The Official NextBox Thread!

Get off the damn computer, and play with your TV, it misses you!

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Animalor
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

The thing with the Metro UI is that it's very consistant and tailored to what you want it to be. Frankly I'm relieved when I don't have a grid of little static icons. My bigger, live tiles give me a snapshot of what's going on and the shrunk down ones give me the icon and the number of un-action'ed events. I do realize that it's a completely personal preference but the tiles just work really well for me.

I downloaded Xbox One Smart Glass yesterday and have already started pinning the stuff that I want and when I sign in to my Xbox One (when I get it), those pins will be already ready for me on my console.

With just the app you can:
* View clips shared by people that have an Xbox One already (just search for any game).
* Pin any item. Those pins will show up once you sign in to Xbox One
* Favorite certain people on your friends list
* Follow other games you don't necessarily have in your friends list (a la twitter)

Xbox One SmartGlass Links -
Windows 8 - http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us ... 2e123fa831
Windows Phone 8 - http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store ... e906d27a4e
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/id480914036?mt=8
Android (4.0 and above I believe) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... smartglass

Really encouraged by the positive reviews but kinda bummed that Kinect doesn't do a much improved job apparently at filtering out ambient noise or just picking up your voice over your TV's default volume. I'm fairly sure that it probably will be an improvement over current Kinect but that's my bigger disappointment from the reviews I've read.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Winnow wrote:PS4 EYE does not work as a mic. I know they were originally passing it off as a mic instead of the crap headset provided but it echos for everyone else in the game listening to your open mic.
It's called the Playstation Camera and I believe you have that backwards. I don't ever remember seeing the camera being "passed off as a mic". If anything that was the XBO since they didn't include a headset in the box because the Kinect was intended for that. Due to a lot of people complaining. and the fact that the PS4 came with something, even if it was crappy, MS then announced a headset came with the console.
Winnow wrote: The UI is subjective with Xbox One having the edge if you want to go all Minority Report when switching between movies selections on Netflix.
Sure if you want it to take you three times as long as just pushing a button. From the reviews I read the gesture stuff is spotty at best so I doubt most people will use it for UI navigation. But give it a try let us know how it works out!
Last edited by Aslanna on November 20, 2013, 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Aslanna wrote:
Winnow wrote: The UI is subjective with Xbox One having the edge if you want to go all Minority Report when switching between movies selections on Netflix.
Sure if you want it to take you three times as long as just pushing a button. From the reviews I read the gesture stuff is spotty at best so I doubt most people will use it for UI navigation. But give it a try let us know how it works out!
I fixed your quote!

I didn't say it was better. I said if you want to act like you're in Minority Report and wave your hands around, Xbox One is your choice. Not better or worse...well better if that's what you want to do.

All I care about are some basic voice commands so I can switch between apps and games easily. Split screen multitasking should also be useful on occasion. EYE voice commands are useless right now.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Animalor wrote:I'm going to call Ryse now and say it gets a 6 from only the E3 presentation demo.
They gave it a 6!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Does every MS launch title have microtransactions? All their exclusives seem built from the ground up around the practice.

Micro transactions are deplorable.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

Fairweather Pure wrote:Does every MS launch title have microtransactions? All their exclusives seem built from the ground up around the practice.

Micro transactions are deplorable.
Everything has Microtransactions. Have you looked at mobile gaming recently?
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

There are no microtransactions in Knack or Resogun! So I wouldn't really say everything.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

I'm going to point at LBP on the PS3 and say we don't go down this path of argument. Fair? :lol:
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

I'd call that DLC, personally! The costumes and stuff are fluff that you don't need.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

Microtransactions for cosmetic stuff is fine, but for pay to win type stuff I'm not a fan. Warframe is a good example, I enjoy the game but I'd much rather it was a pay game and I could access all the warframes/weapons without having to pay (technically you can, but only with a little luck and an absurd amount of farming/time).
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

For the record, I didn't know what microtransactions you all were talking about. Just searched quickly and saw what they're doing in Ryse.

