Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Is it time to upgrade?
Xbox One vs Xbox 360: Is it worth upgrading to the new generation?
The Xbox One has been around a for three years now and it’s well worth considering the upgrade from the Xbox 360 if you haven’t taken the plunge already. Microsoft has been steadily adding new features to its latest console and it now runs Windows 10, making it a jack of all trades, master of some.
Where, at one time, the Xbox 360 eclipsed the Xbox One when it came to multimedia capabilities the newer console is now the stronger.
What’s even more exciting is that Microsoft has announced a Xbox One S console at E3 2016. It fixes some of the issues with the original Xbox One, namely it hugeness, and adds a 4K Blu-ray player to the mix. That’s pretty impressive considering it will only cost £249 when it goes on sale in August 2016.
That wasn’t the only thing, Microsoft also teased a significantly more powerful Xbox One codenamed Project Scorpio that will arrive near the end of 2017. Should you wait for it? Well that is quite a long time away.
We’ll guide you through some of the key things to consider in this piece, before you decide to splash out on a shiny new Xbox.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Design.
The Xbox One is a huge, hulking beast with a huge hulking power supply dragging it down. By comparison the Xbox 360 is dinky.
The Xbox One measures an XXL 33.3cm wide, 27.4cm deep and 7.9cm tall. The Xbox 360 is 27cm wide, 26cm deep and 7.5cm tall, which is quite a lot smaller than the Xbox One. Even the first iteration of the Xbox 360 was smaller (if a touch fatter) 30.9cm wide, 25.8cm deep and 8.3cm tall.
The chunky design all set to change with the svelte Xbox One S. The new Xbox is 40% smaller than the original and comes with an inbuilt power brick, which means it will fit in tighter spaces and can be stood upright. Nice. If you can, wait for it to be released in August before buying an Xbox One.
The Xbox One Kinect is smaller than the original Kinect, measuring up at 6.68cm tall 6.6cm deep 24.9cm wide compared to the original’s 7.62cm tall, 7.62cm deep, 27.9cm wide dimensions.
Of course, the Xbox One Kinect is far more advanced than the original, with better body recognition, wider field of vision for play in smaller spaces and enhanced voice commands. We would say that the Xbox One UI is far easier to navigate with Kinect, as often it can be tricky to find certain options or settings with the Wireless Controller alone.
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The Kinect has dropped down Microsoft’s priority list for the Xbox, and rightly so with the advent of virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. These provide motion controls but add incredible immersion to the experience.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Noise.
Although you might not think noise is an issue when choosing between the Xbox One and Xbox 360, it could be a consideration for those with older generation Xbox 360 consoles.
The Xbox One is nearly silent when it’s running, partly down to its size of course, because the more space the fans have, the less hard they need to work.
You might not notice a huge difference between the latest couple of Xbox 360 models though.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – CPU and RAM.
The Xbox 360 has a PowerPC-based CPU – it’s a triple-core 3.2GHz processor. The Xbox One has an eight-core processor based on the AMD Jaguar chip series.
Does that mean the Xbox One is two and a half times as powerful as the Xbox 360? No, it’s more powerful than that as the efficiency of the CPU is much better, not just the clock speed and number of cores.
The increase in RAM is even more marked. The Xbox 360 has 512MB of RAM, the Xbox One has a whopping 8GB of RAM.
Let’s put some performance numbers to it. The Xbox 360 has 0.24 TFLOPS ( a standard measure of computing performance) whereas the Xbox One has 1.23 TFLOPS. That’s a very big difference indeed.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Controllers.
There isn’t a revolutionary change between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers, but Microsoft made some iterative changes that makes the Xbox One Wireless Controller have the edge.
The biggest change is what Microsoft is calling the Impulse Triggers. The Xbox One Controller triggers now pack rumble motors. That makes the Xbox One the ultimate console for racing games, as you’ll feel anything from the subtle gear changes to the hard brakes with the left trigger right in your fingertips. It’s a great addition for shooters too, but when you’ve experienced racing games like Forza Horizon 2 with the Xbox One controller, it will feel fantastic.
