Xbox One Review in Progress

If you’re thinking about picking up the Xbox One, you should first figure out how you plan to use it. No kidding, right? But what I’m emphasizing are two trains of thought: do you only care about the gaming aspects, or are you intrigued by the new “future living room” type features it intends to offer? After all, nobody is forcing you to yell “Xbox On” and use the console’s many hands-free voice commands or other Kinect features. Make no mistake, it’s extremely integrated and in-your face, but you don’t have to use it. If you’re primarily a gamer, the good news is the Xbox One delivers much of what you were used to with the 360. The hardware itself is powerful, the controller is excellent (as is the headset) and features like party chat and friends lists are just as seamless as before. And having Kinect out of the box means motion-controlled games like Kinect Sports Rivals can happen without additional purchases.

Note: IGN, along with a still-to-be-determined number of consumers, has gotten a final retail unit with a faulty disc drive. See our story here.

Xbox One is still simple and intuitive to play games on, even if you have to get used to the new dashboard layout, or deal with what Microsoft says are temporary issues. For example, the inability to easily manage the space games and apps take up on your hard-drive. With a 500GB hard drive, such a feature shouldn’t be at the top of your list anyway. Still, who isn’t curious which games and apps are taking up the most space? It’s something we’ve come to expect to be there. In general, there are a number of smaller issues that make the platform feel like it’s still in beta. And, frankly, in a way it is. Xbox One sprinted to make launch, so expect a few speed bumps.

That’s one very noticeable thing about the Xbox One: it’s overly ambitious to a point, and the system will likely face things like app crashes and odd bugs at launch. They’re not deal breakers. I’ve never had a game crash, but I have had the odd instance of apps crashing or dragging the system down. I also experienced a rare multi-user issue. I was trying to play Ryse and signed in alongside Ryan McCaffrey, and the game seem confused as to whose save it should be using, so we actually had to quit the game and sign back in. A minor issue. But, again, this is why we need to keep an eye on the system through launch with everyone on the official day one update. Overall, if the Xbox 360 is any indication -- and it should be -- the future is very bright as far as gaming is concerned on Xbox One.

Then there’s the other side of Xbox One. The side of Xbox One that’s okay with finding a sports fan that wants to watch the game on TV and snap the NFL app during commercials. The side that wants to get the whole family in the room so they can easily video call with relatives across the globe, which is made possible with Skype. And what about turning your television and Xbox on with our voice? That’s a gift that keeps on giving. When you think about it, it’s arguable that this side of Xbox One can almost stand on its own. It’s often referred to as “casual” or “mainstream,” but the concept of a box that can do everything should be compelling to all of us. The PC is one of the most diverse and effective platforms out there. If Microsoft can successfully bring even a portion of those things to the living room that’s a feat I, for one, would never resist. I’ve begun to find myself waiting for games to load or install and quickly snapping to TV. Snapping, as a reminder, let’s you take over a slice of the right side of your screen for a second experience (as long as the app supports it). It’s moments like those when the Xbox One will mesmerize you. Seriously, have you ever watched an episode of Archer on Netflix, while you’re watching the morning news? It’s excessive, but it’s pretty cool.

However, it’s crucial to mention that the voice commands and Kinect’s ability to understand them seem to be a work in progress. Sometimes I’ve had great success, yelling from my kitchen while making coffee, controlling episodes of my favorite show or checking IGN’s front page -- no controller necessary. Then at other moments I’ve tried, “Xbox Go To Settings” and it goes to Xbox Music. Or I’d say “Xbox” and nothing happens. I’m still testing the system, but I’d say on average I noticed repeating myself just once usually does the trick. That’s not a bad average for day one, but when you get into a “fight” with your Kinect it can be frustrating.

There’s a lot more to do and say when it comes to Xbox One, so be sure to check back frequently. For an endless list of facts and features, check out our Xbox One wiki and don’t hesitate to contribute yourself. http://www.ign.com/wikis/xbox-one

The Xbox One hardware review embargo has lifted, and you may be wondering: where is IGN's review of the new system? As with the PlayStation 4, IGN does not want to prematurely review these next-generation systems without first experiencing them after their services fully launch. In the case of the Xbox One, that means we'll issue our full review sometime in the week following the launch. From hardware, to software, to server problems -- or even critical updates -- anything can happen. Based on our experience with Xbox One, we have no reason to expect any specific issues, but if major product launches have taught us anything, it's that it's wise to reserve judgment until the facts are in.

Having said that, we're sensitive to the fact that you may be considering investing hard-earned money in this new future. About $499, to be exact. So, it's important to give you some insights as we head into launch weekend.

In addition to the impressions, I highly encourage you to watch this uncut demonstration of the Xbox One. What you see is what you get -- no cuts, no scripted scenes or anything more than simply putting the box through its paces. There's a lot to cover and the walkthrough clocks in at over 20 minutes. I've been using the near-final platform for weeks, but at times I still get lost with the commands and the placement of things. This is the reality of it: if you intend to take advantage of Xbox One's advanced features, which heavily revolve around Kinect's voice commands, then you have new behaviors to learn. To that end, I would encourage you to keep an open mind. The Xbox One is truly like nothing you've experienced before. Will you like the many things it does or tries to do? I expect for as many that will be enamored and impressed, just as many will be divided against it.

• For all Xbox One videos: http://www.ign.com/videos/series/ign-tech-xbox-one

So here's the big, uncut demo. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. We'll have more soon. Watch this space.

Note: This Xbox One was fully calibrated for this space before the uncut demo.

More Must-See Xbox One Launch Content: