390°

Microsoft previews Xbox One dashboard, reveals console can control your home theater

Despite having seen plenty of impressive Xbox One games in action, we're decidedly less familiar with the console's user interface. To this point, Microsoft has only demonstrated the UI in small doses, both at the Xbox One unveiling and later E3. Aside from brief glimpses of a live programming guide, snap functionality, and other features, Microsoft has largely focused its promotional efforts elsewhere. Thankfully the company is putting a larger spotlight on the Xbox One dashboard at Gamescom 2013. The software shown off to journalists today was non-final, but paints a clear picture of what gamers can expect this November. The flat menu design is a clear evolution of the Xbox 360's current dash, though it's looking closer to a full-blown Windows experience than ever before

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theverge.com
allformats3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

Here we go with the TV TV TV TV TV thing again. You are starting to do well by showing games, MS. Stick to that, and when you're established, talk about TV.

I don't need Xbox One controlling my Home Entertainment System.

malokevi3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

Freekin awesome if you ask me. I just got a nice new Yamaha RX-A830 AV receiver and $2000 speakers to match... with my Xbox One at the helm, with full 7.2 Surround support... shy#s about to get reel.

slampunk3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

^^^ What malokevi said..... This sounds great!!!

Transporter473909d ago

Must be good to have money to waste ;)

malokevi3909d ago (Edited 3909d ago )

lol, actually there's a huge burn hole where my pocket used to be.

I have 2 months so sew it up!

GameSpawn3909d ago

I hope they are kidding about the "IR blaster". I think IR blasters are atrocious in design and function. HDMI controlling is the way to go as there is nothing visible connecting and syncing all the devices.

HDMI already supports passing commands through to devices and it's this method I hope is truly used. Different manufacturers have their own name for this (Samsung calls it Anynet+) but it is all the same thing.

My PS3 supports this HDMI command passing through my receiver and TV. When I turn it on my receiver and TV will follow suit and automatically switch to the appropriate inputs and turn on if they are off. When I turn my TV off the receiver will automatically shut off as well (the PS3 doesn't due to the possibility of background downloads running). Hell because of Anynet+ (Samsung TV and Samsung Receiver) I've never had to use my receiver remote once.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3909d ago
kenmid3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

What's wrong with having a all round entertainment system? I'm not just talking about Microsoft but Sony too. It's nice to has so many features in these consoles.

RememberThe3573910d ago

The worry is that the focus will shift away from games and youyr have an Xbox that is more of an entertainment center than a gamer center and since we're all gamers thats a scary thought. MS does follow the money so I wouldn't be too surprised to see that. But so far they've done a good job of showing both sides and it's hard not to like these little features they keep showing off.

Blaze9293910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

RememberThe357 - why are people acting like no exclusive games means no games? Do people not see the massive Xbox 360 library? And for some reason we'll just see less of that on the Xbox One?

Oh because multiplatforms don't count as games...even though they were some of the best titles released this gen...and well happen again with GTA V.

RememberThe3573910d ago

If your trying to justify why you chose one console over an other (thats exactly why these stupid conversation happen) then multiplatform games don't matter in those arugments. If I can get all those multiplatform games and them some more exclusives then then I have chosen the better console.

At least thats how I see the psychology of it, I don't necessarily agree with it. I'm getting a PS4 first because of price and I like their line up more. With the clarification that you can turn Kinect off I'm willing to go in on an Xbone now. I'm just going to have to wait, I don't print money. I did the same at the beginning of this gen when I bought the 360 first. I ended up going through a ton of 360s and over the last year the 360 games line up versus the PS3 games line up has been no competition. Sony just supports their systems a little better IMO. I will be buying both though, make no mistake.

rela82me3910d ago

It's obviously not been their focus for the last few months, however, they did develop these features is not like they aren't going to show it off some...

IcicleTrepan3910d ago

Did you even read the article?

OC_MurphysLaw3910d ago

@allformats...no you don't "need it" but its a very nice feature to have. Just like the snap mode... you don't need it cause you have that pc or smart phone near by...but is a nice feature to have.

FamilyGuy3910d ago

Yeah I never understood people complaining about extra features, this is a goooood thing! lol

redwin3910d ago

And talking about smartphones, did you read about that Xbox One phone ? Don't hate read it. http://www.pc-tablet.com/27... I would definitely give up my 4s for this one.

XboxFun3910d ago

Why wouldn't you want it to control your home entertainment system.

What would be the downside of it doing that and playing games?

falviousuk3910d ago

We will ignore the deal Sony are maming with viacom to use their cable channels on the PS4.

Sony trolls, will ignore these things, and the great gams centric E3 and gamescom from both companies.

We should have a big troll button on posts to remove these vermin.

Kayant3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

No one can deny this is a great feature well only trolls and blind fanboys. The Sony deal is not really for Playstation mainly people forget Sony is a hardware & entertainment company so this will be a perfect companion for their Smart tvs, Blu Ray players, Android phones and ofc Playstation.

