Can I just say this much: games are what matter.

All this shitstorming about specs just seems stupid to me. Like, the PS2 was the weakest of that gen (to the point where multiplats were almost always better on Xbox/GCN), but everyone still loved it and it had a nice chunk of games exclusive to it that made the system worth a purchase.

I just want these damn things to come out (and a decent library of games along with them) so that we can stop masturbating over specs.

>>180401
Batter hardware leads to easier development, which leads to more games. Every exception was caused by different market factors. (N64's low RAM and expensive cartridges, Sega going bankrupt early on during the Dreamcast's lifecycle, the Xbox 1/Gamecube coming out late, the Xbox 360 not gaining a foothold in foreign markets and 1st party releases almost all being Kinect games later on, etc.) There aren't any special x-factors helping the XBone right now, though.

Come to think of it, the only scenario in which a console that was both weaker AND more expensive than its competition outsold said competition was the PS3 outselling the 360.

The system seems like a mess, but I'm glad they at least reversed the damaging policies.

In the end it will be the games that matter. No matter how little it performs in comparison, if people are able to make attractive games, it will be bought.

Here's the thing about "games matter". Games go where the customers are. You need a huge incentive to develop exclusively for a platform that doesn't have a massive install base. And early adopters don't have a huge catalog to base their purchase decision on, which is why online policies and system specs might very well be the deciding factors in the end.

>>180403
>There aren't any special x-factors helping the XBone right now, though.

This is a fair point. It's just that people (and not people here, mind you, but at other sites I frequent) are using the power argument fanboy arguments. I actually don't intend to buy either one at launch because I don't see enough on either system that interests me. For someone who waits for the games, it gets annoying reading the fanboy drivel (again, just to reiterate, I'm not talking about anyone here)

>>180406

Online policies aren't much of an issue now really. And I can't get behind the specs as someone who waits. If I hadn't waited in 2001 and went on the specs, I would have ended up with an Xbox. Now, the original Xbox was a fine system with some really neat niche games, but I would not have preferred it over the competitors.

>>180408
>Online policies aren't much of an issue now really.
They might have fixed them now, but they initially soured a lot of people on preordering the machine and lost them a lot of goodwill. You can't say they don't have a continuing impact on the discussion.

>>180409
In addition, a lot of people are using what Sony did with OtherOS as an example of what Microsoft might do: Release the console with feature X (X=no required connection), and after a few years take X away. So just because Microsoft has conceded and took out that requirement, there's no guarantee they won't put it back.

At this point we know they want it, we know they have it ready, and we know that Microsoft loves to ignore consumers and push its own stuff (Windoes 8). So many, myself included, are extra hesitant because we believe Microsoft can and likely will put those stupid requirements back in place down the line.

The same can be said for Sony, but so far they haven't announced any backwards plans like Microsoft had, so if they are considering it they haven't tipped their hand yet.

I really enjoy that they keep upgrading and updating the hardware. Xbone just got a 10% GPU/CPU increase a bit ago, which is the final update to the hardware, as its all being mass produced now for the November release.

>>180417
But that's not entirely crazy, is it? Just as the U.S. Government is being revealed to be Orwelllian and Terrifying, Microsoft roles out a console that is every bit as Orwellian and Terrifying. Then, when the public outcry basically skewers them on a pike within an hour, they recant everything and say they're redesigning everything up from the ground up to be just like the PS4.

This isn't about the games though. This is about Microsoft releasing a system with a 33% failure rate, doing whatever it wants to its' consumers, saying it's going to kill used games, then sticking a camera in everybody's living room while working with the Spy Government and saying "it's on all the time but not sending anything back, you should trust us" when most people aren't technically capable of ensuring that trust, and when we have reliable information that no, they're not really trustworthy.

I mean yeah they're recanting a lot of this stuff but it also seems like they're having to restructure their internal plans to do so. And, they lost my money as soon as they rolled this stuff out at the flagship event for video games. I've been in the Microsoft camp for the whole of the 360s life and I am not impressed with the constant system failures, the dashboard updates that miss the mark every single time, and the constant struggle to try and become a new TV box. You want to be a new TV box? Let me use the full Youtube, not just the junky mobile one.

