Five reasons the Xbox One is a better buy one year after its launch

One year ago today, Microsoft launched the Xbox One in 13 markets around the world, including the US. While we thought that Microsoft's third game console was an excellent gaming machine as well as good video playing device in our extensive review back in December, the truth is that the Xbox One is a much better product 365 days later.

In fact, a case could be made that Microsoft has worked much harder to make the Xbox One a better buy than Sony has done with the PlayStation 4, which launched a week before Microsoft's machine. In this article we offer five reasons why the Xbox One is better than it was a year after its launch.

The price is lower

This is the most obvious reason, but it's a pretty important one. Microsoft started selling the Xbox One with the Kinect sensor for $499 in the US. That's on the high end in terms of launch prices for previous consoles, and $100 more than the price of the PlayStation 4.

Since the launch, Microsoft has been pretty aggressive in offering the Xbox One as a better value than the PlayStation 4, especially since its sales started to go down after the holiday shopping season of 2013. It started with a bundle that included the game Titanfall for the same price. Later, it started selling a version of the console without the Kinect add-on for just $399. While some people were disappointed that Microsoft had abandoned their strategy of offering the Kinect for every Xbox One, the truth is that most game developers were not using the hardware anyway, so it made solid business sense to give consumers an option to get the console without the Kinect sensor.

More recently Microsoft has offered a bunch of bundle deals for the Xbox One, including a white version with Sunset Overdrive and one with a 1 TB hard drive and a free copy of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The last big marketing push is a temporary $50 price cut on all Xbox One consoles, including the bundles, until January 3, 2015. While it's possible Microsoft will go ahead and keep selling the console at their current lower prices afterwards, we wouldn't bet on it, so now might be a good time to get the Xbox One for yourself.

Microsoft has released a ton of firmware updates since launch

If you bought an Xbox One on November 22, 2013, you know that you have seen an unprecedented amount of software updates for the console since then. Microsoft has been working hard to add features to the Xbox One that were not available a year ago.

Microsoft recently listed what's been added to the Xbox One since its launch, and it's pretty extensive (opens in new tab). Some of the highlights include a new Friends section, a new Achievements app, being able to purchase digital Xbox One games from your smartphone or PC, and a new media player. All of this shows that Microsoft is committed to making the Xbox One a better console and those updates will continue in 2015 (screenshot support has already been promised).

The Xbox Live Gold subscription is a better value

A year ago, the value of an Xbox One Gold subscription was, well, poor. Yes, you had to get it in order to play online multiplayer games, but it was also needed to access the many streaming media apps for the console, including Netflix, Hulu and more. Many people wondered why Microsoft was adding another subscription price for accessing apps that were available on other consoles without that extra price.

Thankfully, Microsoft saw the light and eliminated the Xbox Live Gold requirement for watching those apps in June. Even better, signing up for the service gave Xbox One owners at least one free downloadable game each month starting in June, which certainly makes the subscription worth it in the long run.

Xbox One has a bigger variety of apps

Speaking of those streaming media apps, there are a lot more to check out on the Xbox One since it came out a year ago. Apps like Plex, Comedy Central and most recently HBO Go have been added since the launch. Other apps that were part of the launch have since been updates, such as Twitch, which can now let owners stream their gameplay experiences live to anyone on the Internet.

Heck, you can even order non-gaming items via the Xbox One, such as the GoPro app and the recently launched Domino's Pizza app (just in the UK for now). All in all, there's a ton of things to do on the Xbox One for both the gamer and non-gamer.

The games are much better now

While there were a couple of solid Xbox One launch games, such as Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5, nothing really stood out. That's all changed now. Microsoft has a library of titles for the console that, in our humble opinion, beat the PlayStation 4 in terms of variety and quality.

It actually began earlier this year with the release of Titanfall, but the Xbox One's library of titles, both first and third-party, has improved greatly in the last few months. From Forza Horizon 2 to Sunset Overdrive to Project Spark to Halo The Master Chief Collection, the Xbox One first party lineup is pretty impressive, and that's backed up by great indie games from the ID@Xbox division like Strike Suit Zero, Super Time Force, and many more. The third-party lineup is excellent as well, with recent releases like Destiny, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and more.

Let's not forget the cool EA Access service which is exclusive to the Xbox One. It launched a few months ago and lets users play from an ever growing list of full Electronic Arts games for one low monthly fee.

