XBox One Controller Hands-On Review!

 XBOX ONE CONTROLLER:  HANDS-ON REVIEW

 XBox One Controller

During a Microsoft event in Century City on June 10th, I got to spend some quality Jack Time with the new XBox One controller. 

Having never had an XBox 360 console or controller, I can only compare it to the original "Duke" controller that came with the original XBox.

 

 Xbox One on display

The first thing I noticed is that the controller layout really hasn't changed much, even from the very first original XBox controller.  The buttons, sticks, and d-pad all felt very familiar, and are all located right where I would expect them to be.  Of course, there are some differences and changes that have happened since the original XBox controller - gone are the white and black buttons, which are replaced by shoulder buttons which are located just above the triggers.  I've never used this configuration - I could see myself accidentally hitting one of the shoulder buttons when going for a trigger (or vice versa), but time will tell when I actually start playing games with it.  Also the Start and Back buttons have been moved higher, and will be re-purposed as "Menu" and "View" buttons.  It will be interesting to see how these buttons are utilized, although I suspect that the functionality will be very similar to the Start and Back buttons.  Although the thumbsticks have been improved, the difference isn't very noticeable - which is a good thing, because they have a very comfortable and familiar feel.  The D-Pad is a big difference, switching to the "plus" design rather than a circular design.  Personally, I rarely use the D-pad for anything except maybe menu options, but the word on the street is that this is a huge improvement.  There is a port on the bottom of the controller for the headset accessory.  Being a prototype, this controller was hard-wired to a laptop for the purposes of the demonstration, but the final product will be wireless.

 

XBox One

The second thing I noticed was the difference in size.  "The Duke" was a huge controller, which worked fine for me since I have large hands.  But soon after the original XBox launch in 2001, in didn't take long for a smaller, sleeker "Controller-S" to be released.  And of course, the 360 continued to improve on the controller, which is now regarded as the one of the best controllers ever made.  Even though the new controller is significantly smaller, it feels comfortable and familiar.

"The Duke" - original XBox controller

The demo program consisted of some very basic applications that featured the new rumble mechanics in the new controller.  Not only can the controller rumble, but the triggers also have their own rumble motors as well.  The program had some basic things you might find in videogames ... a car speeding up and stopping, different types of gunfire, an RPG-type fire spell cast, and a few others.  The controller can rumble on either side, as well as the triggers.  So for example, if your game (perhaps Master Chief in the next Halo) is wielding a gun in his right hand, and you pull the trigger, only the right trigger will provide feedback.  If you are hit from gunfire from behind you on the left, you will feel it on the left side of the controller.  I thought the most impressive demo was the car.  The controller vibrated as expected when the car accelerated - but when it came to a stop, you could literally feel the brakes and tires gripping the road.  It was a very cool effect that needs to be experienced.  

 

XBox One

Although improved, the controller lacks any kind of new or innovative features.  Which is a good thing - it's near perfect already, and adding more stuff would just prove to be distracting to the gaming experience.  I don't need to be glancing down at a screen, or flashing lights, or whatever else might be added to a controller - I should just be immersed in the actual gameplay.  

So despite the lack of new features, the ones that are already there are excellent and have been improved.  

Developers and gamers alike will have a lot of fun with it.

My score: A-

Worthy of my valuable Jack Time!

In the future, you can look forward to more reviews of Xbox One's hardware, including an exclusive unboxing and set-up video when it launches!

Until next time,

It's Jack Time, Baby!

Jack

Is Microsoft Treated Fairly By Consumers?

With all of the controversy surrounding Microsoft's policies regarding the upcoming XBox One, I pose to you this question:  Is Microsoft being treated fairly by consumers?

What time is it?  Time to dig in to the issue.  It's Jack Time, baby!

Microsoft has never had an easy time when introducing a new Xbox console. 
When Microsoft announced in 2001 that they would be releasing a gaming console to directly compete with the highly successful Playstation and Nintendo consoles, most people though that this endeavor would fail miserably.  After all, Sega - a gaming company - failed when trying to compete with its Dreamcast console.  How could Microsoft, the makers of products like Windows 98 and Microsoft Office, survive in the gaming industry?

Even Microsoft wasn't so eager to attach their corporate name to the XBox brand.  It wasn't Microsoft XBox, or XBox by Microsoft ... it was just XBox.

To make things worse, they had to compete with the new Playstation 2, which had already been released since October 2000.