The shoulder buttons have also been enlarged slightly, so there’s not that bizarre gap between R1/R2 and L1/L2 as there was on the Xbox 360 controller.
Microsoft has also revamped the D-Pad, making it more clicky, more responsive and altogether better for your old school arcade games.
Sadly, the Xbox One Wireless Controller still runs on AA batteries as standard, with the rechargeable pack available as an optional extra.
If you want to splash the cash then there’s also the refined and customisable Xbox One Elite Controller to consider.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Games Library.
Because the Xbox 360 has been around for nearly a decade, it has a stellar array of games to it’s name. Plus, Microsoft believes its ageing console will be supported by developers for at least another two years yet, so it’s still worth investing in on a games front.
However, as the months roll on you can see the Xbox One’s game resolution and game library getting to be far stronger than its predecessors. You can’t deny that cross-platform games look far better in the 900p/1080p resolution of the Xbox One.
It’s getting to the point that developers like Ubisoft are creating two different games to take advantage of the power of the Xbox One and PS4.
At launch, the Xbox One didn’t have the strongest of exclusive game line-ups. It had the likes of: Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Crimson Dragon, Call of Duty: Ghosts, , Capcom’s Dead Rising 3, Microsoft Studios’ Forza Motorsport 5, Killer instinct and Ryse: Son of Rome. The majority of those were also available on Xbox 360.
But in the years since release, we’ve had some strong Xbox One titles such as Forza Horizon 2, the colourful Sunset Overdrive and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Plus, you’ve got titles like Assassin’s Creed Unity that is only available on new-gen consoles.
Backwards compatibility is also now on the cards. More than 200 Xbox 360 games are now compatible with the Xbox One so you can play a lot of your old favourites on the newer console.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Multimedia features.
From launch and even before that, the Xbox One has been touted as the all-in-one entertainment console, and over the past few years, Microsoft has been working hard to fulfil that promise.
Originally, the Xbox 360 was miles ahead in terms of media skills, but the Xbox One has not only caught up on all fronts, it’s also surpassed the ageing console.
The Xbox One app line-up currently looks like this: Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, BlinkBox Movies, Wuaki.tv, 4oD, Crackle, Demand 5, Eurosport, Machinima, Muzu TV, Now TV, TED, Twitch, and YouTube. With the Xbox One now running Windows 10 you can use pretty much any apps you want from the Windows Store. Impressive stuff.
Plus, the Xbox One has some other great features including the Xbox Media Player app (currently in preview) for watching content from a USB or external hard drive and Plex.
That means it’s definitely stronger the the Xbox 360 when it comes to enjoying media, especially as you can also plug in a USB 3.0 external hard drive of 250GB or above for additional storage on your Xbox One.
It doesn’t end there.
The Xbox One can draw in cable TV feeds from services like Virgin Media or Sky Q and integrate your TV content within the Xbox One UI. There’s even a rather special EPG called the OneGuide that will let you pause/rewind live TV up to 30 minutes, collate your favourite programmes and even see what shows are trending on Twitter.
Even if you don’t have a cable TV subscription, you can fork out an additional £24.99 for the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner to achieve the same results with Freeview and Freeview HD feeds.
Xbox One vs Xbox 360 – Price.
Despite several waves of Xbox One price cuts, the Xbox 360 is still considerably cheaper than it’s successor. You can pick up the low-end 4GB Xbox 360 for around £130, but we’d recommend opting for the more expensive 250GB option for around £170 brand new.
Verdict – Which console should you buy?
It’s very hard to make the case for the Xbox 360 any more, even if it is cheaper. It’s an old console that’s showing it’s age, while the Xbox One is going from strength to strength.