I mean I'm not insane for thinking like this, am I? I don't want to give Microsoft anything for this because there's nothing they could do to make me think they are trustworthy at this point.

>>180494
It's totally reasonable.

Microsoft pulled a lot of shit with that initial announcement, stuck with those decisions in spite of outrageous outcry, even belittling those against it, and it took constant PS4 mockery and being dwarfed preorders to finally get them to back off. I can't say I trust them much either.

You are all forgetting the fact that they only stuck with their decision for at most two weeks, right? That's two weeks of four fucking months of all this. They wont go and change everything back down the line, especially when they had to rebuild their entire infrastructure to accommodate our complaints.
This is some serious conspiracy bullshit if I ever heard it.
Its pretty fucking obvious that the consoles make most of their money down the line, and you think Microsoft will cut that hose off to bring back their little changes that were hated so much it almost cost them their console business? That's some asinine thinking. Even with their setup to make money now and not later, its not enough to warrant making a shit ton of changes that will just lose them future buyers and console owners, especially when they 5 years of Halo games and other various Microsoft-majority-owned games coming based on new IPs.

>>180519
>you think Microsoft will cut that hose off to bring back their little changes that were hated so much it almost cost them their console business?
Absolutely. At least, currently I do; Ballmer will be gone within a year, and if a competent CEO takes over then my concern might dissipate.

But, considering every action that every other one of their departments has taken (except, perhaps, Server), I wholly expect them to try to slip these things back in after the initial big launch is over, like a Representative trying to slip lesser legislation in through a rider on some quick-pass bill after his original, larger bill fails. Some will be caught, complained about, and removed. Others (such as the "persistent" internet connection, perhaps) will be begrudgingly accepted, because by that time the console will have become entrenched in the home and/or the gamer's life and it is much harder to give something up once you have it than to avoid it from the start.

How many people gave up their 360 entirely when the dashboard become a way to display advertising? Some keep it unplugged from the network for the most part to work around it, but I doubt many completely gave it up in protest.

>>180528
It's a well known fact gamers are terrible at boycotts.

http://microsoft-news.com/xbox-one-is-the-only-game-console-listed-in-toys-r-us-2013-holiday-hot-toy-list/

>>180700
Considering what it's coupled with, i think they picked it at random.

>>180704
I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to have struck a deal or outright paid for that placement.

Not that anyone gives a shit about TRU's lists.

>>180710
Its TRU so yea that's a safe bet. Same people that jack stuff up even higher that MSRP sometimes even to the chagrin of the company who's product it is.

>I’ve just spent 10 minutes being scanned into Kinect Sports Rivals. I’m not sure if it’s working correctly. The only feedback I am being given is from a Microsoft rep to my right. He’s politely giving me instructions when the Kinect (for some reason) stops the scan.

>“Take a step forward.”

>“Take a step back.”

>“Maybe just tilt your head a little bit left.”

>After this laborious effort (which I’m assured will be streamlined before launch) Kinect Sports Rivals goes through the process of translating the information into a virtual representation of me. As it does its calculations I ask myself, ‘if this is difficult with a Microsoft representative guiding me step by step, how difficult will it be for a ten year old in the comfort of his or her own home, or parents who've never used a console before?’

http://kotaku.com/why-im-a-little-bit-worried-about-kinect-1381738496

It was already said that the demo versions of the consoles do not have the up-to-date and prepared Kinect OS, so its buggy. They'll have to new 2.0 Kinect OS launched January of 2014 with the big worldwide launch patch.
For the first month and a half, you're getting a super suped up Xbox 360 with new stuff, and then getting a buncha shit afterwards, when everyone else gets the console.

I see why, and I am not disappointed in this decision solely for the purpose that the shit not launching off the bat won't be used in any launch games.

>>180966
This is why I hate consoles being internet-enabled. Now they just rush shit out and patch/upgrade it later. :/

>>180967
Yeah fuck being able to fix things, having convenient multiplayer, and cheaper/more numerous games available via digital distribution!

