After get their hands on the PlayStation 4, it was necessary to do the same with the Xbox One to have a design verdict. Both Sony and Microsoft have booths that are at the top of ability, but it is possible to find rows with one or two people of lesser known games that serve to manipulate the control at will.
Before we get to that point at a session called Xbox 101 where Microsoft engineers, led by Don Box, we showed some prototypes to illustrate the potential of the console and the interaction with the cloud, the ability to integrate Kinect to any genre (in this case a FPS), and options in entertainment applications (NFL, etc.).
The console
As with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One was inside a capsule that was used to protect from prying eyes in the booth. But what if we had access was the control, with which we play a title that was out there. You apologize if I learned the name, but honestly my gaze was focused on control handle, take pictures and test the buttons.
As with the Dual Shock 4, my first reaction to seeing the control design was not the most positive, but in the same way about games, you need to have it in your hands to reach a verdict. At first glance it feels light, much more than its predecessor, and its design reminds me of the Xbox Controller S the first.
The game I tried was a mixture of races fighting game, where you had to execute combos and counters enemies that appeared in different parts of the track while avanzabas. I had no problem with the main buttons or the triggers. The first thing I noticed was that the size of the bumpers (LB, RB) increased, so it is more comfortable to use.
Regarding the digital pad, Microsoft has chosen to give it a concave base to avoid some edges. The buttons feel good and seem to be comfortable thanks to a rounded edge, but here will have to test it thoroughly to see if it responds well and does not leave blisters on your fingers.
What can you Do?
The first demo was a prototype that showed the solar system with all the stars, planets and asteroids to illustrate the processing power, as in some scenes they were up to 40,000 celestial objects floating on the screen simultaneously. The demo ran with NASA data through control and could take some planets zoom and navigate around.
For the second demo, Don Box said that Kinect could fit virtually any game genre. The device code is available for developers to deploy at will.
The prototype that we showed was a shooting game in first person but with voice capabilities, motion detection and control something that Don defined as a third joystiq analogous: our own body. What do you mean? Involuntary movements in shooting games (dodge body) or the classic turn control to simulate a steering wheel for racing games can be used.
The demo showed a shield that was activated to control up slightly, missile trajectory drawn with gestures and then activate it by voice as well as a mini-game where you had to move sideways to avoid some obstacles that are thrown at you. The only detail is that it was a somewhat checkered by slight latency issues and motion detection.
Finally, there was the demonstration of the potential of entertainment applications with the TV. To illustrate this point we used a NFL game that could be combined with the sidebar to view real-time markers or repetitions of a specific move’s.
The three shows were used to give an idea of what they might do in the future studies. It will be interesting to see how they evolve and, above all, how many are implemented in Latin America.