I'm not a fan of stuff like that but at least it's optional and everything can be gotten by playing the game.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Funkmasterr wrote:Microtransactions for cosmetic stuff is fine, but for pay to win type stuff I'm not a fan. Warframe is a good example, I enjoy the game but I'd much rather it was a pay game and I could access all the warframes/weapons without having to pay (technically you can, but only with a little luck and an absurd amount of farming/time).
It doesn't take luck. Also, some cards only drop in certain missions/areas...same with crafting items.

I'm having a blast in Warframe and was ranked 171 on the PS4 in kills (since dropped to 271) without buying anything. I also found that you can buy the key weapons you need (Braton rifle and Lex Pistol to make the first sidearm initiation test easier...Lex does very high damage with slow fire rate so good for the test. Won't run out of ammo) with no trouble at all using credits earned. I've also boosted my Warframe, and weapon mods by only using fusion drops in game.

I can also craft key pieces and even have the blueprints for three other Warframes all from drops in the game. I don't see the need for micro transactions to excel in Warframe. I'm doing just fine. I did buy the Mag helm recently to support the game.

Warframe is a great game. Entertaining for 1-4 people. Mag may be a little OP. With the Mod Stretch maxed at +40% range and the Mag helmet +25%, I obliterate entire huge rooms of mobs in survival as long as the blue balls keep dropping which they do when you kill that many mobs.

I maxed my Pull skill, maxed my range with Stretch and Helm and then cranked up the damage on my Braton to +100% and added elemental damage and crits to my pocket sniper pistol Lex that does crazy damage and has accurate range to complement the burst high short/midrange of the Braton. Just be sure to ditch the MK-12 version of the Braton for a real one once you have 25K credits.

Crafting an item takes 12 hours. You can microtransact your way to making that time frame shorter. I don't see a problem with that.

If you're having trouble finding crafting items, do the boss missions more often. Also hang out in a lower level survival (waves) missions to collect fusions to boost your mods.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Fairweather Pure »

I'm not discussing DLC at all. I'm talking microtransactions. Ryse, Forza, Crimson Dragon, KI, and even Lococycle, & Powerstar Golf. Xbox Fitness requires a subscription. It's a bit much, especially when you pay full price for a game just to then have microtransactions on top of it. Portions of the above games are actually walled off until you pay more. Others, and I hate this just as much, are artificially inflated time sinks designed from the ground up to have people pay to get around them. The games are being fucked over in order to grab extra cash. This release of Forza is already getting hit hard for this bullshit practice.

It's getting gross.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

That does sound like a lot of XBO games! FWIW I read Gran Turismo 6 would have some sort of MT as well but I didn't click the article for more infos.

Fair and balanced!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Xbox One Teardown:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Xbox+One+Teardown/19718

It received an 8/10 repairability score which also helps with hackability. I was able to teardown my 360, replace the thermal paste on my GPU and CPU (probably preventing a RRoD), hack the DVD drive etc. This case looks even easier to deal with.


Standard size hard drive. Hopefully can swap it out eventually maybe with some firmware flashing magic. If not, Microsoft will be supporting USB external drives so shouldn't be much of an issue. PS4 will support games on external HD right? RIGHT!?

It's has a nice Samsung Spinpoint 500GB drive at least with good Newegg reviews.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

Unless you can have games load from both the internal and external drives simultaneously (which I doubt in Microsoft's case), I don't see what good an external drive would be.

And even if they do allow this, I highly doubt you'll be free to use any drive you want, and will be roped into buying an overpriced MS re-branded drive, making it useless. But cool story bro.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Funkmasterr wrote:Unless you can have games load from both the internal and external drives simultaneously (which I doubt in Microsoft's case), I don't see what good an external drive would be.

And even if they do allow this, I highly doubt you'll be free to use any drive you want, and will be roped into buying an overpriced MS re-branded drive, making it useless. But cool story bro.
Here's another cool story bro:
Penello confirmed that the USB 3.0 port is there for external storage, which can be used for everything the internal storage can be used for. That includes game installs and downloads. So, don't fret: adding storage will be just as easy as ever.