The Xbox One is the far better option but now may not be the best time to upgrade from Xbox 360. While the Xbox One is the ultimate entertainment console, the Xbox One S is a lot more compact, comes with a UHD Blu-ray player and will cost just a little more at £249.99. Keep saving until August and get yourself the newest version.
Share your thoughts on the Xbox One vs Xbox 360 debate in the comments below.
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XBOX ONE X.
"For those looking for the very best"
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4K entertainment.
Watch 4K Blu-ray™ movies and stream 4K video on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and more.
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With 40% more power than any other console, Xbox One X delivers amazing graphic fidelity, smooth game play and fast load times. Games just play better on Xbox One X.
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Endless entertainment apps.
Enjoy your favorite apps like YouTube, Spotify, HBO NOW, ESPN and many more. 2.
The benefits of High Dynamic Range.
Experience richer, more luminous colors in games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, High Dynamic Range technology brings out the true visual depth of your games.
The benefits of High Dynamic Range.
Experience richer, more luminous colors in games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, High Dynamic Range technology brings out the true visual depth of your games.
The only console designed to play the best games of the past, present, and future.
Play over 1,300 great games including today’s blockbusters, 200 console exclusives, and 400 Xbox classics.
Xbox One has more ways to play.
Play hundreds of Xbox 360 games you own and love on Xbox One, including digital and disc-based titles. 3.
Now when you own an Xbox Play Anywhere digital title, it’s yours to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. 4.
Unlimited access to 100s of titles with Xbox Game Pass, plus save 20% on Xbox One game purchases and 10% on all related add-ons. 5.
Watch and play alongside your favorite broadcasters with Mixer, an interactive livestreaming platform available on Xbox One.
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The Xbox One accessories you’ve got now (or have got your eye on) work with Xbox One S and Xbox One X. 6.
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January 2018 Xbox One And 360 Free Games With Gold Announced.
Four more freebies on the way.
Last updated by Chris Pereira on December 28, 2017 at 10:50AM.
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The end of the month--and year--are in sight. With January right around the corner, Microsoft has announced the lineup of free Games With Gold titles that Xbox Live Gold members will be able to download throughout January on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
As always, there are a total of four games split across the two platforms. On Xbox One, action RPG The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III will be free for the entire month. This marks the game's launch on Xbox One, and it'll come with (unspecified) Xbox One X enhancements. Starting on January 16, it'll be joined by Zombi, the modified version of Wii U launch game ZombiU. One of the current freebies, Back to the Future: The Game, will also continue to be available during the first part of January.
On the Xbox 360 side, Tomb Raider: Underworld will be available for the first half of the month. It will be replaced by co-op action game Army of Two. As with every Xbox 360 game released through Games With Gold, these both support Xbox One backwards compatibility, meaning Xbox One owners with Gold get a total of four freebies in January.
The first of these games will be available on January 1. You have until then to claim the current batch of December Games With Gold freebies; in addition to the aforementioned Back to the Future, you can pick up Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide and Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death for free through the end of December. Gold members also receive additional discounts as part of the ongoing Xbox holiday sale right now.
October's Free Xbox One, 360 Games With Gold Titles Out Now.
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Last updated by Eddie Makuch on October 30, 2017 at 3:24AM.
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The next wave of free Xbox games are currently available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. The second batch of October 2017's free Games With Gold titles started showing up recently; as announced previously, these include first-person puzzle game The Turing Test on Xbox One and Medal of Honor: Airborne for Xbox 360. That game plays on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.
Also of note is that Fullbright's adventure/exploration game Gone Home is free on Xbox One all month long. You can see the full rundown for October 2017's Games With Gold lineup below. Click any link and it will bring you to the game's Xbox.com download page.
If you're looking for something else, Microsoft has rolled out the usual Xbox weekly deals and a special Xbox Halloween sale. Also, you can see October 2017's free PlayStation Plus games here. Additionally, Microsoft has announced the lineup of free November Games With Gold titles, which include TrackMania Turbo.