However, Microsoft pulled off a highly successful console launch with stellar titles like Dead or Alive 3, EA sports titles like Madden 2002, and of course, the innovative system-seller, Halo.  And the promise of the future addition of XBox Live made the future of multi-player gaming very promising. 

The success of the original XBox console, and it's groundbreaking XBox Live service, led to much anticipation when the XBox 360 console was announced during a special broadcast on MTV.  The console sold out everywhere when it was released in 2005.


However, soon after launch, many technical issues began to pop up.  The most infamous and most frequent problem was referred to as the "Red Ring of Death" in which a ring of red lights indicated a major problem with the console.  Some estimates say that 30% of the new consoles experienced these problems.  There were also a host of other problems, such as scratched discs and software problems.  Microsoft had a lot of work to do to replace faulty consoles and fix software updates.  These problems left a sour taste for many console owners.

Sony announced their new Playstation 4 console in February 2013.  It wasn't long before Microsoft announced a new console would be on the way, to be revealed on May 21st.

Even before the console reveal, many consumers had already decided to wait until after the console launches before considering a purchase, due to the technical problems of the 360.  In addition, unconfirmed rumors already begin to circulate about Digital Rights Management (DRM) policies.

 The highly anticipated reveal of the XBox One drew much criticism.  The presentation focused mostly on the multimedia functionality of the new console, such as TV shows and sports.  There was also a presentation about the new Call of Duty game.

Although Microsoft had previously announced that they would focus on featuring games at the upcoming Electonic Entertainment Expo (E3) just three weeks later, people were still perplexed as to why they didn't showcase games for a new gaming console.  Microsoft seemed more focused on promoting the new box as an "entertainment" console, aimed at a broader audience than just gamers.  But shouldn't a new gaming console be centered around games? 

It was also announced that every console would include a new and improved Kinect motion sensor, which had a mediocre reception on the 360.

After the reveal event, the rumors of DRM policies begin to pick up a lot of steam.  Other rumors surface as well, alleging that the new console would require a 24/7 always-online connection, and that you couldn't turn off the Kinect camera.  Some rumors even stated that the new console would completely block all used games.  People were very concerned about these rumors, and had concerns about privacy issues.  Could people hack into your camera and spy into your living room?  With recent news regarding a government scandal involving the NSA secretly monitoring cell phone activity, this is indeed a very legitimate concern.  Gamers already begin pledging to opt for the Playstation 4 instead of the XBox One - even before any of these rumors are verified.

About a week before E3, Microsoft announces several policies surrounding the DRM and connectivity issues.  Unfortunately, many of these policies simply confirmed some of the circulating rumors - although many of the policies weren't nearly as bad as some of the rumors.

The new console would require to check-in online every 24 hours to utilize a new online DRM system that would keep track of your gaming library.  If you can't connect to the internet, your games would stop working.  The console will not work if the Kinect sensor is not plugged in.  (However, they have announced that the Kinect sensor can be turned off.)  And there are restrictions on the way people can share their games - even though they announce a new way to share games with others online.

The backlash begins.  People are not happy that Microsoft wants to make changes on the way consumers can share, buy, rent, and sell their games, and the internet and media outlets blow up with this news.

Then E3 happened.  Sony publicly gives a 1-2-3 punch to the gut of Microsoft.  In their press conference, they publicly announce that they will not place restrictions on the way people can share their used games.  Also, they announce that the price will be $100 less than the XBox One.  Then, a viral video is released that slams Microsoft about the used game issue.  (See it here.)  With the eyes and ears of the world watching the press conferences, Sony has clearly won the advantage. 

Gamers felt that their rights were being taken away, their privacy was in question, and that they were being treated like criminals for having to check-in daily for games they already paid for.  And to make matters worse, Microsoft's President of the Interactive Entertainment Don Mattrick makes several key blunders during interviews.  These issues have become a PR nightmare for Microsoft.  People were not only speaking out online, they were also speaking with their wallets, as PS4 pre-orders quickly outpaced XBox One.

It didn't take long until Microsoft realized that they had to make changes.  Some of the policies were reversed - there are no longer daily internet requirements, and DRM has been removed altogether, allowing gamers to freely share, sell, trade, and buy their used game discs.  This was great news to most people, but some people feel that this change has a significant cost to the direction that Microsoft wanted to take XBox One.

