Xbox One Discussion Thread

[SmallFry]

* SmallFry smites [)amien.

)

[Michael]

It has been confirmed. Movies and games will both be Blu-Ray format.

All I see is "Blu-Ray Drive". Nothing about movie playback. Again, two pieces are required. Drive + player software. Anyone who has acquired a drive for their PC can attest to this. I suspect it will be a free extra download but not preinstalled.

[)amien

Have you ever had a blu-ray drive that didn't play movies?......

[SmallFry]

He just stated that his PC didn't natively support Blu-rays despite having the drive.

[Michael]

He just stated that his PC didn't natively support Blu-rays despite having the drive.

And what does that have to do with the Xbox One playing Blu Ray movies?


Windows needs a codec to support it. Xbox One natively supports it.

[Michael]

I'm pretty sure they are going to have to make it work with 3rd party boxes as I highly doubt Sky or any US cable provider would willingly hand over the encryption software to MS... also the fact that the One has HDMI in, that you can use to connect your comcast box to your XONE, and if it dsnt have a HDMI out then the XONE also has an IR Blaster, its essentially a console with the Google TV stuff built it, nothing we havn't seen before and nothing that actually solves any problems.

I believe it's going to work essentially like a cable card inside the Xbox. It's just up to cable and other content providers to work with MS and allow them to stream their content through the console. Being MS, I think they may have some success in this. But honestly, I couldn't care less about cable. I haven't had cable for years now. IMO, big waste of money. Hundreds of channels I will never watch and still have to pay for. Rather have on-demand options with a small monthly fee. Same with movies. I also stream most of my movies from my PC to my Xbox 360. So as long as I can still do that, I am fine.

I think you made that up lol... the XONE has no cable card/receiver inside it, nor anything that would work with satellite services... The Verge wrote an piece about how its going to work, and its going to work like Google TV (apparently) where you plug in the cable/sky box or what ever into the XONE and then the XONE over-lays its own interface on the top of the feed its getting from the box via the HDMI-in. But this means it has no access to any DVR functions and the XONE has no DVR functions of its own... if the cable/sky box cannot support this though the HDMI port there is also an IR Blaster built into it to help... but you still need your cable/sky box for it to work...

...and yeah I agree with you I have SkyHD but the only reason is so I can watch the F1, I don't watch any live TV other than maybe Top Gear and Have I Got News For You, both of which I can just as easily watch on iPlayer, which is already available on my TV/PC/PS3/Phone etc etc...



The biggest problem with the XONE as I see it, is that it's trying to go down a route that's quickly becoming a niche audience, with less and less people watching live TV and more and more watching on-demand services or using DVR functions to watch TV when they want/or can...

Hence the 'I believe', but would make sense ideally. Guess licensing issues will prevent a lot of 'should be' scenarios. =/

[SmallFry]

He just stated that his PC didn't natively support Blu-rays despite having the drive.

And what does that have to do with the Xbox One playing Blu Ray movies?


Windows needs a codec to support it. Xbox One natively supports it.

He was asking if it need a codec to support it. I don't see the issue really, but it was his question.

[DamienG]

Windows needs a codec to support it. Xbox One natively supports it.

A Blu-Ray drive does not necessarily come with playback software. This is why companies like PowerDVD are still in business. Their software is often bundled with retail drives.  Drive != movie playback.

Nobody from Microsoft has said the Xbox One supports Blu-Ray movie playback out-of-the-box yet unless I've missed that announcement. I believe it will be a separate download based on what they have done with Xbox 360 AAC, Windows DVD playback etc. to save licencing fees (and possibly to avoid the legal wrangle with Sun).

You believe it will be pre-loaded. We'll have to see.

[)amien

[Michael]

Windows needs a codec to support it. Xbox One natively supports it.

A Blu-Ray drive does not necessarily come with playback software. This is why companies like PowerDVD are still in business. Their software is often bundled with retail drives.  Drive != movie playback.

Nobody from Microsoft has said the Xbox One supports Blu-Ray movie playback out-of-the-box yet unless I've missed that announcement. I believe it will be a separate download based on what they have done with Xbox 360 AAC, Windows DVD playback etc. to save licencing fees (and possibly to avoid the legal wrangle with Sun).

You believe it will be pre-loaded. We'll have to see.

[)amien

Have you used consoles before? I am seriously asking this because I have never seen any console that required you to install a codec to use default hardware. It plays Blu-Ray movies. It's an entertainment system. The same as the Xbox 360 plays DVD's, and has a built-in codec. Windows doesn't by default have a Blu-Ray codec because of past licensing issues with Sony (they hate each other). MS finally reached an agreement with the big 3 for licensing it on the Xbox One.