4 Xbox 360 Games Getting Xbox One X Enhancements.
[Editor's Note: This story has been updated to issue a correction: HDR is not part of the improvements. Rather, the improved 10-bit color palette provides the more vivid picture quality. IGN regrets the error.]
Microsoft’s Xbox backwards compatibility team is adding Xbox One X-specific enhancements to four high-profile Xbox 360 games that are already playable on Xbox One: Halo 3, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Assassin’s Creed. All four updates will be available for free to anyone who owns the game on November 7, the same day the Xbox One X launches.
Some titles now have 10-bit color depth unlocked where they previously were restricted to 8-bit by the Xbox 360, and all have nine times the on-screen pixels. I got to see Halo 3 running in a developer mode that clearly showcased the difference. The left half of the screen was standard Xbox 360 emulation on Xbox One, which already offers framerate smoothing and other subtle benefits. On the right it had the enhanced color palette and the 9x pixel count.
Above: A comparison of Halo 3 running on an Xbox 360 vs. an Xbox One X.
“It’s been genuinely startling to see how it looks [on Xbox One X],” said Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor. Indeed, a look at the Last Resort multiplayer map’s palm trees saw greatly reduced “noise” on the palm fronds and fewer jaggies when looking at a large vertically oriented object such as the turbine in the center of the map.
And with original Xbox backwards compatibility kicking off for Xbox One tomorrow, I naturally asked O’Connor if we might see Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 be brought forward to the Xbox One family. “Statistically [Halo 3] is the one by far we get asked about the most,” he said, which isn’t necessarily a denial!
I also got to walk around in Megaton in Fallout 3 on the Xbox One X, and as the team used development commands to turn the X enhancements on and off the wires running across the streets and the ruined buildings in the distance were starkly different. First the jaggies were there, and then they were gone. A signpost with a lot of text on it also looked obviously sharper and clearer on the new console.
Don’t miss our in-depth profile on the compatibility team at Microsoft, including the untold-until-now origins of the Xbox One backwards compatibility program.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews and Xbox Guru-in-Chief. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
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Moving from Xbox 360 to Xbox One.
When you set up an Xbox One console and connect it to Xbox Live, certain information from your Xbox 360 will automatically become available on your Xbox One. This page describes what is transferred and what is not.
On this page.
Xbox One backward compatibility continues to expand. Play a growing number of digital and disc-based Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. You can even play some of your favorite Original Xbox titles—get them in the Store, or pop in your old disc.
To play Xbox 360 or Original Xbox games on your Xbox One console, first make sure that your game is supported for Xbox One gameplay. For a list of available games, see the Xbox One Backward Compatible Game Library.
To continue playing an Xbox 360 game on Xbox One that you started on Xbox 360, save it to the cloud. If you're already using cloud saves, you're good to go. If your saved game is stored only on your Xbox 360, you’ll have to upload it to the cloud.
All you need to do is sign in to your Xbox One with your Microsoft account. When you do this, everything listed in the "What moves to Xbox One?" section is transferred to your Xbox One console.
Here’s what moves with you:
Profile : Most of the elements associated with your profile, including your gamertag, gamerscore, achievements, and friends. Account information : All of your subscriptions (such as Xbox Live Gold or Groove Music Pass) and the payment methods associated with your account. Family relationships : Family relationships are managed through your Microsoft account and will move with you. For example, if you created a Microsoft account for your child and associated it with your own account, that relationship will carry through to your Xbox One. You won’t have to create a new child account. Privacy settings : When you establish privacy settings, you’re limiting what parts of your Xbox profile others can see, such as whether you’re online, what you’re playing, your friends list, and so on. You can use preset age-based limits or customize settings to your preferences. Note that Xbox One offers additional settings that Xbox 360 does not have. To learn more, see Default privacy and online safety settings on Xbox One. Groove : All purchases you’ve made through the Groove music app, and anything you have in the Groove music cloud, will appear in the Groove music collection. Movies & TV : All purchases you’ve made through Movies & TV will appear in the Movies & TV collection.