Xbox Live launch party stream:

http://www.gametrailers.com/netstorage/ ... /live.html
PS4 and Xbox One pre-orders may be closer than you think

For as impressive as the PlayStation 4's one million units sold in 24 hours is, the Xbox One may not be that far behind. The pre-order disparity, once believed to be heavily in favor of the PS4, could be closer to 10 percent in favor of Sony's next-gen console. This is according to recent data collected from IGN retail partners in the United States
Oops. Only 10% with forced labor and all? Seems pretty close considering Sony practically giving away their system and ultra expensive Xbox One, especially with all of that Sony marketing and E3 showing.
Last edited by Winnow on November 21, 2013, 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

To be clear, that in no way refutes either point I made.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Winnow wrote:blah blah blah
lolz. You try so hard. I'm not sure anyone will fall for that.

Enjoy your console. Why do you care what other people are doing.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Funkmasterr wrote:To be clear, that in no way refutes either point I made.
Let me get this straight. You think Microsoft will make you install the Operating System for Xbox One on the external hard drive and not allow playing games from the internal HD anymore? Or that it will boot up using the internal HD and somehow totally ignore the internal HD games and only play the external HD games? Just to be clear.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

Wouldn't surprise me a bit, sadly enough. But I bet you'll be able to view pictures on it, so you'll be able to use the awesome media features to flip to your hentai library mid game. Awesome, right?
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Your track record of being right about things is next to zero, demonstrated most recently just a few posts above this one regarding Warframe, so we'll have to wait and see.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Winnow wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:Microtransactions for cosmetic stuff is fine, but for pay to win type stuff I'm not a fan. Warframe is a good example, I enjoy the game but I'd much rather it was a pay game and I could access all the warframes/weapons without having to pay (technically you can, but only with a little luck and an absurd amount of farming/time).
It doesn't take luck. Also, some cards only drop in certain missions/areas...same with crafting items.
Yes, it does. Cards are random drops, so there is luck involved in getting a card you want without having to farm for it.
Winnow wrote: I can also craft key pieces and even have the blueprints for three other Warframes all from drops in the game. I don't see the need for micro transactions to excel in Warframe. I'm doing just fine. I did buy the Mag helm recently to support the game.
I have zero blueprints for other warframes. And even if I did, I want to be able to pick the warframe that I would see myself playing long term from the jump, not farming for hours on end until I get it, only to then have to farm for more time to get the components needed to build it. This is done intentionally to get people like myself to spend money on the shit so we don't have to mindlessly farm shit to play the game the way we want (although it won't work on me, as I don't see myself playing this long term).
Winnow wrote: Warframe is a great game. Entertaining for 1-4 people. Mag may be a little OP. With the Mod Stretch maxed at +40% range and the Mag helmet +25%, I obliterate entire huge rooms of mobs in survival as long as the blue balls keep dropping which they do when you kill that many mobs.

I maxed my Pull skill, maxed my range with Stretch and Helm and then cranked up the damage on my Braton to +100% and added elemental damage and crits to my pocket sniper pistol Lex that does crazy damage and has accurate range to complement the burst high short/midrange of the Braton. Just be sure to ditch the MK-12 version of the Braton for a real one once you have 25K credits.

Crafting an item takes 12 hours. You can microtransact your way to making that time frame shorter. I don't see a problem with that.

If you're having trouble finding crafting items, do the boss missions more often. Also hang out in a lower level survival (waves) missions to collect fusions to boost your mods.
Again, this boils down to "yeah you don't have to do microtransactions if you want to farm monotonous shit for hours to get the stuff that you want to actually play with". If that's your style, cool; but I'd much rather pay 59.99 for the game and have all that shit available from the jump, with none of the other bullshit designed to nudge you towards microtransactions. I get that you probably don't get this though since I probably paid (key word) for more games on the PS3 alone than you've bought collectively over your entire life. Saves you all the trouble of downloading it if they just make it free to begin with, right?!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

[Show]
Image


Image
I don't farm and haven't played Warframe fanatically. I have 4 chassis and all the material needed to make them along with plenty other blueprints, helms, weapons, etc. I have 240+ Mod Cards. I could give them to you if they were trade-able. I have at least triplicates of most of them.