However, the question remains - are gamers being short-sighted?  Perhaps Microsoft has a long-term vision of the future that brings forward the future of gaming technology.  There's no doubt that the plans for the XBox One brought significant changes to the ways people play games.  And there's no question that Microsoft has done a very poor PR job to explain to people WHY they would want to have an always-online connection, or WHY they would want their games to be tracked, or WHY they would want this new Kinect sensor that comes included with every console, or WHY the XBox One has a $100 advantage over the Playstation 4.  If Microsoft did a better job in the PR department, people could be excited over new features of the console, instead of looking at it as new restrictions.

The console is months away from release, and there are still plenty more features and details to be announced.  So is it fair to be spreading doom-and-gloom rumors - some of which are exaggerated or completely false - about XBox One before all of the facts have been announced?  Should gamers already be making decisions about which console to buy?  Are the future technological possibilities being overlooked? 

With so many questions that have yet to be answered, perhaps gamers could be more patient until all of the facts are released.  On the other hand, Microsoft needs to do a much better job convincing the gamers why their vision of the future is all about features, and not just a bunch of restrictions.  Show us what the machine can do... not what it CAN'T do. 

So with all of the circulating rumors and criticism, have consumers given Microsoft a fair chance?  Or did Microsoft blow it?

Perhaps it's somewhere in the middle.  Time will tell how this new age of gaming will play out.

Until next time ... It's Jack Time, baby!

Jack

Welcome XBox Fans!

Hello, and thanks for checking out my blog!  This is just a brief introduction.


It's been quite a month for Microsoft.  I was fortunate to be able to attend the Microsoft E3 Media Briefing on June 10th, and I thought it was great.  But all of the attention that Microsoft has been getting lately has kept me glued to gaming websites to see what's new.

Then I thought that maybe I could start a XBox gaming blog to post news, photos, previews, reviews, and much more.  Maybe I'll even do some podcasts or videos.

So a brief description of my gaming history:

When I was a kid, I remember having a Pong console.

Then we got the Atari 2600.  I loved playing that thing.  Anybody remember Circus Atari?  Night Rider?  Pitfall?  And yes, everybody's favorite that came with the console, Combat.

 Then along came the Commodore 64.  I thought that was the coolest thing ever, to have a machine that not only played games, but you could also learn to program it yourself.  I had a lot of fun with the Commodore.  The first game I played was called Forbidden Forest.  I also loved games like Top Gun, Commando, and of course WWF Superstars!

One year for Christmas I received a Nintendo Gameboy.  I was never really a Nintendo fan, but what a great gift from my sister.  I remember playing Tetris and Adam's Family.

I bought an original Playstation in the latter part of its life, after there was a price drop.  I absolutely loved the original Tomb Raider.  What a great game!  I also played Driver, and Gran Turismo 2.

When Playstation 2 was announced, along came the announcement of the new XBox from Microsoft.  Now at the time, everybody thought XBox would fail.  Microsoft... that company that makes Windows, is going to try to compete with the Playstation and Nintendo?  No way they'll pull that off.  They were even very careful about putting the word "Microsoft" alongside the word "XBox" for marketing purposes.  Well for some reason, the XBox really appealed to me, and I was first in line to get one.  My first game was Dead or Alive 3, and then Halo.  What a couple of great games!

Just 4 short years later, along came the XBox 360.  But wait!  I still had probably a dozen games I had never played for the original XBox, not even opened yet!  I decided to skip the 360 and wait until the 3rd XBox was released.  I didn't know it would be 8 more years, though.

So here we are, 12 years later, and I'm still playing the original XBox.  It's time to get the XBox One!  I'm very excited, because for me this will be a huge leap forward in technology.  Despite the controversy, I'm looking forward to the new console release.

I guess I can classify myself as a casual gamer.  I would love to play more often, but other things get in the way sometimes (like work and sleep).  And I haven't even been a part of the current console generation.  However with the new console coming up, I hope to revitalize my inner gamer.

So that's me in a nutshell.  I hope to post weekly blogs here with all of the latest in the world of XBox.

Your feedback is very important here.  Please let me know what you would like to see here on this blog.  Your suggestions on content, visual presentation, and anything else will be very helpful to producing enticing blog content.

My next blog will be about the power of today's digitally connected consumer, and how they can influence the future of gaming products.

So the next time you want to know the time, there's no need to look at your watch... because it's Jack Time, baby!

Until next time,
Jack