Xbox One - Where Microsoft actually listens to consumers

[chemgear]

Microsoft Independent Developers @ Xbox Initiative Announced today.

Short on details but at least a start to their 180 on how they deal with independent developers. Good for consumers.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/08/2...box-initiative

[chemgear]

Killer Instinct - just 6 (!!!!!!) fighters at "launch". WTF, why bother? Christ.

http://news.xbox.com/2013/08/gamescom-ki

Additional characters will be available for purchase starting at $4.99 / £3.99 / €4.99 each.

Players can also purchase special discounted character packages:

Combo Breaker Pack –– Save 50 percent instantly by purchasing the Combo Breaker pack,

Combo Breaker Pack Includes

- The first 8 characters (6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release) for $19.99 / £16.99 / €19.99.

Ultra Edition – The Ultra Edition delivers the best value for “Killer Instinct” fans. Available for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99,

The Ultra Edition includes:

- The first 8 characters (6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release)
- Character accessory packs
- Character costumes
- The original “Killer Instinct” arcade game

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Killer Instinct - just 6 (!!!!!!) fighters at "launch". WTF, why bother? Christ.

http://news.xbox.com/2013/08/gamescom-ki

Additional characters will be available for purchase starting at $4.99 / £3.99 / €4.99 each.

Players can also purchase special discounted character packages:

Combo Breaker Pack –– Save 50 percent instantly by purchasing the Combo Breaker pack,

Combo Breaker Pack Includes

- The first 8 characters (6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release) for $19.99 / £16.99 / €19.99.

Ultra Edition – The Ultra Edition delivers the best value for “Killer Instinct” fans. Available for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99,

The Ultra Edition includes:

- The first 8 characters (6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release)
- Character accessory packs
- Character costumes
- The original “Killer Instinct” arcade game

My friend brought this up but this really isn't an issue. Both Killer Instinct and KI2/Gold only had 11 fighters total and there is only 15 characters spread across both games. So the game will "launch" with 8 characters? That's only 3 shy of the total number of fighters in either of the previous games. And you can grab them all for 20 bucks? That seems to be the right price point. Considering it's a F2P game I'd imagine that they'll be pretty aggressive at releasing new characters on a regular basis.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

My friend brought this up but this really isn't an issue. Both Killer Instinct and KI2/Gold only had 11 fighters total and there is only 15 characters spread across both games. So the game will "launch" with 8 characters? That's only 3 shy of the total number of fighters in either of the previous games. And you can grab them all for 20 bucks? That seems to be the right price point. Considering it's a F2P game I'd imagine that they'll be pretty aggressive at releasing new characters on a regular basis.

LOL, I guess we really should have known that the roster would be that limited given how slow they've been at showing actual characters. The original Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat had a dozen characters back more than 20 years ago upon release. Last gen fighters (MK4, SF4, etc.) have pushed out what, maybe 20ish at least?

The actual KI release is with 6 fighters, and the other two are planned 4-5 months later apparently. And then a "Season 2" another year later and "just repeat the whole thing."

So after more than a year and half after release, their hope/plan is to have 12-16 fighters in total. Color me disappointed ; but I guess it looks pretty from the hands on time I had with it.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/08/2...unch-explained

[cDnStealth]

Originally Posted by chemgear

LOL, I guess we really should have known that the roster would be that limited given how slow they've been at showing actual characters. The original Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat had a dozen characters back more than 20 years ago upon release. Last gen fighters (MK4, SF4, etc.) have pushed out what, maybe 20ish at least?

The actual KI release is with 6 fighters, and the other two are planned 4-5 months later apparently. And then a "Season 2" another year later and "just repeat the whole thing."

So after more than a year and half after release, their hope/plan is to have 12-16 fighters in total. Color me disappointed ; but I guess it looks pretty from the hands on time I had with it.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/08/2...unch-explained

Some things to put this into perspective:

- 12, 11 and 11 are the number of characters that Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct respectively featured in their first games.

- Street Fighter has had five major title releases (SF, SFII, Third Strike, Alpha and IV) not including Super, Hyper, Ultra re-releases. Mortal Kombat has nine games in it's series. This will only be the third KI game. Understandably, both SF and MK have had plenty of years/games to grow their rosters.

- Street Fighter IV launched with 19 characters and cost $60. Capcom added 10 more but you were required to buy an entirely new game for $40. They will be adding another 5 characters for $15. If you paid for the original release and then upgraded to SSFIV and are planning on buying the new add-on you'll have spent $115. If we're breaking that down per character it works out to roughly $3.40. Keep in mind that you have a lot of characters that are essentially the same. There are arguably 7 shoto clones in SSFIV.

- 8 characters in KI at a minimum price of $20 works out to $2.50 per fighter. Yes, compared to Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Dead or Alive 5, Injustice you're getting a third of the characters. But you're also paying a third of the price.

- More characters does not a good game make. With fewer characters hopefully they'll be able to craft an excellently balanced fighting game.