As good as the Xbox One game lineup is right now, it will likely be even better at this time in 2015. In a recent podcast interview, Xbox division leader Phil Spencer indicated that there are so many great games coming for the console in the fourth quarter of 2015 that Microsoft will likely have to move some of them to early 2016 so the marketplace isn't flooded with content. That's an excellent problem to have, however and it bodes well for the console's prospects for the future.

Let us know what you think

These are just my opinions. Do you agree? Or do you think the Xbox One isn't doing as well as it should be, and why? Please let us know in the comments.

182 Comments

I love my Xbox One
I love your Xbox one too, when you are not home lol
Lool yh dude, when are you not home?
You can love his XB1 when he's not home while I love his wife or girlfriend
Yeah, I want to love your Xbox one too..lol
Threesome?
Sure!
Room for one more or should I be asking her?
Heyo!
I won"t buy xbox until all titles will run at 1080p!
You do realize that it's barely noticeable, right?
Fer real. I'm about 10 feet from my 50" 1080p TV and I can't really tell. You can see pixels and edges crawl on the 360 with many sub-720p games, but on the Xbox One it's basically not possible. If you've got a really big TV or sit really close to it, maybe, or if you have it plugged into a monitor on your desk you'll see it. But for we plebs with normal-sized TVs and decent distances to the screen, it's no big deal.
Just another spec whore...
I'll buy Xbox One slim.
It'll be a while. They don't want any overheating issues.
Not to mention the price for their 1tb drives to drop so they can discontinue the 500gb
The 500GB hard drive is kinda dumb. Just between what I own, what I get with EA Access, and what I get with Games with Gold, my hard drive is about 90% full. I'm contemplating buying a USB 3.0 enclosure and a 7200RPM 3.5" HDD and using it for extra game storage (since the system supports that now), but I don't really want to do that until I know it'll support at least a 2TB drive.
Actually some parts were leaked that hinted a smaller Xbox one and is very likely to debut next yr along with Halo 5, according to IGN
Source?
IGN, lol. Read.
He edited the comment ;)
I think the advantage the One has is because it IS large. That means less power diverted for cooling and Microsoft managed to make it look awesome, despite being a brick. Next to a big HDTV, the One looks so futuristic.
I like the Xbox one, but futuristic-looking it's not. It looks like an old VCR in the shape of the original NES
Yeah, I never quite understand why it's size is such a big deal. I have yet to see someone taking they're Xbone on the go.
Xbox being bigger is a good thing Imo. No fan noise and no overheating. My Ps4 before I got rid was super loud when playing games.
You won't see it until Global Foundries hits 14nm. A single process shrink (down to 20nm, due in 2015) isn't going to make enough of a difference to pay for the R&D. If you can hold out until 2017 or so, you might see it then.
Party works now
Now nearly as well as it should. Even a week ago, I experienced issues with one or more party members not being able to communicate with the others, even though we all had microphones.
Oh wow.
What about headphones?
It's Party chat failing to detect the headset/microphones of other users. Doesn't matter which ones we were wearing.
Are you sure it wasn't just their the NAT type? People with Strict NAT usually can't connect to others unless they have Open NAT
Yes. Being able to join the party but not hear or receive sound is the Party app acting up. This has happened to me and several others, who are able to play games online, etc.
Glad I waited, the white console really looks good. Never bought into the PS4 fanboy propaganda that tried to paint it as an inferior console.
Ps4 is better if you're looking for gaming
And Xbox if you want an entertainment system
Why?
>Better Game Sales >More games on Plus Sub >1080P 60FPS >More Diverse game portfolio (aka more RPGS, starting with Bloodborne and that game from Capcom)
> Better for you may not be better for others based on the games available
> Quantity does not indicate quality or relevance to the gamer
> Seriously, are we still on this? Minor differences in specs do not affect the overall gaming experience as much as the social interaction and the actual games available
> Personal opinion - many people don't like RPGs. Also the PS4 has very few games compared to Xbox at the moment. In comparison some Xbox exclusives need to be delayed because there are too many coming out. And some games that were going to be cross platform are becoming full exclusives (eg Tomb Raider). So in general, saying PS4 is better for gaming for everyone is incorrect, because you missed the most important part of the sentence: 'for me'.
