Nice to see the headset made it into the box, I would also say the HDMI cable inclusion is a bit of a surprise, as most companies see this as an opportunity to recommend the "official" $40 version.
The PS3 came with AV cables to hook up, they just gave you the cheapest/lowest quality one in the box as HDMI wasn't as commonplace in 2006 as it is now. The point is that since the next gen console ONLY has via HDMI, it now comes with an HDMI cable.
They have to include a cable to connect your console to your TV, thankfully the lowest common denominator is now HDMI (you can be sure that both Sony and MS would have loved to give you something cheaper). Also the headset inclusion is more a response to Sony than anything.
Actually, HDMI cables are likely much cheaper now than component. One cable vs. five (or three plus audio) is a big deal. Most of the $40 HDMI cables are marked up about 1000%, and you can get reasonable quality cables that work fine for well under $10. The nice thing with digital cables is that they either work or they don't, and honestly I think the 4K adoption rate is going to be slow enough that it won't matter too much if the initial cables don't work 100% of the time with 4K -- that will affect what, 1% of users, who will likely just go out and buy a better cable if they need it?
It will be interesting to see how many HDMI cables that aren't 4K rated still work. Based on the HDMI page's comments, I'd say nearly all of them: "The High Speed HDMI cable is designed and tested to handle video resolutions of 1080p and beyond, including advanced display technologies such as 4K, 3D, and Deep Color. If you are using any of these technologies, or if you are connecting your 1080p display to a 1080p content source, such as a Blu-ray Disc player, this is the recommended cable. (http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/finding_right_cable.a...
Well, it's not as if the new HDMI cables actually have any more contacts on the connectors or wires in the cable. It's quite likely that nearly all of them will work with 4K. I've never had a problem with HDMI cable compatibility.
I've experienced LOTS of problems. Different devices tend to be fussier about what they'll work with too (in my experience Samsung and Panasonic stuff seems to be the least fussy, but that's only my experience). It's always better to buy the correct cable (just don't ever spend more than $10 for a <5m cable).
That said, if you're only using it for normal 1080p over a 10' distance, it's not LIKELY to matter at all (longer cables and 4k or 3D tends to be where you run into issues).
As somebody who used to sell HDMI cables, $40 cables typically cost the store about $2-4 (the premium $129 cables cost $9-14).
Yes that means 1000% is at the lower end of the HDMI markup scale - really expensive cables tend to be marked up less percentage-wise, although some $600 cables only cost about $30 (usually it's more like $100), but obviously much more dollar-value wise.
The reason stores do this is it's not unusualy to sell a $6000 TV and only make $20 profit on it (after rebates form the manufacturer). Add-ons are where the money is :).
"Premium" HDMI cables are a total scam. While there are different HDMI cable certification levels, even the highest-rated cables cost little more to make than the lowest-rated. Monster Cable is probably the worst offender in this area. There is absolutely no reason to pay $100 or more for some "magic" cable.
If anyone wants to discover the plain truth about cables, just look at what the professionals buy and where they purchase them. The Audio Video Society (AVS) represents the cream of the crop in professional audio video engineers and installers. Take a look at their online forum and you will see that they almost unanimously purchase their cables from Monoprice.com. Even the best HDMI cables on Monoprice only run $2 to $4 each in average lengths. There is no reason to ever pay more than that.
This is something I'm praying the PS4 (finally) gets right. I couldn't care less about an HDMI cable, but I personally think the always-included headset on the 360 was a big deal in the PSN vs XBL adoption rate story. XBL just subjectively feels like a better social gaming situation to people, I think.
With Kinect on the 360, you no longer need a headset to talk to the people you're gaming with, so I'm not sure why they would include one. Having your friends basically on speakerphone instead of via headset is a big improvement.
@JeffFlanagan It's already annoying hearing tweens dropping F bombs and racial slurs ... I don't need my family to hear that too. So I would aruge there is still a need for a dedicated headset.
