Rumble in the Bonx

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Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

There's a rumor going around that the $400 Kinect-less XB One package is a real thing that'll hit this year. CBOAT apparently has a rock-solid record when it comes to valid leaks, and there he is, confirming it.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 04:04

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 08:18

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Cannot Find Server posted:

If/when this happens, are they going to do a dashboard update to make it less horrible to navigate without the Kinect?

People always bitch about the dashboard. It's an axiomatic truth of Xbox usage - "somebody doesn't like the new dashboard." I can't say I have any issue with it, and I'm super glad that a third of the first page isn't dedicated to ads like it still is on the 360. Though now a good half of it is taken over by a hilariously over-sized "this is the app you have selected" frame. Baby steps?

Regardless, it would also make stuff like snapping DVR / "record that!" prohibitively difficult. I'm... not even sure how you snap something without voice commands. I'm sure there's a way, but, huh.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 04:30

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Realized tonight that for auto login to work, Kinect not only has to see you, but you have to be holding the controller with the IR blinkers pointed at the Kinect. So if anyone's having issues with it flat out not recognizing you, try that. I tended to not pick the controller up when turning it on for Netflix, so auto sign-in never worked. :smith:

Now I patronizingly wave it at the Kinect, which it seems to grasp, though I feel the sarcasm is lost on it.

EDIT: Wait, does it handle it differently if you turn it on via voice and never turn on a controller? And if it does, why the gently caress can't it find me without the controller even if I turn it on with one? :argh:

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Feb 14, 2014

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 05:45

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Chasiubao posted:

This isn't true. Half the time I never touch my controller.

All I can figure is it's because I use the controller to turn the console on? But even then it doesn't make a ton of sense. All I know is that it never sees me until I hold the gamepad in Default Gamer Stance, such that it can make out the IR blinkers on the thing.

Maybe I somehow programmed the auto-recognition such that it only recognizes me with a gamepad in my hand? That would be strangely entertaining.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 05:52

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Tried Titanfall, and it's cool, but as someone that doesn't care for most online FPSes - this one isn't going to change that. I really wish the maps were bigger, or it had some kind of hoarde mode co-op thing, or... anything really, to make it not just Call of Duty with robots.

That said, it's way more fun than Call of Duty. I'll be kind of disappointed if this loses at market to "the same drat game you've played for the last decade." The wall running and mobility really open up the terrain in a neat way.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2014 00:15

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Last Titan Standing is a fun mode - it's distinct, and resolves pretty dang quickly. Though the win condition should be based on PILOTS alive, not titans. That totally screwed up my awesome auto-titan DOUBLE THE GUNS strategy.

I still can't get a good feel for whether bailing for auto-titan is a good use of the resource or not. Sometimes, they seem to survive for a LONG time, and it makes excellent sense to have one of those going to lay down more firepower. Other times they pop instantly. :sigh:

# ¿ Feb 16, 2014 04:15

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

BonoMan posted:

No construction doesn't feel cheap on the whole at all. Where are you getting that? It feels easily just as solid as the 360 controller. There were a few people in here that felt like it was separating somewhere on the grip somewhere but from what I can tell that isn't widespread.

Also the triggers feel exactly like the 360's to me and not even a little bit mushy (not really a complaint I've heard).

The first thing I thought when I pulled the controller out of the box was "huh, the plastic feels cheap." The second was "eww, the triggers seem squishy - I guess that's because of the stupid rumble, maybe." I'd been holding a 360 controller within the last hour. Dunno dude, different people have different takes. But it does feel cheap to me. The plastic feels a lot like what you get from rapid-printed prototypes, and it wouldn't surprise me if they update their manufacturing processes for future runs.

As was mentioned though, the d-pad is fantastic, and I don't really have an issue with the controller as a whole. The d-pad being better makes the whole thing better in my eyes already. But the plastic and the triggers did seem cheapy feeling.

EDIT: I'm almost positive I have a day-one edition, so that could be the difference.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Feb 17, 2014

# ¿ Feb 17, 2014 15:21

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Hi guys. Knock the console warrior bullshit off. Thanks.

big mean giraffe posted:

Discussing facts about a console positive or negative isn't console warrioring.

Facts would be fine, if it didn't dive straight off the cliff into hyperbole every time. but it does. every time. So knock it off.

