Nov 25, 2016 03:26 PM
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The Xbox One is the product of two different Microsofts. The console debuted in 2013 following a disastrous six-month-long PR campaign that ultimately led to then–Xbox head Don Mattrick leaving the company. Initially Microsoft said that the Xbox One would require an internet connection even for single-player, store-bought games. The company backpedaled on that ahead of the console's release, cobbling together bits of code to ensure that games played at launch. Even then, the Xbox One arrived with a sizable day-one patch.Months of incremental post-launch updates added Twitch streaming, a controller battery-life indicator, custom wallpapers, party chat and some much-needed UI improvements. The biggest changes, though, have come since Phil Spencer assumed Mattrick's old position. The Kinect sensor is no longer a requirement for the system, nor is Microsoft packaging it with every console sold. Because of that, the Xbox One is now priced lower than its most obvious rival, the PlayStation 4:$299 with an included game and 500GB hard drive. At launch it cost$500 with just the 500GB console, a controller and Kinect in the box.The most visible change to the Xbox One is its user interface. The Windows 8 tiles that made up the console's dashboard at launch have given way to a more streamlined experience that's easier to use and faster than what came before it. The good thing with Windows 10 is that the massive window that dominates the home screen and quickly gets you back to whatever you were doing previously hasn't been altered just for the sake of change.n terms of exclusive games, the Xbox One is still lagging behind the competition. While the Forza racing series remains awesome, like so many of the other games you can play only on Xbox One, up to this point they're mostly sequels to long-running franchises that, while bigger and prettier, aren't anything you haven't seen before. That could change this year, however, with Microsoft's new focus on truly original, exclusive games like Sea of Thieves, from Rare, and Quantum Break, from Remedy Entertainment. Only time will tell, though.