And not everyone wants to hear what you're hearing on your end of the Kinect. I'm talking about the game's audio, your mom calling you for dinner, or the annoying rap song that's blasting in the background.
I've heard that the Kinect on the 360 is Over sensitive to noise so I would assume the Xbox one version is as well. That might be why they included the headset.
And then you get: "You can't play because the camera can't see you". It needs to be able to recognize you and I don't think a photo would work either because of the 3d imaging...
This is still something I don't understand. Why do people think this is actually "recording" anything? The processing done by the Kinect sensor is, if I recall, not even sent to the xbox for processing under normal circumstances, but is definitely not being stored or transferred anywhere. Seriously, the image processing is just taking a source frame of video, processing it, and discarding the results. This is literally no different than a video transcoder converting between codec formats, except here the video source is a camera feed instead of a prerecorded video.
on top of that, in order for the nsa to 'spy' on whats happening, there needs to be an active network connection with access to the device with the ability to download the stream downsource. People would begin to notice huge spikes when suddenly a bunch of video and audio feeds are being sent across a network.
This strange fear is some really really stupid paranoia brought on only due to the recent nsa leaks. Nobody is recording you through your Kinect.
Its funny people are crying about the Kinect being on, when their mobile phones and facebook accts are watched and recorded by the govt 24/7. I don't see these idiots dropping their facebook accts or stop using their phones. Even xbox live matches and convos are recorded.
Call me old-fashioned, but I'm going to wait a few months until the inevitable version 1 bugs (software and/or hardware) have been ironed out before purchasing a next-gen console. And hopefully, there might even be some half-decent games released by then :)
One thing I've learned over the years: making something smaller doesn't always make it better. Desktops run for half a decade and more, often without problems -- and often with a lot of dust buildup. Most laptops fail in half that time, unless the owner is good about periodic cleanings, and even then the regular thermal heat is enough to cause problems. So if they make the Xbox One a bit larger and in so doing it's cooled better, runs quieter, and is less likely to fail, well, put me on the list of people that would rather have a slightly larger but more reliable console!
I don't know, the SNES was tiny and mine still works after a couple of decades... :P Not sure why it matters either way, unless you're transporting the thing constantly.
Wow.....seriously? The number 1 feature that was "woo-haha'd" over at all the launch events was the DTV integration--and they DONT EVEN INCLUDE A FREAKIN IR BLASTER!? I am NOT walking up to my kinect and moving it, reorienting it, or even looking at it after I'm done gaming. So much for the "seamless switching".
This is the biggest omission from any gaming system in years.
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chizow - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Nice to see the headset made it into the box, I would also say the HDMI cable inclusion is a bit of a surprise, as most companies see this as an opportunity to recommend the "official" $40 version.Stimpack - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
lol, yes, most companies, but certainly not Microsoft. Their strategy certainly isn't to spare you the pennies and bleed from you the dollars.Kinro - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
They have to include the HDMI cable because there is only HDMI outputs on the console. No more AV cables for next gens.darwinosx - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Plenty of products that are HDMI only do not include an HDMI cable.abrowne1993 - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Every console I've ever owned has included a means of hooking it up. The Wii U contained an HDMI cable, and so will the PS4.dirtyvu - Sunday, August 11, 2013 - link
Playstation 3 didn't come with an HDMI cable. it's not really a big point. you can buy a cable for dirt cheap.ghm3 - Tuesday, August 13, 2013 - link
The PS3 came with AV cables to hook up, they just gave you the cheapest/lowest quality one in the box as HDMI wasn't as commonplace in 2006 as it is now. The point is that since the next gen console ONLY has via HDMI, it now comes with an HDMI cable.blacks329 - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
They have to include a cable to connect your console to your TV, thankfully the lowest common denominator is now HDMI (you can be sure that both Sony and MS would have loved to give you something cheaper). Also the headset inclusion is more a response to Sony than anything.JarredWalton - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Actually, HDMI cables are likely much cheaper now than component. One cable vs. five (or three plus audio) is a big deal. Most of the $40 HDMI cables are marked up about 1000%, and you can get reasonable quality cables that work fine for well under $10. The nice thing with digital cables is that they either work or they don't, and honestly I think the 4K adoption rate is going to be slow enough that it won't matter too much if the initial cables don't work 100% of the time with 4K -- that will affect what, 1% of users, who will likely just go out and buy a better cable if they need it?It will be interesting to see how many HDMI cables that aren't 4K rated still work. Based on the HDMI page's comments, I'd say nearly all of them: "The High Speed HDMI cable is designed and tested to handle video resolutions of 1080p and beyond, including advanced display technologies such as 4K, 3D, and Deep Color. If you are using any of these technologies, or if you are connecting your 1080p display to a 1080p content source, such as a Blu-ray Disc player, this is the recommended cable. (http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/finding_right_cable.a...
