Video Transcript
Ken: Hanging out with Ryan, Nerds On Call, and I can’t focus on you right now, Ryan. I’m focusing on this right now.
Ryan: Well, I’ll talk. Right now Ken’s playing Quantum Break. This is that exclusive game that’s going on for Xbox right now. And he’s desperately trying to escape.
Ken: Oh, that’s my brother.
Ryan: Everybody, that’s his brother right there. Can’t you tell the likeness? Anyway, was it Dominic?
Ken: Dominic Monaghan? Was that the guy’s name from Lost?
Ryan: Oh, yeah. And you also got Little Finger from Game of Thrones on there. He plays the bad guy. Shh, don’t tell anybody. Okay, so let’s talk about the console itself. So the new Xbox One S is… just came out, just came out this week. It’s pretty nice. It’s 40% smaller than [inaudible 00:00:36]. The main reason you’re going to want to get this is because it’s got Ultra Blu-Ray on it, so that’s Ultra HD. If you’ve got a 4K television, this is the console for you. No other console has that right now. But it only plays 4K movies. No 4K games, because there really aren’t any 4K games right now. But it does do HDR games. The first HDR game for this, coming out, is going to be Gears of War, which is coming out in…
Ken: Oh, that’s right, in January, something like that?
Ryan: No, like, four days, I think it is.
Ken: Really?
Ryan: Xbox was telling me four days, so maybe I got that wrong. But, anyway, so this is a really great console for the new kinds of fun games. But the problem is here, is they are coming out with the new Project Scorpio sometime next year, late next year. And that’s going to be the new Xbox. It’s going to have VR integrated, 4K games, and everything else. So, if you already own an Xbox One, you probably want to skip this generation. While it’s an awesome-looking console, it’s only 7.5% faster. If you’ve got a 4K TV, then it’s an excuse to buy it, but otherwise, I’d probably stick around and wait for next year.
Plus, PlayStation’s 4.5 rollout, called the PS Neo, is coming out sometime “early next year,” maybe March of next year. That’s going to have VR integrated, 4K games, and 4K video. And so if you’re a PlayStation fan or you’re thinking you might go to a PlayStation, that might be a better thing. The one cool part about the new Xbox is they have Cortana now and you also got integrated apps with Windows 10. So, you can play Xbox games on Windows 10, plus you can buy apps and games from your computer and play them on your Xbox. So it’s kind of cool, the integration. But again, you get those same features if you have the old Xbox if you get the new system update. So, do you really want to go out and spend 400 bucks on a new console? I don’t know.
Ken: No. But there are a lot of folks who run everything, their entire, like, entertainment system runs through something like this. And I guess, now this new, kind of, upgrade makes it a little bit easier to do that?
Ryan: A little… Well, the original Xbox, their focus was, “We want to be the center of your entertainment system.” And so you can run all of your cable and everything through it, your DVR, whatever. And unfortunately, they got a lot of flack for that because it kind of took the focus away from the games. And so this is Xbox going, “No, no, no, that’s fine. We’ll still have the same versions we did in the old system but we’re going to focus more on the games and make it a little bit better.”
Ken: I like it.
Ryan: The only other thing you don’t get with the new console, no more Kinect. Kinect is dead. You have to buy it separately now.
Ken: What? Oh, really?
Ryan: Yeah. If you want to run your old Kinect on the new system, you need to get an adapter. And that’s four new cables that you’re going to be running out of your system. So, if you’re a Kinect fan, stick with the old one. Pick it up on eBay for cheap, cheap, cheap. But if you’re not a Kinect fan and you don’t have an Xbox One, and you want to run 4K video, go this way.
Ken: And what you all don’t know is that Ryan has been so generous. Underneath every one of your seats, you’re all getting an Xbox. That’s right.
Ryan: Check your couch at home.
Ken: Check your couch, everyone is getting… No?
Ryan: No.
Ken: Just me? Okay.
Cody: Just you.
Ryan: You and Cody have to wrestle for it later. It’s going to be awesome.
Ken: Oh, fine. Shirts off. Let’s do it. Let’s do it.
Cody: To the death. To the death.
Ken: Always good to see you, Ryan. Thank you so much.
Ryan: You’re welcome.
Ken: This is so cool. The controller is very similar and pretty easy.
Ryan: Yeah. And it’s Bluetooth now, so it’s a little bit better range. And it’s got these nice grippies on the back, whereas the old one doesn’t have it.
Ken: Exactly.
Ryan: It feels a little more solid, a little better in the hand.
Ken: I’ll see you guys on Monday.
Just three years after the release of the Xbox One, Microsoft has released a new console – the XBox One S. So what’s new I hear you asking!
Right out of the box, it’s significantly smaller and comes with an integrated power supply, no more brick! One of the key new features is the 4K resolution capability, this is support for HDR games and 4K video.
There is a new improved controller which actually uses Bluetooth which gives an extended range and faster responsiveness. The box also runs a Windows 10 based operating system so it has Microsoft’s version of Siri, Cortana.
Should you run out and buy an Xbox One S? Well… probably not, unless you have a compatible 4K TV and access to content. There is a very limited amount of 4K content on the market, just a few movies and 4K requires a premium Netflix account.
The initial games touted as HDR are slowly being released, so there’s a small selection to choose from. Other than the size of the console & 4K, there’s nothing remarkably different between One & One S.
A high-quality Ultra HD DVD player (that isn’t just “upscaling”) will set you back $300-350
If you were considering buying a player for 4K DVDs, it’s like getting the gaming system for free as the Xbox One S costs between $299 and $399 depending on your storage capacity.
The biggest deterrent to upgrading an existing Xbox One is that Project Scorpio is slated for release at the end of next year. This will introduce:
• VR-ready hardware
• Amped up graphics
CNET called it “the best Xbox you might not want to buy”
Yahoo Finance says it’s “a great console with lousy timing”
If you need a new system and DON’T have a 4K TV, consider getting a seriously discounted Xbox One and waiting for Scorpio next year. Also, fans of the Kinect will be disappointed that Microsoft has dropped the connector in this update!
About The Author: Andrea Eldridge is CEO and co-founder of Nerds On Call, a computer repair company that specializes in on-site and online service for homes and businesses. Andrea is the writer of a weekly column, Nerd Chick Adventures in The Record Searchlight. She prepares TV segments for and appears regularly on CBS, CW and FOX on shows such as Good Day Sacramento, More Good Day Portland, and CBS 13 News, offering viewers technology and lifestyle tips. See Andrea in action at callnerds.com/andrea/.
