Ask Us Anything About Xbox One

We’ve posted our initial impressions of the Xbox One, but we’re sure you have questions. We’re opening up the floodgates and want to hear from you.

Have a question about Kinect? Want to know how quickly the fast-switching works? Just want to pick our brains about setup and configuration?

Hit us up in the comments. You ask. We’ll answer.

Note: Not all the apps or features might be live yet, but we'll try and answer the best we can. Thanks.

QUESTIONS

After the time you spent with the controller, do you like the Xbox One's controller more over the 360's?
I like the Xbox One's mainly because of the rumble triggers. The altered tactile feel of the analog sticks is cool, and the triggers and bumpers have more surface area to touch even though they are not bulkier. Also, the d-pad is now rock solid. – Kato

How is the "play while downloading/installing" compared to PS4 (which has been surprisingly good/fast)?
It's good. Most of the games I've played have allowed me to start playing after they download around half of the way. Of course, when you reach that all depends on your connection. – K

I live in rural Texas and therefore have trouble getting good connection for online gaming. Would you say that the xbox one is something that someone like myself should stay away from due to my lack of strong Internet?
I understand your problem, but I'd say that I'd get the console for the games. Xbox One is definitely at its best with a strong Internet connection, but don't forget that there will be some good games coming for the system. – K

Can you set shows to record on your cable DVR with voice commands and watch previously recorded shows without switching back? It would suck to have to switch back to my cable input just to set something to record or watch a recorded show.
If you hook  up your cable/sat. box to the Xbox One with HDMI, the Xbox One will receive and show that signal on your TV, thus you don't have to switch back to your cable input. The Kinect will allow you to do things like pause and play your DVR. However, it can't control your cable box totally, and you still need your regular cable remote to do things like access your recorded shows. – K

Can you snap Skype and play Dead Rising 3 at the same time? I heard voice is present when switch between apps, but I have not seen a Skype video alongside of gameplay.
You can start Skype and play a game, and then switch between the two without stopping either. You cannot, however, Snap a Skype call as a side window. When you have both a game and Skype running at the same time, the audio from both will mix. – K

How does the Kinect function with extra background noise?
I think the results are mixed. It will definitely pick up anybody within six or ten feet who says, "Xbox..." (the in-person multiplayer griefing possibilities are great). At the same time, I didn't feel the Kinect was getting confused just because people were talking around me in the room. – K

I had a family plan on the 360, one for me, my wife, my wife's friend Audi, and my little brother. When I upload to Xbox One, can I still add my wife and my gold membership to the One and have both our profiles on it?
Microsoft says that your memberships will transfer to Xbox One. However, your Family Accounts will all be transferred as individual gold accounts, since the Family plan has been discontinued. Each account also will apparently get three months tacked onto their now individual gold accounts for free. – K

Is there currently a way to install the Xbox One's day one patch without Internet?
A Microsoft support rep just told me that you will be able to install patches to the system via a USB drive. Of course this in and of itself requires a PC and an Internet connection. I asked for a link to whatever page these would appear on, but they said that the exact location of the update won't come out until the system launches. – K

I have a Control 4 system the turns on TV, amplifier, etc. Is the Xbox going to be able to turn all that stuff on when I say "Xbox On"? 
The system lets you input what kind of TV, cable or satellite box, and audio receiver you have so it can turn all of those on or off if you want (you can also have it turn off just the TV but not the cable box, for instance). I'm not familiar with the Control 4 system, but I imagine that the Xbox One won't control it. – K

What social networking sites are currently integrated into the system and what capabilities will it provide for sharing content via these sites?
Day one there aren't any apps per se. Sometime later Microsoft says that you'll be able to post your GameDVR clips on Facebook and YouTube. – K

If something happens to my XB1, how do I move all my game data to a replacement model? Just move all the saves to the cloud or what?
This hasn't been outlined by Microsoft in detail. My assumption ::gulp:: is that Gold members will be able to access all that game data via the cloud. In this assumption, who knows what happens in this case if you don't have a Gold membership. I fear that days of transferring data offline via a cable like the 360 had are gone. – K

Being a little visually impaired, I have to be a little closer to the TV. Does the Kinect still function properly with the player close to it? Or does it need the player to be at a certain distance?
The system recommends four feet at a minimum. However, I've been closer than that and not had a problem – K

The Euro Xbox One came with a full game – what special does the U.S. get?
Nothing. As in life, self-satisfaction will have to suffice. – K

PS4 or Xbox One? I use it solely as a game machine. I will watch the occasional movie on it.
If non-gaming features are not important to you, then you simple choose the system that has the games you want to play. If that's an even split, then you can consider other secondary factors like cost (PS4 is $100 cheaper), whether you think you'll use the Kinect in your gaming, etc. – K