EDIT: It will be interesting to see how much of a difference the SDK improvement makes. It's still early days, though, all around - we won't be seeing the final outcome of the hardware differences for a few years yet.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Feb 19, 2014

# ¿ Feb 19, 2014 05:46

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

It kinda makes you wonder if consoles will hit anything near an 8 year cycle this time. Seems like the XB One will be especially creaky in 8 years, and both having gone for a more reasonable price (once the Kinectless SKU hits) means a shorter generation has less sting.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2014 15:11

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

EDIT: ^^ what he said basically

WattsvilleBlues posted:

See, this is what I can't get my head around. If the GPU is considered "extremely weak" from the outset, what hope is there that things will improve instead of get worse in the years to come. I mean have we already reached the height of what the Xbone can do graphically, or is it too soon to tell?

It's too soon to tell. You can talk how they're "like a PC" all you want, but that doesn't mean there's no optimizations to be found. If anyone cared to put a TON of time into it, they could squeeze a bunch more power out of every desktop GPU too... they just don't, because there are a billion of them and you have to write generalist code in general.

How much is there to be found is debatable. It won't really change the PS4 vs XB One picture, though, because the same is true of the PS4 - that's more of a debate related to how long this gen can last before the consoles get embarrassingly out of date.

(I'm also thinking more Steambox this gen, and it wouldn't surprise me if this was the last "true console" generation - if the things are just PCs anyways, releasing new model revisions every year and transitioning to a more PC-in-a-box-that-isn't-really-customizable-but-is-cheaper-by-volume model makes a bunch of sense... nobody gives a drat what's in the box, they just want to buy X box and know it can play Y games with zero fuss)

# ¿ Feb 19, 2014 16:30

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Grand Theft Autobot posted:

The price cut is bad because it is admitting what everyone already knew: the Xbone's price is much, much too high for the value it provides, especially compared with its market substitute, which has superior specs and is 20% cheaper.

Not really. The PS3 price cut is why the last generation ended up a wash between the two consoles. If they hadn't cut it, X360 would have won handily. Same thing is happening here, it's just Microsoft that launched at a price of $100 more due to hardware of dubious worth.

If they DON'T cut the price within these first couple of years, that's the bad case. PS4 would sweep the market handily. Two equally priced consoles, with differences in processing power (that are largely irrelevant to the average consumer due to multiplatform releases) and feature offerings (families like Kinects and TV stuff / others like PS4's focused nature), will be a much closer race.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Feb 25, 2014

# ¿ Feb 25, 2014 04:50

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

big mean giraffe posted:

Gaming reviews use a system closer to the grading system in schools in America, so 79 is a C+. Not that great.

This. It's where games like Divinity II hover. "Good, but flawed / lacking board appeal." Scores vary anyways, and often start high and drop if there's a wave of purchased reviews, so... that could drop by quite a bit.

I'm still interested in it, but everything about it screams "great candidate for first Games With Live freebie" to me. So I'm holding off.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2014 17:29

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

DaitoX posted:

No bots would make it better though ?!

Negatory. The creeps are part of what make the game fun in a way CoD is not.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 01:27

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

ZombieReagan posted:

Do you guys seriously have brand new consoles and old TVs? I just assumed that was a joke or something, most people I know (including myself) ended up replacing whatever HDTV they bought back in 2006/07 with a brand new one that's at least 55" if not a bit more. I don't sit more than like 8 feet from mine, if that.

You know a lot of monied nerds. No, this is not average. Yes, most people (including me) are still rocking that HDTV they got back in the 360 era. Mine is creaky (it's a DLP!) at this point, and we'll probably replace it when we move, but why on earth would I ditch it? Runs great, looks great, it's already big enough, already supports up to 1080p, I don't give the tiniest poo poo about 120hz, etc. (EDIT: At this rate, I will completely skip over the 3D TV generation, which is just perfect)

... and drat, that 500gb HDD is looking real drat small now.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Feb 26, 2014

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 02:45

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Hackan Slash posted:

This is a dumb question, but what do you think the odds are they'll do something for people who already bought a Xbone?