>>180975
Wow, way to miss the fucking point.
There's nothing wrong with consoles having the capacity for internet connectivity.
Using it as an excuse to shove a faulty product out onto shelves because they can just "fix it later" is not a healthy attitude, and is one consumers should not be so willing to accept. I buy something new, I expect it to be in perfectly working order, and that is not an unreasonable expectation.

>>180997
>Using it as an excuse to shove a faulty product out onto shelves because they can just "fix it later" is not a healthy attitude
Which honestly very few companies have.
Videogames are extremely complicated in comparison with any other medium and as games grow even more complex, the more opportunities they have to break and there are things that simply just might not be discovered in QA. And there's also the occasions where a final patch might screw something up that just isn't uncovered till release. These are unfortunate yeah, but they aren't often an insult directed at the customer. They're usually accidents.

Most companies hope to release a fully finished product at release to avoid unnecessary work later and a happy consumer base. It helps no one to release a buggy product.

>>181002
In this case, I see the UN/USUKA countries as a beta test, as well. We're getting the hardware as-is at launch, and once it goes completely global, the big patch will be released with all the information gathered from the already-bought systems.

Also video games have always been broken as shit. Hell, even high profile ones like FF6 and FF7 were basically stitched together with prayer.

Be glad we can fix things now.

KILLER INSTINCT: Dojo Mode Breakdown

>>181010
FF6 did have some infamous bugs in it, like the way Evasion was calculated. And since it was "fixed" in re-releases, I'm guessing Vanish/Doom working on bosses wasn't intended either.

>>181269
Hell, there was an NES RPG (FF1? DQ1? My Google-fu is failing me right now) that at least wrote in a hasty message that if you used some warp item after you got into a certain area right before the Big Bad, you'd fuck your game something hard. (At least they had time to throw that in when, I guess, they didn't have time to write something to disable the item in that area.)

I'm not saying that games were perfect in the days of yore, but that the amount of critical bugs being released with new games these days seems far higher (but that also could be nostalgia glasses talking, like people saying that movies were far better 30 years ago when they only remember the good ones and not all the other dredge that came out then just like it comes out now.)

>>181269

For those not familiar: the Evasion statistic on your characters in Final Fantasy VI? Does nothing. Instead, the Magic Evasion stat serves for dodging both magical and physical attacks.

Games have always been broken as shit.

http://www.allgamesbeta.com/2013/10/a-random-kid-looks-to-have-retail-xbox.html

Xbox One demo - Toys"R"Us 2013…

http://maxlevel.org/insomniac-developers-shut-xbox-one-using-studio-pa/

He he.

Xbox One: Real Names a No-No Online at Launch
http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-wont-let-you-use-your-real-name-online-at-lau-1446353062

http://news.xbox.com/2013/10/games-titanfall-feature

>$250 for Titanfall: Collector's Edition

Good Lord, that's a lot of money. Amazon has it for $217, though.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00G2HSX86/15-24-20

Xbox One: Invitation

Xbox One ad.

>>181957
Maybe I'm imagining it but...that looks super lame, like in terms of actually using it.

Like the part with the lady on the couch where she has to GRAB AND PULL NOTHING in a way exaggerated manner.

I get wanting to eliminate the controller but Jesus why do this?

Who, I ask you, wants to do that when you can press a control stick left?

See the beautiful thing is you don't need an Xbone for Titanfall because it's on PC.

http://furiousfanboys.com/2013/10/call-of-duty-ghosts-may-be-confirmed-at-720p-on-xbox-one/

>>181966
XBONED
That's going to be a hash tag come launch day, calling it now.

>It seems like Microsoft just cannot catch a break as of late. This started of as a simple update on the latest 720p incident, but it seems like it might evolve into a story of its own. According to “crazy buttocks on a train” this is just the start. When one user posted “An ass storm is coming” in the 720p thread on NeoGaf,  CBOAT simply responded “um yess butt thiasisnt it. wWati for laucnh.” Is something even more damning going to turn up? Could it have something to do with potential OS problems?

>According to NeoGaf mod “bishoptl“, if CBOAT were to spill the beans on all the Xbox One technical issues he has shared with him via PM, the world would implode.