Don't know what to tell you. Above are screenshots of my Mods (267 cards) and some of the chassis I picked up. Warframe isn't a pay to win game. You can do just fine. I suck at games and am doing fine. You pro's should be killing it.

No fusion cores because I've been pumping them all into my current Mods which most are rank 5 or 6.

I haven't played the past two days and have dropped way down in the rankings but that's not due to microtransactions.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

... and here comes the day 1 issues.

The biggest one I've seen thus far seems to be issues with the disk drive making a loudish clicking sound and refusing to read disks.

Amazon reviews, as with last week, are split down the middle 4-5 star and 1 star.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Oh that reminds me I need to go on Amazon and give XBO a 1 Star review.

Maybe if they wouldn't have used slave labor they would have 0 failed units.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Killer Instinct also highlights some issues with the Xbox One controller. While an improvement on its 360 predecessor, the controller's d-pad doesn't feel ideal for fighting game use. I already didn't like the bumpers but after trying them out for Killer Instinct, they come across as especially awful. They're slippery and too close to the main body of the controller, making it tough to get a solid angle on. I found myself wishing the bumpers had the same knurled texture as the analog sticks. At least that way, you'd be able to get more purchase on them. The option to remap buttons exists but, no matter where you put heavy punch and heavy kick, you're likely to be using those bumpers.
What did MS do to the bumpers? I've seen numerous people complain about them. I thought they were supposed to improve things not make them worse!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

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Animalor wrote:... and here comes the day 1 issues.

The biggest one I've seen thus far seems to be issues with the disk drive making a loudish clicking sound and refusing to read disks.

Amazon reviews, as with last week, are split down the middle 4-5 star and 1 star.
Yeah, the drive issue seems to be #1. An word on server stability?

As far as the controller bumpers, I heard that the short amount of "separation" between the bumpers and triggers could take some getting used to at first. Overall, the controller has gotten positive reviews. I like the rumble trigger featurea lot, but I like the speaker/touch pad on the PS4 a lot too.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

Well Azure had a DNS blip last night that lasted about 17 minutes (prior to midnight EST). Haven't seen a thing about Xbox Live having any type of issue at all today.

My first impression of the controller is that the shoulder buttons do indeed feel mushier than the 360 controller did. Not sure that I like that such a big piece moves. That being said, I've yet to play a game with it.

The controller feels instantly familiar but a little off at the same time. I do really like the smaller sticks and the extra grip around the edges of them. (Perhaps that has always been there on new controllers, it's just that mine is well worn).

The new guide button makes a really pretty first impression.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Got my Day One Xbox One last night.

Here's are some thoughts.

Dead silent. It's even more quiet than the PS4 and I didn't hear the hard drive at all so no clicking issues if there are some so far.

SETUP

The setup process is slick and you have very clear online guidance during it. There are also a ton of help videos etc that are all brief and to the point about how to control your Xbox by voice, snap function, etc. Microsoft put a lot more effort into it's tutorials and the entire process felt like it was thought through.

KINECT

Now that I have the Kinect 2, the EYE is as much as a joke as you'd think from reviews...and that's with me thinking the EYE is worth it. Kinect 2 blows it away in functionality. It recognized me in seconds and had me tagged. I had the kinect about 3 feet in front of me at the time and it didn't as me to move back 6 feet and didnt ask me to move may head all over the place to identify me like the EYE.

If you recall, I complained about the EYE mic as well and zero usability in voice commands. The Kinect actually has you calibrate for background noise. You crank up your speakers and it goes through an extensive audio surround process with a 3D wave graph analyzing where ambient and speaker noises are coming from to allow for noise cancellation and focus on your voice.

