XBox One: Initial Thoughts

Microsoft had their XBox event yesterday afternoon (EST). CNET and many others were doing the same as they did with the Sony event months back: live streaming. So, what has Microsoft brought to the table? Here are my initial impressions.

Biggest Surprise

TV! TV! TV! Microsoft showed a lot of what they want to do with TV integration. It's nothing we haven't seen others do. It's Microsoft's version of the GoogleTV, but with motion controls via the new Kinect. Want to watch HBO? Just say, "Xbox watch HBO." Want to listen to music? Just say, "Listen to music." Pretty neat ideas.

Missing Piece

We saw the changed controller, the integration with TV, the integration with other Microsoft products, the console, and the new Kinect, but how much is this going to cost us? Where are all the games for this video game system? They showed off some nonexclusive games, but promised us there were some exclusives (other than Fortza). Show us more.

Biggest Disappointment

Honestly, the biggest disappointment was the lack of information on games. Microsoft is way too focused on the TV aspects, which appear to be a glorified Google TV. There are just too many questions with that whole integration. Will it come with IR blasters? Will it support all models of TV, AV Receiver, Cableboxes, DVRs, etc.?

Comparison

Since this was the last of the two to present, let's compare how they are. Sony's system, though not physically seen, appears to be the better of the two. We've seen more games, more exclusives, more social integration, and just more wow from Sony's presentation. Remember, it's a video game system first and a media system second. In that respect, I think Sony's going in the right direction.
Also check out PlayStation 4: Initial Thoughts.

Conclusion

As a game console, I'm not impressed with the presentation. When there was talk about games, it was about non-exclusives. And there was also talk of paying a fee to have your game played on a different console. With E3 so close, I think they should have waited to reveal the system there with more games. We'll have to wait until then to really get a good grasp at system exclusives before we can make a viable comparison.