Here’s what doesn’t move with you:
Some games, game saves, and apps : Xbox One is now backward-compatible with your existing Xbox 360 games, game saves, and apps. To continue playing a game on Xbox One that you started on Xbox 360, save it to the cloud. When you play the game again here on Xbox One, you’ll pick up where you left off.
If you're already using Cloud Saved Games, you're good to go. If your saved game is stored only on your Xbox 360, do the following before playing on Xbox One:
On your Xbox 360 console, go to Settings > System > Storage > Cloud Saved Games , and then select Enable . Start your game. When you're prompted to select a device for saving your game, choose Cloud Saved Games . End your game. Leave your Xbox 360 turned on long enough for it to upload your saved game.
To make sure that your saved game is in the cloud:
On your Xbox 360 console, go to Settings > System > Storage > Cloud Saved Games . Choose the game.
If it says “In sync,” it’s ready. If not, launch it, save your progress, and try again.
Microsoft Xbox One.
The good Microsoft's Xbox One offers impressive graphics and a solid list of exclusive 2015 titles. The Microsoft console currently edges ahead of the PS4 with a better selection of media apps. The console's fall-2015 dashboard update is a noticeable improvement. The console has backward compatibility with around 100 Xbox 360 titles, and that list is poised to grow.
The bad The Xbox One's new interface is still more convoluted than the PS4's. In general, the PS4 delivers slightly better installation times, graphics and performance on cross-platform games. The Xbox One also lags behind the PS4 in its selection of indie games. The Kinect's legacy is still a blemish.
The bottom line While the PS4 remains our overall preferred choice in the game console race, the Xbox One's significant course corrections and solid exclusives make it a compelling alternative.
CNET review.
Much improved, the Xbox One has hit its stride.
With E3 2015 safely in the rearview mirror and the Xbox One's second anniversary fast approaching, we're diving back in the home console pond to take the temperature of the current landscape of videogame consoles.
Without a doubt, the Xbox One has gone through the more significant metamorphosis of the two big consoles since their release in November 2013 -- the other being the PlayStation 4. Even before its launch, Microsoft had begun changing the messaging philosophy of the platform, going from a console that heavily relied on DRM to an unshackled experience where owners can trade in and play used games. That was followed up by making the Kinect motion sensor no longer a required part of the system (the no-Kinect bundle is now the default entry-level model).
Meanwhile, a lot has been fine-tuned under the Xbox One's hood -- particularly the firmware's functionality (not actual hardware tweaks), which, from a performance and ease-of-use standpoint, is still playing second to Sony's impressively smooth interface. A massive interface update dubbed the "New Xbox One Experience" was released in November 2015 that has improved some of the dashboard's logistics and aesthetics, but it's still hanging on to some lingering frustrations. But more on that later.
Overall, Xbox One has had a great 2015 and is home to the best exclusives of the 2015 holiday season. In the short term, Xbox One makes a solid argument for ownership, but do 2016 and beyond look to be just as promising?
To be clear, the two consoles are very closely matched. They offer a growing library of third-party games -- mainstays like the Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed and Madden series, as well as newer titles like Fallout 4 and Rainbow Six Siege are all available for both platforms. And both systems double as full-service entertainment systems, with built-in Blu-ray players and streaming services like Netflix, YouTube and Hulu.
In our opinion, the PS4 still maintains an edge, with slightly smoother gameplay and a much more straightforward interface. But Xbox harbors a more mature media app ecosystem in the US and a decent list of exclusive titles. Xbox One will continue to have a solid 2015 in terms of exclusive software, but 2016 and beyond aren't as well defined.
Editors' note, November 16, 2015 : This review has been updated to reflect the changes to the Xbox One platform including the November 12, 2015, New Xbox One Experience dashboard update. The console's overall score has improved from a 7.7 to an 8 and we've added one point to the design and value subcategories.