[SmallFry]

[)amien stated that M$ requires a codec for AAC playback. Also, Nintendo Wii's don't have default DVD playback, and must be jailbroken for it to work (on the first generation Wii's). Furthermore, the Xbox (original) needed a DVD playback kit, which though I'm not sure it needed a codec, it needed an additional accessory.

[Michael]

Google is your friend


http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11233

[Michael]

[)amien stated that M$ requires a codec for AAC playback. Also, Nintendo Wii's don't have default DVD playback, and must be jailbroken for it to work (on the first generation Wii's). Furthermore, the Xbox (original) needed a DVD playback kit, which though I'm not sure it needed a codec, it needed an additional accessory.

That has nothing to do with what I was talking about. If the original intention of the console is to play DVD's or Blu-Ray's, that's what it does out of the box. You are talking about edge cases that have nothing to do with this particular scenario.


Xbox 360 plays DVD movies - does not require you to install a codec. Xbox One plays Blu Ray movies - does not require you to install a codec


Again - http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11233 discussion solved

[SmallFry]

Meh, just trying to show you what [)amien had stated.

[DamienG]

Have you used consoles before? I am seriously asking this because I have never seen any console that required you to install a codec to use default hardware. It plays Blu-Ray movies. It's an entertainment system. The same as the Xbox 360 plays DVD's, and has a built-in codec. Windows doesn't by default have a Blu-Ray codec because of past licensing issues with Sony (they hate each other). MS finally reached an agreement with the big 3 for licensing it on the Xbox One.

Yes, I've used consoles. I worked at Xbox.

They REMOVED DVD playback in Windows 8. Why? Because they didn't want to pay the licencing fee for every user. You can still get the exact thing you had in Windows 7 but now you have to pay Microsoft for it separately.

The licencing issues around Blu-Ray are almost certainly with Oracle not with Sony as:
1. There is a single licencing system available since 2009 which would not include biases such as Sony v Microsoft
2. Microsoft have a separate legal agreement with Sun, now Oracle, based on a 2001 lawsuit that ended in them not able to ship new Java based products. Blu-Ray uses Java for the menus and interactive features.

The current fee is about $9.50 per unit although it's not clear from their site if the drive would have already paid for that or not. If it has, great, they'd be no incremental fee and you'd be right they could just preload it.

If however it does not then selling 50 million consoles and installing the movie playback as required (could even be transparent on first playback) could save $475 million if only half the people use that feature. If I was selling hardware at a loss already I wouldn't ignore that opportunity.

[)amien

[Michael]

Have you used consoles before? I am seriously asking this because I have never seen any console that required you to install a codec to use default hardware. It plays Blu-Ray movies. It's an entertainment system. The same as the Xbox 360 plays DVD's, and has a built-in codec. Windows doesn't by default have a Blu-Ray codec because of past licensing issues with Sony (they hate each other). MS finally reached an agreement with the big 3 for licensing it on the Xbox One.

Yes, I've used consoles. I worked at Xbox.

They REMOVED DVD playback in Windows 8. Why? Because they didn't want to pay the licencing fee for every user. You can still get the exact thing you had in Windows 7 but now you have to pay Microsoft for it separately.

The licencing issues around Blu-Ray are almost certainly with Oracle not with Sony as:
1. There is a single licencing system available since 2009 which would not include biases such as Sony v Microsoft
2. Microsoft have a separate legal agreement with Sun, now Oracle, based on a 2001 lawsuit that ended in them not able to ship new Java based products. Blu-Ray uses Java for the menus and interactive features.

The current fee is about $9.50 per unit although it's not clear from their site if the drive would have already paid for that or not. If it has, great, they'd be no incremental fee and you'd be right they could just preload it.

If however it does not then selling 50 million consoles and installing the movie playback as required (could even be transparent on first playback) could save $475 million if only half the people use that feature. If I was selling hardware at a loss already I wouldn't ignore that opportunity.

[)amien

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11233

[DamienG]

Ah yes, an article by "Webmaster" with a source of itself that is neither affiliated with Microsoft or the Blu-Ray association.

Seems legit

[)amien

[uzoc]

The coffin is ready for consoles (XBox One and the PS4)...
- They made them pseudo PC's (almost PC's)
- More expensive
- Have/Will Have, big brother limitations/handicaps, that cannot be bypassed
- Very limited in functions (compared to PC's)
- Expensive peripherals and limited choices.
- PC's can always be more powerful, more configurable and more upgradeable than consoles will ever be (video card, motherboard, memory, CPU, etc.)