Flunk - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Well, it's not as if the new HDMI cables actually have any more contacts on the connectors or wires in the cable. It's quite likely that nearly all of them will work with 4K. I've never had a problem with HDMI cable compatibility.althaz - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
I've experienced LOTS of problems. Different devices tend to be fussier about what they'll work with too (in my experience Samsung and Panasonic stuff seems to be the least fussy, but that's only my experience). It's always better to buy the correct cable (just don't ever spend more than $10 for a <5m cable).That said, if you're only using it for normal 1080p over a 10' distance, it's not LIKELY to matter at all (longer cables and 4k or 3D tends to be where you run into issues).
althaz - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
As somebody who used to sell HDMI cables, $40 cables typically cost the store about $2-4 (the premium $129 cables cost $9-14).Yes that means 1000% is at the lower end of the HDMI markup scale - really expensive cables tend to be marked up less percentage-wise, although some $600 cables only cost about $30 (usually it's more like $100), but obviously much more dollar-value wise.
The reason stores do this is it's not unusualy to sell a $6000 TV and only make $20 profit on it (after rebates form the manufacturer). Add-ons are where the money is :).
Logan500 - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - link
"Premium" HDMI cables are a total scam. While there are different HDMI cable certification levels, even the highest-rated cables cost little more to make than the lowest-rated. Monster Cable is probably the worst offender in this area. There is absolutely no reason to pay $100 or more for some "magic" cable.If anyone wants to discover the plain truth about cables, just look at what the professionals buy and where they purchase them. The Audio Video Society (AVS) represents the cream of the crop in professional audio video engineers and installers. Take a look at their online forum and you will see that they almost unanimously purchase their cables from Monoprice.com. Even the best HDMI cables on Monoprice only run $2 to $4 each in average lengths. There is no reason to ever pay more than that.
