Xbox One Launch Central
What's up everyone! I got a chance to check out the Xbox One at a Microsoft training event last week and my buddy @TyStevens and I wanted to throw together a launch guide over at Six Socket Media with my impressions. Keep in mind that these are still previews and my opinion of what I played. For the best viewing experience hit the link! Enjoy!
What's in the Box
THE CONTROLLER
Microsoft boasts that the controller features over 40 new improvements over it’s predecessor.. The controller is slightly smaller, but fits nicely in hand. The battery back no longer protrudes from the back which adds some comfort. When I first got one in my hands I thought the thumb sticks and the triggers felt a little too loose. However, the difference was apparent once I actually played a game with it.
The thumb sticks are more responsive and once you add the new impulse trigger effects the triggers feel amazing. I was surprised at how awesome the impulse triggers are, especially in a game like Forza 5. The d-pad now has a satisfying click to it and the face buttons are brought in close, allowing you to press any button with minimal effort. The included headset feels more sturdy than the previous version and the volume controls are now located on the bottom of the controller. The add-on may seem large, but does not get in the way.
Exclusive Games
THE KINECT
I was blown away by the ability of the new Kinect. Through a series of demonstrations Kinect was shown tracking joints down to the fingers, muscle pressure, heart rate, whether a user was wearing glasses, smiling, and much more. All of this was shown with four people at once though the kinect has the ability to detect six people. Thanks to the added infrared sensor kinect can now see you in almost no light. I saw this first hand as the lights were dimmed and the kinect could still see all the intricacies of a person down to their facial expression. When harsh light was added from a cell phone flash the Kinect was smart enough to ignore the light completely.
The Kinect also has advanced noise cancellation making it able to ignore what’s happening on your television and focus just on the player. Again I saw all of this in real time, and because Kinect is apart of the Xbox One developers will now be more inclined to develop unique experiences using the platform. Also it’s important to note that Kinect does not have to be plugged in for your Xbox One to function, and all of the privacy you expect will be there.
HDMI PASSTHROUGH
Thanks to the HDMI Input the Xbox One can now make the most of your television provider. Simply plug your cable or satellite box into your Xbox One and you will be able to use voice commands and hand gestures to control your television. With the Xbox One guide you can search by channel, certain shows, and create a favorites list for each profile. When searching for a television show or movie Xbox live will show all of the available options including Hulu, Netflix, Xbox Video, and your television provider. You can also snap your television just like it was any other application.
Multiplatform Games
Fifa 14 EA Canada | Madden 14 EA Tiburon | Need for Speed: Rivals EA | Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Ubisoft | Watch Dogs Ubisoft Montreal
Downloadable Games
Previews
A fairly accurate comparison to Ryse has been Call of Duty with swords. After getting some hands on time with the game it seems fairly linear. I got to play part of one level that took place about...
Perhaps the greatest racing sim of last generation drives into this generation without a bump in the road. Forza runs in full 1080p with a consistent 60 FPS with possibly the best visuals of any launch title...
Going into this event I hadn’t been a fan of the Dead Rising series. The countdown clock seemed to hamper my sense of exploration, the movement and combat was slow and clunky, and...
I honestly can’t speak much for Killer Instinct. I am not a fighting game fanatic and have never taken the time to learn the intricacies of one. I also don’t have the nostalgia of the original Killer Instinct...
Multiplayer
Xbox Live is now sporting 300,000 servers dedicated to the service. These servers can be utilized by developers for whatever they can think of. Offsite computing, dedicated servers, storage, you name it. Dedicated servers should eliminate host advantage and put an end to cheating. Xbox Live is also attempting to make your multiplayer experience better by weeding out the jerks and keeping you matched with players of similar skill.
The new Reputation system keeps a running score of your behavior and how players rate you. Don’t worry, this is a completely new system so whatever happened on the Xbox 360 is forgotten. The system also knows how long a player that reported you played to you, as well as details of the match in order to more accurately adjust your reputation. Smart Match allows you to queue up a multiplayer match while you are doing other tasks, whether it be watching tv in another application or playing a different game. Once a match is found, based on player skill, experience, or any number of options, a notification will appear and you can choose to join the game at that time.