>To quote:

>“If CBOAT ever spills publicly what s/he shared via PM regarding a myriad of other technical issues going on right now…I’m going right back in that shelter and welding it shut.“

>If any of these rumors are confirmed, it would only further indicate that the Xbox One was simply announced way to soon as a response to SONY‘s PlayStation 4 announcement in January.

http://ejectdisk.com/rumor-according-cboat-720p-tip-iceberg-xbox-one-problems/

>>181962
This is my big issue with the anyone saying they're all down with the XBOne because of launch titles. Just about everything on XBOne is cross-plat, either to PS4 or PC, except Halo 5 (which after 4 and Reach, it seems like a majority of players are really apathetic towards Halo now). I know having to trade between PC and PS4 may not work out for everyone but there's a few titles that are just going to be launch of 360 and PS3 at the same time as well?

And yet I still see people saying they're going to get it for various reasons, though the most valid, I think, would be the controller and I had a buddy say that Forza or Gran Turismo or something would be a true XBOne exclusive.

I mean, I know people are going to buy it but at the same time the reasons to buy it seem ever-vanishingly slim. It's a little frustrating that even now, some folks are still playing "console wars" when what is emerging looks like a very good reason to just abandon anything like the XBOne and send a clear message to the games industry to not even joke about shit like that.

>>181987
You forget that casuals pay little attention to, and in fact do not understand, the technical issues that damn the Xbone. We might actually be looking at a VHS vs Beta situation here.

>>181987
If someone really wants to play Forza/Halo/whatever, that's not playing console wars. They just want to play Forza/Halo/whatever.

>The short story is that Xbox Live and the OS, especially in functions that involve XBL, are a complete fucking mess. One source says we aren’t talking weeks until it works correctly but “months.” Things like parties dropping people when moving from one thing to another. Connectivity issues. Missed invites. Friend requests not working, etc.

>He then said “If all you are doing is running a game and that’s the only app things are fine.”

>So why do think things are going wrong?

>“The system OS and network integration was written by a group of people who do not play games. They don’t understand why things were set up in the ways they were designed by J Allard back in ’05.”

http://doddscientifics.com/2013/10/28/xbox-one-os-and-xbox-live-issues-bouncing-about-as-we-approach-launch/

It's not Allard's old fuckups that's the problem.
It's the grotesque OS model they're shoving into every device they have.

>>182001

>>182004
...That's true. A lot of this is circumstantial, but I don't think Microsoft has any kiosks set up (they're doing some sort of bus tour with it, though: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/10/17/play-xbox-one-playstation-4-right-now/). Not that the Kiosks would do a whole lot of online stuff, but unfettered access might worry them if these problems are true and would be a good reason for not having any store kiosks at all a month from launch.

What's that you say? Windows 8 continues to be one of the worst things Windows has ever done? I am SHOCKED!!! I cannot overstate my surprise, this is truly an unexpected turn of events that everyone did not expect as soon as 8 was announced as the OS.

>>182011
Indeed and OS built for tablet and touch screen monitors (haven't seen one of those in three years now) doesn't have capabilities for high load networked gaming.

Or even a decent phone, as I can unfortunately vouch for.

It's happening again. (Check page 75).

http://issuu.com/4lmag/docs/fourel_oct13_issuu

>>182037
YES. YESSSSSS.

>>182037
Great job with the name Microsoft...really...good job...

>>182037
Beautiful

>Even though we have rights to populate the store with Musicians, Artists, Movies, Actors, etc. – when it comes to us (as in Microsoft) publishing those types of things for marketing materials, it requires an extensive amount of approvals from those same Studios, Actors, Agents, Musicians, etc.

>Also whenever we use game footage, the creator of the game wants to approve the footage. And finally, when something like this gets created, it needs to be used in a variety of ways that a direct feed video doesn’t work for.

>Coordinating a live demo that is using approved game footage, and making sure every piece of content on-screen is approved by all the content owners is a logistical nightmare. So all of those constraints means it’s better sometimes to create your own video with already approved assets. EVERYONE does this. Every ad, every video, from every company does this for the same reasons.

>Now, those same sorts of rights aren’t applied to the press. So there is a huge difference in what WE can put online vs. what the press can put online. That’s why, right now, we have a ton of press in SF seeing new live game builds and new dash builds. I’m sure you’ll be hearing back from them about how close this video is.