Xbox One bundles.
Xbox One is sold in what feels like a constantly expanding bundle market. In fact, don't buy the console if it doesn't come with at least one game. At any given time the odds are there's a bundle that includes a game that's right for you.
For the most part, the Kinect camera-microphone array has been eliminated from bundles, but you can still purchase the original tandem for around $400 or more. Alternately, you can buy the Kinect module separately (usually with a game included) for $150. That said, we really can't recommend Kinect for much of anything.
No matter when you decide to buy an Xbox One, odds are you'll find a compelling bundle or discounted special pricing.
Major Xbox One exclusive games (available now or soon):
- Forza Motorsport 6.
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (timed exclusive)
- Halo: Master Chief Collection.
- Titanfall (also available on PC)
Major Xbox One exclusive games due in 2016 and beyond:
Xbox One pros.
Here are the areas where the Xbox One excels -- and where it occasionally has an edge over the PS4:
Media apps.
The Xbox One has a slightly better lineup of streaming apps than any other current-generation console. It has roughly twice as many offerings as the PS4. Some notable wins here include Comedy Central, Fox and FX Now, MTV, Bravo Now, NBC, Starz, TED, USA Now, Verizon FiOS TV and Skype (Microsoft-owned) -- none of which are available on PlayStation 4 at the current time. Xbox One is also home to EA Access, a subscription early-access program that gives members a chance to play games a few days before they're released and provides access to a growing list of EA legacy games.
Media playback.
Xbox One now has a media player app that will play nearly any file format you throw at it -- off a drive or anything discoverable on your home network, like another PC or NAS (network attached storage). The Xbox One media app also lets you customize the dashboard with a custom photo wallpaper. As of June 2015, the PS4 has a media player app too.
Kinect advantages.
Kinect is an ambitious attempt to integrate voice control and motion gesturing with live TV, interface navigation and some gaming elements. That said, it's definitely taken a backseat in terms of priority. In fact, we don't think Microsoft even said the word "Kinect" at the company's E3 2015 press conference. It's also no longer bundled with a new retail Xbox One.
But, if you're still intrigued by its potential, when it works, Kinect technology brings with it an "aha" moment straight out of a sci-fi movie. Kinect lets you change the channel, volume and other items using only your voice. Its problems, however, are documented later in this review.
Other features of the Xbox One experience can be accessed or activated with hand gestures and voice commands. You can say, "Xbox, record that," and the console will save the last chunk of gameplay to the hard drive. The list of voice-control triggers is lengthy.
Of course, the Kinect is available only in the more expensive $400-and-up Xbox One bundle. However, if you buy the entry-level no-Kinect bundle and decide you want to upgrade, you can buy a standalone Kinect later for $149, £130 or AU$170 (usually bundled with a game).
Sarah Tew / CNET.
The Xbox One controller.
While it's not necessarily what I'd call a vast improvement over the Xbox 360's stellar input device, the Xbox One's controller is a solid and mostly comfortable handheld.
Microsoft has totally revamped the problematic D-pad present on the Xbox 360 controller and opted instead for a clicky, tactile pad. Battery life is impressive on the controller, though it takes two AAs as opposed to the DualShock 4's internal rechargeable battery. (You can use your own rechargeables, or invest an extra $25, £19 or AU$30 per controller in Microsoft's Play and Charge Kit.)
Microsoft debuted two new controllers around the time of E3 2015: a revamped controller with a 3.5mm headphone port and the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller ($150/AU$199) which allows players to customize their pad with interchangeable D-pad pieces, analog sticks and triggers. That controller is also available in a bundle with a 1TB solid-state hybrid drive for $500.
Both controllers can also be connected to a Windows PC with a Micro-USB cable or wirelessly to a Windows 10 PC with a $25 dongle.
Related Links.
BYO USB 3.0 storage.