"In comparison some Xbox exclusives need to be delayed because there are too many coming out. " Interesting, with all the games coming out like you say, you'd think Gold Members would get more games. But it's always only one and usually bound to be difficult and 8-bit looking. "So in general, saying PS4 is better for gaming for everyone is incorrect, because you missed the most important part of the sentence: 'for me'." Paying less for the same game is always better "for me." I guess I'm alone in this aspect. I actually don't know how often PS4 has sales, but when they do, the prices are usually impulse buy pricing. Contrast was 5 dollars during a sale on PS4, while it was 15 dollars on XBone during their sale.
I will say it again. Games that are not presented on PS4 have effectively 0 fps and 0x0 pixels resolution, pretty low. XBOX is more powerfull overall if you count correctly.
gaming aint entertainment?
You could argue XB1 gives you the best of both worlds, entertainment and games. What I mean is, besides certain games playing at less than 1080p, I don't think XB1s gaming prowess is significantly less than PS4.
The Xbox One and PS4 are about 95% identical internallly so I don't see how the PS4 could be "better" it's nothing more than brand preference console fanboyism is for preteens.
The PS4 is a marginally more powerful machine but its first party games library is vastly inferior. Little Big Planet 3 and Driveclub cannot compete with Halo, Sunset, Forza etc.
there's also infamous second son and infamouse first light, killone shadow falls, the last of us remastered, little big planet 3 which is a great game for kids and my little cousins enjoy playing it when they came to my house, if you'd like to compare drive club to forza, i agree that forza is more fun but in terms of which one is more realstic , i'd say drive club, and some big titled games such as Uncharted 4 and Gran Turismo 7 are coming soon .
Nintendo had the Entertainment System first ;)
That doesn't make any sense, you know that right?
That's what Sony wants us to think, that the ps4 is all about the games. They haven't backed up this talk with any major releases though.
MS needs their marketing team
Wii U is the only console that is "all about games".
Not even true. What little spec advantage the PS4 has over One, the Xbox makes up for it with a better OS and developer tools. Games are best on Xbox One
Not to mention Xbox always seems to hit at least one or two game exclusive home runs a year. As for actual hardware the PS4's slightly better specd GPU doesn't actually translate into graphical superiority that's not so negligible that only an MIT grad student could notice.
Power isn't everything, goes to show really.
Right now, IMHO, if you're looking for gaming you're better off with the Wii U, the library out right now is impressive.
Yikes! That's only true if you're specifically into games developed by Nintendo and don't care about other games. The third party game situation on Wii U is dire, and digital games aren't tied to your account. Plus the awful online features compared to Xbox One and PS4.
Bayonetta 2 is awesome, but I agree that it's more the exception than the rule. I think I read that digital purchases are now tied to your account. Anyways, you make a good point, but my PC + Wii U combo satisfies all mu gamer needs. I like the XBOne, don't get me wrong, I just feel the Wii U has a better moment right now.
Yeah, whenever I finally get a Wii U I would like to pick up Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors.
Monster Hunter?
I used to enjoy those games on the PSP, but they're so time consuming, I couldn't possibly play one properly nowadays. Especially non-mobile.
I definitely want a Wii U. So many good games out for it and the Xbone this holiday. Nothing exciting coming to PS4 for me.
You're kidding right. The WI U is dead in the water. Nintendo totally lost momentum and has become an also-ran. Sad in a way because the Wi was really a turning point, and had Sony and MS playing catchup for interaction. But they took it in the wrong direction now and are suffering.
Which makes the discussion irrelevant because if you are serious about gaming you choose PC anyway. If you are not, then X1 is the obvious choice. Gaming is very marginally different between the two compared to PC. Thats why I have PC and X1... Its the perfect combination.
The EA thing?
EA Access.
That's a biggie. It's minor now but will become massive in the future.
If only they could port older games(that never made the cut for psn for example) just for the service
Typo, you have 2014 near the end when it should be 2015.
not buying until it can replace my 3 xbox360s as a media center extenders, which probably means never.
How not? I'm genuinely curious, didn't Microsoft (finally) release the necessary media streaming app just a month or so ago?
i was able to replace all of my cable boxes with an htpc and cable card and centrally record all content and access it from any room i have a 360 in. i have a synology nas hooked to the htpc with a lot of storage to hold content. this includes drm channels like hbo, showtime, starz, etc. i dont torrent my content. the idea of piggybacking off of a cablebox is assinine imo. i dont want to pay box rental fees. and yes, i do still watch live tv from time to time as well.
Isn't MediaBrowser3 working on an app for the Xbox One that can stream live TV from a Windows MediaCenter PC? Or you could just buy a Roku and stream live TV via the MediaBrowser app.