VOICE COMMANDS:

Holy shit. They actually work with the Xbox One. I walked into my living room this morning and said "Xbox On" and my Xbox One was activated and on my screen in like 10 seconds.I said "Xbox Open Netflix" and O M G Netflix opened like it should. Netflix also already had me logged in because Microsoft's profile download already had my Netflix info. Nice. I've typed in my email one time using Xbox One setup while I was typing in my login info multiple times in various things with PS4.

Bottom line: no contest. Xbox One is the only console that handles voice commands properly and extensively right now. Not a gimmick. Highly useful including advanced noise cancellation to make it worth your time.

UI

Sorry, I really don't get why aslanna hates the UI so much. It works great. I don't even have cable TV and was able to setup the Xbox Guide which looks very nice. It's easy to get anywhere you need to be in the UI and you also can pin any UI/game/whatever to the left of the main screen to easily access favorites. The UI is responsive and well thought out.

Say "Xbox Bing" and you can search for anything in the store and it breaks it down by games, movies, tv, etc.When you use a voice command to navigate, it pops up the text commands briefly on screen for the tiles if you want to navigate to them by voice.

When I tell it to load Killer Instinct. It starts loading it and automatically puts it into the main window/tile of the UI, allowing me to mess around with anything else until it's ready to go.

UPDATE:

Downloaded and installed the 500mb day one patch quickly for me.

Internet Explorer works well full screen or snapped to side. It's look is reminiscent of what you'd see on a surface tablet.

CONTROLLER:

Outstanding. My first critique was that the joysticks made too much noise when they hit against the sides but then I picked up the PS4 controller and realized both controllers are too noisy when that happens. One other critique is that the bumpers are a little loose so they can make noise without pressing them. Functionally they are better than the PS4 bumpers for accessing them but the PS4 bumpers don't "rattle". Everything else is in the Xbox One controller's favor as expected. Top buttons, D-Pad, Joysticks, triggers all excellent. The "menu/start" buttons are easier to access without having to deal with a touch pad. Speaker on PS4 controller remains "interesting" to me.

I haven't played a game extensively yet so will revisit afterward. If the PS4 controller had swapped the left joystick/d-pad placement, the controllers would probably have been just a minor issue this round.

LIGHTS

Xbox controller, console and kinect all have a lighted Xbox Logo on them. While it does look cool, I haven't looked into if it can be turned off. Also, the controller light is on top so doesn't reflect in the TV screen. While not as annoying as the multicolored blue streak on the PS4 console and the horrible glowing light on the front of the PS4 controller, there should be a way to turn them off. Will check into it.

OVERALL

Felt much more impressive getting the Xbox One and setting it up. It's apparent that Microsoft put a lot of time and effort into testing the small parts of the UI and how people learn them as the help is there and readily available but it also doesn't overwhelm you. The look, feel, and functionality of the X1 UI is outstanding. Effortless updating of achievements/profile, single time entry of your Xbox Live account info and haven't had to enter info again, even for third party apps like Netflix setup. Search results, Xbox Store, etc all look great. Easy to navigate with controller but voice commands are a big help and not an afterthought.

Kinect is also cool in that it recognizes those square QR Codes. So in order to get my Day One achievement, I just held up the card and kinect recognized it and registered it. Same applies for anything else. Trials, etc. Much less typing in codes. I already have Xbox Live but there's a free 14 day trial and all you have to do is hold up the card to activate it.

Xbox One is definitely my main console with the PS4 there for exclusives. Need to game some today on it to make sure controller functions as well it feels.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

You might want to stick an actual disc in there to make sure it's working. Otherwise it's nom nom nom.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Wow there's a lot of free workout stuff available in the fitness section.

I was going to try the Brazilian Butt Lift - High and Tight workout but I threw out my back a few days ago so no Kinect stuff for me for a few days.

"Butt" seriously, there appears to be an amazing variety of trainers and videos available (free Xbox Gold) for fitness junkies or for those that want to try at least a little to get in better shape.

