No matter how you cut it, the Xbox One’s first few months on the market have been anything but extraordinary. Every positive bit of momentum, such as its eclipsing of the three million mark within two months, has been overshadowed by comparisons to the PS4. Resolution, PS Plus value, etc. It seems as if there’s no hope for the Xbox One to earn a popularity contest.
That said, Microsoft has some aces up its sleeve. March 2014 is a huge month for its next-gen console, so much that you could argue that it’ll be the most important month of the console’s lifetime.
The Xbox Live we remember
Last generation Xbox Live was a leader for online connectivity for consoles. To the dismay of many, the Xbox One launched with missing features that made it a real pain to use.
Next month, a huge patch will be released that makes online interaction buttery smooth (you can watch a video of it here). The interface has been given a lot of attention to make navigation and grouping with friends a breeze. You’ll also be able to invite your friends to a game directly from their profile for the first time since the Xbox 360.
Even if it’s just catching up to where Xbox Live was on Xbox 360, it’ll at least have the benefits of Xbox One such as being able to record and share gameplay footage and…
Dat Twitch
I’ve been addicted to the PS4’s Twitch app since the console released. To think that the Xbox One version will be much more feature rich has me itching with anticipation.
The Xbox One’s Twitch app is going to allow you to watch streams that are broadcast from any platform. I know I enjoy watching Day9TV and Kripparian, and right now you simply can’t watch these PC streamers from the PS4. The Xbox One app is the solution to that.
Turning on a broadcast will be hassle-free using a simple voice command (“Xbox, Broadcast”). You can even position the webcam on any corner of the image to allow for a level of customization that previously only PC streamers had. If you’re daring enough, you can even let viewers join your game mid-stream.
Given Twitch’s growing popularity, all of this is a big deal.
A high price point with much better value
Microsoft’s decision to pack-in the Kinect with every Xbox One has made the console an expensive one. At $499, it’s been hard for many consumers to justify a purchase, especially when the Kinect hasn’t been validated in any way.
In March, consumers will be able to buy an Xbox One that includes not only a free game, but one that holds a tremendous amount of weight. Titanfall is a game that won the majority of Best of E3 2013 awards, and reasonably so.
Made better, the bundle includes a month of Xbox Live to ease consumers into the experience.
It still costs $499 and won’t fix the value shortcomings overnight, but at least it’s a huge step in the right direction.
One word: Titanfall
Let’s be real here, Titanfall is going to be one of the biggest games of the year. Whether or not it delivers on the hype remains to be seen, but if beta showed us anything it’s that it’s going to have a very impactful influence on the FPS genre.
Okay, so it isn’t exclusive. The Xbox 360 and PC versions may even outsell the Xbox One version. However, the fact remains that if you want to play what could end up being 2014’s best first-person shooter on a next-gen console, you have no other option than to buy an Xbox One.
All this said, there’s no wiping away the bad taste that the Xbox One announcement and launch has had on many gamers. Nonetheless, everything happening in March is exactly what the console needs to get on-track for success.
