Xbox One Review

A brave new living room. 

The Xbox One is at odds with itself. As a gamer, I would have been happy with a more powerful Xbox 360 clone that tapped into today's vast social ecosystem. But Microsoft is clearly trying to both keep me happy and to reach beyond the traditional gamer, to the vast expanse of people that spend more time watching Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Prime on game consoles than they do playing. I, too, have grown tired of waiting for a smarter television screen, constantly switching between my Apple TV, Xbox 360, and even PC. So when Microsoft said Xbox One would bring gesture control, voice commands, and blockbuster games to my living room, that all-in-one strategy completely resonated with my needs.

It’s come at a cost, however. With its sporadically buggy interface and hardware that’s slightly less powerful than the cheaper PlayStation 4, it's imperative you understand this split focus. If you lean more towards the gamer-only, you may want to consider waiting until Microsoft can more fully reconcile both sides. If you do lean towards the living room of the future, there are some truly innovative features on top of a powerful games console that have already changed the way my living room works for the better.

The Console

Function over form takes the stage with Microsoft's simple, boxy new console. Sleek black and covered with heat-dissipating vents, it is the American muscle car of console designs. It wants to be seen and doesn't care about how much space it takes up. It fits in with modern living rooms, mimicking common designs with Blu-ray players and audio receivers. You could say that's part of the plan, but the more likely story is Microsoft learned its lesson from the more artful Xbox 360 design, which suffered issues from overheating. The front of the Xbox One is beveled on the bottom to reduce its forward-facing profile, which is completed by a thin, slot-loading Blu-ray drive and capacitive-touch power button. It beams a bright, white Xbox logo and is almost too responsive – a brush of the skin will power the system on or off. It's a non-issue for most, where the console will sit permanently in the distance, but in close quarters it could lead to minor frustration.

The left side panel contains both a high-speed USB 3.0 input and the controller sync button – I find both perplexing. It was initially difficult to find the sync button, and as for the USB, it seems a poor choice to place this more "convenient" USB on the side, where adding a thumb drive or cable will only further increase the width of the system. In a home entertainment cabinet, you'll likely be fighting for space with the interior wall. Thankfully, the back of the Xbox One is loaded with two additional USB ports.

However, right now, you can’t use these for much. While it packs a 500GB hard disk, this internal drive cannot be replaced or added to, unlike the PlayStation 4’s user-replaceable drive. (Microsoft says it plans to support external storage in the future.) Now is a good time to mention there's no central software view of how much space you're taking up on the hard drive as you install games or apps or download and record video. You have to navigate through your games and apps individually to determine the sizes, all of which is required to be installed rather than streamed from the disc. Storage management is a standard in today's consoles, smartphones and tablets, and PCs, making it more apparent that Microsoft launched a console with software that isn't totally ready for what the Xbox One’s trying accomplish.

The back of the box also contains one of the biggest distinguishing features: HDMI pass-through. This is where your TV cable or satellite box connects, but technically you can put any HDMI signal through it. (We tested game consoles, but there's significant lag so this isn't recommended.) You could easily run something like Apple TV or a PC through it, and still get the advantage of snapping to a second app or getting game invites. Snapping opens a panel on the right side of the screen. However, a dealbreaker for some is that the HDMI signal doesn't pass through when the Xbox One is off. Given how simple it is to turn it on, though, I actually don't see this as an inconvenience, other than when major updates could potentially interrupt viewing.

If you're having trouble communicating with your devices, there's an IR blaster port on the back as well - but the Kinect is an incredible universal remote, a feat it achieves by reflecting a swarm of IR beams across your room. It rarely fails. Also, while the back of the box has an optical output, it only supports 5.1 and 7.1 uncompressed signals, and not Dolby. Many new receivers support uncompressed formats, and Xbox One does support DTS as another surround option. It's an annoyance, but only a minor one that Microsoft (again) intends to fix. Be sure to look into the surround-sound beta feature in the system settings if you're trying to get multi-channel audio out of your TV set-top box.

For connecting to your home network, the Xbox One comes outfitted with both an Ethernet port and 802.11n wi-fi (but notably not the latest 802.11ac protocol or Bluetooth). It also supports Wi-Fi Direct for streamlined communication with your tablet or phone’s SmartGlass apps. From streaming video playback to remote control functions via Wi-Fi Direct, your data is more likely to avoid interruption.

Importantly, the Xbox One remains quiet during operation and stays cool while watching TV and running most entertainment apps. Once the graphics processors kick in for gaming, the box can get pretty warm to touch, but so far this has been a non-issue. The giant exhaust on top of the console seems to moderate the heat well enough.

