Microsoft has taken an ambitious direction with the OS and user interface of the Xbox One. Departing from the traditional, Microsoft's view of the future living room is voice and gesture based. How well do they pull it off? More importantly, does it all feel natural?
Setting up the Xbox One and Kinect was pretty easy and straight forward. There were no hiccups along the way. I was instantly recognized by Kinect and it had no problems locating or recognizing me though out the day. Voice commands are easily picked up by the mic and function very well in the system. So much so that I will be using voice commands as my preferred input method in my entertainment system. But more on that later.
The OS in the Xbox One may look a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it it becomes second nature, like most OS's. It's very Window 8, which is something I happen to like. Everything is a button. You can pin your favorites to the home screen for easy access. Some features take some levels of button pressing and this is where voice commands come in handy. It's far easier to get to any sub-level of the OS using voice commands than using the controller. You're brought right there.
Using gestures was far slower than using a controller and more cumbersome. I won't be using gestures much. The combination of voice and the controller will be the way to go for most. The gestures worked well but they're just too slow to be viable.
Voice navigation is absolutely stunning. While it's weird at first talking to your console, you'll soon realize the ease and fluidity lets you get past that. It was pretty cool to be able to turn down my receiver's volume using voice commands considering I had left the remote on the other side of the living room.
Commands are readily picked up, and, once you know all of the commands, the navigation is even faster than using a controller. The little guide of commands that pops up on the screen is a nice addition for those who do not know the correct terms. They have to be specific but become second nature after you've used them a few times. I really can speak highly enough about voice commands. It's revolutionized the living room.
Snapping with the Xbox One is a cool feature but I don't see myself using it for much other than having a picture in picture of live TV, or media streaming, right now. Once apps mature more to take advantage of it, like the Machinima app, the feature will shine.
One of the best features of the Xbox One's OS, "Xbox, record that." It works very well and adds a dimension of sociability not easily accessible on prior consoles. Add in the new "feed" feature for our friends list, and we have one of the best integrations of video games, social networking and sharing we've seen. Upload Studio is a nice little editing suite that will mature as time passes. With the features it has now it's more than capable.
There are a few things about the Xbox One's OS that can use some attention. The first one is having to say the entire name of the game you want to play. I don't see a way around that since there will be multiple titles of the same game on the console, i.e. NBA 2k14, NBA 2k15. I can understand why you have to say the entire name of the game. Hopefully, when the OS matures, the system will become smart enough to handle shortened names. Instead of saying "Xbox, go to Forza Motorsport 5," we will be able to say, "Xbox, go to Forza," since that's the only Forza game on the system, or, it's the most frequently use Forza title.
The gestures are not something I see myself using all that much. They're too slow. That's not a knock on the Kinect or the OS per-se, but a knock on the nature of gesture input. I don't see a way to really overcome it. I think it's a case of that's just how it has to be.
The Xbox One's OS is a giant leap into the future. I see the future of the living room being voice controlled as it was in Back to the Future 2. Microsoft has done a wonderful job with the Xbox One's OS and it's integration of voice control. The learning curve isn't difficult and becomes second nature after only a few minutes. Outside of gestures, there aren't many, if any, negatives I can point out. It's the future and Microsoft is setting the standard for all to follow.
Setting up the Xbox One and Kinect was pretty easy and straight forward. There were no hiccups along the way. I was instantly recognized by Kinect and it had no problems locating or recognizing me though out the day. Voice commands are easily picked up by the mic and function very well in the system. So much so that I will be using voice commands as my preferred input method in my entertainment system. But more on that later.
The OS in the Xbox One may look a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it it becomes second nature, like most OS's. It's very Window 8, which is something I happen to like. Everything is a button. You can pin your favorites to the home screen for easy access. Some features take some levels of button pressing and this is where voice commands come in handy. It's far easier to get to any sub-level of the OS using voice commands than using the controller. You're brought right there.
Using gestures was far slower than using a controller and more cumbersome. I won't be using gestures much. The combination of voice and the controller will be the way to go for most. The gestures worked well but they're just too slow to be viable.
Voice navigation is absolutely stunning. While it's weird at first talking to your console, you'll soon realize the ease and fluidity lets you get past that. It was pretty cool to be able to turn down my receiver's volume using voice commands considering I had left the remote on the other side of the living room.
Commands are readily picked up, and, once you know all of the commands, the navigation is even faster than using a controller. The little guide of commands that pops up on the screen is a nice addition for those who do not know the correct terms. They have to be specific but become second nature after you've used them a few times. I really can speak highly enough about voice commands. It's revolutionized the living room.
Snapping with the Xbox One is a cool feature but I don't see myself using it for much other than having a picture in picture of live TV, or media streaming, right now. Once apps mature more to take advantage of it, like the Machinima app, the feature will shine.
One of the best features of the Xbox One's OS, "Xbox, record that." It works very well and adds a dimension of sociability not easily accessible on prior consoles. Add in the new "feed" feature for our friends list, and we have one of the best integrations of video games, social networking and sharing we've seen. Upload Studio is a nice little editing suite that will mature as time passes. With the features it has now it's more than capable.
There are a few things about the Xbox One's OS that can use some attention. The first one is having to say the entire name of the game you want to play. I don't see a way around that since there will be multiple titles of the same game on the console, i.e. NBA 2k14, NBA 2k15. I can understand why you have to say the entire name of the game. Hopefully, when the OS matures, the system will become smart enough to handle shortened names. Instead of saying "Xbox, go to Forza Motorsport 5," we will be able to say, "Xbox, go to Forza," since that's the only Forza game on the system, or, it's the most frequently use Forza title.
The gestures are not something I see myself using all that much. They're too slow. That's not a knock on the Kinect or the OS per-se, but a knock on the nature of gesture input. I don't see a way to really overcome it. I think it's a case of that's just how it has to be.
The Xbox One's OS is a giant leap into the future. I see the future of the living room being voice controlled as it was in Back to the Future 2. Microsoft has done a wonderful job with the Xbox One's OS and it's integration of voice control. The learning curve isn't difficult and becomes second nature after only a few minutes. Outside of gestures, there aren't many, if any, negatives I can point out. It's the future and Microsoft is setting the standard for all to follow.
