As the old saying goes…”always dance with the one that brought ya’!”
We will soon come to the official close of the first year of the next-gen launch cycle, as the holiday season of 2014 quickly approaches. I don’t need to recap the score up ‘til now, as anyone possessing even a base-level of gaming knowledge knows the PS4 is kicking ass on all fronts (while the Xbox One still struggles to find its footing). Several hail-marry passes and audibles recently called by newly appointed head Phil Spencer look to flip the script, pulling the struggling hardware out of its rut and catapulting it back into the race as a serious contender.
But even as CheatCC’s biggest Xbox critic, I can’t deny the One brings significant value to the table. I’ve always said Microsoft’s best ace-in-the-hole when it comes to competition in the market is their online infrastructure. Despite the huge strides Sony has made with its console (regarding things like PlayStation Now, PSTV and the PlayStation Network), Xbox Live is still untouchable on the sexiness scale. Its sleek, streamlined interface still rocks as much (if not more) as it did back when the 360 reigned supreme! Luckily for us, Microsoft is always looking to add to their feature set, by continuously pushing out major “big bang” style updates to improve the user-experience overall. We recently learned what’s in-store for the month of November, so I thought I’d bring you the rundown on these changes and what they’ll mean to you and your little green friend.
First up are the all-new customization options (much like a gamers edition of cribs)! We’ve come a long way since the dark green reactor of the original Xbox’s dashboard in 2001. With the 360, we were introduced to the sliding blades motif (which I still miss by the way), then came the change over to the flat panels later on. As things progressed, we finally arrived at the very Windows-esque layout the Xbox One sports today. Very soon, gamers will be introduced to a set of customization features simplistic enough to make all the difference. Not only will you be able to save multiple setups across more than one Gamertag (changing things like background themes, colors, etc), but you’ll have the ability to choose what is showcased when others peep out your profile. Particularly proud of a specific achievement you’ve unlocked or item you’ve earned lately? Now you can hang them proudly on your virtual walls to garner those bragging rights you so deserve!
Speaking of walls, that’s exactly what Microsoft hopes to tear down which separate our forms of entertainment (merging together a hodge-podge of social media, TV and gaming content). When just staring blankly at your screens isn’t enough anymore, along comes the Xbox One! If you haven’t noticed, people have short attention spans these days. This has not gone unnoticed by those in research and development, as they’re always looking for new ways to tap into people’s constant need to be “plugged-in” beyond their HDTVs and game systems alone. By integrating Twitter functionality that branches beyond its initial 140 characters, you’ll soon be able to see what top shows are trending (updated literarily to the minute), read what other people are saying via their feeds in real-time, and even shoot out a tweet or two yourself without having to navigate away from said programing. It’s an ADHD patient’s delight, for those who absolutely need a minimum of 10 paths of input simultaneously inundating their brain all at once.
It almost makes you wonder if we’ve begun cramming TOO much activity into a time period once considered “leisure.” But hell…who are we to argue with progress? There’s no doubt Microsoft needs all the help it can get, as the One charges head-first into this digital war (where the landscape is shifting almost on a monthly basis). If the green machine could somehow elevate its games model (on-par with that of their online component), we could have a fairly spirited round #2 on our hands moving into the New Year.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy for some of us to hang our hats on “ if .”