http://mediabrowser.tv/community/index.php?/topic/10530-xbox-one-app/?hl...
that will not work as well as MediaCenter. The reason is because Microsoft is the sole provider to have a negotiated agreement to be able to provide encrypted channels (starz, showtime, hbo, etc...), due to the implementation of DRM. Unless MSFT sells IP to a third party, or someone creates their own version, all that will be available to third parties are unencrypted channels.
Same here.
People use media extender still? Time to move on. Xbox One has a dlna media center anyway.
Yes, a lot of people use it to watch live TV with unlimited DVR space and the best TV guide and channel navigation available. It has whole house DVR and On Demand through apps like Xfinity and is far superior to anything a cable box can provide. It is also a top requested feature on Microsoft's uservoice.com website. Go vote here, https://xboxvideo.uservoice.com/forums/225596-xbox-video-feature-suggestions
I would love to be able to remote play my xbox one off my 360s in my house
Actually, you can now use the XBO as a media extender like the 360's. While I do not like the REMOTE CONTROL they introduced for the XBO for playing movies, etc. The overall functionality is the same as on the XBOX 360.
Media Center is archaic, and pretty much what Zune is now, as far as active support goes.
Free gold is a better value for sure.
Thanks Bing for giving me the loophole of unlimited gold :)
Please enlighten me and us... Me more than us...
He's talking anout Bing Rewards Points. If you accumulate 679 points, you get XBL "free" for one month. I think you're better off getting enough points for 5 dollar Amazon gift cards and buying a year sub, but that's just me.
That sounds great!Thanks for the idea I've got 1500 pts to use.
I haven't bought one yet but I never buy a console in launch day. Why? Because 9/10 there will be bugs. Just the other day playstation 4 was on a consumer programme due to faulty controllers. Personally I wait around 18 months after launch to buy as prices would drop, more games available and most bugs will be gone
Someone's got to be the guinea pig to iron out the bugs, which gives you a more polished experience!
Ps4 is not better for gaming if you include One better online and multiplayer gaming, Kinect use, the superior ability to invite and match make gaming matches, switch playing games using voice command, leave a game at exact spot and return to it later...etc. The PS4 might have slightly better graphics - but that's all it is, just a little bit better graphics which most won't even notice when playing. Oh! You can Skype, order pizza too on XBO
My 1 hasn't been able to play game since last month since I started testing updates & they failed to tell owners that they have a month & a half to pay up for an esp(luckily being part of the preview they'll pay for repair costs) & was not offered it during registration sucked
Huh? I don't understand what you're saying . What's an esp? How does it relate to the preview program?
I'm guessing it's Extended Service Program? Nice thing is that the warranty is extended while you're in the Preview program.
Yep only thing I overlooked when preordering it. I find their contractor in Canada doesn't do the best qa on the refirb 360s they send out instead of fixing the unit you bought. Guess thats why rim dropped them & all the retailer replacement plans now state it has to be after the manufacture's warranty
I dont have money, can u send me one? + an iphone 6
You mean a 1520 right?
Who wants a iphone over a 1520 lol
Ignorant Apple fanboys that's who :P
Madmass, don't beg and don't make dumb comments. Thanks.
I absolutely love my Xbox One. I thank PlayStation for the past 10 years of great gaming but the Xbox just had more bang for the buck. The snapping alone kills all other platforms out there. Skyping with family and watching the world cup together on the tv was a new way of life for all of us living on separate continents.
Lets face it..the ps4 has better hardware so MS better churn out some awesome exclusive games. Its all about the games.
Its all about the games.Not
There are so many exclusives coming to Xbox One that some are being delayed so it doesn't get too crowded in one season.
Halo still unplayable
That was a good point I had its kind of a joke they messed up that bad. 343 off to a bang up job I think. cant wait to not play halo 5. being a hard core halo fan who's buys everything halo feels a little burnt. only thing good out of it was nightfall.
You haven't received the patch yet?
The patch made it worse.
I'll wait until Xbox one games come to PC next year with dx 12.
I agree. Also, I was very apprehensive about buying a XB1 with a Kinect, but decided to buy the Kinect version. I'm so glad I did. The voice and hand gesture features are amazing. I can literally navigate everything within my entertainment system, cable, and XB1 without touching my remote controls. It's awesome.
Hoping to own an Xbox one by next year
Titan fall for $29 bux!!! Now they got my attention!
Tomb Raider Definitive for $20 this month =)
