Can the Xbox One do it...?

Hi there. I'm a Playstation 3 user and looking to get a next-gen console in the new year. I would like to discuss my frustrations with my PS3 and seek advice from you guys:

1. Connecting a USB device to the PS3 is painful. Even if my hard drive is Fat 32 it couldn't find my files. I heard about the XB1 update to allow connecting of USB devices (portable hard drives, etc.) is this true? if i have say Music, Video, Picture on my
portable drive do i have to go to the individual "app" (like Music, Photos, Video) in orer to access my files? or does the XB1 auto detects it and appears on the screen for me to access?

2. Media Server - Can i connect my Android phone or Mac to an Xbox One in order to stream media files such as music, videos or photos?

3. Apps - The only apps i use on my PS3 everyday are Youtube, IGN, NowTV, Amazon Instant Prime. Does the XB1 have those?

4. Voice Command - With the Kinect is it possible to turn on the device (from Power off mode) with these voice commands? And is it that easy or "convenient" in real life?

5. Wallpaper - Sounds stupid to ask but can i set my won wallpaper for the main homescreen of an XB1?

6. How is multitasking acheived in XB1? So whilst i'm playing a game can i look up something on the internet? Can i do that via voice command or via the controller?

7. Sharing - Can i share something whilst playing a game or sharing a screenshot to Twitter? Can i record something then share in via Youtube easily?

8. Are there many "old" games on the XBox market (i'm not sure if that is whatits called) compared to PS4? (I like those games such as side-scrolling, fighting, racing, third-person actioner.)

9. Gameplay - Now i think we all know gameplay (and game resolution) is better in the PS4 for some reason. But what i'm after is less glitches, smoother gameplay and less crashes. 900p at 60fps would be better i think than 1080p at 30fps. Honestly, is this
the XB1 or the PS4?

Would appreciate some insight and advice please. Thank you.

Gino

:)

 

Can Xbox One do it?

1. That's strange, PS3 is still my preferred device for media playback although primarily I like it due to the ability to store media directly on the internal HDD.

Xbox One supports USB devices. I playback media from USB stick and use an external USB 3.0 HDD for games storage. You can not currently partition a storage device to support both games and media like you could on 360.

2. Media streaming is supported over the network. I am not sure if you can play files off devices connected by USB such as phone or tablet, never tried but streaming over network from PC to XB1 works.

3. Yes, thanks to recent firmware updates the XB1 can now be more easily controlled with a pad. Kinect is still king for instant access, simply say what you want and it goes there without need to navigate menus - but controller navigation is vastly improved recently.

4. You mean Indie games? Basically old and recent games hand-me-downs from Steam. The PS4 selection is better, though XB1 has focused on this area the last few months and the library is growing. As for old "Xbox" games, it's just remastered stuff. Such as PS4 has The Last of Us and Xbox One has Halo Collection for example, others include GTA V, Sleeping Dogs and Tomb Raider on both systems.

5. Xbox Live's main advantage is that it's reliable. Halo may say otherwise as of late, but instances such as that are extremely rare on Xbox. PS+ main advantage is the free games that are offered you may actually want to play.

6. Since the freeing up of a GPU reserve and greater tools for developers the Xbox One is no longer an embarrassment in the performance department. Destiny was the first big game to take advantage of this, where the 900p Beta jumped to 1080p for the retail release. Many releases now are indistinguishable which is a massive improvement from where Xbox was last year. Yes, PS4 still takes the lead overall but now by a much smaller margin - though the Xbox doesn't sound like a last-gen jet engine in it's defence.

7. Yes, the PS4 battery drains much quicker. I can play lengthy sessions on Xbox pad and not need to replace the batteries for upto 4 days. Whereas if I jump on The Last of Us multiplayer for a couple hours I need to charge it again ready for the next day. The Xbox One pad also can take in any headphones but with the addition of a £20 adaptor. Though it does feature independent volume controls for party and game chat, where as PS4 requires you to back out into system settings to tinker.

8. Yes, IE is great on Xbox. Redtube works fine, and really is a showcase for the headphones too.

 

Can Xbox One do it?

