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Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

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Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#41
post #37

Most people I know who own a PS3 consider it essentially a blu-ray player. Most people I know who own an Xbox consider it essentially a Netflix player. These people bought games, but they don't really play them. I've got naught but my anecdata, but I think attempting to bill this new console as an entertainment system that happens to also play some great games is a very, very good idea.

Most of those people got one because of gaming. And then used it as a Netflix machine or blu-ray player. But why would they pay hundreds of dollars more for a "new" Netflix machine? And if they own none of them, and just want a Netflix machine, why not buy a much better (for media) $100 Roku? Or even an Apple TV?

We haven't seen pricing information. Rumors surrounding a subsidized model (as some versions of the Xbox 360 were sold) have been thick.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#42
I think this is fantastic for folks like me who have to juggle between my htpc (which has a cablecard so I can watch live tv on my media center) and my xbox (which I use to play games). Ofcourse il still have my htpc connected and use it frequently for other things (I am not sold on IE on xbox) but atleast it will make switching between watching tv,netflix, hulu and my games very simple. microsoft can take my money now, i want one of these things !

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#43
post #6

I guess people still care about t.v.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mention...

This was good satire in 2000. 13 years later, not owning a t.v. is not the same as being unable to watch traditionally broadcasted shows.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#44

So this is a Windows-lite PC, cable box, Xbox video game system? It has hdmi in right? I'm officially old because I do not find this interesting at all. My son will want it, so we will have it, but as a person who buys a lot of tech, I am not seeing the appeal. I think it is the all-in-one, do-everything approach it Microsoft is taking with this that disinterests me. Why does every company want to be your everything…

Normally I'm against do-everything devices, but IMO this is a stroke of genius. Everything about operating a TV today is pure pain . The centerpiece here is an obtuse, 100-button remote that no one fully knows how to use. You use this remote to get at the "mode switcher", which changes you from TV watching mode, to bluray watching mode, to gaming mode, to whatever else you do with your TV. It's painful, not to mentio…

I guess you're right about a convergence device. I appreciate, but do not use, the WiiU's tablet as a tv remote.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#45

Most people I know who own a PS3 consider it essentially a blu-ray player. Most people I know who own an Xbox consider it essentially a Netflix player. These people bought games, but they don't really play them. I've got naught but my anecdata, but I think attempting to bill this new console as an entertainment system that happens to also play some great games is a very, very good idea.

I own both a PS3 and a 360 and had those same use cases. Then I bought a Roku on whim at Costco one day. As a result, I've used the PS3 once in the last year, I haven't used the 360 at all.

I bought both of those consoles when they were new and collected a bunch of $60 games that I "don't really play". For several years now, the vast majority of gaming I do comes via games bought for a steep discount to console prices on Steam.

I stopped buying DVD/BDs when I realized how few of them I'd actually watch repeatedly. These days, a single $4 stream of a new release on Amazon is the norm.

I think it says something that a person like myself, who could previously be counted on to buy each new generation of console is unmoved by Xbox One.

At the same time, I expect the more mainstream customer might be just fine playing games and watching movies on the smartphone/tablet they almost surely already own.

I don't think this is a bad idea, but I do think it might be too late.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#46
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Normally I'm against do-everything devices, but IMO this is a stroke of genius. Everything about operating a TV today is pure pain . The centerpiece here is an obtuse, 100-button remote that no one fully knows how to use. You use this remote to get at the "mode switcher", which changes you from TV watching mode, to bluray watching mode, to gaming mode, to whatever else you do with your TV. It's painful, not to mentio…

Will the Xbox be able to power-on your TV?

This was an advertised feature during the keynote, so yes.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#47

So this is a Windows-lite PC, cable box, Xbox video game system? It has hdmi in right? I'm officially old because I do not find this interesting at all. My son will want it, so we will have it, but as a person who buys a lot of tech, I am not seeing the appeal. I think it is the all-in-one, do-everything approach it Microsoft is taking with this that disinterests me. Why does every company want to be your everything…

Normally I'm against do-everything devices, but IMO this is a stroke of genius. Everything about operating a TV today is pure pain . The centerpiece here is an obtuse, 100-button remote that no one fully knows how to use. You use this remote to get at the "mode switcher", which changes you from TV watching mode, to bluray watching mode, to gaming mode, to whatever else you do with your TV. It's painful, not to mentio…

You're still going have a layer of terrible user interface where you're picking through all the kitchen-junk-drawer full of items that Microsoft has packed into this device. It won't be labeled "Video 1, Aux 1", true, but you'll still have to pick through every time you want to use the system. Probably end up being more of an interface problem, actually.

Power on, wait, skip special offers from Microsoft, no I don't want to update the console today, click to make anti-virus warnings go away, okay, now I can pick whether I want to play games or watch TV, TV, live TV or internet, internet, now pick the Netflix channel, and start watching! Hurray!

Yeah, that's so much better than picking "Video 2" and using the Netflix box.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#48
post #9

I'd like to be impressed, but it's really hard. I have friends that work at Microsoft and have worked on various bits of this platform. I know personally the incredible amount of hard work that gets put into this product. This presentation just feels... empty. It's largely middle-aged men (and a woman who worked at tv companies) dryly reciting a badly written script with significant intentional pauses intended for ap…

Honestly? I don't really know why anyone bothers to do launch events like this any more. Post a bunch of images, videos and some bullet points about the product somewhere. Done.

Re: Xbox One: Microsoft's All-In-One Home Entertainment System

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Normally I'm against do-everything devices, but IMO this is a stroke of genius. Everything about operating a TV today is pure pain . The centerpiece here is an obtuse, 100-button remote that no one fully knows how to use. You use this remote to get at the "mode switcher", which changes you from TV watching mode, to bluray watching mode, to gaming mode, to whatever else you do with your TV. It's painful, not to mentio…

You're still going have a layer of terrible user interface where you're picking through all the kitchen-junk-drawer full of items that Microsoft has packed into this device. It won't be labeled "Video 1, Aux 1", true, but you'll still have to pick through every time you want to use the system. Probably end up being more of an interface problem, actually. Power on, wait, skip special offers from Microsoft, no I don't…

Oh and don't forget it phoning home to report on what you're watching/doing
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