PixlBit

I'd like to consider myself a well rounded gamer. This cycle, I've been lucky enough to own all three major consoles - and I've played a great amount of each. In some odd way - and I say odd because I didn't expect this - I think I spent the majority of my time on the Xbox 360. Maybe its because I didn't get my Playstation 3 until mid 2010, or maybe its because it just had games that I was interested in, but the 360 is by far the system I came away playing the most. It's my go to regarding most 3rd party games, fighting games and the Mass Effect series (cuz of save importing). That said, going into this next cycle, I think I'm starting to condier passing on the Xbox One - at least until I see something interesting on the box.

Last generation, I though I'd never want an Xbox or a Playstation, because I was a bit of a Nintendo purist. Things changed, and when my brother and I got an Xbox, I saw no reason to get a PS3 because it didn't have games I wanted. Eventually those games came out, and I went out and bought one. The point I'm making with that, is that in time things change. Early impressions aren't always the most telling. I bought a Wii U thinking there would be games for it - and while I love my Wii U - its easy to see that they are having issues with their software yet again, and will probably continue to have those issues for the remainder of this cycle. First impressions do make an impact though, and the Xbox One didn't necessarily leave the best one for me.

Initially, i thought the upgraded Kinect functions were cool. It reminded me of how Jarvis acts in the Iron Man movies. It acted quickly, and fluidly. This is all good, but as I saw these functions appear, I began to get more and more ansy about what games we will see on the console. Unfortuately it was  TV, TV, TV, TV, Sports, Sports, NFL, Sports, Halo TV show (wtf), TV, Sports, Entertainment, Call of Duty, DOOGS!, Call of Duty and that was it. 

That said, one thing that did sound interesting was the fact that they have 15 exclusives in the works, and of those 8 brand new IPs. I am extremely curious to see what they do with those, but for now I feel a bit apathetic toward this new system. With PS4, even though the conference was also kind of mediocre, I am VERY pumped for Infamous: Second Son, so there is an innate excitement withing me there. With Wii U, you can argue that it also has no games - and while that is true - the promise and guarantee of games in the Metroid, Zelda and Smash Brothers series are more than enough for me to hop on. Microsoft has Halo, Gears of War and Fable, but I personally, can live without those for a while. We'll see how it pans out.

The one major concern I have with the XbOne is the fact that its so restrictive in terms of games. Apparently games are locked to account, thus meaning that other players can't use it without paying a fee. This works to an extent, on some level at least, but for me its absolutely appalling. I have a younger brother that I share games with all the time, and it would be extremely disappointing if I bought a game for the X1, and he couldn't play it or vice-versa. In my opinion, its backwards thinking, and a huge case for me to not buy one.

If anything, this holiday will be an interesting one. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has to offer, but I def think that Microsoft has to prove themselves if they want me to invest in an Xbox One this holiday (or anytime in the future).