If done right this could push more people into completing killing their cable plans. All they will need is their tv and they get NetFlix and this which will be enough for most people. But it all depends how it works in practice.

ShinMaster3910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

Again with this?

Do you people not know the difference between a DVR and an online video streaming service?
Online streaming isn't new. Sony has done it before with Video Unlimited, along side other services like Hulu and Netflix on PS3/Vita. No cable box required.
I don't know why people are surprised by this. Sony is an entertainment giant. They own one of the biggest music labels, film and TV productions. They're also cutting out the middle man, cable companies.

Xbox One has cable TV DVR features (much like the PSX or PS3's Play TV and Nasne).
What Sony and Microsoft are doing are very different things. I know you guys want to believe that what Sony is doing is somehow reactionary to the Xbox One, but you'd be wrong. It's a desperate assumption.

I'm not saying that Microsoft is doing something bad, btw.

AngelicIceDiamond3910d ago

@Format this isn't the 90's.

Consoles are much more than gaming these days you know that? MS showned more games than the 360 this time around so dont be greedy.

Sony is also opting into TV as well so stop whining.

GameCents3910d ago

Dayyyyumm...son you just got anti-trolled! Thought your brethren would back you up on your anti Xbox One crusade didn't you? hehehe.

3910d ago
Donnyskillz3910d ago

then dont use it and stop whining!!!!!

corvusmd3910d ago

Oh my god shut up....your opinion isn't so important that you need to whine about everything you don't like...yes you are entitled to your own opinion...NO , I am not going to even try to get you to change it (I'd rather you take that whinny annoying attitude over to PSN), but seriously whining about crap that you apparently don't care about just makes you look like a scared whiny baby. If you don't like it, DON'T BUY IT, and move on like a man, stop being a little kid

redcar1213910d ago

It does more than games stop crying

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3909d ago
NatureOfLogic3910d ago

Xbox can control your tv, Innovation./s

3910d ago
3910d ago Replies(1)
CrimsonStar3910d ago

I'm totally not going to down vote you. /s... see what I did there?

stage883910d ago (Edited 3910d ago )

Why's there a low battery icon on the first picture. It's that the controller?

darthv723910d ago

funny at first but i dont think its a battery indicator.

princejb1343910d ago

Dam why put a windows 8 home screen
The current xb360 home screen looks so much sexier compared to the tiles

magzter3910d ago

You can customize the X1 dashboard like the W8 startmenu so it's a bit silly to say that the current one looks better then the new one, when the new one can look very different depending on how you want it to look.

princejb1343910d ago

not that different because at the end of the day it would still be tiles on the homescreen
the tiles arent very appealing in my eyes but good thing is we dont look at the homescreen much
i would be gaming 95% of the time

captain_slow823910d ago

here we go sony show off there UI last night MS are wooooo this is where we have you beat

an this is the knee jerk reaction LOL

makes me laugh because such a big company can act like big kids LOL

just shows there so use to there own way now they dont like it looool

MS pick up your toys stop acting like big kids

kenmid3910d ago

What are you talking about?

falviousuk3910d ago

hes not talking a about anything, hes being a troll.

Would like to see a proper video of how the dashboard works, and how you access the content etc

Cmk01213910d ago

You do realize MS showed UI back in may right? it was shown at the reveal of the consoles hardware...SMH some folks

Mustang300C20123910d ago

Doesn't even matter man this is just ignorance and trolling all rolled into one popping his head out.

GodGinrai3910d ago

shhh dont tell em that! you will give em nothing to troll about..and that means I will have nobody to laugh at.

GameCents3910d ago

Sometimes you read something so incoherent and illogical that it actually and scientifically makes you dumber.
I'd like to sue N4G for reckless endangerment, allowing such braincell killing nonsense to stand on their site.

GodGinrai3910d ago

Sometimes people go so far off the original topic...I have to scroll back to the top of the page to remind myself what the hell they are "supposed" to be talking about.

robotgargoyle3910d ago

This is a competitive race. Of course MS is going to show their UI. I don't think it was a knee jerk reaction. They had probably already planned to at some point during Gamescom.

They (Sony and MS both) didn't have any ground-shattering announcements, really. Why not spend a little time detailing the UI.

robotgargoyle3910d ago

Dunno if I needed claps. Uh....thanks?

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3910d ago
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190°

No Man's Sky Is Easily One Of Gaming's Greatest Comeback Stories

Despite No Man Sky's rocky launch, Hello Games managed to turn it into one of the best space exploration RPGs out there.

-Foxtrot16h ago

I hate the whole concept of "comeback story" because at the end of the day it doesn't remove the core issue we had in the first place, that we were lied to, it was disappointing and it launched with bare content to what was promised for years.

Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch but for me if you launch in a terrible state then you had your chance. I can applaud you for what you've done after but at the end of the day there's not much of a choice since most gamers would blank your next product if you ditched your last game so fast, it's not about repairing the game but spending your time repairing gamers trust before you launch your next product otherwise it would be dead on arrival.

With these stories and the games being updated, the only way is up most of the time so of course it's going to improve the game and feel better over all, getting better and better as time passes. No Mans Sky, Sea of Thieves, Fallout 76 etc but then you have games like Anthem, Suicide Squad, Redfall and The Avengers where the devs just clearly moved on, now if they have another product people won't be as exited for it, I mean hell Guardians of the Galaxy was a great game but because of the Avengers it didn't help its sales since people were obviously still sour at that point.

I still think despite the improvements to games like No Mans Sky and Cyberpunk along with being better now overall the games are still not up there to what was promised and hyped as for years.

If we keep celebrating these “comeback stories” then unfortunately it only strongly supports the concept that these studios / publishers can continue to push half arsed broken products out for the sake of quick sales instead of waiting until they are fully finished. We need to condemn this awful behaviour or sadly we lose all voice and power as consumers.

Sonic188114h ago(Edited 14h ago)

I feel the same way about Cyberpunk 2077. I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm not a fan of comeback stories as well. But No man sky developer was a small indie team compared to CDPR. It's worse when it's coming from a AAA developer

Nacho_Z14h ago

"Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch"

You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal.

The reason NMS and HG are held in such high esteem and calling them liars is a weak stance is the amount of work they've put into it, for free. They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted.

-Foxtrot14h ago(Edited 13h ago)

They are liars though...

We are not revising history here, I'm sorry but we're not

They built this game up for years and they launched it knowing full well it wasn't up to scratch to what they originally showed off or hyped it up to be.

"They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted"

And like I said above most of that comes from the fact that if they had just moved on straight away nobody would have supported their next game. They've washed most of that sour taste away after supporting No Mans Sky so now they are doing a new game which more people feel like they can support and get excited for.

Anyway how can you say "You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not" and then make the point that "Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone"

This means that if a small team like this can turn a game around then big AAA games like Suicide Squad, Redfall, Anthem and the like should have been able to do it no problem, oh but that's right they didn't want to put the time or effort into it. They can do it but some people just decide not to.

Blad3runner001h ago(Edited 1h ago)

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

People paid for the game at launch and got lied to. Now the game is what it SHOULD have been from the start (what people paid for) and we should be happy they aren't charging EXTRA? Its free because people ALREADY paid for the game at launch.

People PAID for what the game is in its current state (what it should have been at launch), not what it was when it released. Charging people AGAIN would result in even more backlash.

anast1h ago

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

They already charged for the full price game. All of that work is owed because it was already paid for.

milohighclub4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Whatever happened at launch is in the past. By your logic they could have supported it for a year got it to the project they promised then stopped but they didn't. They're still supporting it to this they, they've released more content post than pretty much any game I can think off. More than most MMOs. They didn't have to go this far but they have and don't have any plans of stopping. All for free too.
Yeah they had a shit launch and they've apologised, learned and more than made up for it. I was pissed off at them at launch, but not petty enough to keep slandering them 7 years later.
You have much bigger studios releasing half assed games and fixing it later or even worse not even bothering.

anast1h ago

The DLC costs money. But yeah, people are hanging on to this one longer because of their previous reputation.

TheCaptainKuchiki3h ago

And it doesn't change the fact that the game is a boring procedurally generated environment in which your repeat the same actions over and over again with no real purpose. I hate when they say that the game became good.

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thorstein15h ago

I really enjoyed it at launch and had every trophy by August 2016.

The experience I had is no longer in the game: It was just me and my ship. It was a survival game and the feeling of loneliness in the universe was pervasive. There was no way to ruin too far from your ship and, in an emergency, you grenaded a hole in the ground to survive.

I miss that aspect, but since then, I love what they've done.

Hugodastrevas13h ago

I'd say it's THE definitive comeback story

TheGamingHounds12h ago

Final Fantasy 14 takes that one imho

CrimsonWing691h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Yep and the way they actually did it where Bahamut destroyed the original FF14 and the realm was “reborn” seals it as the best way to do something like this, lol.

jwillj2k413h ago

Oh great another story about the cleanest shirt in a bin of dirty laundry.

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100°

The Holy Gosh Darn: Ozan Drøsdal Talks Dialogue Skipping Mechanics And Why He Hates The Word Quirky

Ozan Drøsdal tells TheGamer about The Holy Gosh Darn, the final part of the Tuesday Trilogy.

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thegamer.com
90°

Hollow Knight: Silksong's Follow-Up to Grubs is a Logical Progression

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s new collectible that succeeds the popular Grubs has the potential to deepen the mysteries of the new world.

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gamerant.com
maykhausonninh4h ago

That sounds very interesting. I'll definitely give it a try if I have the chance.