Finally, under the hood, lies the Xbox One's most important assets: 8GBs of DDR3 memory, accompanied by 32MBs of eSRAM and an eight-core custom combination CPU and integrated graphics processor. It's an architecture built around several OS components that make background processing of TV and multitasking with other apps efficient. DDR3 is not cutting-edge, however, and the system architecture is theoretically more bottlenecked than its main competitor, the PlayStation 4. It's led to several launch games running at 720p (or 900p) instead of full 1080p. Will you notice? Possibly, especially if you've seen the 1080p version; or, if you're a videophile and can sense the softness that lesser pixel density brings. Games still look dramatically better than Xbox 360 versions, but the larger your screen, the more you'll notice when they’re running at lower-than-native resolutions. I expect most games will be 1080p in the future, but it's an issue for now. Still, it could be an ongoing disadvantage that the theoretical limits of the PlayStation 4 are higher than the Xbox One.

It's worth noting the priority of the architecture has been placed on running apps in the background, manipulating video signals as part of the interface, and processing Kinect commands. And it shows. As an example, running a Blu-ray movie in full screen and snapping between pre-loaded Twitch TV streams and my cable TV was fairly seamless.

The New Kinect

While Kinect's stability and functionality has a long way to go, throw out whatever concept you may have about the original Kinect with Xbox 360. It's a toy compared to the impressively wide 1080 HD camera, multi-microphone array peripheral that is bundled with the Xbox One (and accounts for much of the price difference between it and the PlayStation 4). The new Kinect also features an IR camera to aid vision, even seeing in the dark. Likewise, the aforementioned IR blasters that use basic remote commands for your TV and audio-visual receiver, if you have one. In terms of specifications, it is one of the most impressive peripherals ever bundled with a console, and in the long run I think it’s worth the extra expense. How the software ultimately interfaces with it is another story, but there's not much I can say to knock it.

It even features onboard processing, which might explain the thick, roughly 10-foot cable you'll need to tether it to your Xbox One. So, something to consider is how far you intend to place the Xbox One itself from your TV. While you can disconnect the peripheral, I don’t recommend it, as it removes many of the interface advantages - voice commands, hands-free voice chat, video calling with Skype, visual sign-in, and more.

The Controller

It's no surprise that Microsoft's iteration on the popular Xbox One controller has been subtle. Overall, all these small additions and changes are for the better. For starters, it's got a real D-pad, and it's hard to imagine how we lived without it for so long on the previous console. The controller is lightweight and, at least for me, the grip is better. These slight adjustments in profile and surface material make for a more elegant controller. As for the two analog thumb sticks, they're still concave and more rigid to touch, with a very sharp interior edge, which helps keep your thumbs from slipping off. I don’t mind the edges, but I've heard complaints.

The triggers and bumpers on the back of the controller are perhaps the most changed. The triggers have more action, which is an indisputable improvement, especially for shooters and racers. They also feature a slight bevel on the outer edge, which helps your fingers rest more comfortably. The bumpers are nearly the same as before, also featuring slight bevels. Enthusiasts will notice they have a discernable click to them, which I actually like. It's a lot of the same, but it's certainly better.

The big difference is the inclusion of the rumble triggers. Each trigger now features individual and programmable response motors in addition to the handles. While it's not yet a widely used feature, my experience with Forza Motorsport 5 has sold me on the feature. You can feel the difference between sliding around left banks or spinning out. The vibrations can be subtle or intentionally agitating, which truly adds another layer to the experience.

Meanwhile, the battery life is exceptional, but a major oversight is the lack of a battery level indicator. You'll have to use AA batteries, a play-and-charge kit, or keep the controller wired (not advised).  I know many dread AA batteries, but one fresh set will power the controller for more hours than I've been able to test (which was made somewhat difficult by the fact that Kinect sees when you're holding the controller and powers it down when you’re not). Sometimes it did annoy me, however, as powering on the controller takes time. In the future, I hope they add settings so I can personalize the standby.

And, lastly, the included headset provides a ton of value. The Skype-codec powered audio is clearer than ever, but the build quality of the set itself is excellent considering it's bundled in. The new data port creates a lack of backwards compatibility with better headsets that the Xbox 360 support, and it means you may need to wait for new models. Unlike the PS4, you cannot simply stream game audio through a pair of headphones connected to the controller, which is very useful in quieter environments.