I love xbox but I'm very upset with how halo and destiny have turned out for xbox. halos been out a few weeks and online play still does not work like it should and destiny is just crap for xbox we are not getting any of the extras or anything at all. Kinect games and apps are nowhere to be found for the people who gor them. smart glass is great but only pvz really uses it somewhat right. been a xbox fan for many years I just understand. also lets talk about the party system...... why fix something if it was not broken. so many steps to get a party or send out friend invites to games
Kinect games and apps are neowhere to be found? Huh? Here, I found some: Kinect games: Fantasia, Rabbids, Shape Up, Just Dance 2015, D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, Dance Central Spotlight, Kinect Sports Rivals, Xbox Fitness, Just Dance 2014, and the Fighter Within. And those are just games that fully use Kinect. There are many more that use it supplementarily (Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Forza Horizon 2, FIFA 15, Madden 15, etc). Lots of apps use Kinect too: Huly Plus, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video, HBO Go, Xbox Video, etc.
i love my xbox one and i never like to play with play4 i have wp and windows and xbox this is what i call super family
Reason 6...it now comes with a game inspired skins...like me call of duty advanced warfare edition
Yes. The call of duty edition does look very sexy.
but has a major problem: it has call of duty advanced warfare :)
Advanced Warfare is better than any call of duty ever released
I have the black one and am hoping after all these bundle designs they let us buy replacement plates to update the exterior design of the box. That would be very nice for us early adopters!
The apps situation is probably only true in the US and maybe the UK. Over here it's a desert. Even to get Vine I had to switch to the UK region (not that I was bothered as I wanted the console in English instead of that deturpation of Portuguese Microsoft insists in shoving down our throats). The price cut makes sense but that's because forcing the Kinect on people with an aditional 100 in price never did. The Xbox One selling for 399, just like the PS4, is what makes sense and should have happened from day one. But the updates is definitely the very big plus that makes the Xbox currently a better buy, specially when compared to the PS4 that, one year after the PS4 came out, has issued 2 updates, none of them fixing blatantly stupid things like the lack of DLNA streaming support. I only pulled the trigger on the Xbox One over the PS4 because of the bundles Microsoft is offering (the AC bundle in my case) and the constant updates to the console. If it were not for these two reasons, I would have gone with the PS4. But Microsoft worked better than Sony during this first year.
There have been a lot more than 2 updates to the PS4. Admittedly the majority where "stability improvements" though haha.
As for updates being a good thing; I'd agree; Id love to have my PS4 get new features all the time, but I've heard others complain that everytime they want to play a game they have to update. Then again, others like having the updates.
I'm a huge fan of the Xbox One. It still does freeze once in a while for me. Causing me to have to close the game and restart it. But to buy a One without a Kinect just seems crazy. I love how I walk into the room and say Xbox on. It turns on my tv, Xbox, and surround sound. Plus the Kinect sees me and instantly logs me in. Plus it works amazing for all the games I've used. Super impressed.
I would still like hdmi ces more...
They should just bring out more party games like a new Fusion Frenzy.
That wouldn't be bad. But Jackbox Party Pack is pretty awesome.
I did see that and I am very impressed and likely to grab it.
...and TWO years after its announcement! =D
Been a playstation guy since they came out. Never had an Xbox. I have one now waiting for Christmas morning for my son. We'll see then if its better...
i want to buy one but there are only 3 games i am interested in ( halo, forza horizon 2 and unity (unity because its in a bundle) ) and dead rising 3, ryse and gta v can i play on pc. So... i dont know what to do :) and i also miss good kinect games. d4 is not enough.
Just picked up the white Xbox One Sunset Overdrive bundle today. I had been waiting for the white console.
You are a wise man. The white console looks great.
I'll get mine next year :(
what is really disappointing for me is that if you buy a game on Xbox 360, then you have to buy it again for the Xbox One.
like when you bought a game on nes and switched to snes, like on master system and mega drive, like snes to n64, like n64 to gamecube, like mist of xbox games to 360, like ps2 to ps3 slim, and so on. only ps1 to ps2 to ps3 fat and gamecube to wii/wii to wiiU worked. They want to sell the games and especially for one and ps4 the hardware is entirely different, so they cant just "port" it.
If Xbox would just add that cartridge adapter for Sega Genesis already... :P
who was talking about porting the software, I am referring marketing offers, like special deals to buy Xbox One games to the owners of the Xbox 360 counterpart.