[baldgye]

The coffin is ready for consoles (XBox One and the PS4)...
- They made them pseudo PC's (almost PC's)
- More expensive
- Have/Will Have, big brother limitations/handicaps, that cannot be bypassed
- Very limited in functions (compared to PC's)
- Expensive peripherals and limited choices.
- PC's can always be more powerful, more configurable and more upgradeable than consoles will ever be (video card, motherboard, memory, CPU, etc.)

hold on, I'll try and dig our someone's email address, they might be able to forward this to someone that cares... this isn't a pc is better thread, its a thread about the xone...

[Michael]

Ah yes, an article by "Webmaster" with a source of itself that is neither affiliated with Microsoft or the Blu-Ray association.

Seems legit

[)amien

Why don't you go and do your own research then instead of asking questions, then arguing when people are trying to answer your questions?

[SmallFry]

Welp. This thread got ugly fast. I've got my Play Box 720, if anyone wants to join me.

[DamienG]

Why don't you go and do your own research then instead of asking questions, then arguing when people are trying to answer your questions?

I did, I couldn't find anything official   Didn't mean for this to turn into an argument.

Sorry.

[)amien
ps. Your caps are awesome.

[Michael]

Why don't you go and do your own research then instead of asking questions, then arguing when people are trying to answer your questions?

I did, I couldn't find anything official   Didn't mean for this to turn into an argument.

Sorry.

[)amien
ps. Your caps are awesome.

[DamienG]

Awesome find! Movie playback confirmed.

I'm still betting it's installed on demand though ;-)

[)amien

[baldgye]

love that the most important thing is that its ability to watch blu-rays

[esoomenona]

I don't see why people focus on the new things they're discussing as a negative. Of course they want to discuss new features! Who wants to hear, "Yeah, it does the same thing the last one does..."?

They want to bring around new consumers. We all know it plays games. There will be games. But why not do other things?

Its like a car: every time a new car comes out, do they mention it has tires and you can drive it? People know that. What else does it do now? Either you're going to buy it as solely a game console, you're going to use it for multiple things it can do, or you're not going to buy one at all.

[Michael]

Its like a car: every time a new car comes out, do they mention it has tires and you can drive it? People know that. What else does it do now? Either you're going to buy it as solely a game console, you're going to use it for multiple things it can do, or you're not going to buy one at all.

[SmallFry]

I laughed at that, kudos.

[DamienG]

I don't see why people focus on the new things they're discussing as a negative. Of course they want to discuss new features! Who wants to hear, "Yeah, it does the same thing the last one does..."?

For me the Blu-Ray is important as I have limited space in my lounge rack. It means the PS3 can go and the 360 can stay.

New Kinect stuff looks fun but until we see some in-game footage of games at E3 it's hard to know what to be excited about.

[)amien

[baldgye]

I don't see why people focus on the new things they're discussing as a negative. Of course they want to discuss new features! Who wants to hear, "Yeah, it does the same thing the last one does..."?

For me the Blu-Ray is important as I have limited space in my lounge rack. It means the PS3 can go and the 360 can stay.

New Kinect stuff looks fun but until we see some in-game footage of games at E3 it's hard to know what to be excited about.

[)amien

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HDDVD DRIVE?!!!!

[Lastpilot]

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE HDDVD DRIVE?!!!!

After catching up on reading all the posts, I am laughing so much right now from this one. *falls out of chair*

[noisyturtle]

If Microsoft's plan of attack was the integration of media systems they went in the wrong direction. They should've gone down the home console and PC integration rout. I don't know anyone who actually sits down in front of their television anymore, and I've a nice setup at home but I still watch everything on my computer. Television as physical manifestation is dying, so why the hell would Microsoft put their eggs in a basket that is falling apart, and furthermore they know a **** ton more about the PC market anyway. Integrating a Windows based PC, your Xbox One, and your Windows smartphone would've made so much more sense. Are they trying to resurrect the home media center being in the living room with all this couch-centric stuff and things like the Illumiroom which arguably wouldn't work very well with a desktop?

In terms of specs the PS4 and One are extremely close, so in the end it'll come down to who have more appetizing exclusives to offer up. Even then I can still see one of these companies potentially taking a bath on this coming generation, and Microsoft can kinda afford to do this anyway. Who was their One announcement geared towards, because as a gamer I didn't feel like it was geared towards me.

[Michael]

Who was their One announcement geared towards, because as a gamer I didn't feel like it was geared towards me.

