So it's been three months now. The Xbox One has finally hit every market, and everybody is getting to grips with the new console. However, the feedback regarding not only the aesthetics, but the features, has come under a lot of scrutiny, leading to Xbox reconsidering some serious decisions. One example of a heavily-scrutinised flaw was how there was no battery meter, something Xbox rectified in a recent update. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the console is new, and things will change, but I can't help feel that in a nutshell Microsoft have gone backwards on the design of the User Interface, which is almost baffling. We shouldn't be too awestruck though, they spent millions just creating that new controller. Here is a short list of considerations which won't just be aesthetically pleasing, but provide a better experience for Xbox Live.
5. Themes And Gamer Pictures
One thing I have been somewhat displeased about is how stringent the Xbox One is in terms of customisation. I used to love being able to upload my own custom themes, buying them from the marketplace, and just making the dashboard feel like my own. The same can be said for Gamer Pictures, in which we had a whole catalogue to choose from, and even having the availability to upload your own picture if you had a vision camera. This is something we no longer see on the Xbox One, with the user only having a choice of colours for their tiles, and an always black background. Bland really doesn't do this justice. Gamer Pictures were something we all enjoyed on the 360, with me often buying picture packs on a weekly basis. Having a whole archive of Gamer Pictures supported the thesis that you made your profile your own. It at times identified you as a person, displayed a love/hobby of yours, or simply looked cool as hell. Gamer Pictures are now heavily ironclad, and the user is only able to choose from a small selection which all appear somewhat childish. I totally understand they are trying to match up the Microsoft products by having a similar interface (tiles), but they fail to remember that it is ultimately a GAMES CONSOLE. We want customisation. We want choices. We want to do whatever the hell we want to our profiles.