Ortanon - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
This is something I'm praying the PS4 (finally) gets right. I couldn't care less about an HDMI cable, but I personally think the always-included headset on the 360 was a big deal in the PSN vs XBL adoption rate story. XBL just subjectively feels like a better social gaming situation to people, I think.ATimson - Sunday, August 11, 2013 - link
The lack of party chat on PS3 was also a big problem. I think Sony said that's coming in the PS4; if so, that'll be another notch against Microsoft.JeffFlanagan - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
With Kinect on the 360, you no longer need a headset to talk to the people you're gaming with, so I'm not sure why they would include one. Having your friends basically on speakerphone instead of via headset is a big improvement.blacks329 - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
@JeffFlanagan It's already annoying hearing tweens dropping F bombs and racial slurs ... I don't need my family to hear that too. So I would aruge there is still a need for a dedicated headset.JeffFlanagan - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Play with a better quality of people. If you don't game with morons, that's not a problem.B3an - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Retarded comment. You cant control who you play with in public matches. It's also much easier to hear people with a headset.JarredWalton - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
Not everyone wants the whole house to hear what's being said.textomatic - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
And not everyone wants to hear what you're hearing on your end of the Kinect. I'm talking about the game's audio, your mom calling you for dinner, or the annoying rap song that's blasting in the background.Darkalia - Wednesday, November 19, 2014 - link
I've heard that the Kinect on the 360 is Over sensitive to noise so I would assume the Xbox one version is as well. That might be why they included the headset.lightsout565 - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
MS made a big deal about how the 360 included one and the PS3 didn't. Not sure if the PS4 has one this console generation.Ramiliez - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
That camera eye is creeping me out. Its like HAL 9000 and creeped about is even more since we started to know more about the NSA and MSdjboxbaba - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
You will be assimilated - The Borg.textomatic - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
You will be able to disable it.thexile - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
say you.fteoath64 - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - link
Yeah small cardboard over the camera and tape over mike and you are set!.n3m4c - Sunday, August 11, 2013 - link
And then you get: "You can't play because the camera can't see you". It needs to be able to recognize you and I don't think a photo would work either because of the 3d imaging...inighthawki - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
This is still something I don't understand. Why do people think this is actually "recording" anything? The processing done by the Kinect sensor is, if I recall, not even sent to the xbox for processing under normal circumstances, but is definitely not being stored or transferred anywhere. Seriously, the image processing is just taking a source frame of video, processing it, and discarding the results. This is literally no different than a video transcoder converting between codec formats, except here the video source is a camera feed instead of a prerecorded video.on top of that, in order for the nsa to 'spy' on whats happening, there needs to be an active network connection with access to the device with the ability to download the stream downsource. People would begin to notice huge spikes when suddenly a bunch of video and audio feeds are being sent across a network.
This strange fear is some really really stupid paranoia brought on only due to the recent nsa leaks. Nobody is recording you through your Kinect.
c1979h - Monday, August 12, 2013 - link
Its funny people are crying about the Kinect being on, when their mobile phones and facebook accts are watched and recorded by the govt 24/7. I don't see these idiots dropping their facebook accts or stop using their phones. Even xbox live matches and convos are recorded.chadwilson - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
The only question that matters: did they use cheap solder or not? The last thing we need is to send out the console to be reballed in under a yearPessimism - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
Yes.darwinosx - Thursday, August 8, 2013 - link
No 802.11ac? WTF?colonelclaw - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
Call me old-fashioned, but I'm going to wait a few months until the inevitable version 1 bugs (software and/or hardware) have been ironed out before purchasing a next-gen console. And hopefully, there might even be some half-decent games released by then :)bitstorm - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
This thing is huge and still has an external power brick? Makes you wonder how shoddy the rest of the hardware design is.JarredWalton - Friday, August 9, 2013 - link
One thing I've learned over the years: making something smaller doesn't always make it better. Desktops run for half a decade and more, often without problems -- and often with a lot of dust buildup. Most laptops fail in half that time, unless the owner is good about periodic cleanings, and even then the regular thermal heat is enough to cause problems. So if they make the Xbox One a bit larger and in so doing it's cooled better, runs quieter, and is less likely to fail, well, put me on the list of people that would rather have a slightly larger but more reliable console!coolhund - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - link
Slightly... lolImpulses - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - link
I don't know, the SNES was tiny and mine still works after a couple of decades... :P Not sure why it matters either way, unless you're transporting the thing constantly.inighthawki - Sunday, August 11, 2013 - link
Things that don't generate heat tend to last a long time :)jleach1 - Saturday, August 17, 2013 - link
Wow.....seriously? The number 1 feature that was "woo-haha'd" over at all the launch events was the DTV integration--and they DONT EVEN INCLUDE A FREAKIN IR BLASTER!? I am NOT walking up to my kinect and moving it, reorienting it, or even looking at it after I'm done gaming. So much for the "seamless switching".This is the biggest omission from any gaming system in years.