The PS4 has an easily accessible and replaceable hard drive, but the Xbox One's drive is not to be messed with. Instead, you can bring your own storage via an external hard drive over a USB 3.0 connection. And because USB 3.0 is faster than the Xbox One's internal stock drive, odds are you may see a slight bump in performance, too. Just make sure your external drive is 250GB or bigger.
Cloud-synced game saves.
Signing into any other Xbox One will give you access to all of your digital games and their respective game-saves. PS4 owners need to have PlayStation Plus to upload cloud saves, while Xbox One owners can do it without Xbox Live Gold.
For what it's worth, the cloud game-saving feature is definitely better on Xbox One. Going from console to console is a much smoother experience.
Gold no longer required for basically everything.
It took a while, but an Xbox Live Gold membership is no longer needed to access apps like Netflix and Skype. You still need it to play multiplayer games online, but the massive restrictions on other functionality have mostly been lifted.
Always-on has a bright side.
While the Xbox One's always-on feature has been a point of some contention, jumping right into a game from live TV is nothing short of brilliant. Xbox One will suspend your most recently played game while you watch TV or do other things and when you rejoin your game session it's resurrected with absolutely no loading time. Of course, if you don't use your Xbox One with live TV there's really no reason to keep the console on 24-7, save for receiving updates when you're not using the console.
PlayStation 4 added the majority of the functionality described here with a firmware update.
Exclusive games and content.
Microsoft has secured a number of high-profile exclusive deals for content with third-party games like Evolve and early beta access to a number of games including Tom Clancy's The Division.
Xbox One also has a solid roster of exclusive franchises including the Forza, Halo, Fable, and now the Sunset Overdrive and Titanfall series. A more detailed list of exclusives can be found at the top of this review.
Xbox Games with Gold.
While it debuted with an underwhelming selection of free titles, Xbox's Games with Gold monthly giveaway lets Xbox Live Gold members download two Xbox One games for free. The caliber of these titles has started to improve, but still isn't as impressive as the entire PlayStation Plus package.
Backward compatibility.
Included in the November 2015 "New Xbox One Experience," the Xbox One now offers limited backward compatibility with a handful of Xbox 360 games. Around 100 Xbox 360 games currently work , and Microsoft will let each developer decide whether to allow legacy play for its existing 360 games.
Windows 10 game streaming.
With the introduction of Windows 10 and the "New Xbox One Experience," Xbox One owners can now stream games to their PC with the Xbox Windows 10 app. For more on that specific experience, check out CNET's Windows 10 review.
Over-the-air DVR.
New Xbox One Experience.
In a November 2015 update, Microsoft completely redesigned the dashboard interface for the Xbox One. We've outlined its major features here .
Long story short, the new dashboard is easier to navigate and more logically laid out. But a lot of the fundamental shortcomings like slow game installations still plague the system. Most of the back-end settings like app and game management remain unchanged.
We'll continue to keep our eye on the Xbox One's dashboard and update this review with significant changes.
Xbox One cons.
Here are the areas where the Xbox One leaves room for improvement.
System interface.
Even with the New Xbox One Experience in place, the console's interface leaves room for improvement. Compared with the PS4's, it's at times confusing, especially when navigating through the system's settings. Overall it's undoubtedly better, but still, two years after release, navigating through the Xbox One takes some getting used to.
The New Xbox One Experience.
Kinect's shortcomings and annoyances.
If you're not interested in getting an Xbox One with a Kinect, skip ahead. But if you're on the fence about spending the extra cash on Microsoft's microphone/infrared/camera technology, read onward.
Given the short list of positives Kinect brings to the table, more often than not it's a pain to endure. I've had Kinect attached to my Verizon FiOS cable box for over a year, and it's been nothing but a love/hate relationship. Half the time Kinect will operate flawlessly, other times it's a frustrating mess.
Kinect still has never understood the channel voice command "HGTV." It seems to miss other commands quite often, too, with no real explanation as to why something wasn't understood. The system will also not let you watch TV before a system update has been installed. The fact that the console can actually prevent you from watching TV is a huge issue.
