What I don't understand is why xbox one is even trying to be a media console. Most tvs now come with apps such as Netflix and YouTube. That's the tv, for christ's sake! It's not too much to think that soon they'll start coming with built-in hdds (if they don't already, I don't keep up with that shit) and soon your tv will be able to handle all the recording/streaming of stuff. I couldn't care less if my gaming console does that.
As someone who works for a major electronics manufacturer, I have a little insight that may help with this.
Over the last few years, TV sales have shown some trends that are of concern to the manufacturers. Most importantly, that computers are becoming all purpose streaming devices. Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, Vudu, etc...people are hooking up their PCs to their displays and using them to watch the content.
This is causing some concern that people may not invest in the newer sets if you can get last year's model cheaper, while it's still on the shelf with a brand new warranty for factory sealed product and just hook your PC up to it. As streaming media becomes more entrenched in home markets, people start to find reasons to not waste more money on displays. You can even hook your the common laptop or tablet up to a display via HDMI and enjoy decent performance.
So the manufacturers, concerned that there won't be any turnover on new product, have to offer all kinds of apps, widgets and remote support options to appeal to the people that haven't learned the ins and outs of streaming yet and don't know the shortcuts. That's why they load them up with all those extra functions and 3D and so forth. It's just a way to make it all the more shiny to Joe Average.
However, one thing I would like is to be able to record my own games, and be able to save/publish them to YouTube/Vimeo/whatever. You can do that with certain games, like Third Strike, but I'd like an all-encompassing recording feature, like being able to just hit record and get everything from loading up the game, to navigating the menu screen, and everything else. That's a cool piece of technology I could get behind.
Not to keep sounding the horn of Sony here, but the Share button is going to allow for that. Not sure how I feel about a fucking button on the controller to enable it (I'd much rather turn it on in the system menu while game is paused), but there it is.
nobody wants the apps in the TV. TV menu's are sluggish and buggy as it it. TV companies are trying everything to get you to replace your perfectly working 50' TV, with a 50" TV of exact same quality(but now it has apps).
The lastest plasma's have finally met the PQ of the ancient Pioneer Kuro. A contrast so deep, the annoying bright LED's will never understand.
This is not
entirely accurate, strange as that may seem. One of the responsibilities I have for the company I work for is maintaining and monitoring social media inquiries and responses, and a surprising amount of people actually
do want their TVs to have access to services like Vudu, Pandora, etc., etc., etc. There are numerous requests to submit to product planning every day, and I either respond to them directly or delegate the responses and feedback submissions to R&D. The demand has been created by the manufacturers and it's been sold to the market hard enough that now people believe they want these things.