I feel like MS's thoughts on that were 'We already know we lead the console gaming market, let's try to snatch up the entertainment market as well". IMO I think that is why they are pushing the 'entertainment' so hard

[DamienG]

I don't know anyone who actually sits down in front of their television anymore, and I've a nice setup at home but I still watch everything on my computer.

I do a lot on my PC but my 24" monitor and headphones with pop-up messages can't beat my 46" surround sound system for actually watching content > 10m long.

I don't know many people who watch stuff on their PC. It's too much of a solo activity.

[)amien

[baldgye]

Who was their One announcement geared towards, because as a gamer I didn't feel like it was geared towards me.

I feel like MS's thoughts on that were 'We already know we lead the console gaming market, let's try to snatch up the entertainment market as well". IMO I think that is why they are pushing the 'entertainment' so hard

They see Google and Apple as competition rather than Sony and Nintendo... but I feel like going after live TV is pointless... if Apple couldn't turn Apply TV into the iTunes for video/tv services (like it did with music) Microsoft sure as **** isn't going to... Not to mention the fact that the TV is being slowly replaced with internet services and on demand content.

If it wasn't for the F1, I'd literally never watch live TV...

[noisyturtle]

Who was their One announcement geared towards, because as a gamer I didn't feel like it was geared towards me.

I feel like MS's thoughts on that were 'We already know we lead the console gaming market, let's try to snatch up the entertainment market as well". IMO I think that is why they are pushing the 'entertainment' so hard

They see Google and Apple as competition rather than Sony and Nintendo... but I feel like going after live TV is pointless... if Apple couldn't turn Apply TV into the iTunes for video/tv services (like it did with music) Microsoft sure as **** isn't going to... Not to mention the fact that the TV is being slowly replaced with internet services and on demand content.

If it wasn't for the F1, I'd literally never watch live TV...

If anything, they are going in a completely different direction with the One than companies like Apple. If anything it almost feels like they are preparing to enter Comcast or Google territory. They just added 300,000 new servers and they know most people used their 360 as a Netflix hub anyway and so are driving a spike further widening the gap between living room, and computer room people.

Soon the gap between social and non social people will be so broad that the two groups will never interact. The computer people, content behind their flickering screens obeying their electronic masters, and the social people out and about in their living rooms and Twitterbooks. This is when electronics will run their sentience programs, becoming self aware. With masses of data on humans through careful study and watching through webcams, PS Eyes, and Kinects the machines will be fully prepared to eliminate the unnecessary ones, the ones who won't obey. And so all the casual gamers and families with life concerns will be slaughtered in the brutal Robot Wars of 2029 while the PC people are enslaved to do their masters bidding forever.

Starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken and the Mel Gibson as The Road Warrior.

[1391406]

Until I see the games, I could care less. TV integration? Whoop-de-doo. Blu-ray playback? Nice, but whoop-de-doo.

[1391406]

I don't know many people who watch stuff on their PC.

I do.

[demik]

**** consoles

PC MASTER RACE REPRESENT MOTHER****ERS

[esoomenona]

[Michael]

**** consoles

PC MASTER RACE REPRESENT MOTHER****ERS

I like both for different reasons. I suppose I can pretty much do anything on my PC that I can do on the Xbox now that Kinect is coming to PC. The only differentiator would be platform specific games.

[esoomenona]

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into games on PC like I can with a console. I have SO many games, and I can't play them...

[noisyturtle]

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into games on PC like I can with a console. I have SO many games, and I can't play them...

Play Amnesia: The Dark Decent on mushrooms. That'll like, change the way you think about games. I heard this from someone who isn't me.

[bear95]

I couldn't care less about the consoles but I'm excited about the possibility of having xbox/ps games being able to be emulated on pc now that they moved to x86...

[demik]

**** consoles

PC MASTER RACE REPRESENT MOTHER****ERS

I like both for different reasons. I suppose I can pretty much do anything on my PC that I can do on the Xbox now that Kinect is coming to PC. The only differentiator would be platform specific games.

i started pc gaming, then i went the mac route and completely ignored PCs.. so i got consoles. i enjoyed playing FPS on my 360, and watching blu rays on my ps3 (i seriously played like MAYBE 4 hours total on my ps3). but then i decided to build a pc and went back to PC gaming.. and FPS gaming on a controller just wasn't the same anymore. so both my consoles were just glorified dvd players.. until i sold both. i dont own a tv anymore so i doubt i'll be getting these new consoles. im quite happy with my pc for now.

