960°

User Made Xbox One In-Game Menu Is Simplistically Brilliant

GearNuke: "Xbox One has the same Metro UI interface as found on Windows 8. Enthusiastic designers tend to bring their own imaginations to life by modifying the designs with their own ideas and sometimes the results are mind blowing"

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Snookies123776d ago

Yeah, that's a great design. Nice and easy, simple and efficient.

Bigpappy3776d ago

I am convinced that M$ just focused on basics, and decided to patch later. They really weren't prepared to launch in 2013.
They do have a nice console with neat features though. They can do some unique stuff with multiple OS running at once. I want to see where they go with it the rest of the year.

Major_Glitch3776d ago

@mister Funny, the sales figures would say otherwise. Or perhaps you know something the rest of us don't?

testerg353776d ago

Major, I think he meant that the PS4 is also missing features and has some bugs.

theRell3776d ago

How do sales figures tell if a console was ready to be released or not? There's no logic with that. Ready or not, the people were going to get it.

DragonKnight3775d ago

@Mister_Dawg: Yeah they were. PS4 began design phase in 2007. The features that are missing from the PS4 were due to a change in focus, not an oversight.

Yes, that means they purposely left out mp3 playback and DLNA support. They wanted to focus on getting the gaming and sharing aspect of the console done before frivolous extras that may be nice to have but are unimportant in the grand scheme.

And before anyone says BC, keep your PS3s and you won't have a problem.

Droidbro3775d ago

@mister true but irrelevant to the article
@glitch sales have nothing to do with the states of either UI

AndrewLB3775d ago

Dragon- If what you say is true, it doesn't reflect well on Sony. 6 years should have been plenty of time to make sure the PS4 was capable of playing MP3's and CD's, DLNA (since sony invented it), HDMI video capture, perhaps some youtube support, and most of all.... They could have designed an interface that doesn't look like a first year compsci student designed it.

You neglected to mention what Sony was focusing on all these years if they weren't adding the above features, or polishing the interface. The vast majority of the hardware was done by AMD since it was a slight adaptation of their current APU and not some ground-up new creation.

Oh yeah... it was DRM! Remember how they had pretty much the exact same DRM crap that Microsoft initially had, but Microsoft caught all the flack from the media because they opened their mouths about it. Sony saw the sh*t storm, stayed quiet, and removed all the DRM in their day one update.

christocolus3775d ago

@bigpappy

I totally agree.Ms has major plans for their os but they tried to launch same time with sony and i feel its one of the reasons alot of features are missing out of the box and also the reason why twitch streaming isnt supported yet..im expecting big things down the line though.Ms is good at software and they will keep updating/improving the xbx one os functionality over time.

ITPython3775d ago (Edited 3775d ago )

Both consoles were essentially incomplete upon release, however unlike Microsoft, Sony had some focus on what they wanted done and what they were willing to leave out as a sacrifice. They left out non-gaming stuff so they could focus on the gaming aspects to get that completed. And will add the non-essential stuff later.

The XB1 launched with a jack-of-all-trades mentality including a ton of non-essential gaming things, but they are all incomplete.

Think of it this way, say you had 4 different pieces of homework you needed to get done for a college class. What Microsoft did was do a little bit of each one (each 50% finished), but didn't complete any of them. Sony however, finished the first two pieces of homework 100%, but they didn't work on the other 2 at all.

It's technically the same percentage completed, but Sony had the focus to finish two of them completely. IMO, Sony's approach was the right way to go about it. I would rather have less completed features (especially if it's focused on gaming) rather than more features which are all incomplete.

DragonKnight3775d ago

@AndrewLB: Your post is funny. Ever considered taking it on the road to comedy clubs? Might get a laugh.

Think for a second. The PS3 was the all inclusive console. It had every conceivable feature and came at a premium because of it. And what happened? Years of "the PS3 has no games" and "the PS3 is too expensive" and "I want games, I can play mp3s on my mp3 player"

Sony decided that everything game related had to come first, everything else was non-essential. You only have yourselves to blame. Sony is always in a lose lose situation. When they give you everything, it's too much. When they take stuff away to make it cheaper, you cry because it's gone. When they try to focus on the games, you cry for pointless extras.

The vast majority of the hardware was done by AMD? Are you nuts? All AMD did was design an APU. That's one chip. Sony did the rest. That took research and development time you know.

