Xbox One Release Date Almost Here, The Critics Weigh In
The Xbox One release date is almost here, and according to the critics, it’s a magnificent beast when it works right.
Microsoft has quite a bit of bad PR to make up for after everything they’ve said since the big reveal in May. Though the console supposedly shares many of the same limitations as its rival, the Xbox One strives to be everything to everyone. This review roundup for Xbox One states that the console was made not to simply share space in your entertainment system, but to be the center of it all.
Gizmodo‘s Xbox One review states that the console is certainly ambitious, and it’s a marvel of technology when it works. The Kinect is a fantastic new way to control basically everything, the controller has been perfected to an amazing degree, and even the console’s user interface shows no lag whatsoever.
The Xbox One release date promises to be a great success if you don’t mind a few hiccups. Specifically, the Internet Explorer and SkyDrive apps tend to lock up and crash quite often, hampering the experience right off the bat. Snapping apps together brings up another glitch when you try to separate them.
On the bright side, the color scheme can be customized to identify exactly who is logged in. You can’t simply take charge if someone else is logged in as the primary user. The likelihood of someone else coming along and stopping your download to play some music using the native app is null (and the USB music support is unfortunately absent for now).
Kotaku agrees that the Xbox One release date “shoots to thrill” as long as it’s set up the way Microsoft intended.
The console is meant to be set up a certain way, and if you deviate from their suggestions, it seems to penalize you for it. If you have a PlayStation 4 hooked up and you’re playing it, and you suddenly want to do something with the Xbox One, the voice command could actually turn the TV off. This is because when the console turns on, it figuratively flips the on and off switch for everything you set it up to interact with.
ICYMI, our review of the Xbox One: magical, when it works… http://t.co/vbue1LBTej
— WIRED (@WIRED) November 20, 2013
According to ABC News, the Xbox One is Microsoft’s bid to be the only console in your living room. Microsoft wants you to connect everything through the console and make it your universal voice-activated remote. Setup is quick, but it may be easier just to grab the controller and do what you want that way. Xbox One was meant to take on the future, but despite all of the ambition that went into its design, the shortcomings might sour your experience.
Perhaps after the Xbox One release date has passed, Microsoft will release a patch to compensate for the console’s glitches. It’s a great console, but it seems to be trying just a bit too hard.