>Since people want to know, I will explain in detail the areas where this video differs from the real UI.

>1. The way the voice text gets created on-screen doesn’t work that way. It will appear as one block.
>2. The video assumes that the user ALREADY has a movie started (hence why Pacific Rim is in the middle of the film), and ALREADY has a game started. In that cause, the UI will switch that fast.
>3. The “Activity Feed” does not go over the UI like that, it snaps to the side
>4. When the player resumes Titanfall, obviously he would have to “unpause” the game or however the individual game deals with coming back up. But you can absolutely have a game paused, and use your voice to launch new apps exactly how the video does.
>5. The only egregious feature error is when the VO says “Xbox Share” or something similar. Now, the user would actually have to accept the notification or go to upload studio and share from there. We don’t share directly with voice.

>Besides those small nuances, the transitions, speed, movement and everything else is a pretty accurate. I think it’s a fine representation of the experience.

>As for all the other stuff blowing up over the weekend, I will make one small comment: There is a really bizarre phenomenon going on right now where the frenzy for news, drama, and behind-the-scenes dealings is clouding logic and reason. There is nothing going on behind the scenes nearly as interesting as everyone would like to believe. We are a month away from launch, and people are working hard to finalize the last of the bugs. There are still a lot things left to be done. We’re crunching and I’m sure Sony’s crunching too.

>I know people are excited. I’m sorry but things are nowhere near as dire or dramatic or exciting as everyone would like to believe. That’s why I’m not commenting on every single random rumor that comes along, because everything I see is so drastically overblown vs. reality.

http://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/1pexho/albert_penelloall_of_the_transition_timings_and/cd1ogyj

>>182037
Is that real?
AWESOME!

>>182037
What's going on here? Besides the obviously paid-for shilling.

>>182073

What is that picture of?

>>182073
That isn't the XBone its a stock picture of the Original XBOX

>>182101
The Xbox 1 if you will.

>>182102
or Xbox Version 1 XBV1 or Xbox Mark 1 XBM1

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/30/call-of-duty-ghosts-is-native-1080p-on-ps4-upscaled-720p-on-xbox-one
>Infinity Ward's Mark Rubin has confirmed that Call of Duty: Ghosts will run natively at 1080p on PlayStation 4, and is upscaled to 1080p from 720p on Xbox One.

Ryse stream happening now.

http://www.twitch.tv/microsoftstudios

Xbox One dashboard app snapping

Day one problem?
IGN News - Xbox One Cloud Upda…

Phil Spencer says Games Should be Defined by More Than Their Framerate and Resolution.
Xbox One's Phil Spencer on 108…

>>182394
Not exactly something you want to hear from the people in charge of the console.

Anyone know if it's 1080p on the Wii U? I wouldn't be surprised if it's not, because the system's potential sales are not worth the extra effort (especially when the game was also made with the Xbone and PS4 in mind), but if even the Wii U can achieve 60fps/1080p then it really puts the Xbone to shame. A quick search doesn't confirm/deny.

Some of the Wii U games are 1080 native, but not many. Even the 360 had native 1080 games, even if some of the consoles couldn't handle it.

The issue with the Xbox One not having native 1080 games at launch, which can be rectified for some games, is because of the snap and multiple running programs and systems.
The PS4 doesn't have that shit. xbox One is running a minimum of three programs at once with your game, and you can snap a fourth. I can easily see games, post-launch, releasing native 1080, and other games getting 1080 patches.

I meant to say Wii U, not PS4, either way, whatever. The Xbox One wants to do more than just play games and they have that picture in picture snap stuff. That kinda ran down part of the processors that are running, even if there are multiple. Someone went into depth on it a while ago, saying that they woul

>>182418
I meant if COD was 1080p on the Wii U, not in general.

