Xbox The Xbox One - - Part 14

[Iceman]

that is true. And Sony is not beyond doing stupid ****, too.

So, we shall see. If nothing else, I want MS to be a strong competitor so Sony won't get complacent and do stupid ****. Competition is always healthy. Forces you to adapt and change and improve.

You even saw that this gen to an extent. Sony built up such a massive lead that they did kind of go complacent. They didn't really change or add much to the PS4 over the course of the gen. They didn't really have to, because the formula worked for them. But, even as a PS4 owner, I could detect a degree of complacency.

Compare that to what Xbox did. They (under Phil Spencer) had to claw their way back from that huge setback at the beginning. And they did, adding new features, fixing things, buying new studios, etc. So, I'd say competition forced them to improve.

It just feels, though, that at some point in the last several years, Xbox just kind of "gave up." Not in the literal sense, but it does feel like they recognized there's no way they are beating Sony this gen, so they are just going to coast into the finish line with X1 and focus on next gen.

Next gen will certainly be more interesting. Hopefully. For me, it will come down to what exclusive games (and features) interest me the most.

Yeah, that’s happening for sure. But maybe it is the best tactic as they were so far behind and next gen is only a year out anyway. With crossplay and full BC, all that next gen focus will reward this gen as well anyway for those who don’t upgrade.

 

[Zorro]

I'm thinking about finally getting an external harddrive for my core xbox one. Is it an easy set up? Like do I just plug it in and it'll add the TB to my console or do I have to transfer each game save to an extra file or what?

 

[X Knight]

I'm thinking about finally getting an external harddrive for my core xbox one. Is it an easy set up? Like do I just plug it in and it'll add the TB to my console or do I have to transfer each game save to an extra file or what?

It's super easy. Just plug it in and it will prompt you to format the drive. Then, you can name it and set the external as the default location to download content to if you want. If you set the external as the default location, then any new game or app you download will be installed on the external.

For existing games and apps, you'll have to manually transfer those to the external. You can either move the game/app from one drive to the other or copy it so it will be on both drives. There is an option to check multiple games/apps that you want to transfer, so you don't have to manually move each game/app at a time.

You can only transfer games and apps to an external drive. The actual game save files are still stored on the internal drive and in the Cloud. Also, you can't transfer certain "system apps" to an external drive.

But for the most part, it's pretty easy and straightforward. And the nice thing is, once you've got the external formatted and setup, you can plug it into any Xbox and it will work and you'll have access to all of your games and apps. Good if you upgrade to a new console, for example.

 

[Zorro]

Awesome! Thanks

 

[X Knight]

^sure!!

 

[Iceman]

Yeah, I love having everything digital I own already downloaded in one place.

 

[X Knight]

looks like some retailers, like Best Buy, are already starting their BF console deals.

so, if you want an Xbox One X for $350 ($150 off) and want to get a headstart on your BF shopping, and don't mind buying an X one year before Scarlett comes out, then you may want to check out the deals.

I even think Best Buy is throwing in a $30 e-giftcard when you buy an Xbox bundle. Getting the new Jedi Fallen Order X bundle at $350 along with a $30 e-giftcard is a pretty good deal.

 

[Iceman]

Amazon have the Gears X1X up for £300. Great price that. A friend is getting it.

 

[X Knight]

yeah, there are some pretty good gaming deals this year, on both the consoles and the games.

I kind of wish the Switch would have gotten at least a $50 price cut. I know there's the Mario Kart bundle, which technically saves you $60, but I would have preferred a straight price cut on the console itself.

Gamestop is offering a $25 gift card with any Switch bundle, so I just might get the Mario Kart bundle from there.

 

[Iceman]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-11-26-phil-spencer-vr-not-a-focus-for-project-scarlett-because-xbox-fans-arent-asking-for-it

 

[Iceman]

https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20965239/xbox-project-scarlett-price-performance-ps5-phil-spencer-interview

They definitely can't afford to muck up on this front this time around. On the plus side no idiot Don Mattrick to stuff things up. Spencer is so much better.

