It doesn't have the wide array of apps that are available on the Xbox 360, and I suspect that is due to rushing it out the door before Christmas 2013. There will be more apps, but the absence of some is astounding. HBO Go? Facebook? Come on, Microsoft.
Currently there's no ability to stream content from the local network from other Windows machines on the same network. Hell, even plugging a USB stick with four JPEGs on it provided ZERO joy. Hopefully that will change soon. Also, in putting in a new game there's a delay while the system "installs" the game. You'll still need the disc, but it's supposed to make it faster.
Skype works as advertised, but I'd like to be able to manually focus in and crop, so the people I'm conversing with don't see the entirety of my apartment.
It has a TON of potential, but very little of that potential is realized as of now.
The HDMI pass-through is a novel idea, which is also dreadfully undercooked. It caused my cable box to 'freak out', requiring a hard re-boot. Also, the DVR functions of the cable box are completely ignored by the Xbox One. You can access them, but can't control them from the console. It also caused an audio lag that lasted as long as 30 seconds.
As far as the games go, I bought two to start - "Call of Duty: Ghosts" and "Ryse: Son of Rome". COD:G is so far, very much standard COD fare. The graphics are good, but as you're playing it, they don't seem so far off from prior generation console graphics. Only when you pause a frame can you really see the difference. R:SOR is an incredibly repetitive hack & slash game with a "story" like a shell - as though it was devised after the game play was developed. That said, the graphics on Ryse are AMAZING. So far, I'm enjoying going through R:SOR and haven't spent much time with COD:G.
Killer Instinct also seems like a throwaway title, an afterthought. It's based on a game from the early 90's, and plays very much like the original, with the same garbage movement mechanics. Also, it's "free-to-play", which means you get exactly ONE character to play with, unless you pay for more. That's a pretty big PHOOEY for me.
In any case, I know that the device will evolve and improve over time - particularly the graphics. Just compare launch titles on earlier consoles to the ones that were offered later. (ie - Halo:CE to Halo 2) In any case, I just wanted to record my initial impressions of this new console.
