EDITOR’S NOTE: This column previously stated the retail cost of the Xbox One as $599. The correct price is $499.
Believe it or not, we’re less than a month away from the start of a new video game console section.
With the release of the Xbox One set for Nov. 22, the company is sending demo units across the country to garner up positive buzz.
One of such units found its way to Tower Drive outside the Student Union on Friday, and I stopped by to check it out.
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The console itself is a pretty standard black box, save for the subtle chrome Xbox logo gracing the front. Kinect also received a slight aesthetic change — it’s much more boxy.
But the most redesigned portion of the Xbox One is the controller. Now, my expectations were high considering the high level of quality of the Xbox 360 controller (excluding the d-pad.)
Somehow, Microsoft managed to ruin a good thing.
The controller isn’t unusable — far from it. But the joysticks, which were almost a perfect concave piece of rubber on the older controller, are much smaller and much more jerky than the 360’s controller.
And the shoulder bumpers also received a slight revision. They’re much more click-y now, which unfortunately makes them easier to accidentally press.
Honestly, the best part of the new controller is the directional pad. It’s got a “digital” feel to it (think GameBoy SP/DS) and was very responsive.
Other than that, the Xbox One was, well, just another Xbox. The graphics didn’t blow me away, though they were very good, and the gameplay wasn’t anything different from the previous model.
And that’s a problem. Microsoft is asking consumers to spend an unreasonably high $500 on this “all-in-one” device, and arguably its biggest selling point — the gaming aspect — has almost stayed the exact same.
No one will pay $500 for slightly better graphics.
I fear initially, Microsoft is having a case of “PS3 syndrome.”
When the PS3 was released, it was a ridiculous “599 U.S. dollars.” Sony was banking on the name recognition and the success of the PS2 to drive sales, and that simply wasn’t the case. Though the graphics were much, much better than the PS2, no one was going to spend $600 on a new console, especially when the Xbox 360 was available with more games and a cheaper price tag.
That’s what’s happening with the Xbox One. The base PS4 is only $399 — $100 cheaper than the Xbox. And it’s got an arguably better launch lineup than the Xbox. And it’s more focused on games than entertainment.
By no means is the Xbox One dead on arrival, but don’t expect it to dominate the marketplace like its older sibling.
An Xbox One demo was on display Friday afternoon outside the Student Union.
