Why I don't like the Xbox One

Can the Xbox One outsell the PS4 and Wii U? Does it pose a threat? Is it ultimately better than either? My biased mouth says "no" but my heart says "ugh, maybe".

A few hours ago, Microsoft had their admittedly underwhelming Xbox Reveal show, where they showed the console, controller, and tv functionalities of their new console (there may have been some Ghosts footage but cinematics don't constitute an evening of video game coverage). The first problem I found with the console WAS HOW HUGE IT WAS. That thing is the size of my VHS player, if not bigger. Not to mention the contrast of colours on the box is pretty ugly and negatively retro.

< Look at the size of that!

 

 

 The Xbox One is one of the biggest consoles of all time, and considering things are meant to be getting smaller, it makes it seem even worse. Think about how much space it will take up in your living room or bedroom. Hey kids, keep the console on your shelf? You're going to need some resizing to fit this thing in there. The reason it's so big is probably because Microsoft plan to sell an even smaller one next year, and then again for the next six years...


Also, Xbox One? I thought it was going to be Infinity, a much better name. Although it's easier to say "I'm going to play on my 360" than "I'm going to play on my Infinity", it sounds better than "I'm going to play on my One".
"Hey I was playing on my Xbox earlier" "Oh which?" "The one" "Wait, so the Xbox One, or the first Xbox?"
That and calling your console "the one" is a little silly sounding...

An excuse I've often heard for people not buying the Wii U is that it's too current generation. Well if current generation = backwards compatibility, then I don't think that's a bad thing! That's right, the Xbox One will not play Xbox 360 games. This is a bad move for Microsoft as most people still enjoy playing their 360 games. If the Wii U can, why can't the supposedly advanced Xbox One?

It seems Microsoft has a vendetta against age in games. In order to get even more profit, they're making every new Xbox One game be installed into the console. Got a preowned game with the last of your pocket money? Great! Just pay this preowned fee to us and then you can play it! Microsoft will make money from this, but they won't gain popularity...

I'll admit that the controller looks pretty acceptable. It hasn't changed negatively, the D-pad looks better, although the ABXY buttons look a bit weird. It may not have a screen, meaning no off-tv play, but it's fine.

Kinect looked useful, and although it will be mandatory, at least it will mostly be voice and not hand recognition...

For me, what sells a games console, is the games, which is why I've always got the Nintendo consoles, mostly for nostalgia and loyalty purposes. After watching the show, nothing persuaded me to buy the console. Ooh, Fifa and Call of Duty - impressive! Also, I don't like racing. If Xbox can get all the third-party support, then sure, I'll be convinced, but so far I'm not. I didn't care about all the tv stuff it could do, I cared about the games, and that wasn't covered.

So can the Xbox One win the console war this generation? We'll start with whether it can beat the Wii U. Probably. If it can beat the PS4, then it can totally beat the Wii U. As the Wii U is focusing more on "hardcore" gamers than family, that light seems to have been stolen by Sony, and Xbox One looks to do the same, and steal Nintendo's family market too, what with all it's tv stuff. However, if everyone gave the Wii U try, I'd reckon they'd like it...

I don't think Xbox One will win over the "gamer" gamers. The PS4 has better graphics than the Xbox One and so far, better exclusives (Nintendo has the best exclusives but that's a different story). After the show, most people seemed to align with the PS4. I've only seen negative news about the Xbox One after it's revealing today, and I think that will influence buyer's decisions.

Overall, I was totally underwhelmed by the announcement of the Xbox One today, and considering I'll buy the console that most of my friends play for online multiplayer (I'm keeping the Wii U but that's a solo venture), I hope they pick the Playstation 4.