They will send you a printable birthday cake on your birthday, and hold your birthday greetings hostage until you print, assemble and take a picture of it.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 02:58

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

hanyolo posted:

- Kinectless SKU in March/April

Not sure the rumor was ever that specific, just "sometime early-ish this year" - I think he even suggested E3 might be the reveal. Can't really call it dead until 2015.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 03:07

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

VincesUndies posted:

You can turn of Kinect gestures when watching videos (so when you reach for a drink, the Kinect UI doesn't pop up)

I don't suppose you can just flat out turn off gestures? :smith:

(my Kinect likes to do the hand thing on the dashboard when I'm drinking tea too, though at least turning it off in Netflix when watching stuff will be a welcome change)

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 16:24

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Aphrodite posted:

I'm saying the opposite, actually. Despite not processing commands on the cloud it still sends data about which ones you're using to Microsoft. Which would be the main argument people would use against cloud processing if it were a thing.

The Kinect doesn't interpret commands like Siri or Google Now do though. It just has a rigid list it understands.

They're called Metrics. Just about every game with a web connection (which is almost all of them) sends back (depersonalized) metrics, so that we can release silly stats like that, or figure out what features people are using. There are very strict rules about what we can do with the data, and the depersonalization bit is particularly important. So we store "somebody used a feature at X time" instead of "Bob used the feature at X time."

FULL DISCLOSURE: My game that will hit the XB One in about a year will probably report back to me how many times you shoot your gun, and which ammo types you use. OMG, THE HUMANITY! SUMMON THE PRESSES! :aaa:

EDIT: and if you played Jones On Fire on your mobile device, you told me how many kitties you saved per session (though I didn't know who you were, I just got back a "some dude saved X kitties" message). THE HORROR! :aaaaa:

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Feb 26, 2014

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 16:46

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Wiggly Wayne DDS posted:

What are your thoughts on ID@Xbox?

Surprisingly positive. Beyond that - NDA, blah blah.

They're more willing to kick little devs the help they need than Sony is right now, which is about polar opposite what you'd expect from the press Sony is putting out / the giant foot that MS keeps cramming in their own mouth. It would cost me quite a bit more to bring our game to PS4 than it will to XB One, to the point that we really can't afford PS4 at this point.

Haquer posted:

They were discussing having an always on mic (not to mention the camera) in your living room in light of the NSA spying revelations and Microsoft working with them.

Yes. It's the same conversation they've been having since before the console was released. It was dull then, and it's dull now, and a bunch of people acting faux outraged over what MS could theoretically do with the data remains really, really uninteresting. The specific example given ("bu-but they know how many times X command was used!") is, like I said, metrics. Mass Effect devs also know how many times you've entered the IAP store, and whether or not you clicked on an IAP option before exiting the store (and whether or not you bought it or just backed out), and so on. I guarantee they're also tracking how many aliens have been shot, because that stuff is awesome for useless brag metrics.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Feb 26, 2014

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 18:03

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

virtualboyCOLOR posted:

[Edit] I'd imagine that this would fall under the NDA, but: have they got rid of the launch parity clause yet?

As you say, I really can't say. I can tell you that I could afford a port that cost $6k.

virtualboyCOLOR posted:

I understand this goes beyond the scope of this thread, so I'll leave it as such.

Yes, it does, so thanks. Move on guys. Your cellphone also has a camera (probably multiples), your laptop almost certainly does, etc. This isn't an issue unique to the XB One. Take it to a GBS current events thread - in here, let's talk about games.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 18:59

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

BARONS GAMES WHINER posted:

Maybe you aren't the best mod to be handing out probations in the Xbox One thread for "console warrioring" if you have a vested interest in the platform?

I also have a vested interest in PS4, and Wii U, and PC/Mac/Linux, and your phone, and your tablet, and maybe even your 3DS (I have heard crazy numbers coming out of the 3DS eShop - super crazy). Preeeettty sure that balances out. My primary focus is PC/Mac/Linux/Steambox (Steam), though.

Probably not Vita, though. So I probably shouldn't moderate the Vita thread. I might be unnecessarily harsh on it. But then everyone else already is, so that would hardly be unique. ZING.

King Burgundy posted:

This is really awesome to hear. I'm glad that they seem to be approaching the indie program in a good way this time.

It's awesome, but mind, it is NOT altruistic. Sony has Microsoft over precisely the same barrel that Sony was over last gen. Which is why Sony grew an indie focus last gen, and why Microsoft is hurridly adopting it this gen (while Sony mostly just pays it lip service). Microsoft desperately needs developer support in its digital marketplace, ESPECIALLY in this first rough couple of years. Sony's got, what, 40 digital titles on the board? Whereas Microsoft has... well you've seen the store.

