Xbox One Gets A Few Things Right [Op-Ed]

Microsoft got a few things right with the Xbox One, but not many.

In the long-running debate over next-gen consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Sony has been the clear winner for quite a while. It’s obvious to me that Microsoft just doesn’t care what the gamers want unless they petition the console manufacturer to bring back those plans they had in the first place. I can honestly say that I believe half of the people who signed that petition to get DRM back were PlayStation 4 fans trolling Microsoft, but Microsoft never read the fine print and only saw what they wanted to see.

Xbox One has gotten a few things right, though. Shocking, isn’t it? I just said Microsoft’s practically doomed next-gen console isn’t completely screwing the pooch.

For one thing, the Xbox One Kinect is actually a pretty awesome device, as previously reported by The Inquisitr. The device uses an advanced mapping camera and microphone to determine who and where you are and adjust the controller settings accordingly. That’s actually pretty cool. Also the fact that the Xbox One keeps tabs on pretty much every appendage at all times makes it possible for developers to make better full-body interaction games, so a possible remake of Sleeping Dogs might actually be a legitimate game rather than a “why did they bother?” waste of time.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Xbox One will also let gamers start playing games before they’re done downloading. The games that take forever to download will probably be playable in just a few minutes anyway, so you won’t be stuck waiting all day just to start a game that might take you a week or more to finish. In most cases, you can’t possibly finish the game in the time it takes to download even half of it, so this was actually a good idea.

The Xbox One reputation system for Xbox Live is a fantastic way to eventually get those annoying gamers out of the way. You can, eventually, simply enjoy an online game with people who just want to play, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Of all of the details released about the Xbox One, what do you think Microsoft actually got right?