As Xbox One Complaints Increase, Microsoft Promises Improvements

[FiB3R]

Day-one Xbox One adopters have had their consoles for a week and a half now, and the warts are starting to show.

 

Over the past few days, we've seen a surge of complaints about the new Xbox's interface and operating system, and today, Microsoft's publicly promising that they'll do better.

 

We mentioned a few of the Xbox One's interface issues, like its inability to show you how much hard drive space you have left, in our extensive review.

 

Since the system's November 22 release, Xbox One owners have compiled even more complaints about OS sluggishness, Kinect issues, and party chat confusion.

 

One journalist, writing for Edge magazine, published a scathing editorial today titled "Xbox, why? The baffling incompetence of the Xbox One interface."

 

"Xbox One's debut user experience is stuttering, clunky, and a serious challenge to Xbox Live's long-held status as the premier console service," Edge wrote.

 

"Bluntly, they take too long to load, don't offer the functionality that Xbox Live was built on, and are, inexplicably, badly handled by the OS."

 

More...

[ramonsjc]

Not that I have one, but a friend of mine says load times are brutal.

 

I hope it gets better by the time I get one in a few months.

[techbeck]

It is a little sluggish at times.  A few times, it took a minute to shutdown the system.  Voice commands are not always accurate either.  Sometimes I have to raise my voice and sometimes, I do not.  Sometimes the XBOX doesnt even acknowledge the voice command either.

 

Have not experienced many other issues. It is a new device so there will be issues early adopters have to deal with that will be ironed out I am sure via software updates.

 

At the risk of sounding like an MS fanboy, or someone who is invested in the company...these are really not big issues and will be addressed soon I am sure.

[Woelfel]

It is a little sluggish at times.  A few times, it took a minute to shutdown the system.  Voice commands are not always accurate either.  Sometimes I have to raise my voice and sometimes, I do not.  Sometimes the XBOX doesnt even acknowledge the voice command either.

 

Have not experienced many other issues. It is a new device so their will be issues early adopters have to deal with that will be ironed out I am sure via software updates.

 

At the risk of sounding like an MS fanboy, or someone who is invested in the company...these are really not big issues and will be addressed soon I am sure.

 

And now we can end the thread as this sums it up nicely.

[MorganX]

Not that I have one, but a friend of mine says load times are brutal.

 

I hope it gets better by the time I get one in a few months.

 

Perhaps this is why MS was pushing digital "only," perhaps they knew ...

[spacer]

My biggest issue is that achievements and friends info is not as readily accessible as it should be. Certainly not as accessible as they were on the 360.

[MorganX]

It is a little sluggish at times.  A few times, it took a minute to shutdown the system.  Voice commands are not always accurate either.  Sometimes I have to raise my voice and sometimes, I do not.  Sometimes the XBOX doesnt even acknowledge the voice command either.

 

Have not experienced many other issues. It is a new device so there will be issues early adopters have to deal with that will be ironed out I am sure via software updates.

 

At the risk of sounding like an MS fanboy, or someone who is invested in the company...these are really not big issues and will be addressed soon I am sure.

 

It's major to those experiencing them in a major way. It appears both consoles were rushed. At the end of the day though, I think the Xbox has the advantage with all that it does given the games will probably be more or less equal quality and performance. I'm rooting for them both. Based on a PC architecture, given the quality of NFS: Rivals PC, they will be great for PC gaming.

[trooper11]

I'm glad MS is eager to improve as they go along.

Its strange, but I haven't had the same experience as is described in the article. I have certainly seen the longer than normal game load times, but the UI itself has been pretty fast.

I certainly agree that there is a list of little things that can be improved and fixed, including bringing back features that were present on the 360. The important thing is that we give this feedback to MS so that they know what is important to focus on first.

I hope they come out and give us a timeline, even if its vague.

I also hope Sony follows suit as well and is working hard to get improvements out there. I realize there is less press coverage on ps4 improvements for some reason, but us ps4 users need to get the same attention and get feedback out to Sony.

[jerzdawg]

I havent noticed any issues with the interface/gui.  programs load pretty quickly imo.  I only have 2 gripes so far.  No passthrough on the hdmi to watch tv with xbox off and the slow install times, Both CoD and Dead Rising felt way too long to get to 50%

[trooper11]

My biggest issue is that achievements and friends info is not as readily accessible as it should be. Certainly not as accessible as they were on the 360.

That's interesting. why do you say those are not as accessible?

From the dash, its literally one click to get into the user tile which shows options to get into the friends list and your achievements.

