NEWS - Tuesday, June 4, 2013


Microsoft defends Xbox One’s "boxy" design

"What is my problem with Man, you ask? No, I ask you, what was Man’s problem with ME?!?"

Simion from Dexter’s Laboratory

 

When Microsoft first unveiled its next-generation Xbox One console earlier this month, the gaming press met the new device with trepidation, if not outright ridicule. The tech giant might have given itself a leg up on its close rival Sony by actually showing people what the console looked like ... but most critics don’t like the look of the Xbox One. Almost instantaneously, naysayers began posting pictures on Twitter comparing the new gaming gadget to a 1980’s-era VCR.

Well, Microsoft has officially had enough of all the jokes. In a long statement posted on the company’s site "Xbox Wire," Microsoft this week defended "the beauty of the Xbox One."

While its detractors have called the device a retro machine at best, Microsoft insisted that, really, the Xbox One showcased "a new approach to design."

Apparently, this meant that Microsoft’s design team — led by Carl Ledbetter, who oversaw the design of the current-generation Xbox 360 console as well — wanted to bring the boxy approach of Microsoft software to the hardware level for the Xbox One. The company said it went through "dozens and dozens" of prototypes before arriving at the final vision of a sleek black rectangular shape, one part matte and one glossy.

While Microsoft steered clear of any mention of a VCR, it did note that the designers took inspiration from "high-definition TV manufacturers" to make the device unnoticeable. They chose "liquid black, the blackest black creatable, as a color palette for the brand," to make both the console and the Kinect, much like a user’s TV, fade into the background.

"Dark colors accentuate content and bring the entertainment experience to the forefront," Microsoft reasoned. And for the Xbox One’s redesigned controller, Microsoft hoped that this blackest of blacks would help the brightly colored gamepad buttons stand out for users.

But more importantly than its functionality for gamers, the Xbox One’s redesign signifies Microsoft’s new strategy to turn the game console into something that’s more than just a game console.

Ramiro Torres, creative director of design for the Xbox One, said in a statement that his team "wanted to think for a holistic perspective" to support its rebranding as a general purpose entertainment device.

“Xbox has always had something to say. It’s always been bold with a strong personality,” design leader Ledbetter said in a statement. “Xbox One needs to serve our most loyal gaming fans and deliver unique entertainment experiences, so its design has to make an appropriate statement that reflects its capability as an all-in-one entertainment system."

But will these "most loyal gaming fans" appreciate the change? As many a parody video of the Xbox One reveal showed, console gamers feel betrayed by the company for the way it chose to focus on things like television and sports instead of the actual games. Microsoft can stand behind its design choices for the Xbox One, but what most fans really want to see are the games Microsoft has promised to talk about in greater detail come its July 10 press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.


Source: http://www.nbcnews.com

Site Statistics

Registered Members: 79,399
Forum Posts: 725,965
Xbox One Titles: 6,092
Xbox 360 Titles: 1,086
Xbox 360 Kinect Titles: 95
Xbox 360 Arcade Titles: 586
Original Xbox Titles: 987
Staff Reviews: 2,548
Member Reviews: 10,339
News Articles: 16,531
Screenshots: 38,801
Xbox 360 Achievements: 45,112
Xbox 360 Faceplates: 2,016
Cheat Codes: 1,706

Latest News








See News Archives

Community Forum Activity

KeyWe Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 23080 Views

2021: XBA is still here
Post by shrew king
38 Replies, 188772 Views

Watch Dogs: Legion
Post by Nato King
0 Replies, 120871 Views

Xbox Series X or S
Post by Nato King
5 Replies, 138085 Views

Spellbreak Grand Magus Pack (3) and Starter Pack (7) Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 129106 Views

I pay $ 1000! I search the Element 54 Canadian launch Team signaturen Faceplate
Post by Smill
0 Replies, 150017 Views

Xbox one no signal
Post by debrartin
0 Replies, 140255 Views

do you remember?
Post by SnoochyBoochy
3 Replies, 202658 Views

i haz xbox
Post by SnoochyBoochy
0 Replies, 157602 Views

Claiming the first thread of 2020
Post by Kraft
7 Replies, 252413 Views

Important! I pay $ 1000! I search the Sweden launch and the Element 54 Faceplate
Post by Smill
3 Replies, 146347 Views

Squad Up
Post by samslophead
0 Replies, 249019 Views

TERA Skinned Xbox One X Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 176595 Views

Starfield Release expectations?
Post by DJ tx
4 Replies, 304610 Views

Issue with Xbox live on Xbox home
Post by rcmpayne
0 Replies, 164636 Views

© 2000-2024 XboxAddict.com - All rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft. XboxAddict.com is not affiliated with Microsoft.

Made in Canada
Site Design by Cameron Graphics