Even sitting on my ass the kinect read my heart rate in just a couple seconds. I tried it again and it told me to keep me head still so it must read it from your face/neck area. 70 BPM! I'm really getting the blood flowing!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

Over lunch I did the following:

- Borrowed a TV from a boardroom at the office
- Plugged in my Xbox One and downloaded the Day One update through my Windows Phone via LTE (Download was FAST!!)
Gripe 1 - The Bootup from Cold is slow. About a minute vs 10-15 seconds from sleep.
- Navigated around the UI a bit but turned off the tethering as I didn't want to use more data.
- Popped in the Forza 5 disk
Gripe 2 - Forza wanted to download a 6GB day 1 patch. Not doing that over my phone so I turned off tethering. Thankfully it asked before the download.
- After I disconnected, it just installed what was on the disk and went. Need to get about 15% before I could play the game. A nice little toast notification popped up with the game was ready.
- Co-worker played a bit of Forza and then our hour was about up.

My machine is incredibly silent and the disk drive works fine. That was my biggest worry and am not relieved.
I'm looking even more forward to being home this evening and playing with it.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

Animalor wrote:Over lunch I did the following:

- Borrowed a TV from a boardroom at the office
- Plugged in my Xbox One and downloaded the Day One update through my Windows Phone via LTE (Download was FAST!!)
Gripe 1 - The Bootup from Cold is slow. About a minute vs 10-15 seconds from sleep.
- Navigated around the UI a bit but turned off the tethering as I didn't want to use more data.
- Popped in the Forza 5 disk
Gripe 2 - Forza wanted to download a 6GB day 1 patch. Not doing that over my phone so I turned off tethering. Thankfully it asked before the download.
- After I disconnected, it just installed what was on the disk and went. Need to get about 15% before I could play the game. A nice little toast notification popped up with the game was ready.
- Co-worker played a bit of Forza and then our hour was about up.

My machine is incredibly silent and the disk drive works fine. That was my biggest worry and am not relieved.
I'm looking even more forward to being home this evening and playing with it.
Way longer than cold boot for PS4! Really though, I'm not big on the fact that both Sony and MS built these machines around the idea that you will leave them in standby mode. I'm just not ok with wasting energy to have the thing running (to some degree) around the clock.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Anyone have figures on the energy draw on XBO/PS4 in various power states? I can't imagine when Suspend mode is implemented, at least on the PS4 I don't know if it's currently there or not on XBO, that the device will take much more energy than any other device like a TV does when it's turned off.

XBO currently has a 62% 1 Star rating on Amazon. Obviously an inferior product to the PS4!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Funkmasterr »

Aslanna wrote:Anyone have figures on the energy draw on XBO/PS4 in various power states? I can't imagine when Suspend mode is implemented, at least on the PS4 I don't know if it's currently there or not on XBO, that the device will take much more energy than any other device like a TV does when it's turned off.

XBO currently has a 62% 1 Star rating on Amazon. Obviously an inferior product to the PS4!
Honestly, the amount of energy being used doesn't really matter. That being said if you multiply that across all of the people that have one, I'm sure the amount of energy used and subsequently damage being done to the environment so that people can have their console boot up a couple of seconds quicker is significant. I have all my stuff plugged into a power strip that typically gets shut off at night.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Well if people care that much for the environment they don't have to use the Standby/Suspend features. Having said that I'm sure the new generation of consoles is more energy efficient that the last so a few megawatts here and there across the install base isn't a huge deal.

I'd say you're probably in the minority though when it comes to turning everything off with a power strip though. I don't know anyone who does that!
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

YouTube video is surprisingly well done on the Xbox One. Makes YouTube actually look nice. You can pair it with your phone/tablet so you can search there and watch on Xbox if you want to make it easier. The channels (gaming channel videos, entertainment, news, etc) and presentation are nice. Google must hat that. No add money for them. Doesn't have voice search yet which would help a lot.
Aslanna wrote:Anyone have figures on the energy draw on XBO/PS4 in various power states? I can't imagine when Suspend mode is implemented, at least on the PS4 I don't know if it's currently there or not on XBO, that the device will take much more energy than any other device like a TV does when it's turned off.
Haven't seen any stats but I'm sure both PS4 (if it's activated) and Xbox One draw extremely low power in suspend mode. I do know Xbox One takes about 10 seconds to activate from suspend which works for me. You can turn it on from across the room to save a few seconds as you head to your couch.