"Oh yeah... it was DRM! Remember how they had pretty much the exact same DRM crap that Microsoft initially had, but Microsoft caught all the flack from the media because they opened their mouths about it. Sony saw the sh*t storm, stayed quiet, and removed all the DRM in their day one update."

Remember how that was actually a B.S. lie made up by MS fanboys to try and lump Sony in with Microsoft's bad moves? Well I do. Sony said MONTHS before MS even hinted about DRM that the PS4 wouldn't have it. None, at all.

So, I'm sorry but, you're wrong. It doesn't look bad on Sony that they cared more about games and game development than you having yet another device among the millions that can play mp3s. It looks bad on people that care about these things so much that they'd cry about them instead of being happy that Sony didn't launch another PS3. You know, with difficult to use hardware, a price that most don't want to pay for, and a long road of them having to make their own machine look good when it comes to games because 3rd party developers don't want to put the work into it to do it themselves.

TheRedButterfly3775d ago

I beg to differ. Microsoft /was/ ready to launch in 2013, but everyone demanded they alter their polices, resulting in a complete OS/UI overhaul… And considering what they launched with only 6 months later? More than a job well done!

You try reworking an entire operating system in 6 months and have better results.

hobbit1533775d ago (Edited 3775d ago )

@DragonKnight Sony revealed in Feb. 2013 did not say anything about DRM. Microsoft revealed in May 2013 talked about DRM. Microsoft from reveal till E3 2013 tried to explain/damage control DRM stuff. E3 2013 Sony comes on stage, says they care about the gamer, no DRM etc. get high praise for it. But Instead of watching the magic show the Sony wizards were putting on, You need to go back and look behind the curtain. (Hint: Sony had/has the same DRM policy as Microsoft.) It is fact! Stop spreading FUD!!! After E3 2013 Sony president said Sony/1st party not doing DRM but, they would not tell 3rd party not to use DRM. Why do you think EA, Ubisoft etc. got rid of online passes. (This part, speculation on my part: because of Microsoft DRM AND Sony DRM in place, But after May 2013 Microsoft reveal Sony backed out).

ziggurcat3775d ago

@ andrewLB:

"it was DRM! Remember how they had pretty much the exact same DRM crap that Microsoft initially had, but Microsoft caught all the flack from the media because they opened their mouths about it. Sony saw the sh*t storm, stayed quiet, and removed all the DRM in their day one update."

no one remembers that because there was no actual DRM planned for the PS4.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3775d ago
3-4-53776d ago

XB1 was rushed. We will get an interview or article that tells us so within the next 1-2 years.

We all know it.

Whatever Microsoft spent on XB1, could have been done for %50 by many other companies.

They probably wasted millions trying to design a new controller.

It would have taken me 5 minutes to be like " Keep the same controller, we spend the money elsewhere"

Boom done.

Drewidian3775d ago

I think a large part of its incomplete and missing features is largely due to the redesign of the system they had to make due to policy changes. They literally had about 4- 5 months to make it work. I personally think that under the circumstances they did a decent job. I just wonder how it compares to the original planned one and what it would have looked like with those months of extra development time. We'll never know, but I too will look forward to the retrospective reflection of this Year's changes.

oof463775d ago

The system wasn't rushed. Both Sony and Microsoft had mapped out what they wanted to do after the ps3 and 360.

What WAS rushed was Microsoft fixing things to comply with their backtracking on the "always online" component.

MajorLazer3775d ago

Your genius knows no bounds /s

AndrewLB3775d ago

oof46- You mean like Sony disabling the exact same intrusive DRM in their day one patch? Sony got away with it because when they saw Microsoft catch hell from gamers, they kept quiet about it and removed it on day one.

oof463775d ago

@AndrewLB: Plausible, but we'll never know unless someone from Sony says anything. But, as far as I know, you don't have to download the day one patch to play your ps4 offline. For the Xbox One, it's mandatory.

But, looking back, it was a genius move by Sony to take notes on everything gamers hated about the Xbox One when it was revealed and go the opposite direction.

DragonKnight3775d ago (Edited 3775d ago )

@AndrewLB: Your ignorance is amazing. If Sony disabled that same DRM with their day one patch, why was the patch not mandatory and you could play offline hmmm?

