Xbox One Console Reviews
- Thread starter Gemini
- Start date
This studio (Remedy) was about to close their doors before Microsoft came along.
This game is looking Phenomenal
I was telling guys on here that this was the game to look out for, but ninja's had infamous running around in their heads. 
$350 Xbox One Deal at Kmart Next Month - Report
Get an Xbox One without Kinect for $50 off starting November 9, according to leaked adscan.
Get an Xbox One without Kinect for $50 off starting November 9, according to leaked adscan.
If you're in the market for an Xbox One and can hold out for a few weeks, you may want to consider this new deal from Kmart. According to an adscan for a sale beginning the week of November 9, Kmart will offer Kinect-free Xbox One bundles for $350, a markdown of $50 from the normal $400 price point.
The adscan above comes from Twitter user thebiglouie. If true, it would represent one of the best deals to date for an Xbox One, not to mention making the Xbox One $50 less expensive than the rival PlayStation 4.
There is no mention of a markdown for the $500 Xbox One bundle that comes with Kinect.
It is unclear if this deal is limited to Kmart or if it is a wider price drop that will be available at retailers nationwide. We'll report back with more details as they become available.
The deal, if genuine, is timed with the release of marquee Xbox One title, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which goes on sale on November 11.
This isn't the only rumored Xbox One deal. Adscans from Target and Wal-Mart show that the $500 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare 1 TB console will be offered for $450 beginning in November.
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For
Great picture performance, a doddle to setup, works well with OneGuide, offers Freeview HD channels as well as standard def, SmartGlass live TV streaming is ace
Against
No Android support for SmartGlass streaming at present, only one tuner so you can't watch a different show while streaming to the main one on the TV
If you want or need further confirmation that Microsoft has a different path for its current console than Sony's route with the PS4 to date, the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner is it.
By effectively turning the Xbox One console into a Freeview HD set-top-box, should you live in a supported European country (it's not available in the USA), the Xbox One TV Tuner is a no-brainer. Here's why.
Freeview for £25
The Xbox One has had the ability to control television output almost since launch. However, in the UK that has been limited to Sky and Virgin Media customers, with the console able to accept a feed from either service's own boxes and control them in return through the excellent OneGuide (even voice, if you have a Kinect).
If you are not a customer of either though, that was a superfluous feature until now. The Digital TV Tuner changes that as it offers the entire gamut of Freeview channels, standard and high definition, that work with OneGuide and have a few features thrown in for good measure.
You can pause and rewind live TV, for example, and stream television broadcasts to an iPad, iPhone or Windows device (whether phone or full desktop OS) running SmartGlass. But we'll come to that in a bit.
Simple setup
The Tuner itself is small and unassuming to look at. It will no doubt sit behind the console, plugged into one of the two available USB ports on the rear, so aesthetics aren't hugely important. A coaxial aerial lead needs to be plugged into the other end of the device and that's about it. You can use a wall socket for a roof aerial for the best results or an indoors aerial if your digital television signal is strong enough.
It can also be attached to a cable service for other regions, but we'll have no truck with that in dear ol' Blighty.
In terms of setup, it's a doddle. Plug the TV Tuner into the USB port with the Xbox One already switched on and it recognises it instantly. An on-screen wizard will then take you through the rest of the process and it takes around 10 minutes, including scanning for Freeview TV and radio stations.
It will also ask you if you want to set-up control over your TV too, to switch it on and off when you start-up your Xbox One console. You'll have to go into the settings later to add additional home entertainment kit, like an amplifier or receiver, but that's also simple.
OneGuide
Once done, you can start to watch TV instantly. It's not really clear how far-reaching an electronic programme guide (EPG) the OneGuide offers, in terms of days-worth of programme information, but ours had complete listings for eight days before it started to show "no information" signs. And when there's no recording functionality, the ability to peer into the future isn't quite so important.
OneGuide does offer bonuses that aren't available on conventional EPGs however. It integrates App Channels, so you can access streamed content from a number of services, including YouTube and Twitch. Plus, coming with the November Xbox One update (or available now if you are on the Preview Programme like us) is an up-to-the-minute trending section that tells you what shows and films other Xbox One users are either watching or writing about on Twitter.
And, of course, the whole thing is voice-controlled if you have a Kinect sensor, so you can just say things like "Xbox watch BBC One" and it will switch channels for you.
Quality control
Ultimately, though, what you'll be doing most with the Digital TV Tuner is watching TV and we must say we're very impressed with the picture quality of broadcasts, especially in HD. We would go as far to say that the picture performance is better than the HD tuner inside our Samsung 55-inch LED TV (although it is a few years old now, to be fair).
Audio is also very presentable, delivering Dolby Digital surround sound where possible on the HD stations according to our Onkyo TX-NR838 receiver.
But one of the most impressive features, something we've not seen implemented often, is that once you have a Digital TV Tuner plugged into your Xbox One you can watch any of the Freeview channels live through SmartGlass on an iPad, iPhone or Windows device, as well as control the control the output on a TV.
SmartGlass streaming
Strangely, that feature is yet to be made available for the Android version of the Xbox One SmartGlass app, as we found out on an Nvidia Shield Tablet, but we suspect that is incoming as it's an odd omission. It's perhaps something to do with the way Android decodes video, which has forced the BBC to release a separate media player to handle iPlayer feeds in the past. That's just an assumption though and it's a case of watch this space for Android owners.
For iOS and Windows device owners however it's an excellent additional feature. You can still pause and rewind TV on your smartphone or tablet, but it does come with some caveats. The feed is delayed by several seconds as the Xbox One buffers the video before streaming. You can also only use the feature on your own home network at present - no external streaming over a mobile connection.
As there is only one tuner you can only watch what's on the main screen's TV channel if somebody else is using it too. However, that doesn't impact gaming - so if you want to watch a show while somebody else fancies a gaming session or to watch something on Netflix that's no problem.
It's even the main reason we can find for Sky and Virgin Media customers to consider adding this Xbox One Freeview tuner tuner too. Although they won't really get much use out of the live channels (which appear above their own service's listings in the OneGuide as additional listings, in a neat and orderly fashion) unless their conventional set-top-box fails for some reason, they can still use the SmartGlass streaming feature. And they can even watch a TV programme on their iPad while somebody else watches output from the TiVo or Sky box through the Xbox One.
Verdict
Priced at £25, the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner is a no-brainer for those who don't subscribe to either Virgin Media or Sky. And it's a cheap enough addition to their new-gen console experience even for those who do. Its live TV streaming abilities are almost worth that price alone - unless you have an Android device, although that will surely change soon enough.
We're really impressed with the picture and audio performance too, although we only tried it hooked up to a wall socket and therefore roof aerial in the heart of London. The signal quality based on that connection was superb - something that might change in other regions with more troublesome Freeview reception, but you can check that in the UK using Freeview's postcode-checker website.
But that aside, with this new accessory and apps such as Plex media streaming, Now TV and Microsoft's own DLNA Media Player, the Xbox One is rapidly becoming the do-it-all home entertainment machine the company always promised it would be. It's finally finding its own feet in a console war with a PS4 that seems to be packing all its eggs into a game-centric basket.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Best Buy will also mark down Xbox One 1TB COD bundle for $449, if there was any doubt <a href="http://t.co/5zYWxnYs3s">pic.twitter.com/5zYWxnYs3s</a></p>— Wario64 (@Wario64) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/525646982702850048">October 24, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Assuming you're a fan of both sports/series, which is more fun:
Madden 15 or 2K15 (post-patch)?
Madden 15 or 2K15 (post-patch)?
I vote 2K.
"For us, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to tell people how much of an RPG it is."
It's safe to say from the moment it was announced back at E3 2013, interest in Ubisoft's upcoming MMO shooter The Division has been incredibly high. Recently, however, we’ve been coaxed into focusing on other titles thanks to a delay and lack of new information, which has also caused an air of mystery to begin to surround the project.
The weight of expectation is more than sufficient to crush some of the past few years’ most-anticipated titles long before they’ve launched. It’s precisely for this reason art director Rodrigo Cortes and the rest of the team at Ubi Massive are content to play the long game. Determined to learn from the lessons of the past, there’s no plan to reveal anything before it’s ready and even then, he tells me when we sit down to talk, it won’t be done by press release. The hope is for potential previewers to have a full three days with the game so they can understand its intricacies before going away and writing about it, hopefully enabling the ensuing write-ups to contain the required nuance.
"We want to show gamers the game they will end up playing. We don’t want to sell a fantasy," Cortes says. "We’ve been persistent with our messaging about high targets and benchmarks, and we want to deliver that. Then it’s about making sure people get the game we’re promising so they don’t think it’s something else."
With this in mind, Cortes wants to make it clear from the off we should expect a title that owes more to its RPG heritage than anything else. While gameplay does indeed take the form of third-player cover-based shooting, the actual wider “point” of the game is all about that genre-defining progression of levelling up, hunting the best loot, and using all you find to scale even greater heights.
"For us, one of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to tell people how much of an RPG it is," Cortes explains. “It has shooting, and is shooter-like. If you look at it, that’s the whole point because we want it to be very immersive. But it’s not a shooter with some RPG stats tacked on. It’s actually a proper RPG from the very beginning. There’s deep progression when it comes to loot, gear and levels and you’ll be able to customise every skill, do exactly what you want and choose roles. So, that’s probably the biggest communication challenge. We want to make clear to everyone that it’s an RPG."
So that’s the mantra, but what about the details? As mentioned, Cortes and his team are adamant they won’t give us too many pieces of the puzzle in case we piece them together wrongly and end up hoping for something beyond what’s being promised. What he will offer, however, is a tantalising glimpse into the game’s class or archetype system, which sounds like it could be a refreshing mix between the traditional nod towards damage-absorbing, damage-dealing and healing classes we see in MMOs and RPGs and the loadouts found in shooters. The real draw on this front though is the flexibility Ubi is also adding, however.
Cortes gives an example of you starting down the path of a healer but then wanting to play with three friends of a similar class, so you can quickly switch to something "more short range or assault or closer to the action. You can switch between offensive, defensive and support skills on the fly."
The other thing he talks about is how the world will balance its multiplayer component with solo elements. Cortes stresses that while the experience is built to be played online in teams of four friends, along with one drone companion controlled using a mobile or tablet, it's perfectly possible to resolutely solo your way through the story content. You'll see other gamers out and about, but that's it. When I push deeper on the matter, however, Cortes explains The Division is set to make use of what sounds like instancing technology (where individual versions of the world are created for each player in sections).
"In the background, the technology being used to decide who is placed with who could be described almost as an instance but as a gamer it’s seamless. You walk out and are with your friends or whatever, but technologically I suppose you could say it’s an instance."
In essence, it sounds like The Division will have pockets of the world reserved just for you and your group mates, in much the same way as Destiny’s “no respawn” areas. Cortes explains the team decided to go down this route to prevent situations where you feel like you’re meant to be the chosen one, destined to save the world, only to encounter 30 compatriots in the exact same scenario. Taking this route allows Ubi Massive to craft a stronger and more immersive narrative for you and those you choose to play with.
And that, ultimately, is what Ubisoft Massive is passionate about achieving. One of, if not the, core tenet all RPGs are built on is story, and The Division’s is planned to go on for some time yet. Bungie has frequently talked about how it hopes Destiny will have a 10-year life-cycle and, while Cortes won’t put a figure on it, he explains post-launch support is absolutely coming. Whether this takes the form of patches, expansions or direct sequels remains to be seen.
