Xbox One Released

Microsoft released the Xbox One today, putting the next-gen console war into full swing. A common theme throughout most of the reviews is that properly evaluating the system is going to take time. Not only are updates for the console continuing to roll out, but the usefulness of some of its technology will depend on what game-makers and other content producers can do with it. Digital Foundry says, "It is willing to make the trades on gaming power in order to potentially revolutionize the way we interact with entertainment in the living room." The Penny Arcade Report calls the hardware and UI a "confusing mess" — until you learn to use it, at which point the hands-free navigation is fast and convenient. Polygon's review is once again visually-oriented, providing a good look at the UI, comparing the controller with the Xbox 360's controller, and giving a demonstration of how Kinect recognizes users. Their conclusion is that while "Kinect isn't a fully realized product yet," "the Xbox One feels like it's from the future." iFixit has a full teardown of the Xbox One, giving it a repairability score of 8/10 (the Kinect sensor gets 6/10). HotHardware has more details about the console's internals, including power consumption and temperature readings. Eurogamer has a compilation of launch coverage, including launch title reviews.

Comments

Sweet

[Hatta]

So I should be able to pick up a used Xbox and PS3 for cheap sometime after Christmas. Why spend $500 when I can spend $100 on a console that's been thoroughly hacked?

Re:Sweet

[Anubis IV]

With the lack of backwards compatibility and lack of games for both of the new consoles, demand for the old ones isn't likely to drop off as quickly as it did with the last generation. And with roughly 80M PS3s and 80M 360s in homes, developers still have lots of incentive to target those platforms for the next few years, meaning that demand is even less likely to drop off.

So, maybe a bit cheaper, but if you were expecting the price to plummet, I wouldn't count on it.

Re:AMD

[cyber-vandal]

willdo

Re:Where was this caution with Wii U?

[Anonymous Coward]

Console reviewers have raged against Nintendo since the Wii had only slightly more GPU power than the Gamecube. They have insisted that failure to properly render armpit hair under a fully body-concealing military uniform (that wrinkles naturally) is a sign of failure or at least an insult to "serious gamers." Nintendo, in contrast, decided that they want to make games that are actually fun, rather than just "Mud-coated soldier simulator 2014" which is exactly the same as the 2013 version except for the real-time blistering and life-like exit wound rendering.