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into games on PC like I can with a console. I have SO many games, and I can't play them...

i know what it is. your pc can do anything, so you get side tracked.

maybe somebody sends you a message on skype. or you decide to check geekhack, or google something. since it's right at your fingertips you go for it.

at least that's what happens to me. i start a game, remember to check something mid game and then i minimize it. i go into a youtube rabbit hole and next thing i know it's 3 hours later of watching videos and i have forgotten my game

[baldgye]

Who was their One announcement geared towards, because as a gamer I didn't feel like it was geared towards me.

I feel like MS's thoughts on that were 'We already know we lead the console gaming market, let's try to snatch up the entertainment market as well". IMO I think that is why they are pushing the 'entertainment' so hard

They see Google and Apple as competition rather than Sony and Nintendo... but I feel like going after live TV is pointless... if Apple couldn't turn Apply TV into the iTunes for video/tv services (like it did with music) Microsoft sure as **** isn't going to... Not to mention the fact that the TV is being slowly replaced with internet services and on demand content.

If it wasn't for the F1, I'd literally never watch live TV...

If anything, they are going in a completely different direction with the One than companies like Apple. If anything it almost feels like they are preparing to enter Comcast or Google territory. They just added 300,000 new servers and they know most people used their 360 as a Netflix hub anyway and so are driving a spike further widening the gap between living room, and computer room people.

Soon the gap between social and non social people will be so broad that the two groups will never interact. The computer people, content behind their flickering screens obeying their electronic masters, and the social people out and about in their living rooms and Twitterbooks. This is when electronics will run their sentience programs, becoming self aware. With masses of data on humans through careful study and watching through webcams, PS Eyes, and Kinects the machines will be fully prepared to eliminate the unnecessary ones, the ones who won't obey. And so all the casual gamers and families with life concerns will be slaughtered in the brutal Robot Wars of 2029 while the PC people are enslaved to do their masters bidding forever.

Starring Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken and the Mel Gibson as The Road Warrior.

Apple and google are both trying to be the one box in your living room, Microsoft is trying a similar thing with the XONE by having it work with your cable TV box too... But it seems like a foolish endeavour...


And yeah I love PC gaming... Having everything encrusted in DRM bunch of games requiring online access to play them... Yeah man PC  gaming is PERFECT!

[noisyturtle]

What I care about being emulated: PS2 games.

What will never be emulated: PS2 games.

[baldgye]

You can download ps2 games on the ps3... Same will probably happen on ps4

[Lanx]

i bought a ps2 on release day cuz i wanted a nextgen game system and dvd playback, dvd's were awesome, great games came 2/3 years later. i bought a ps3 when the bluray/hddvd wars were over and bluray was the winner... great games were non existant (gow3, and that took a while).

wtf is this xbox one? it's a crappy htpc.

the kinetic sucks, it's a piece of crap... don't get me wrong i bought it on day 1, i bought dance central and dance central 2, and i saw my parents play games for the first time in my life with the kinect... but it's still a piece of crap. If you're used to games with precision control like how you can make mario move in mid-air... then kinect is like using a sledgehammer to drive a nail.

sure the demo's looked good, but we all know demo is just another word for lie...
aliens colonial maries?

yea demo's are ****, until real ppl get the machine in their own hands. In this instance i will say kinect integration is stupid and worthless.

cable integration? i got rid of cable 2 years ago, i have huluplus, i have a dualcore htpc that's almost 8 years old and probably multitasks better than the xbox one.

xboxone is focusing on the lowest common denominator.

[Malphas]

I will not be owning one because it is a home entertainment system; not a console.

Exact opposite for me. I lost interest in consoles sometime in my mid teens, around the Playstation/N64 era. I've always preferred PC gaming, and my free time and interest in gaming in general have both decreased a lot since then. It really depends a lot on how the Xbox One turns out exactly, but a good HTPC solution is something I've been interested in for a while now, and all the options I've looked at so far XBMC variants, Windows + WMC, etc. all seem a little messy.

[esoomenona]

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into games on PC like I can with a console. I have SO many games, and I can't play them...

i know what it is. your pc can do anything, so you get side tracked.

maybe somebody sends you a message on skype. or you decide to check geekhack, or google something. since it's right at your fingertips you go for it.

at least that's what happens to me. i start a game, remember to check something mid game and then i minimize it. i go into a youtube rabbit hole and next thing i know it's 3 hours later of watching videos and i have forgotten my game

You're right. That is exactly what it is.

[daerid]

^^^^ Spot on. Even worse when you have 3 monitors, and only game on the center. I think I might get the One just for that reason alone. I have so many games on my PC that I haven't finished it's actually intimidating.