims to provide you Video Games, Movies, Music, Live Television, Fantasy Sports and the Internet among other things. The emphasis was not on how well the X-Box One handled games, it was on how smoothly it transitioned between the game and the TV. The emphasis was not on the 15 exclusive games, but on the new HALO television series. To Microsoft’s credit, they always had their eyes set on making a central entertainment centre, than a stand alone gaming beast. They have made no secret of it, and the X-Box One is another step in that direction.

2. The console looks awesome
Sony had an extraordinary press conference earlier this year, when they unveiled the PS4. There was however no console, and in a strong conference, this was an obvious flaw. X-Box One on the other hand was on display right off the bat, and boy does it look gorgeous. The console, the controller, and even the Kinect are now more flatter and squarish, with emphasis on gorilla glass feel. The console looks inspired by the METRO design of Windows 8, and once again emphasizes Microsoft’s ambition to be central to your living room, by being inconspicuous. The controller itself (which a lot of people in the industry call the best one) does not change much except for becoming more flatter, and losing the bulky battery pack on its back; the home button from what it looks like has been changed to a touch sensitive area, while the start and select buttons have different logos, with the select button ominously looking like a Window Changing icon. Sony would be revealing their console on June 10 2013 at E3 but lets face it, neither Sony nor Nintendo can ever expect to beat Microsoft’s aesthetics.

3. It is not always on-line
Now that’s a relief. Ever since the buzz for the new X-Box started, so did the rumor of a console which required a constant connection to the internet for functioning. Will Microsoft go that way, will we be needed to connect to the internet even when I wanted to play a single player campaign, is the internet today reliable enough to last for hours on end. Thankfully, we don’t need to answer these questions now, as Microsoft have confirmed that X-Box One would be able to just work when offline, which thankfully includes playing single player games. The emphasis is on ‘Just’, as is apparent from this article here.

4. Being the first among equals
This is a strategy that Microsoft has employed through most of X-Box 360 life cycle, and have reaped considerable results for it. They don’t have enough exclusive power houses like Sony or Nintendo, what they do have however is first day DLC promises. Games like COD, FIFA, Skyrim cater to all platforms, but their DLC release early or exclusive to X-Box. X-Box One carries that tradition forward with early DLC from COD: Ghosts and exclusive DLC from FIFA’14. You see it’s a much subtle and a cheaper method of attracting customers, and if you need any proof ask an Skyrim player on PS3.

5. All Things Gaming
It’s about games right. Not really; in that 1 and a half hour conference, there were just 4 actual franchises shown: Forza MotorSport, EA Sports (FIFA’14, Madden 25, UFC, NBA Live) in a combined trailer, Quantum Break and Call Of Duty: Ghosts. There were talks where they mentioned achievements being more informative, and in the same breath something about game recording.

Microsoft did reveal more about the gaming side of things after the conference, when they announced that X-Box One will not be Backward Compatible, and the actual list of games confirmed for X-Box One. Also the question of used games is rather dubiously answered by Microsoft, an account of which you can find here.

The following titles were confirmed to be in development for Xbox One:

Frankly, the conference gave the impression that the X-Box One was here to dominate the American market, more than the gaming one. Their tie up with NFL, their sync with Live TV, their incorporation of Fantasy leagues are all inherently American. It’s not a bad move mind you, but exactly how many Koreans play fantasy league basketball, and how many Indians watch NFL is not a question which came up in their meeting apparently. As an American Family guy I could have been impressed, but as a gamer I was mildly disappointed. To sum it all up one of my friend’s status on FB after the conference says it all.

So that’s that people. There would be more to come in the coming days, and lots more during E3 week. These are exciting times, how I wish I could be there, attending it, but I would try to cover it the best I could, just like I did last year through my blog.

What did you think of the X-Box One reveal, are you dumbfounded or amazed, put it down in the comments below. Also the weekly gaming column is gonna start next week, though I am still not decided upon a name, suggest one in the comments.