Live TV
With E3 being just around the corner, it made sense for Microsoft to show off the other features of this box and save the major game announcements for the big press conference. Having an all-in-one entertainment machine is very appealing to me and I think it's the first thing that drew me into the Xbox 360 when it was first announced. With this new console, taking the center stage as an addition to all your entertainment in one platform is live TV. They didn't go specifically into detail about how this will work, but judging by some photos I've seen from the back of the console, it seems to work by plugging in your existing cable box to the Xbox One through HDMI as well as an IR blaster so that the Xbox One can control it (which I'm hoping they'll provide). From what it seems there is no coaxial input, meaning you can't use it as a standalone set top box or for over-the-air broadcasts. Still, it's a pretty cool feature and I'm sure it will be an attractive selling point of the console... in the U.S.
The thing that was missing from this announcement was what TV providers and locales are supported. I assume most if not all U.S. providers are supported. But, let's face it, features like this almost always take their time to reach international status, if they even get there at all. I live in Canada. The way I watch TV is through over-the-air digital signals from an antenna. This is connected directly to a TV tuner card on my home theater PC which I use to watch and record live HDTV through Windows Media Center. If you have the same or similar setup as I do, you know that it's a little tricky getting WMC to properly display a Canadian guide using an OTA signal. It's been this way since WMC started to include live TV and it's the same issue today. Knowing that Microsoft still hasn't addressed this, I'm not sure if they were rushing to make sure all markets that this console is being sold in has an available guide for their providers. Then again, in Canada Telus has Optik TV available to some provinces so who knows, maybe I'm wrong.
But that's fine because there's still streaming live TV and recordings via your wireless home network through Windows Media Center integration with the Xbox One just like we can do with Xbox 360, right? Well... I'm not so sure that's going to be an option. Microsoft seems to not want to support WMC anymore. In fact, Windows 8 does not include WMC and in order to get it, you have to pay (for the first time ever for this software) to "unlock" it, which I'm fairly certain is only an option because of user outcry for WMC. For that reason, I don't expect WMC to be included with Xbox One. Again, I hope I'm wrong. If these concerns are not addressed, it means there will be no way for me to view live TV on this console which means most of the announcement was of no use to me.
No Backwards Compatibility
For me, the Xbox 360 is my favorite console. I've invested heavily in games, digital content, accessories, and more. All that is apparently not going to matter because the Xbox One does not have a way to use any of that. Your Xbox 360 games on disc, Xbox Live Arcade and other digital games will not work with the new console. I also read on Twitter that controllers and other peripherals will also not be compatible with Xbox One though I have yet to see a source for that information. I actually still have an Xbox 360 Elite console which is showing signs of dying. I was hoping a new Xbox would be able to replace my current console and that everything can transfer over but it looks like there's a chance I might be buying a new Xbox 360 before I get an Xbox One. There's no way I'm trading in my Xbox 360.
No "Gotta-Buy-It" Moment
Don't get me wrong, I was thoroughly impressed with the announcement. The Windows 8-style fast app switching and snapping, the specs that are included, the Kinect and SmartGlass integration, the game capture and editing, and more are a great step forward. However, there was no moment where I felt like I needed to buy this. Granted, the presentation wasn't focused on games because E3 is so close and felt more like they were just saying "SPORTS, TV, SPORTS, SPORTS!" I expect all that stuff to be a quick segment at most at their press conference and a majority of it focusing on new games and the Xbox Live service. If they can guarantee live TV options for Canada with OTA broadcasts and/or a way to address backwards compatibility, then I will highly consider it just off those aspects alone. I'm hoping at E3 there will be a big reveal that will be a convincing moment for me to buy the Xbox One. I don't know if it will be a specific game title or a new feature, but it wasn't there in this reveal. That being said, I can't wait to see more at E3 and what Microsoft will bring to this console.
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