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Feb 26, 2014

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 21:45

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Soul Glo posted:

I'll make an Xbox One games discussion thread. I PMed Shalinor to okay it, but I doubt he/she will have a problem with it. I'll post the link in here for others who are also tired of the NSA chat.

The same people would troll that thread. Look at the post histories of the people in the last page - that other XB One thread is the "anything goes" one, and they keep mounting expeditions over here that take the form of concern trolling. Which is fine, really. I've no issues with probating them.

KittyEmpress posted:

You can't just say that it's not relevant to the console or a discussion that fits here

Actually, yes, they can.

EDIT: Anyways...

Shukaro posted:

There's no way they hit 900p unless they make serious graphical compromises or tank the framerate more, considering how the beta ran.

Yeah. I'm super, super skeptical. The beta didn't run horribly or anything, but it wasn't run well enough for them to go "oh, hey, let's just increase the pixel count by 40%, I'm sure it'll still run great!".

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Feb 27, 2014

# ¿ Feb 27, 2014 21:46

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

EDIT: ^^ Heh, my timing is impeccable.

Soul Glo posted:

I'll make an Xbox One games discussion thread. I PMed Shalinor to okay it, but I doubt he/she will have a problem with it. I'll post the link in here for others who are also tired of the NSA chat.

Actually, you know what - do this if you like. You're right. My worry/guess is that it's a bit early, and that XB One can't support two threads for another year / until there's more games out there, but you're welcome to throw it up if you like. Worst case, it fizzles.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2014 00:46

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

Crafty posted:

The UI is not half as complicated as people seem to think. There's big squares you click on and you can scroll right or left with the bumpers. You can pin stuff, but I've not bothered. It'd be easy without the Kinect. Which bit do you thinks terrible?

Turning off Kinect means turning off voice commands, which means forget about using any of the cool snap stuff or "Xbox record that." Oh, and also no auto-sign in.

... and yet, the broken gesture/hand recognition is just annoying enough to make me consider it regardless.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2014 01:36

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

(moving this over from the Games thread)

Delusibeta posted:

So, this is interesting. I'd thought Unity was already up and running for the Xbone? Guess not. Plus that dumb launch parity clause appears to still be in effect.

Also, at the fanboys in the comments.

Yup. It's why a lot of us in the program are keeping mum on hard release plans. There are a lot of problems with ID@Xbox, and it isn't clear yet if they can be worked around by we smaller devs.

Sony would be in a great position here to go "hey!" and sweep a lot of Microsoft's game support by making a few relatively cheap concessions. I doubt they will (they have plenty of support as is), but it would be a cute little cherry on top of their pro-indie marketing thus far.

In any case, what Microsoft is asking right now is more than most are willing to offer. They caved for Vlambeer, and if they don't do the same for others of us, you can expect that "big list of indies signed up!" to dwindle to nothing. Which'd be sad.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2014 23:27

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

KittyEmpress posted:

Oh man the other thread reminded me, I'd love a crackdown 3 that wasn't bad. Crackdown 1 got bought for the beta by my older brother, and I probably spent days worth of time just jumping around, trying to climb everything. I rented 2 and played it for a few hours then returned it and got another game (we had a cool rental place that let you return a game within a day and trade it for a different one, no fee).

Saints Row 4 is about the closest to Crackdown 3 we're ever going to get, it seems like... but - it does make a pretty good Crackdown 3.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2014 02:42

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 08:18

Shalinor: Jun 10, 2002; _{Can I buy you a rootbeer?}

There's currently a really good trade-in deal at GameStop for next-gen consoles that can be used in some bizarre, awesome ways:

- You can turn your launch no-game XB One bundle into the Titanfall bundle (ie. 2 free games, IIRC).
- You can turn your XB One into a PS4 + 3 games.
- You can turn a PS4 (most of the way) into an XB One.

I've talked to a GameStop employee, and it's legit, and people are using it for all of the above. The reason this deal exists is that GameStop is priming the pump for their used console sales, and trying to stock up. Hence the really, really drat good deal.

So yeah. If anyone else was annoyed about the Titanfall bundle (or wants to hit the ejection seat on their console either way), you've got until Sunday to fix the problem for free.

(EDIT: I'm aware that the story has since been updated with a correction, but I'm told the stores are honoring this deal as it's written)

Shalinor fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Mar 21, 2014

# ¿ Mar 21, 2014 15:16

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