I do like that you can do things like turn it on, open Netflix, and resume playing last show/movie all with a couple voice commands not having to touch anything if you want.

Really happy with what I've experienced so far with the Xbox One. The only negative so far is the cheap feeling bumper button covers. They don't prevent good functionality, but do feel less solid than everything else on the controller. Not sure why they did that. They (just the bumpers) also make a higher pitched click sound when pressed which doesn't gel with everything else about the controller. PS4 bumpers have a more muted click sound. Triggers are fine. They still have the thin part allowing for precise fingertip use of the triggers but also round off to the sides making it easier for those that use the middle of their index fingers to use them.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

BTW, Fair, I switched my user name (never changed it from the default) to Hero of Canton2. So that's me if you decide to keep/drop me. I think Anirask is on there as well. Maybe Leonard as well from here on VV. Did they allow for spaces on the 360? That seems new.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

I was looking at my friends list on smartglass earlier and I saw that name and only realized that was you because I has seen your Gamerscore earlier this week.

Mine is has been Anirask on XBLA since I got my 360 in 2006. It's a nice mashup of my 2 highest level EQ characters. I would've had Rask from even further back but I had lost the e-mail address that was associated to and for some reason, Microsoft will not release the name automatically.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Still SillyEskimo here. I'm keeping all my friends of course! Actually, more VVers need to add me!

My wife got home from a work conference early with an Xbone and Dead Rising 3 for my early Xmas present! I'll be hooking it up soon but I need to install a new wireless modem first.

Wish me luck.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

Fairweather Pure wrote:Still SillyEskimo here. I'm keeping all my friends of course! Actually, more VVers need to add me!

My wife got home from a work conference early with an Xbone and Dead Rising 3 for my early Xmas present! I'll be hooking it up soon but I need to install a new wireless modem first.

Wish me luck.
Don't worry if your Xbox One boot/splash screen stays green for 2-3 minutes after the initial patch. That's normal.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Animalor »

Anantech and power usage of both consoles in it's various states.
http://anandtech.com/show/7528/the-xbox ... analysis/5

I think the long and short of it is our power bills are all going to increase.

I think these systems will spend a lot of time in Stand By so I believe the PS4 wins out.
Xbox One finally added a setting to allow the console to do into standby after 1 hours as opposed to only having an option for 6. I can't tell you the amount of times I've woken up in the morning and had the Xbox under the TV on.

Power Consumption Comparison

Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim
Power Off - 0.6W
Standby - n/a
Idle - 70.4W
Load (BF4) - 90.4W
Load (BD Playback) - n/a

Microsoft Xbox One
Power Off
- 0.22W
Standby - 15.3W
Idle - 69.7W
Load (BF4) - 119.0W
Load (BD Playback) - 79.9W

Sony PlayStation 4
Power Off
- 0.45W
Standby - 8.59W
Idle - 88.9W
Load (BF4) - 139.8W
Load (BD Playback) - 98.0W
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

I'd say that's pretty close. 15W isn't much at all in standby. Xbox One seems to have the advantage in other areas.

I leave my PC on 24/7. Only thing that causes me to notice electric bills is how much AC is used. Everything else is insignificant for the most part.

LCD monitors/TVs, CFL lights, etc have gone a long way in reducing power consumption.

Just bought Dead Rising 3 Digital Download from Microsoft. I think I'll get Forza 5 at Best Buy when I return the PS4 BF4 I have. I want to get Forza 5 but I'm not really much of a technical race driver so it may not get much playing time, but NFS Rivals is 30 FPS (even on the PC). I wish it was a XB1 version of Forza Horizons.

