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Jay520 on 19 November 2013
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Soundwave said:
Jay520 said:

From what I have seen so far, I must disagree. The Xbox One doesn't seem to allow you to do anything dramatically different than what we were able to do before, like smart phones. Rather, the innovation behind the Xbox One lies more in execution and accessibility rather than actual features. The examples you gave with cable TV and "broader internet" (whatever that is) were already availlable to people. The Xbox One just made them easier, prettier, and able to talk to. 


Which makes it ground breaking for a TV device. 

Right now if you're watching TV dollars to donughts you can't Skype your friend instaneously while watching a basketball game or an episode of Game of Thrones and get their live reaction to it. You don't get gamer invites while you're watching TV. You can't have the football game on in the corner of the screen while playing online Battlefield or something.

That's the same as smartphones ... I mean I could check my Facebook and Mapquest to get directions and email before I had an iPhone ... but doing that through a phone was basically a walled off experience. Smartphones broke down those walls and let you do it all. 

I think XBox One does a similar thing for television. In the long run I think it will be seen as a game changer for what it means to be a "game console". 

I guess you and I have different definitions of groundbreaking.

Before touchscreen smartphones, things like internet surfing, gaming, etc. was extremely limited and/or annoying with buttons. Smartphones allowed for the ease of use of features which were otherwise a burden. Not only that, but the progressing technology also allowed for features/apps that were otherwise practically impossible. So I can see how the accessibility of touchscreens and the rapidly improving technology has been groundbreaking in the smartphone industry. Smartphones made things accessible that weren't accessibile. And they made things possible that weren't possible. And most importantly, these were for things that people wanted.

I'm not seeing similar grounds being broken with Xbone, primarily because I don't believe people want to do those things you listed. It seems like you're placing far too much emphasis on people's urge to multi-task. Moreover, some of those examples you listed are already possible and probably in more desired formats. For example, I can't see why anyone would want to skype and watch a basketball game on the same monitor when they could watch the game on their TV and skype on their laptop or tablet.

Again, smartphones made desirable features accessible that weren't accessibile, and they made desirable features possible that weren't possible. The Xbone provides features that aren't nearly as extremely desired, and many of the ones that are desired are already quite accessible. Much of the Xbone's appeal doesn't appear to be actually new features or even to make existing features more accessible; but rather, it provides the ability to perform many features simultaneously. I would say most people aren't so eager to do that.

For example, I can't see why anyone would want to skype and watch a basketball game on the same monitor when they could watch the game on their TV and skype on their laptop, tablet, etc. This is something that's already possible and accessible, so the enjoyment gain from the XBone isn't that great, if it exists at all. Mostly everything else is either (a) already possible and accessible, or (b) not desired enough for it to be groundbreaking. The only example you listed that I see as actually desirable is the ability to get invites while watching TV, which isn't something I would call groundbreaking.