One thing that took me a little time to get use to is the fact that the old 360 mini-guide is gone. I lived in that mini guide for things like checking on friends, achievements and various other settings. Now, the main dash is the new mini-guide. It operates just like the mini-guide did (i.e. you can quickly switch to it regardless of where you are in the system), but now its full featured thanks to the fact that you can literally access anything else in the system without leaving a game or app.

[Showan]

I've had my Xbox One since day one.

 

-Load times seems like a moment to moment thing as far as load times go.  One minute load times seem normal, next thing you know, it seems like 2minutes (more like 45seconds to a minute though) have gone by before your back in game

 

-Apps, and Snap mode have been snappy for me so far.  No complaints here at all.

 

-Kinect; has been around 80-90 percent responsive to my voice.  If I got the tv blasting loudly, I notice I have to either raise my voice at the Kinect, or pause whatever I'm doing.

 

"Xbox On" and "Xbox Turn Off" have been more than responsive.  Lightning fast for me.

 

 

 

It can?t even offer feature parity with Sony. Incredibly, having signed an exclusivity deal with Twitch, it then failed to have the service ready at launch, instantly preventing people from sharing their game footage with the world. This could, in time, prove to be the most significant failure of the Xbox One launch; the removal of a marketing tool that even Microsoft?s millions will struggle to replace. For all the public mea culpas, the blunders of the initial reveal and the potency of Sony?s E3 riposte lasted all the way to launch, and those early adopters ? the CoD, ACIV and FIFA players ? are heading to PS4.

Beyond Sony?s superior early sales figures, you can see it play out on social media as people tentatively sign up to PSN for the first time, after years of Xbox Live. Once there, they start sharing: screenshots and Twitch footage is how games and platforms are marketed in this new generation, and Microsoft has launched with no easy way to do either.   

 

Guess what EDGE?  It's not a PS4.  It's a Xbox One.  

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I've had my Xbox One since day one.

 

-Load times seems like a moment to moment thing as far as load times go.  One minute load times seem normal, next thing you know, it seems like 2minutes (more like 45seconds to a minute though) have gone by before your back in game

 

-Apps, and Snap mode have been snappy for me so far.  No complaints here at all.

 

-Kinect; has been around 80-90 percent responsive to my voice.  If I got the tv blasting loudly, I notice I have to either raise my voice at the Kinect, or pause whatever I'm doing.

 

"Xbox On" and "Xbox Turn Off" have been more than responsive.  Lightning fast for me.

 

 

 

It can?t even offer feature parity with Sony. Incredibly, having signed an exclusivity deal with Twitch, it then failed to have the service ready at launch, instantly preventing people from sharing their game footage with the world. This could, in time, prove to be the most significant failure of the Xbox One launch; the removal of a marketing tool that even Microsoft?s millions will struggle to replace. For all the public mea culpas, the blunders of the initial reveal and the potency of Sony?s E3 riposte lasted all the way to launch, and those early adopters ? the CoD, ACIV and FIFA players ? are heading to PS4.

Beyond Sony?s superior early sales figures, you can see it play out on social media as people tentatively sign up to PSN for the first time, after years of Xbox Live. Once there, they start sharing: screenshots and Twitch footage is how games and platforms are marketed in this new generation, and Microsoft has launched with no easy way to do either.   

 

Guess what EDGE?  It's not a PS4.  It's a Xbox One.  

 

That's not really an excuse. Twitch was on the 360. It should have been there from day one on X1. They even announced it first IIRC.

 

But I guess app devs didn't get kits very early, as they certainly aren't the only ones missing from the lineup.

[ThePokedPenguin]

Had my XB1 since launch day and theres only 2 things that really annoy me

 

1. No notifications of when people come online

 

2. You cant play music while you game without snapping the music app, thereby losing a chunk of your gaming screen (unless im just an idiot and havent figured it out)

 

I also suffered briefly from the OS slowing down, cleared it up with a hard reboot

 

All in all really enjoy it

[fusi0n]

Glad to see Microsoft reaching out and getting feedback!

[Showan]

Even if a popup came on the screen that says battery low at around 15% or so of battery life left, would be good for me.

 

 

The one thing I wish they had thought of, not having to say the FULL NAME of a game when going to it by voice.  If it's gonna be like this for the next 10yrs or so, developers better shorten up on the Sub-Titles for their games.

I don't want to be like:  "Xbox Go to Killer Elite Extreme Tactics Force; The Final Showdown"   :/

[trooper11]

Beyond Sony?s superior early sales figures, you can see it play out on social media as people tentatively sign up to PSN for the first time, after years of Xbox Live. Once there, they start sharing: screenshots and Twitch footage is how games and platforms are marketed in this new generation, and Microsoft has launched with no easy way to do either.   

