The Xbox One has suffered its share of hiccups since its announcement more than a year ago. Thankfully, rather than losing confidence when it has tripped over its own shoes, the Xbox One has soldiered on. Its perseverance is beginning to pay off with momentum that could render it a force to be reckoned with heading into the future.
There are a variety of reasons the Xbox One is looking better now than ever before. We’ve highlighted a five of the best reasons in the gallery below.
5 Ways the Xbox One Has Gained Momentum Since Launch
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1. Xbox One Updates
The Xbox One's operating system has undergone some drastic changes since launch. Its February Update took care of many little things people were asking for such as a battery indicator, USB keyboard support, and storage management. The March Update went well beyond that with interface adjustments, new party features, and even Twitch integration. This month's update goes a step further by tweaking the Kinect voice and motion software, adding friend alerts, and even new available settings.
For those who have owned an Xbox One since launch, these updates have done a lot to make the day to day Xbox One experience better. In a lot of ways, it gives Xbox One owners something to look forward to, and shows that Microsoft is committed to making the platform better over time.
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2. Twitch Integration
You could argue that Twitch is one of the things that separates this generation from those of the past. Being able to share your game experiences with the world live is a technological marvel.
The Xbox One's integration of Twitch is a huge deal. Not only can you stream at 720p resolution, but the application is feature rich. You can watch any of the streams as you would on PC, chat with others, follow any variety of channels, and more. Developed internally at Twitch, it's the best implementation of the service on any platform outside of PC.
To be honest, I find myself watching Twitch more than is probably healthy. In some ways it has become my go-to when I can't find something to watch on Netflix. Considering it's free, that's pretty cool.
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3. Software, Software, Software
What do Titanfall, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, and Forza 5 Motorsport all have in common? They were all celebrated and are available on Xbox One.
The Xbox One's first six months of software is admirable. It has inherited the eye-popping next-gen ports (i.e. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition), pushed indie titles (Peggle 2), and delivered AAA experiences (Titanfall). I'd even go as far as to say it's had some of the best software of any platform within six months of launch.
It'll need to remain consistent going into the future, and could use an exclusive system seller, but for now it's doing a mighty fine job.
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4. Phil Spencer, the Hero of Xbox
Previous Xbox head Don Mattrick had a vision for Xbox One that jeopordized the Xbox brand. He imagined that the next gen of Xbox would be best off by focusing on entertainment more than gaming. What a mistake that was.
Consequently, he was fired. In his stead came the legendary Phil Spencer.
Phil Spencer is just about everything you could want from the head of a console division. He's intelligent, experienced, and is conscious of what gamers want. His hiring alone has sparked some positive commotion, and a Microsoft E3 press conference devoid of 100 TV references but filled with gaming announcements is sure to come in June.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Major Nelson's interview with Phil Spencer. You can get a good idea of why gamers love this man.
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5. A Pseudo Price Drop
The Xbox One isn't technically $399, but it might as well be. The Titanfall bundle has routinely been available for as low as $430, and includes the console as well as over $60 worth of additional product. It's a great deal, and has helped push the console into the homes of many new customers.
Let's be real here, an Xbox One price drop is coming sometime later this year, Microsoft is just waiting for an opportune time to strike.