"We want to keep the players playing for a long time," he says. "We don’t want to do a story that ends and it’s like you can take the disc and put it on the shelf. We want to keep the players enjoying the game in many different ways so we would obviously offer different activities like PvP, PvE and several progressions. First there’s the story progression, where you can finish the story and get more tidbits later on, but then there’s the progression of your gear, your stats, also of your base of operation. You can continue upgrading your base and yourself together. We’re hoping for endless gameplay. On top of that we’ll support the game heavily post-launch, though we won’t go into details yet."
The truth of the matter is, we don’t really know what to expect from The Division, but that’s okay. It’s a carefully orchestrated game Ubisoft is playing so we’re all clear about exactly what it is we’re getting. Despite my best efforts, Cortes won’t say when we’ll see the finished product, or even a sliver of it, though he does hint new details are coming and soon. After so long waiting for our thirst to be quenched, it’s sounding like we won’t want to be anywhere else when the floodgates finally open.
Microsoft is investing in Gears of War "for the next decade" - Xbox One debut isn't a reboot
Black Tusk Studios snaps up old Epic talent as Phil Spencer comments on "dark" direction
Black Tusk Studios snaps up old Epic talent as Phil Spencer comments on "dark" direction
Remember that bit in Gears of War 2 when you see the Locust Riftworm for the very first time? That's kind of how I picture the arrival of first teaser and/or video footage for Gears of War on Xbox One - buildings sputtering to shards, well-muscled men fleeing in terror, that sort of thing.
In the meantime, we'll have to make do with elusive commentary from the franchise's new owners and developers, Microsoft and Black Tusk Studios. Speaking to IGN as part of the same podcast in which he discussed Xbox One's troubled early period, head of Xbox Phil Spencer hinted at the new game's narrative direction.
"I wouldn't call it a reboot because I don't think the franchise necessarily needs that," he pondered. "I know [Gears of War: Judgement] didn't hit everybody's needs and desires in terms of what they wanted. But I think we can continue, but we can also - we have a new team, Rod Fergusson there to really help with the continuity. I think we can make sure that we're investing in this thing for the next decade, which is how I want to think about it."
Rod Fergusson, you might recall, was executive producer at Epic Games for the original Gears trilogy. The man knows how to handle a Lancer, in short. Fergusson joined Black Tusk in January as studio manager, and has spoken at length about the need to "betray [fans] enough to give them something new and surprising but not so much that they disconnect". He's since been joined by Microsoft's old Xbox Live enforcement boss Stephen Toulouse and former Epic Games test lead Jonathan Taylor.
While resistant to the idea of a reboot, Spencer does favour a return to the spirit of the original trilogy, observing that Microsoft needs to "get back" to the "feeling" of playing as the original Delta squad - Baird, Dom, Cole and, of course, Marcus Fenix. "The thing that was great about the early Gears of War games, to me, [was] just the epic scale of the settings that I was in," he said. "The story, the setting was a lot more what I would call soulful and maybe even a little dark.
"And Rod and I have talked about this; I think the game over time became almost more of a parody of itself; not for any kind of horrible reasons. It's hard to continue to manage the IP."
I think Fenix should return as the star. Do you?
agreed
on another note is anyone having an issue w/ XB1 interfering w/ their router/cable modem? I'm able to get online when on the xbox but as soon as I turn it off then I can't get online via ipad or w/e and have to unplug/plug the router/cable modem for both to work again
I'm going w/ madden this year...been playing NBA 2k for the last 4 years and need a change...doesn't help that this last game doesn't really look impressive gameplay-wise...as for madden I have to be honest and say I haven't played that shit since madden 95
I've been keeping up w/ the comments and game reviews tho so I know the hate it gets...but madden 15 looks fun...going thru the tutorial right now and enjoying itenjoying the XB1 as a whole...I'm mad I only have 220 points or w/e it is associated w/ players...I gotta work on that lol...just seen the trailer for evolve...crazy
ya that'd be nice
Nah. There was an issue with wifi and comcast users last year. You should ask xbox support on twitter for a solution. You might get an answer quicker on twitter then on the phone.
https://twitter.com/XboxSupport
cool...thanks
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