There is one thing to remember here. MS has provided a better system for uploading clips at the moment compared to the PS4. So while Twitch is delayed, you have the option to upload clips easier than the ps4 and with more editing options. On the ps4, you just have facebook to upload to, while on the X1 you upload it to XBL and/or Skydrive. From Skydrive, its easy to put it up on any service you like. Both claim to be adding direct youtube support sometime in the future though.

I do think its a missed chance that Twitch was delayed, but as long as they get it out in January and its a robust offering, I think it will still be a big boost for the platform.

[Showan]

That's not really an excuse. Twitch was on the 360. It should have been there from day one on X1. They even announced it first IIRC.

 

But I guess app devs didn't get kits very early, as they certainly aren't the only ones missing from the lineup.

 

 

Microsoft is a SOFTWARE company.  Whereas Sony is a hardware company.  Sony needed to show off what other companies can do with their platform.  Microsoft want to show off what Microsoft can do 1st and foremost before showing off what other companies can do.

 

That's why, game DVR, and upload Studio are getting first dibs.

 

This is dead obvious.

 

If Sony were the software company and Microsoft were the hardware company it would be flipped.  

[notchinese]

Complaining about the UI? Its a million times nicer than the PS4's. Only 1 part of the UI has experience any stutter on my system - the little pop up when you hold down the xbox button. More than I can say for my PS4 which certain parts of the UI are a stutter plagued nigthmare. As for app load times - Console turns off/on really fast. Netflix load time is similar to PS4 netflix load time. App switching to loaded apps is instance.

[trooper11]

That's not really an excuse. Twitch was on the 360. It should have been there from day one on X1. They even announced it first IIRC.

 

But I guess app devs didn't get kits very early, as they certainly aren't the only ones missing from the lineup.

Are you talking about the Twitch app?

The Twitch app is out for the X1 now for accessing everything on Twitch. The 360 never had a live streaming app. That's the functionality that was delayed into January.

[McKay]

My Gripes

 

If you've accessed part of the store, and later on want to look at the store at something else, it'll take you to the page you were last at every time. If you press B to go back it'll exit the app. You are literally stuck on that page.

 

If I want to check my friends list or respond to a message, I have to effectively quit the game I'm on, be presented with a 3-4 second splashscreen for the relevant app to open, and then go back and resume the game. 9/10 I do this in Battlefield 4 it disconnects me from EA.

 

Jesus H God Blasting Christ the install times

 

Can't download games while in standby, I had to leave my Xbox on for 18 hours to download Battlefield 4.

 

Randomly my pinned apps page will disappear for a random amount of time, leaving me unable to access my pinned things, I have to open the "My Apps" app, and then find the app in there.

 

I hate how everything is an app, the friends list is an app, messages is an app. I miss having a guide come up, with the game running behind it. 

[Showan]

Are you talking about the Twitch app?

The Twitch app is out for the X1 now for accessing everything on Twitch. The 360 never had a live streaming app. That's the functionality that was delayed into January.

 

When Twitch fully launches for the One, it will be have a more robust feature set.  Because Microsoft has things setup on the OS level for heavy integration of 3rd party apps 

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Microsoft is a SOFTWARE company.  Whereas Sony is a hardware company.  Sony needed to show off what other companies can do with their platform.  Microsoft want to show off what Microsoft can do 1st and foremost before showing off what other companies can do.

 

That's why, game DVR, and upload Studio are getting first dibs.

 

This is dead obvious.

 

If Sony were the software company and Microsoft were the hardware company it would be flipped.  

 

There is no room for that kind of strategy anymore. You don't see Apple releasing a new phone but locking out 3rd parties for 2 months to have the limelight. You get everyone on board from the start (Y)

[BajiRav]

Can't download games while in standby, I had to leave my Xbox on for 18 hours to download Battlefield 4.

Wow, really? This is a serious regression. :/

[trooper11]

If you've accessed part of the store, and later on want to look at the store at something else, it'll take you to the page you were last at every time. If you press B to go back it'll exit the app. You are literally stuck on that page.

I'm not saying this is a great solution, but what I do is close the store app when I'm done, which resets it to start on the home page the next time I go to it.

To close any app, just hit the 'menu' button on the controller and choose quit.

Ultimately, what they need to do is add a 'home' button you could click on while inside the store app.

[George P Global Moderator]

Improvements coming is a given, the key here is when and how quick?   I'd hate for them to take long, lots of the things people ask for are minor in nature and could be addressed quickly.   They really should try to get a update out by January, after the holiday rush is over.