At the end of the day, Xbox One's ambitious live TV and other extracurriculars get in the way of it being a focused gaming system. Navigating the interface seems to be much more problematic than it rightfully should be, and there's simply not enough transparency in the logic within it. There are oddities peppered throughout, which is the root for countless headaches and frustrations.
For now, I just can't recommend Xbox One with Kinect because of the numerous shortcomings the tandem continues to exhibit. Save your money and buy Xbox One without its camera-microphone array.
Installation times.
Even though the Xbox One and PS4 have similar optical drive hardware, Xbox One lags behind PS4 in some installation times.
Xbox One starts installing a game once a disc is inserted and then will flash a "ready to start" message when the game can be booted up before it's done completely installing.
In a small sample comparison, Xbox One fell behind PS4's installation time. For Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the PS4 was ready to play in 2 minutes 30 seconds as opposed to the Xbox One's 8 minutes. Assassin's Creed Unity also installed in 2 minutes 30 on PS4 but wasn't ready to go until 3 minutes 42 on Xbox One.
Installation times will vary by game, but when I used a stopwatch to time the consoles side by side, the PS4 came in faster nearly every time. Oddly enough, it seems Xbox One will install a game more quickly when no other features are being used. This includes watching live TV.
Independent games.
There are independent games available for Xbox One and a smattering of others coming down the road, but not as frequently or as plentiful as they are on PS4. Xbox One owners will get occasional gems like Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood, Ori and the Blind Forest, and the yet-to-be-released Below. Like PS4, Xbox One also has console-exclusive deals in place for titles like Cuphead and INSIDE.
To be fair, a lot of the PS4's indie offerings are only console exclusives as well. Xbox One owners also have access to the fruits of ID@Xbox, which have already given way to titles such as Super Time Force and Sixty Second Shooter.
Indie fans aren't totally out of luck on Xbox One; there's just a shorter list of titles to play.
Broadcasting and sharing.
Xbox One offers broadcasting through a Twitch app, but it's nowhere as seamlessly integrated as it is on PS4. The experience is bound to get better, but for now, streaming and social sharing is way better on PS4. As for now, Xbox One doesn't allow for YouTube streaming.
Taking a screenshot isn't as easy as the single-button press it should be, so it's tough to get that instant shot you want. The way screenshots and videos are captured feels shoehorned in, so we'd really like Microsoft to figure out an easier way to provide access to capturing in-game content.
Using the Upload Studio app, Xbox One users can share clips to Xbox Live, OneDrive and Twitter.
Xbox One vs. PS4.
There's not likely to be a definitive winner in the current-generation console wars. While the PlayStation 4 had a clear advantage at launch, that edge is slowly evaporating as Microsoft has worked feverishly to undo most of the Xbox One's original missteps. The two consoles are now similarly priced and offer many of the same features. For what it's worth, at the time of this writing, the PlayStation 4 is closing in on 30 million units sold. The Xbox One is estimated to have sold about roughly half that.
Right now the PS4 and the Xbox One are neck-and-neck with exclusives -- though the PS4 also has a better range of digital-only titles. But taste in games is always subjective; either those games will appeal to you or they won't. Each console manufacturer has made exclusivity deals with various developers, so the sad reality is you're going to miss out on something great no matter which platform you choose.
You might read about the PS4's specs trumping those of the Xbox One, but it's important to keep in mind how that translates to actual results. You'll remember that the PS3 was originally poised to be a massive powerhouse that would leap past the Xbox 360, but in reality it didn't perform much better. You could even make the argument that most multiplatform games played more smoothly and looked better on the Xbox 360. That said, at the time of this writing (and having considered most of the multiplatform games currently available), the PS4 does seem to perform slightly better than the Xbox One.
These two consoles are constantly evolving, and the competition is only ramping up. We'll continue to check back in on both the Xbox One and PS4 as they continue to evolve.
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