Does the Xbox One have a way to enter codes for you (like if you go buy a year membership card)? Can you point your card at the Kinect and will  it input the codes, etc?
The Xbox One reads QR codes via Kinect. We've only tried it a few times, and it's slick. – K

Is there a list of the available cable providers? Really want to know if my Telus box will work.
There isn't a specific list of boxes per se since the Xbox One connects to your box via HDMI and simply passes along the signal from the cable box to the TV. Thus, I don't think you'll have any problem broadcasting. You will, however, still have to use your cable remote. – K

Does the Xbox One's form factor seem solid?
Yes, very much so. The box may seem boring, but in my opinion, on closer inspection it's pretty cool looking. I think it merges function (particularly the need to keep cool) with a touch of style that is not unnoticed. Whether the innards themselves stand up for the long haul, of course, remains to be seen. – K

With an HDMI input, can I hook up a device into that port? So maybe hook my 360 or maybe even my PS4 and play it through my Xbox One's HDMI input?
Yes. Take a look at this. – K

Can original xbox and xbox 360 games work on the Xbox One?
No. You could, however, hook up your 360 via HDMI and run it through the Xbox One. Click the link directly above this question for more! – K

We will have one Xbox One up stairs in the "TV" room and one in the family room. Will my wife be able to watch a show from her Amazon prime downstairs while I play games up stairs?
I just tried to load up my account on two different Xbox One units running at the same time...and it did not work. It required that I sign out of the original unit I was using. If there's some way to designate a "Home" account, I can't see it. I tried creating a guest acount to the one I was using, but to no avail. – K

Are there any plans to be able to trade or sell digital games?
Microsoft says it is working on allowing gamers to gift their friends digital games, but it's a post-launch feature. I personally doubt that they will let you sell them digitally, however. – K

If two people are in the same room, how does Kinect differentiate people's commands? I don't want to be playing a game and my sister saying "Xbox Watch TV" and interrupting my game.
Unfortunately, it doesn't. So your sister better not say something like, "Xbox - Turn off" while you're in the middle of a game. If she does, the unit won't instantly switch off, but will bring up a box asking you if you indeed want to turn off the system. – K

Can I be logged into my Xbox 360 and Xbox One at the same time?
Jeff Cork and I just tested this, and yes – we logged into both at the same time on a single account. Interestingly, we got both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One to play Netflix (different shows) at the same time. This could mean that if some of you want to watch content from different locations in a single household, you could do it with the two systems. Don't throw out your 360, apparently. I'd be curious if a patch knocks out this functionality. – K

Can I simply choose to NEVER plug in my Kinect 2.0?
Yes. In my time with the unit, I have not come across an action I could not perform with just the controller. – K

Can you switch between two digital games without losing progress?
No. If you switch to another game – digital or disc – while playing a game, your current game will be paused, and it will start the second game at the beginning. When you go back to the first game, that will be reset to the beginning – K

Will any of the major titles coming out for both generations of consoles such as Call of Duty allow for cross-generation online play with friends whom aren't upgrading right away?
No. As you mentioned with Call of Duty's cross-console clans XP feature [omitted from the question, but in the comment section – Ed.], this is a functional feature, but not actual gameplay. I'm not a Call of Duty player, but I believe the idea is to keep existing clans together through the transition by letting them contribute to a shared XP pool. – K

What would you say is the percentage of error when giving Kinect voice commands? I've seen a few videos already where the video host has to say the command several times before Kinect either acknowledges the command or gets it correctly.
My educated guess based off my experience and that of all the editors testing the system over the past few weeks is the error percentage probably hovers around 50 percent or so. Some of the simple commands like "Xbox home" and "Xbox turn off" work better than other more complicated commands like "Xbox watch Fox Sports North." – Bertz

What size are the Xbox One games? Are they the same size as PS4/PS3 and other Blu-ray discs?
The Xbox One games come in Blu-ray boxes, which makes them about an inch shorter than the Xbox 360 boxes. They are the same size as the PS3/PS3 versions of games. – B 

How long is the Kinect to X1 cable? I use a projector as a TV so my Xbox will be about 10 feet away from the "tv screen."
We just measured it. The cable is about nine feet.– B

How fast is the interface when pressing the Xbox guide button on the new control while playing a game? Because when ever I have to press the guide button to mute some on my 360, it takes at least 20 plus seconds to get back to the game play witch is a long time in most online shooters. So is the new guide button's interface as laggy during game play as the 360's, or much quicker? 
It's instantaneous. – B