 

[X Knight]

yeah, neither console can afford a noticeable difference in power and price. I expect them to be roughly equal in both regards. The difference will come down to GAMES and features.

as for VR, I'm not sure if ignoring that is the wisest decision, especially if Sony continues to make greater strides with PSVR 2 or whatever it will be.

PS5 supporting VR would be one big "feature" that Scarlett would lack. For some consumers, that could be a deciding factor.

VR isn't that important to me yet, but if Sony can indeed streamline its VR unit into a more compact wireless version, and if there are compelling VR games, I could take a look at it next gen.

Though, I would much rather prefer full GC with all prior Playstation gens (which rumors keep pointing to). BC could be an area where Xbox continues to outshine Playstation if PS5 ends up only being BC with PS4 games.

 

[Iceman]

I can't see VR getting that big until the gen after this. I like the idea of it but it's one of those things I won't jump abouard with till its fully established. It feels like such a long time ago that we were told how big it would be with the likes of Oculus Rift but as of 2019 it still isn't anywhere near where I would start looking into it.

Also for next gen I'd rather it had a focus on things more important to me. This was one of the problems with the X1 launch where it was widening its focus too much to things like TV and voice tech/Kinect leading to higher costs and forgetting to provide the traditional games at their best.

 

[X Knight]

I can't see VR getting that big until the gen after this. I like the idea of it but it's one of those things I won't jump abouard with till its fully established. It feels like such a long time ago that we were told how big it would be with the likes of Oculus Rift but as of 2019 it still isn't anywhere near where I would start looking into it.

Also for next gen I'd rather it had a focus on things more important to me. This was one of the problems with the X1 launch where it was widening its focus too much to things like TV and voice tech/Kinect leading to higher costs and forgetting to provide the traditional games at their best.

that's a good point about the X1 launch. Though, I don't think the focus on the other "stuff" was wrong per se, it was focusing on that stuff at the expense of focusing on games. That and forcing the Kinect onto the consumer at a $100 premium.

If MS had simply made 2 bundles available at launch, one without Kinect for $100 cheaper and then one with Kinect, perhaps the early sales could have been different. or maybe not, we'll never know now.

and with VR, it's not like they don't already have 3rd party Windows 10 VR sets that they could expand to support Xbox. Or partner with Oculus.

but time will tell if VR truly takes off.

 

[Marvolo]

I traded in my XBox One VCR model for the XBOX One X. Ended up paying $290 so not a bad a deal. Its ****ing wonderful how quiet and cool it's been so far. My PS4 Pro sounds like a jet engine most of the time and puts out the heat of a small oven.

 

[X Knight]

yeah, it's amazing how much quieter the X is compared to the Pro or even the X1S.

hope it sets the standard for the next gen consoles.

 

[Zorro]

Got a 2 TB external hard drive on sale for $70. Downloading a bunch of games on gamepass and ones I own. Now I have a buffet of games than just about 5 or 6 at a time!

 

[Iceman]

Got a 2 TB external hard drive on sale for $70. Downloading a bunch of games on gamepass and ones I own. Now I have a buffet of games than just about 5 or 6 at a time!

Nice. External is the way to go.

 

[Iceman]

The Next-Gen Xbox Is Called Xbox Series X

 

[X Knight]

Series X. didn't see that one coming.

It is sort of what I expected in that they will move back towards just Xbox. The "Series" naming approach lets them do future series names, while still keeping Xbox. So, we could get Xbox Series E or Xbox Series Z, etc.

I do like the design. definitely different than what's expected for a console. more like a PC design (as is the Series naming convention).

kind of wish Fable was the game they teased, instead of Hellblade 2.

but bold move from MS on revealing the design and name this early.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah I like the design. Wasn’t expecting anything like that.

 

[X Knight]

it definitely stands out!!

 

[Travesty]

People are saying it's still an Xbox One, it's just a much more powerful one.

But I guess we'll get more info soon.

 

[X Knight]

hope there are multiple USB ports in the back. there should still be one on the front. kind of bummed by that.

 

[Sithborg]

Congrats on your Xbox Sex...