Xbox One review

When Microsoft decided to focus the Xbox One marketing campaign around the console’s media capabilities, my main concern was that everything would work just well enough, and nothing about the console would stand out. If the Xbox One was going to be a living room media device and a cable box and a video game console, something would have to give. But Microsoft proved me wrong: First and foremost, the Xbox One is a very capable gaming device, and a worthy successor to the Xbox 360.

Fittingly, the first thing you’ll see when you unpack your Xbox One is the Kinect. This is the Microsoft’s big gambit — the $100 addition that is poised to become an inseparable part of next-generation gaming. Like everything else in the box, it’s huge. You could definitely pack a few Xbox 360 Kinect units inside the monstrous camera that will be watching over your living room for the next seven years or so. It’s a sleek device though; the original Kinect looked like a plastic toy, but the Kinect 2.0 is a much more innocuous addition to your entertainment center.

The console itself is much bigger than I had expected. There are those who have compared the Xbox One to a VCR, and I am finding it hard to disagree. In other words, you won’t be buying the Xbox One for its portability. The console features both HDMI in and HDMI out, as well as S/PDIF, IR out and ethernet ports. Additionally, there are three USB ports and a slot specifically for the Kinect.

When it comes to controllers, I’ve always preferred Sony’s layout, particularly the analog sticks, but there’s no denying that Microsoft built the definitive console controller for the last generation, and smartly has changed next to nothing this time around. No fancy gimmicks or added functionality — the only significant changes are the death of Start and Select (replaced by the Menu and View buttons) and the raised profile of the right and left bumpers.

I have to wonder if anyone at Microsoft actually held the controller before shipping it. Because of the raised bumpers, switching back and forth between shoulder buttons is noticeably awkward. There’s no way to quickly slide your fingers from the triggers to the bumpers, which is an action that many games require. It’s a minor blemish on an otherwise great controller, but with no fix in sight, Microsoft managed to manufacture a new problem.

I want to try and avoid many direct comparisons to the PlayStation 4 in this review, but the external power brick, exclusive to the Xbox One this generation, looks even more ridiculous now than it did eight years ago, especially when it’s sitting next to a camera smart enough to track your skeleton in a pitch black room.

Microsoft also includes a decent headset in the box and a 14-day free trial for Xbox Live Gold, which is just as necessary on the Xbox One as it was on the Xbox 360. Without a subscription to Xbox Live Gold, you end up losing a majority of the console’s functionality. Netflix, Skype, Internet Explorer, OneGuide, game recording and online multiplayer are all barred from users without Gold, a vast majority of what the console was marketed on in the first place. It’s not unexpected, just disappointing.