[Esoteric]

Yeah, I'm not too concerned with a lack of fighters. I find that I'll only ever play as ~5 fighters in a game and get good with one or two, so I generally don't worry about having a robust roster.

[chemgear]

http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/a...new-character/

Last few seconds of the video has a new "spider woman" character?

[chemgear]

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I agree with Enoch Root. I'm a gamer that has actually become a casual gamer as I get older and frankly have less time to put towards the hobby. While many of the fanboys have been scoffing at some of the entertainment features of the Xbox one, thats the stuff that pretty much intrigues me the most about the potential of new consoles. To me the potential of loading up internet explorer to check stats while watching a Flames game, or skyping family in the UK while watching the same soccer game they are (all through simple voice or hand gestures) -- that's the good stuff. I'll have an interest in gaming as well -- but its no longer the singular focus of what I'd be buying a console for. I want a comprehensive entertainment experience, and I want one console that can deliver that.

etc...

Same thing. I have both a 360 and PS3. Game wise some are bette ron one console and others better on the other. I prefer the 360 controller to the PS controllers. but above all when it comes to streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu or streaming from my computer I use the 360 100% of the time. It is simply the better machine for those purposes. And it is developing those things that MS is trying to do.

It wasn't for the staggering bad job at marketing (and it isn't just Sony fan boys...they have done a bad job), we'd be talking a lot about those things. I think MS made a half hearted attempt at discussing those things but forgot they were talking to early adopters....the hard core gamers. Not sure how they did that but they did.

[SuperMatt18]

That white employee only machine is pretty slick.

[Nage Waza]

I wonder if they are giving out units to staff as a result of prebuilding too many? Have they always done that? I work with lots of people in the hardware/software industry and very few get something for free just like that.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I wonder if they are giving out units to staff as a result of prebuilding too many? Have they always done that? I work with lots of people in the hardware/software industry and very few get something for free just like that.

Everything I have read says that there will be shortages, which is why they also scaled back the amount of countries they launch to in November.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by ernie

but above all when it comes to streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu or streaming from my computer I use the 360 100% of the time. It is simply the better machine for those purposes.

Can you explain why the 360 is better than the PS3 for streaming Netflix? I've found the PS3 to be the best device in my household for Netflix, so I'd like to know what I'm missing here.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Can you explain why the 360 is better than the PS3 for streaming Netflix? I've found the PS3 to be the best device in my household for Netflix, so I'd like to know what I'm missing here.

Disagree with this as well.

Interface is easy on both devices, and at least with the PS3 you don't need to pay extra to access Netflix (Xbox Live Gold is needed for Netflix on the XBox).

Actually find myself getting frustrated with Netflix on Xbox as there are times when the Kinect will pick up a voice command from the dialogue in the movie.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Can you explain why the 360 is better than the PS3 for streaming Netflix? I've found the PS3 to be the best device in my household for Netflix, so I'd like to know what I'm missing here.

For whatever reason the streaming on PS3 is slower to connect and often choppy compared to my 360. I also think (no proof other than my eyes) that non-HD content gets upscaled better on the 360. Just poorer stability and quality in general.

And streaming from my PC to PS3 is basically unwatchable.

Might be a bad machine or something but others have the same issues. 360 is a better central household machine IMHO.

I certainly understand the Xbox live additional cost but given I have it anyways and feel that the 360 is the better machine for these tasks it is what i use. If I didn't have xbox live at the beginning I would have went with PS3 as well but honestly now I'd shell out for the gold membership for these tasks.

Not a MS fanboy or anything...I have both and have since about the beginning. Had both an PS2 and Xbox. I will likely not buy either of the new consoles until they've been out for a year or more. I don't have a horse in the race. (too old and too busy to play much more than a few games of Fifa a week. Kids always around so don't get to play much else).

[TorqueDog]

<--- Is not an IEB FTE, is GBS FTE.

[Violator]

The xbox one insides





http://semiaccurate.com/2013/08/29/a...-architecture/

[phaneuf_train]

How likely do you think the xbox will be able to purchase on day one if you don't pre-order it? I've never been a fan of pre-ordering anything.

[chemgear]

Man, I really thought they'd get their act together with their big push with Kinect. Hard to ask consumers to dish out an extra $100 knowing their new Kinect features won't work when you first get it.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/08/3...kets-at-launch

While we're still waiting on a firm release date for the Xbox One, we now know that the system's much-touted voice command capabilities will be limited to select markets at launch. Spotted by Gamespot, a listing on Xbox.com notes that the console's new Kinect-enabled voice commands will only be available in the US, UK, Canada, France, and Germany when it ships sometime in November. That leaves customers in the other 8 launch regions — including Australia, Mexico, Italy, and others — out of luck until an unspecified later date.

[YYC in LAX]

A little late here but does anyone know a place in Calgary still offering any pre-sale purchases? Thanks