I would like to see more integration with the Windows phone like the way the PS4 works worth the Sony Xperia
"Xbox On!" Works everytime. I have raved about the voice controls. I use them everyday! With such a great selection of content why wouldn't you buy one? I love my XboxOne!
It's so hard to get one here in sabah/Malaysia. While Sony ps4 pisses me off by being available throughout the mall.
It's the same in Indonesia, very hard to find just one xbox....
If Windows 10 on desktop and mobile becomes a success then Sony will have a problem with the variety of apps.
Lol
I think it was a better buying an Xbox One on November 2013. I've done so much gaming in the one since launch. I'm in the top 1% of the world in gamerscore earned:around 23000G since launch in Xbox One
For me it's the little things like waking up in the morning, saying "Xbox On" and having my console and TV power up and be ready to go. "Xbox use a code" is also handy (especially combined with a QR code). MS gifting me (and many others) with free consoles also helped. Unorthodox marketing strategy but it's one that, IMO, helped the Xbox One grow overall. Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
With all due respect, is there really any need for this article? Of course the Xbox One is a better console a year on; so is the PS4, so is every console. The 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Vita, PS2, PS1, everything get better as time progresses.
With all due respect, was there any need for your comment? This is becoming an "Everything MS" site now so of course there'll be an article on why the Xbox One is better value one year on. I'll have to disagree on the PS4 being better one year on. The game library (save for Destiny) is lacking the punch that the Xbox One's library has. Also, the massive 2.0 update for PS4 made standby mode useless for a number of weeks before Sony patched it with 2.01 (and Sony didn't even halt the 2.0 update until they released 2.01 - something that would've happened if a similar issue was happening to PS3 consoles). They also have ongoing issues with Driveclub that still aren't resolved (the PS+ version is still MIA). Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
The Panasonic 3DO wasn't better a year on. So your argument is invalid. :P
Although other commentors have already pointed out, it's actually not true that consoles get better. It's only a modern thing that consoles get regular updates, and there's no guarantee they'll be good updates. Some PS4 updates have caused problems, for instance, and required fixes. Sometimes Windows updates have the same problem. So just assuming something is going to get better is a bad strategy. You can expect it to, because the companies should be held to high standards and expectations, but it's still impressive when it happens. More so when it improves considerablly.
Day one purchaser here, and I'd do it again. I was a well informed buyer, and I'm even more happy at all the improvements.
Let's not forget the rumors that XBox One may actually get some kind of Windows 10. That could improve it to a real HTPC. I hope Microsoft manges to do that.
The trouble the xbone from what I have seen (this is just my opinion though) is that it has very very few games that are exclusive to it. Except what.. Killer instinct, halo... Err... What they keep doing wrong is that they keep doing these timed exclusives where after a while, it gets ported over to the pc meaning that there is no real desire for me personally to get it. (e.g. Ryse and soon Sunset Overdrive). Also that crap they pulled with tomb raider just angers gamers. The hardware is inferior to the ps4 (this is a fact, they reduced the specs to lower costs in order to bundle the kinect) which means multiplatform games are going to look better on the ps4. I'm in no way a Sony fanboy (I actually only own a pc and wiiU due to its exclusives). Microsoft needs to get off its arse and fund some real exclusives for the console or at the very least, exclusive content or it will fail.
But its not failing. It's a little behind PS4 in sales. Big deal. Sure the hardware isn't quite as beefy but inferior is a strong word. The crowd that demands 1080p/60fps just blows my mind. I'd take less if the game played well and was fun. I've played amazing looking games that were just god awful in playability and story. There's more to it than hardware.
Hardly any point upgrading to the latest generation if you don't care about visuals.
There is a difference between not caring about visuals and not caring if there are absolutely minute differences between one console and another. Some of the uproar is over visual features that the vast majority of users wouldn't even be able to notice. Not saying they don't exist, but most gamers who are complaining about the 60fps issues wouldn't actually be able to tell it wasn't 60fps if someone didn't tell them. So a lot of the issue is just bandwagon (or fan boy) obnoxiousness. The current gen is still an improvement over the last gen, so that's the point in upgrading.
I'd love to see more exclusives and I'm sure Microsoft (and Sony, for the PS4) would as well. It's not quite that simple, as a developer wants their game to sell on as many platforms as possible for maximum revenue.