Elder Scrolls Online beta is live in 10 minutes.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Winnow wrote:I'd say that's pretty close. 15W isn't much at all in standby. Xbox One seems to have the advantage in other areas.
Uh.. Because it's less powerful, obviously. It makes sense that it would use less power. And that's not me being negative that's just facts!

I'd be curious if Suspend mode will help in the usage department or if it's the same as Standby.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

Aslanna wrote:
Winnow wrote:I'd say that's pretty close. 15W isn't much at all in standby. Xbox One seems to have the advantage in other areas.
Uh.. Because it's less powerful, obviously. It makes sense that it would use less power. And that's not me being negative that's just facts!

Uh, then why does the Xbox take more power in standby mode? Don't uh me! It's not as simple as that. One system could be more wasteful or efficient than another. The A7 chip in the iPad Air requires less power yet blows away the chips in Android in performance that use more power hungry chips.

Proceed with your next uh please.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Aslanna »

Uh.
Xbox One Early Adopters Reporting Hardware Problems

With today’s launch of Xbox One, some owners are discovering various problems with their next-gen console.

An IGN reader's system is in an endless cycle of crashing and rebooting. Another has issues with his headset outputting nothing but static. Others have seen the "E100" notification, indicating a total hardware failure caused by an update error. The Xbox One troubleshooting page notes that this error requires you submit your Xbox One for repair.

Other new Xbox One owners have reported numerous issues to the Xbox support message board, including concerning issues with disc drives, unusual sounds coming from the machine, more spontaneous system shutdowns, missing pixels, and blank or frozen screens. Others can't get their systems to start in the first place.

Update: One of IGN's office machines suffers from the same disc drive problem many have reported. When a disc is inserted, the Xbox One makes a grinding noise, but the disc is unaffected. However, Xbox One won't read any game discs. "Sorry, we can't play the disc," a notification says. "Try an Xbox One game, a music CD, or a movie on Blu-ray or DVD."
Nice QA Microsoft! Maybe those same PS4 workers also sabotaged the XBO. Oh that can't be because I'm sure Foxconn paid them better. Or maybe this is just their way to push more digital downloads.


Ha. See how that works? Normally I wouldn't give a shit since every new product will suffer issues, especially when you're pushing out a million+ of something, but you seemingly dredged through every article on the internet to post about issues on the PS4 thread so here you go. Consumers need to be informed!

PS: 65% 1 star reviews on Amazon. That's like double what PS4 has so obviously the PS4 is twice as much better.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Winnow »

I was a little off on Elder Scrolls Beta time. Not till 6 EST!

Did as much of Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight as my back would allow trying to get an achievement and got my Heart Rate up to 102 BPM! I burned 25 calories. Max Heart Rate 120 BPM. My butt does feel a little tighter now. Not sure about height. Session Score 1/5 stars. I don't think you're guaranteed at least one star. I earned it!

Seems a little more aware than the original connect, noticing shoulders back/forward, posture, etc.

Actually looking forward to checking more of these out when I can.

Another thing to note. They weren't kidding about how close you can get to the Kinect 2 compared to original kinect. Much more forgiving in that area.

Dead Rising downloading pretty slow. I imagine there's a ton of downloads going on right now. It's ready now (whatever percentage is required to start playing)

Guess I'll have to get at least one game on Blu Ray to test out the drive.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Set up was an absolute chore. You need the TV Model number? C'mon! The UI takes more time than I expected to move between tasks. I see the white Xbox "waiting circle" more than I thought I would. Operating the TV is clunky is hell with Kinect. I kind of hate it, but will give it at least a couple of weeks o try and get used to it. Maybe they can improve that stuff as we move forward. I'm DLing KI 40$ edition as I type and I'll be playing that as my first game. If I don't get to it tonight, then I will tomorrow.

I'm going to watch Superman in 3D with the family using the Xbone. I'm sure that will go just fine.
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Re: The Official NextBox Thread!

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Holy Shit. Both the Xbone and PS4 do not support 3D Blu Rays.
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