Oh, you don't have a PS4 so you didn't know that? Exactly. Stop spreading lies and FUD.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

That article is from Feb. 21st 2013. That's right at the official reveal of the PS4, before the official reveal of the Xbox One, before the E3 where (if we were to believe your terrible logic) Sony would have had to make the last minute decision (a terrible business decision to make when you have stock holders to answer to, and actually I believe is illegal) to cancel DRM and begin creating that "day one DRM removing patch" you keep talking about.

What's your explanation for that? That Sony already did their corporate espionage and found out a year before that MS were going to have that DRM and then predicted the fan outcry a year later and decided to wait until they were proven correct so they could remove the DRM from the PS4?

So Sony is now...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

ziggurcat3775d ago

@ andrewLB:

sony's stance had always been they there would be no DRM.

it's always amazing when people like you keep blathering on with unsubstantiated nonsense like that, and you don't provide an ounce of proof.

so, please... enlighten us all with the copious amounts of evidence that you seem to have pointing to sony not only planning the same DRM as MS, but also removing it in a day one patch.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3775d ago
oof463775d ago

I believe Mister_Dawg was referring to the OS of both systems. From what I've read online and heard on podcasts, both were coming in hot for launch. They'll get things fixed and added as time goes on, so no biggie.

Amplitude3775d ago

the lack of a music player is the only thing really awful about the ps4. MusicUnlimited is great but the ps4 app randomly stops playing, plays the same library songs on shuffle over and over, and is in maintenance half the time. Not to mention the app takes just long enough to load that picking a new artist mid-game is frustrating...

like its honestly not even excusable, its 2014 lol

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3775d ago
IRNMUNKEY3776d ago

Yep it's great and Major Nelson said he has already passed it on to development team. Hopefully we get something similar.

Cueil3775d ago

it looks like consolidation of apps... soemthing that I imagine will happen... and I think that the Friends List may be one of the first things we see go this route with party chat

DragonKnight3775d ago

Major Nelson is lying. That's just a typical PR response to say "hey, looks good" but it won't go further than that.

andibandit3775d ago

"That's just a typical PR"....

Just like your typical BS

DragonKnight3775d ago

@andibandit: Ouch, you sound extra butt hurt today. Did Major Nelson promise something to you too?

IRNMUNKEY3775d ago

Hmm why not? So does the same hold true for the Sony god Yosh? Or has he promised things that haven't happened.

They already said the next update is going to be based on customer feedback so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Tctczach3775d ago

@dragon I love how you automatically jump to he is lying and think it is PR. Maybe he did like it. Seems to be a little immature...

DragonKnight3775d ago

I never said that he didn't like it. I said he's lying, and I meant about passing it on. That's not going to happen and you know it.

TotalSynthesisX3776d ago

Very nice. Bravo! Microsoft, take notes.

XiSasukeUchiha3776d ago

Nice menu MS write this down now!!!!!

H0RSE3776d ago

The console just launched, and it hasn't even received any real updates yet. Compare the UI for the 360 at launch to what it is now...

oof463775d ago

I would like to respond to your comment, but it's buried beneath an offer for 15% off my car insurance.

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130°

Microsoft's Absurd Antics Have Me Scared For Dishonored And Arkane Lyon's Future

With Arkane Austin no more and Lyon living for who knows how long, the superb Dishonored is in serious danger; Microsoft cannot be trusted.

Relientk771d 11h ago

I love the Dishonored series so much and really want Dishonored 3. Microsoft better not screw this up.

JEECE1d 8h ago

I mean, I think the fans will probably kill Arkane Lyon by cooking up reasons to hate whatever they do next without playing it. I've never seen a game so artificially disliked as Deathloop.

thesoftware7301d 8h ago

Lol, why don't we just say, we are worried about all studios owned by MS now. They will keep closing studios until they have none left ...🙄

Skuletor1d 5h ago

Just merge them all into a single studio, have it churn out a single Call of Duty every year and call it a day, lol.

Barlos1d 5h ago

Don't be scared, you'll be fine.

Skuletor1d 5h ago

It's exputer, fine is one word I would not associate with them.