>>182419
Which just makes the Xbone inferior in general; if they had to do 780p to make sure that their snap-in shit worked, it's not even close to a good reason. Microsoft keeps trying to shoehorn their tile stuff into everything, and I've heard very little, if any, real inter-
>saying that they woul
oh god he's been taken

Huge Xbox losses hidden by patent royalties, says analyst.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-11-07-huge-xbox-losses-hidden-by-patent-royalties-says-analyst

More problems.
Xbox One Needs Mandatory Day O…
IGN News - Xbox One Backwards …

>>182431
>literally anything
>Even the disc-based games won't play without the day one update
Woooooowwwwwwwwwwww. What the fuck, Microsoft. The PS4 needs a Day One for extra features, but AFAIK it will at least play games out of the box.

>>182433
Just realized that this means we're going to see the SimCity/Diablo III launch problems for an entire console. Tons of people will buy an Xbone at midnight, most of them will only be able to stare at it as though some form of art for about 24 hours.

Xbox One Unboxing!!!!!!!!! Mor…

>>182436
This guy's Twitter:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Moonlightswami

He was able to download the day-one patch and confirmed the following:

COD: Ghosts: 39GB

Madden 25: 12GB

NBA 2K14: 43GB

NBA LIVE: 9GB

Forza 5: 31GB

Ryse: 34GB

LocoCycle: 13 GB

Dead Rising 3: 19 GB

Fifa 14: 8 GB

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: 20 GB

Just Dance 2014: 22 GB

Skylander SWAP Force: 15 GB

>>182438
What exactly is it about the newest CoD that makes it so damn big? From the previews I watched of it the graphics didn't look all that much better than other games that are already out, so either they must have some really atrocious coding or I'm seriously missing something.

>>182440
I'd say Languages and Cut Scenes as I've gauged those take up a lot. Maybe really big MP maps.

>>182438
>NBA 2K14: 43GB
...How?

>>182434
I expect a lot of angry returns.

http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/11/08/early-xbox-one-owner-shares-tons-of-screenshots-showing-ui-and-features/

From the Xbone dev at leedit:

>He did buy a product, a product not released until the 22nd. The product was delivered in error, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s an unreleased product and most likely classified as a beta product. Microsoft reserves the right to suspend/ban that console under the TOS.

>That being said, I was ambivalent about the leaks we saw today. Leaks are seldom good for the development team, even if they are positive. It represents thousands of hours of work that may or may not be in an unfinished state. All it takes is one instance of something that was mis-communicated or misconstrued, throw that through the internet media machine and you’ve got a disaster.

>On the flip side, it was quite refreshing and encouraging to see everything we’ve done received so well. It was a little emotional for me when I saw numerous approving responses to Marc and Yusif’s demo yesterday morning. I think many of us on the team sometimes forget to take a step back and see the product work as a whole because when you work on the console, all you see are the features that still need work and the bugs that need fixing. At least this was the case for the past 6 months or so.

>Personally, I hope it’s only a temporary suspension until launch day.

http://gamingbolt.com/xbox-one-dev-microsoft-reserves-the-right-to-ban-unreleasedbeta-consoles-details-kinect-gestures

>>182451
How can he know that if the thing won't play games at launch?

>>182457
Read >>182446. The patch is already live, so he was able to download it and get his Xbone to be more of an homage to 1980s VCRs.

http://n4g.com/news/1390515/major-nelson-and-amoonlightswami-converse

Major Nelson and @Moonlightswami worked the whole thing out. His ban won't be permanent and he's invited to the launch party.

NOW THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR

>>182476

Wait...the game’s on the other side of the front cover now?

Dafuq?

>>182476
kwat

I wonder if they have a good reason for this? Not that the actual side matters much to the consumer past the initial surprise, but this means they'd need an entirely new mold instead of using an existing case style. It certainly won't save them any money, even if they can fit such a mold into an existing production line.

I...guess it's so they don't confuse one games with 360 games?

>>182479
If someone doesn't notice the big "XBOX ONE" logo on the front, I doubt having the game on the wrong side will stop their stupidity. And at that point they won't be able to return it when they find out it's the wrong system, anyway.

Anyone know the dimensions? From the picture it looks like it may have taken on a PS3-size.

Xbox One Jennifer 30 US TV Commercial

Dead Rising 3 Xbox One Sandbox…
Dead Rising 3 Xbox One Frame-Rate Tests

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-vs-dead-rising-3

New Xbox One Can See Your Penis
welp

>>182532
Wow that's Dogshit.