Xbox One Game Install Times Are Exasperating
The escalating file sizes of triple-A games, coupled with the relatively slow speeds of disc drives, has made game installation a modern necessity.
While this is an understandable trade-off for games that carry beautifully rich and detailed assets, the Xbox One's install times are painful. When taken completely offline, the console took around five minutes to install 13 percent of Assassin's Creed Unity, which was enough to make the game accessible to a point. The remainder took more than another half hour to fully install (which, bear in mind, locks out the chance of installing other applications). When taken online, Xbox One arbitrarily mixes update patches into the install process, which means there's every chance a new game will be inaccessible for at least an hour, if not more.
By contrast, the PS4 installs the Assassin's Creed Unity disc, in its entirety, in less than two minutes. (Some GameSpot staff point out that, in fact, it isn't always as rapid as this). The Wii U, meanwhile, doesn't require game installation.
It is difficult to give an overall assessment of the Xbox One controller, such is the pad's inherent divisiveness. Microsoft has tweaked its winning formula to the extent that the pad has become an acquired taste that necessitates a road test for any would-be buyer. There was, however, one surprising conclusion that came from the GameSpot UK team's analysis: Everyone who held the Xbox One controller in their palms, even those who praised it, said they preferred the feel of the DualShock 4.
The Xbox One Interface is Challenging
Navigating the Xbox One is a bit like hearing an Aristocrats joke. Each turn and navigation is more unfathomably awful than the last, defying sacred taboos of user interface, to the extent that it genuinely becomes amusing.
Let's warm you up with the home page layout: A third of it is saved for sponsored content, and another third is dominated by a huge preview pane showing your singlemost recently used app, which is essentially a gargantuan, space-eating reminder of what you've just navigated away from. Clicking on this vast window is also how you return to the app, which is a strikingly inelegant replacement for, say, just pressing the Xbox button.
Each turn and navigation is more unfathomably awful than the last, defying sacred taboos of user interface, to the extent that it genuinely becomes amusing.
You might not believe this either, but trust us; currently, pressing the Xbox button on the home page does nothing. Yes, Microsoft could theoretically make the Xbox button resume your game, like how the PlayStation 4 does so swiftly, but what's the point in having a colossal preview pane if you can outright negate it with a simple thumb press? And sure, Microsoft could have made the Xbox button launch a mini-guide, as the Xbox 360 did so handily, but what's the point in putting tools in people's hands?
And yet, if you double-tap the Xbox button on the home screen, you enter Snap Mode. Yes, Snap Mode is higher up the short-cut pecking order than the game or app you've chosen.
Crammed within the remaining slither of home-page space is... another Snap Mode icon. It's apparently vital that you have more ways to access this feature, especially on incredibly limited dashboard real-estate.
Then there's the games and apps icon. The Xbox One's library of media apps and games isn't automatically available on the home screen. I mean, why put them there, right in front of you? How about instead you enter the 'app' app (yes) to find the app you want?
As a bonus, the app drawer itself is chaos. Browsing it is akin to rummaging through a suitcase on vacation. The Achievements app is next to Skype, next to Friends, next to YouTube, next to Settings, next to Twitch. Xbox doesn't make a distinction between system-wide services and entertainment applications, and the result is as dumbfounding as it sounds.
The remaining tiny letterbox of home-page space is reserved for your four most recent games and apps. Sony launched the PS4 with a large strip of ten of these stretching across the centre of the homepage, and after taking feedback from users, expanded that to 15. Xbox One, by contrast, has no space to go beyond four. Bear in mind that even the most basic features, such as friends and achievements, are now designated apps that will also barge their way into this small space.
Adjacent to your four recent items is the disc icon, which displays media content currently populating the Xbox One's Blu-ray drive. Yet bizarrely, the game populating the disc icon (which, remember, is fixed in place) also appears in the recent icons. That's two windows of the same game, sitting next to each other, on severely limited home page space. It's the kind of UI oversight you might expect from Chinese bootlegs and hacked systems, and quite stunning to see it on the real thing.
Previous Xbox 360 dashboard layouts, from the blades right through to the end, would be a welcomed upgrade.
It is a Herculean endeavour in itself to complete a full list of the Xbox One's operating system problems. The store layouts are confusing, it's not clear how one switches between Snap Mode and the main picture (double-tap the Xbox button and follow the instructions, fyi), and keyboard typing hasn't moved on from standards set in 2005. The YouTube app's on-screen keyboard, by the way, is a mind-boggling single-file ABC-strip. The fastest time anyone in the office could type the word "the" was 4.3 seconds.
Some would argue that these problems can be overcome by pinning your apps to a dedicated space, situated just left of the home screen. It is true, to a point, that having your own hodgepodge of pinned apps eliminates the hassle of finding those ones in particular. But even with these handy shortcuts, navigating the system is a unenjoyable inevitability.
Elsewhere there's an extraordinary absence of on-screen directions too, which means the handy tricks found by pressing the 'options' button is never referenced, while modes of navigation are hardly ever mentioned. This, coupled with the OS's general lack of intuitiveness, means that pathways around the system are naturally forgotten. You'll recall seeing the installation queue before, somewhere, but can't quite remember how you got there.
,,,
The Xbox One may be flawed throughout, but its manufacturer has shown a commendable perseverance in turning things around. Sweeping changes will be required for the system to catch up with the PS4 in terms of usability, but if Microsoft sticks to the path that it's on, don't be surprised if it eventually achieves that goal.
Some posivies
Xbox One's Game Library Edges Ahead of PS4
Although on face value there's a modest difference between the Xbox One and PS4 game libraries, Microsoft's exclusive content gives it a slight advantage. Forza Horizon 2, Sunset Overdrive, Killer Instinct andTitanfall each stand tall within their own respective genres, and while Halo: The Master Chief Collection hasn't garnered universal acclaim, fans of the series have a bountiful haul of classics to indulge in.
VERDICT: Is It Time to Buy an Xbox One?
To be frank, no. While our analysis of the PlayStation 4 suggested that the system had all the right ideas in place, but wasn't an essential purchase, the Xbox One lags behind on too many key aspects.
That's not to say that all fans will be wholly dissatisfied. The Xbox One carries a superior first-party line-up of games that serves its core fans well. Meanwhile, its multimedia capabilities, and Kinect voice commands, are bonuses you can't find on another TV console. These are enticing, enjoyable aspects of Microsoft's system.
But while most of the Xbox One's inconveniences are forgivable on their own, the same can't be said for the package as a whole. The inferior hardware, however overblown, is an issue. The lack of support from the indie community, however redeemable, is an issue. The superiority of the DualShock 4, however slight, is an issue. Games With Gold, while certainly improving, is an issue. The user interface--every aspect of it--is an issue.
The most damaging issue of all is that these problems are not present on the PlayStation 4, despite Sony's system retailing at the same price. Ultimately, it makes the choice between the two fairly easy.
While most of Xbox One's inconveniences are forgivable on their own, the same can't be said for the package as a whole.
Better days lie ahead. Perhaps the most exciting prospect for Xbox One owners is that Microsoft's executives are demonstrably obsessive about reclaiming its crown. More than one hundred tweaks and improvements have been applied in the first twelve months. Do not be shocked if, a few years down the line, the operating system transforms into the best out there.
Microsoft is, remember, the corporation that spent $1 billion to resolve its RROD mess, and one that has shown a considerable willingness to slash system prices, no matter how costly the damage, and one that eagerly revises its hardware designs, and one that mercilessly axed Kinect for the greater good.
So, you probably shouldn't consider an Xbox One right now, but don't count it out in the future.