Profchaos1d 4h ago

I think it's becoming clear based on matt bootys comments there's no future for any IP that can't sell above 10 million within the launch window. But is also a small game that gives them prestige

/S it's beyond a joke right now

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290°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

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spieltimes.com
Sonic18813d ago (Edited 3d ago )

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

romulus233d ago

The better term to use might be return on investment, xbox is simply a division of Microsoft one that MS can easily do away with if profit margins are not met. So in that regard he's right, if xbox isn't showing the expected return on investment the higher ups are expecting than it's unlikely Microsoft will acquire any other studios any time soon, especially if they are spending billions buying developers just to shut them down in the end.

MrBaskerville2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Xbox is a division that they discussed shutting down but doubled down on after Gamepass was pitched.

It needs to make money at some point. Big money.

rokos2d ago

According to Statista the net income of Microsoft is about $72.4 billion dollars which is a bit lower than last year profit. That is almost as much as Activision's acquisition but I assume that would be a one off since it costs so much plus I see how their focus has been shifted to AI, thus any major future investments will probably be in that area.

Markusb332d ago

i think you are really missing the point

VariantAEC2d ago

@romulus23
That is not why MS buys studios. They might continue to buy because it's about taking that sweet sweet IP out of the corporate husks of their acquisitions.

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SonyStyled3d ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

3d ago Replies(2)
ChasterMies2d ago

Xbox isn’t a separate company from Microsoft. It’s all Microsoft.

Abear212d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Let’s be real, this is the media spinning all the acquisitions and liquidations of said developers and spinning it to make M$ the villain.

This was bound to happen, a bigger slice of pie and cut costs, when the games come they stand to make more and that’s their agenda—it was the writing on the wall when the sales went through and legally all those who approved the sale and mergers knew this would happen.

Snowflakes need to realize business is ugly and you can cry all you want but this is how capitalism works. And it works.

That said, M$ needs to steer the narrative and grab hold of all this, make their plans known, hype the hell out of all those dead IP’s they plan to revive, and be honest about the timeline. This is likely to involve mobile and IP on other consoles, and most people realize that.

The problem is this company is incapable of being transparent and seems to often want to dissuade and confuse is customer base. The lack of E3 has hurt Microsoft and I don’t think they know how to properly or effectively market their brand anymore.

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jwillj2k43d ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot3d ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

VariantAEC2d ago

Years?

Try several decades, and in the gaming space 2.3 decades.

Jon615862d ago

You do realize this happens in ALL industries? Or are you just saying this because it is Microsoft? In any case I feel for those that are being let go but the trch industry is suffering right now.

jwillj2k42d ago (Edited 2d ago )

This absolutely does NOT happen all the time. Let me know the last time 1 company with a terrible product track record spent 100 billion onto acquire MULTIPLE successful companies in under a year only to shut them down and stop making their products regardless of how successful they were. Not merge them, completely shut them down.

And you can’t use Microsoft in your example.

Notellin2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Class action lawsuit? The law is on their side and protects them at all costs. There are no rules to protect the people at the bottom.

jwillj2k42d ago

Not true when it comes to mass layoff do your research.

RNTody3d ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

MrDead3d ago

ID software, the makers of Doom and Wolfenstein that have been with us since 1991 could be gone and MS will keep the IPs.

I hope some of these studios can buy their freedom from MS otherwise this is going to be even more devastating for the industry and gamers.

Yui_Suzumiya2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I've been a fan of id since Wolfenstein 3D and I'm honestly afraid.

lodossrage2d ago

Toys for Bob saw the writing on the wall and bought themselves out.

Wouldn't be the first time a company did that under MS either. Bungie and Twisted Pixel did the same. Considering what just happened, I can see some other devs trying to buy themselves out too.

anast3d ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19793d ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

XiNatsuDragnel3d ago

Phil and his team need to be gone

lodossrage2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Won't make a difference.

The whole structure needs to be overhauled. Anyone that replaces Phil will be no different than him, Mattrick, or anyone else.

Until the company changes how they go about business, nothing will change

glenn19792d ago

I just don't have any idea what they would do , they have done sooo much damage on their xbox brand, they have a show at July or June I think, but will it even matter even they show amazing games, idkn

lodossrage2d ago

True,

But they may as well get it over with. Whether it happens now or later, the burning is going to hit the same.

Reality is the ONE move that can alleviate a lot of this is the one move they can't make. Remove day 1 from gamepass.

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90°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead5d ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel4d ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

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