If the Xbox One supports ANY USB device and play files thru the Media Player then i'm happy. A plus would be if i can find an app to make my phone/tablet as a media server and stream files to the XB1 then that would be better. But again i ask...is that currently possible?

With the XB1 controller again i ask can i 1. Share to Twitter? 2. Do a snap-on multitasking windows on the side? 3. Record video....all on-the-fly?

You mentioned Steam. Can i access that via an app? I'm more interested in "old" Xbox games released previously. For Example....If Street Fighter III Third Strike was released for the Xbox and is in Xbox Live can i essentially download it?

And speaking of games does the Xbox One offer Xbox 360 (and old Xbox) games compatibility?

With regards to IE10 can i add & save bookmarks and webpages as an option? Can i watch streaming sites using IE on XBox One? ( It would be nice if i can watch those streaming sports channels as i don't have Sky Sports)

Please advice. Thanks.

 

Hi there gino if you were to set the xb1 to instant on, then yes you can say xbox on and your console will turn on. As far as apps IGN isnt available yet amazon prime i dont think is available yet, youtube is and video is 60fps. Multitasking is as simple
as saying xbox snap internet explorer for gaming help. As for media sharing you can acces the media player app on xb1, as for flashdrives it i believe it has to be 30 gb or larger. As far as the old games could you clarify a bit if by that you mean backwards
compatiable then no.

 

Let me give some additional answers:

1. Yes - you need to have the media player app installed on the One and then you may access USB attached devices, no matter which size whether with the app or the storage menu.

2. You are able to stream videos from YouTube to the One. Also the One supports DLNA. So if you have a DLNA server app on your Android device you may access the files with the media player app.

3. Simply yes. Only not sure on now TV.

4. When in instant on mode, you can power the One up with a simple Xbox on command. Also the other voice commands are very simple and usable.

5. Yes - you can use custom wallpapers and even self-made pictures.

6. You may whether switch between the different apps or even snap them at the right side of the screen.

7. Unfortunately it is only possible to share videos to Twitter at the moment. Also you can broadcast yourself on Twitch. It is not possible to directly upload to YT at the moment, but that maybe a future feature.

8. You may feel free to take a look into the game store at Xbox.com and check out all the available games. There are plenty of them and meanwhile the independent game developers offer also a lot of low priced games for the Xbox one.

9. Honestly, differences in the resolution may be visible when watching comparing videos in slow motion, but you will not readily notice while playing I guess. With framerates it seems that the Xbox is a bit more stable add it offers constant framerates
and does not experience the drops some of the newer games experience on the other next gen console. So in the means of your question. Yes, I think it's the Xbox One.

 

Thank you.

If i have a Media Server app on my Android phone will all the files appear on the Media Player on the Xbox?

Even with no Kinect can i still: share via Twitter, record videos then share via Youtube and do multitasking (that split screen snap thing) all using the controller?

I can see Xbox Live Gold and Playstation Plus offer £39.99 for one year. But what makes the Xbox one better than Sony's?

I heard the PS4 controller drains battery because maybe of the touch sensitive and 3.5mm jack gimmick. Is the Xbox One controller lasts generally long as you would expect?

Is the Internet Explorer on the XB1 a full-fledged PC version with Flash & HTML5 so one can watch online videos/movies, etc.?

 

The online services are generally the same except live is a bit more stable, the ie app now supports html5 but not flash, you dont need kinect to share clips or upload videos to youtube never really neede kinect for that. From comparisons i've read the ds4
only goes about 8 hrs while the xbox one controller can last from 2-3 days depending on usage. As far as the phone app i beleive its only from a pc.

 

With regards to IE10 can i add & save bookmarks as an option? Can i watch streaming sites using IE on XBox One?

Whilst i'm playing a game can i share what i'm doing to Twitter using the controller?

The Xbox One is DLNA-compliant is this correct? So, if i find an app to make my phone or tablet as a media server will the XB1 (in theory) find my files and stream them over the XB1's Media Player?

If i find a nice wallpaper over at Bing or Google is there an option within IE to make that wallpaper as my console's wallpaper? And Is there a way to look for more wallpapers using the Xbox One?