The OS: Xbox One's Dashboard

Like the Windows platform before it, the Xbox One introduces a bevy of multitasking features with its new interface. Snap multitasking is the big one. It feels futuristic and, at times, the Xbox One mesmerizes with its truly innovative living room features. Things like voice commands and instant switching between apps and games with your voice create real “wow” moments. At first glance, it's pretty straightforward – a bunch of squares and tiles, just like the Windows 8 start screen. Games are on the right, and your favorite pins are on the left. But the home screen is always changing with recent activity, making it initially hard to navigate. Xbox One’s pins help with this, as you can set a large volume of them up, but the only feature you have for organization is "pin to front." There are no folders, and no real way to organize it.

On top of this, you'll need to learn the right voice commands to get around if you want to take advantage of the platform. In some cases, it's actually a solution for the cluttered OS. Just say, "Go to Dead Rising 3" and, as long as the Kinect hears you, it instantly switches over. Other features are not so obvious. Quitting apps isn't intuitive, as you have to press the new menu button on the controller while the app is selected to find the quit function. And if you want to do it with voice, you have to say "Xbox, show menu." It’s going to take some time to learn.

Surprisingly, the idea of your friends list and achievements hasn't changed that much, despite how much of a trendsetter the Xbox 360 was. You'd think there'd be a lot more focus on interacting at every corner. The only major upgrade is the activity feed, which can be snapped for a limited view of what's going on. The full page of activity is more graphically loaded to call out achievements and new videos your friends may have uploaded. Party chat, meanwhile, is better than ever. It sounds fantastic and, if you can believe it, supports up to 32 people (though only eight microphones can be active at once).

A new SmartGlass app, specifically designed for the Xbox One, rounds out the experience. It's key to efficiently responding to messages via your phone or tablet, and is actually useful. It doesn't feel clunky or gimmicky. Game developers are also free to make specific companion apps, as we've seen with Ryse which offers further functionality such using the second screen to set up multiplayer or watch helpful videos.

For Gamers

If you’re a gamer, the experience has, naturally, been pushed forward. All the aforementioned additions, as well as the new Upload Studio, create a rich ecosystem. Upload not only lets you edit or voice your own five-minute recorded clips, but view those of the entire community. Rest assured, it’s all a recipe for a future better than what we experienced on the Xbox 360. Although, at this time, while a Twitch app is supported for viewing live gameplay streams, you won’t be able to do any of your own streams just yet. While most people don’t stream gameplay themselves, I do think it’s an oversight at launch and something all console gamers should have access to.

The drawback for early adopters is that because Microsoft focused so heavily on all these new features that some of the basic gaming experiences suffer at times. I encountered a number of problems that made me feel like I’d just bought a console that’s still in beta testing. It sounds scary, but this type of stuff only happens occasionally: games have frozen briefly, seemingly brought down by the multitasking environment. It can be quirky. The interface slows down at times, I’ve gotten unwillingly thrown back to the home screen, and I’ve had trouble with party chat as well.

Forza Motorsport 5 is a great example of the leap forward. It looks fantastic, and uses the new Xbox One servers to power AI versions of you and your friends that keep racing even when you’re not there. It stores information about how you, your friends, and real players around the world drive, so you're able to experience something more than just ghost laps. I can only imagine how these advances will translate to blockbusters like the next Halo, Metal Gear Solid, or the up-and-comer mech shooter, Titanfall, to make them more than just graphical updates of Xbox 360 games.

All-in-One Living Room

Then there’s the other side of Xbox One – the one that heavily integrates the new Kinect. It isn’t doing a ton to improve games yet, but for the whole experience, it does things you’ve never seen before. The potential for instant switching and snap on your TV is huge. Watching the TV and getting real-time NFL updates is genuinely better than using your phone or laptop. And during commercials, just say, “Xbox, go to…” Forza Motorsport 5, Netflix, or most anything else, and you'll usually get there faster than using the controller.

Watching TV is a major centerpiece of Xbox One, so you'll be able to access your TV listings (if it’s supported in your area). The OneGuide, as it's called, is a decent reimagining of your channel guide that adds the ability to track favorites and app channels. App channels like Hulu Plus can be added right there on your guide. But one crucial thing it can’t do is access your DVR recordings, so you’re still forced to pick up your remote. And in a generation where video on demand is increasing in popularity, this is something that has to be fixed. Xbox One has several of these dead ends where the ideal of hands-free commands falls apart. Such as when you try to type in Internet Explorer or a message.

Furthermore, at any time, you’re able to seamlessly snap back to TV or another snap-supported app quickly. It’s thrilling when it works, but needs improvement. For example, you can’t control the sound mix if you’re watching, for example, a Twitch gameplay stream and TV. Overall, it’s not exactly intuitive.

Gesture control is another major Kinect feature, but so far the functionality is a letdown. The only moderate improvement is the ability to “grab” the screen, which I kind of like, but the feature is inconsistent. And when you finally try to select something, it’s awkward and slow.

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