Product Features

Genre: Consoles
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Available Platforms: XBox One

Xbox One 500GB Console with Kinect

Summary
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The new generation all-in-one entertainment system - Xbox One. Created for today and the decade ahead, Xbox One is designed to be the all-in-one games and entertainment system which puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype. With Xbox One, games push the boundaries of realism and TV obeys your commands. You can say Xbox On to launch with your personalized Xbox One Home screen, discover what TMs popular on TV or your friends TM latest gaming achievements all using your voice. The more you interact with Xbox One, the more it gets to know you and learns what you like. Includes: - Xbox One console, - Kinect sensor, - Controller, - Exclusive achievement, - HDMI Cable, - Wired Headset 1. An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One Games...

Ruth Shipley November 25, 2013 XONE

****

As a self-confessed Xbox fangirl and owner of an Xbox 360 for several years now, I always knew that I'd choose the next generation of Microsoft's console over its Sony-branded equivalent. I've had an Xbox One reserved since they were available to pre-order earlier this year, and I'm happy to say that the postman delivered my console on the day of release so I was able to launch straight into it as soon as I got home on Friday night.

So while reading this review, bear in mind that a) I'm already an Xbox fan and b) I've only had a weekend to play around with the Xbox One, meaning that these are very much first impressions of someone who already knows and enjoys Microsoft's consoles.

Nevertheless, I think that Xbox One will exceed a lot of people's expectations. It's not just a great games machine, although it does serve that need perfectly (I got the bundle with Forza Motorsport 5 and bought Ryse separately and I'm enjoying both a lot). It's also an obvious attempt to create more of an integrated "media hub" for your living room, and in that regard it sets up a very good foundation that Microsoft can definitely build on over the next few years.

The games themselves are great and look AMAZING. Forza is like watching real-life racing on TV, it's honestly difficult to tell it apart from reality sometimes, and they also use the extra processing power of the Xbox One to make the other computer-controlled drivers act a lot smarter than I've seen in other racing games.

Ryse is pretty cool and again looks stunning, recreating ancient Rome with amazingly detailed scenery and characters with really expressive, almost human faces. If anyone wanted to see the difference between new generation graphics and the old ones, I would definitely show them these games as an example.

So I think that the gaming side is great and I'm looking forward to getting some more games once I can afford them (this is the only bad thing about having a new console, the games are still full price!).

The Xbox One's controller looks and feels pretty much like the old Xbox 360 controller so doesn't take too much getting used to, but there are a few new additions. The main one I enjoyed was that the Xbox One controller has a cool rumble-feedback function built into the trigger buttons that helps to make the games feel that little bit extra involving while you're playing - like in Forza, you get feedback from your car through the triggers, for example if you start to veer off the road.

I haven't used the Kinect camera properly yet so can't comment on how good it is for playing games, but I think all the voice-activation stuff it allows is cool (you can switch your console on just by telling it to come on! And you can control all the menus and stuff by voice too.). Maybe if a game comes out that looks like it uses the video stuff in an interesting way then I'll try it, but for me it's still just a bit of a novelty like the old Kinect.

Other than that, the console itself is really solid, nicely designed and whisper-quiet compared to the old 360 (seriously, it's almost silent at times even when running a game). The setup process for the console is quite short when you first start: once you've downloaded and installed the day-one update you're away, with not too much messing about setting up your user accounts, especially if you're familiar with previous Xbox setups.

The media hub stuff I mentioned is really cool too, there are loads of features and apps available like Lovefilm, 4oD, Youtube, as well as all the basic stuff like a Blu-Ray player and internet browser. I can't wait to see how this side of things is expanded in future because if the PS4 is concentrating purely on games then Microsoft could do brilliantly with the Xbox One in creating a unique all-in-one box under your TV that does everything you need.

Hopefully it's obvious how great I think the Xbox One is, and I would definitely say it's worth getting one if you're thinking about getting one of the new generation consoles. I can't wait until I have more time to explore it further.