It's a great console. Using a 360 feels so clunky now. Between multiple apps running and voice commands it's been fantastic.
nah , already bought a ps4 .
There's no fire escapes in this building. Enjoy your deathtrap ladies.
Xbox is still less powerful. No firmware update or price reduction will change that.
that is bullshit and you know it.
Power means nothing without games to show it off. In that regard, the PS4 is lacking IMO. Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
The more my friends see it in action the more they kick themselves," wish my pS4 could do that"is all I hear now. True fan boy here xxx Xbox one, WP and my surface rt.
I prefer the PlayStation 4, however, I think the Xbox one has some cool features.
I agree, ⌒.⌒
Now you tell me! :-)
Microsofts strategy of "release now, make working later" upsets me. But I still love my W10tech preview and WP8.1dev preview. Call me an optimist.
These days that strategy is every tech company's strategy. It's been Google's for a while, and now everyone just rushes out products and then a flurry of patches to fix problems afterwards. I agree that it's upsetting, though.
I can't say for sure, but Apple doesn't seem to have this issue...
@yeahrrright: apple does the same. bending iphone 6+, ios8 with issues..
Don't really follow the news on their stuff. But as a good idea, Msft could start NOT releasing raw shit, and test it good before they do, that would be a step in the right direction...
yeah i hope so. but i think they wont, because the business nowadays is hard.
Even though I have a Day One Edition I'm far from an early adopter so I can't really judge the changes ( bought the Console around the time when Alien Isolation was about to be released ) that happened in the past year but so far I can't complain. All the Games I have so far ( like Alien Isolation, Sunset Overdrive, MGS5:GZ, Styx, Halo:TMCC and Warframe ) are a treat to look at and similiar satisfying to play. I did though come up with a rule to myself in not buying any FPS Games that ( heavily relying on shooting ) would also be available on the PC ( in a timely manner ). Something I do have a gripe against are the Language settings with the Console. English, while not being my native language and not one of the 4 official languages dpokrn in my country, is still my preferred language when using anything tech related as it's so much easier to find information in english than it would be in any other. On the Xbox One I too run an UK English OS but every time I intend to buy something I HAVE to swap languages to one of my Local ones to gain access to the propper store which is annoying as fuck. Why they couldn't have seperated the Store Location from the OS Language is beyond my comprehension.
The white Sunset Overdrive Xbox One looks pretty snazzy. The black one looks better in my entertainment setup, but the white reminds me of Dreamcast.
Bought a One along with MCC. Nothing exciting.. the 360 is much more polished. Posted via the Windows Phone Central App for Android
the 360 is 9 years old. of course it is more polished..
I think y'all are dirty console peasants. That's what I think.
To each it's own. I prefer pc.
Xbox one has really turned out to be a great console, love mine. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
This article is marketing. A system that has a deficit in players can't be better than when it didn't. PS4 has more players=win. When they launched they were tied.
hahahaha
XB1, all the way!
Picked up the Asssassin's Creed bundle for $350, it looked like a good deal, that was until I tried to use the thing. Week I had it Xbox live was suffering from almost perminent problems. Party app and friends app would bug out trying to do anything, at times pins would also fail to load. Throw on top the whole setting it up to have an open NAT status and this device is a real pain. I sent it back to Amazon for a refund and picked up a PS4 Destiny bundle, took all of 15 minutes to setup, NAT was setup correctly and I haven't had a single connectivity issue with it. Overall I think the PS4 is a much better gaming system, gaming is it's focus and it seems to deliver on it. Xbox dashboard is a true POS, especially without having the Kinect. It's sad as I keep wanting to like MS products, I own Surface tablets, WP and 360. But it seems like MS keeps missing the target, every product is lacking functionality in some way. It's becoming pretty clear to me that MS seem incapable of releasing hardware with quality tested software and services to support it.
I see only one reason to wait, the price drop. I still get to enjoy all the firmware updates and play all the better games, along with an entire year of enjoyment.
Something you forgot to mention is Windows 10. We know it is coming to X1 in some form and we also know they are going to open X1 for much more apps.
Lets wait and see, 10 sounds good so far.....in the meantime ms has to find a way to get more players than ps4. I'd pick the system with more players.
I love my PlayStation® 4

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