Welcome to the Next Generation

Despite a pretty rocky (to say the least) pre-launch period plagued with bad press and less than optimistic community predictions, the Xbox One managed to pull off record-breaking sales and sell out around the world. Microsoft moved over a million units of the next-gen console in the first 24 hours - just like Sony's PS4 did the week prior - and holiday shoppers continued hunting down the Xbox One on Black Friday.

That said, the console is still a long way from perfect. When we opened up our next-gen Microsoft consoles, there were a number of features we were disappointed to be left without. Additional patches are on the way, but there are a issues that we feel should have been addressed before the consoles left the factory floor (or at least in the day one software update). Here are the five missing features we think need to be addressed the soonest...

Interface Flexibility

Much like the Xbox 360's dashboard, Microsoft views the Xbox One interface as an evolving project. Users can expect to see a number of revisions and updates to the system's home base throughout the console's lifespan. Although we know changes are on the way, we were surprised to see how many steps the new interface took in the wrong direction.

The interface abandoned the Guide button of the Xbox 360 era and broke the core navigation pieces down into Windows 8-inspired tiles. The aesthetic change isn't a problem, but the new structure requires users to return to the Home screen in order to launch many of the frequently used tools (friends list, achievements, system settings). It's likely that everyone will adjust to this new step, but it certainly feels overly complicated.

In addition to the additional clicks and oddly organized apps, the new interface also lacks the customization 360 users have had in the past. The solid background is definitely clean and organized, but many users would like to be given a chance to make a mess of that wallpaper.

Video Recording & Sharing

The delay of Twitch streaming until 2014 is a blow to one of the console's hyped next-gen selling points. The idea that gamers would be able to easily record, stream, and share content is one of the next-gen promises that really would make the console feel different from the Xbox 360 and more competitive with PCs. Limiting recording to five minutes is already a bit frustrating, but not providing users with intuitive options to upload the content to Ustream, Twitch, or YouTube makes the feature feel like a bit of an afterthought.

That said, the built-in Upload Studio is actually a pretty impressive tool. The ability to use multiple clips, edit video, and set up picture in picture is a ton of fun. Well, it would be a ton more fun if creative gamers could directly share the content once they finished editing...

Party & Cross-Game Chat

If you thought party chat and the social aspect of gaming could be taken for granted at this point, you're in for a rude awakening. In a pretty surprising turn of events, the Xbox One's chat capabilities have actually taken a few steps backwards from those of the Xbox 360. Setting up party chat is a cumbersome task and cross-game chat is currently unsupported, leaving many social gamers highly disappointed.

Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb addressed the complaints surrounding cross-game party chat and promises that things will "get better." He was unable to offer a timeline, but assured users that Microsoft is aware of the problem and is working on a solution. Until then, players will remain unable to socialize with their buddies unless everyone is playing the same game.

Better Kinect Control

In many ways, the ability to control the Xbox One with the Kinect is a great success, from a voice standpoint that is. Booting up games with a simple command and snapping apps into the corner of the screen is a ton of fun. Although the handful of commands that work well are a pretty fun gimmick, we are still disappointed with the lack of control users have over the tool and its ability to control the console. Don't even bother trying to use the gestures to navigate menus.

Players are unable to navigate inside System Settings with the Kinect, are unable to disable gestures, and cannot set the mic up to turn off by default. Many users are accidentally sharing private conversations because they are unaware that the mic is always on my default when they enter multiplayer gameplay. The system also lacks the ability to turn off particular voice commands that can easily be abused. You may not have a roommate that thinks it's funny to shout "Xbox, turn off" every time they walk by your room, but I assure you plenty of us do... and it's kind of annoying.

 

Media Center Features

For a console that is pushing an advertising campaign that suggests consumers rely on it as a functional home entertainment center, the Xbox One is lacking some pretty essential multimedia features. At launch, the Xbox One has no 3D Blu-ray support and is unable to play or watch a surprisingly wide variety of common file types. In order to really compete as a home media center, the console will need to start offering support for .mp3s, .avi files, etc.

The inability to rip audio CDs or stream music, pictures, and videos from network-attached storage or DLNA is also a point of frustration for many users who are looking to the console for entertainment beyond gaming. Users that want to recreate the Xbox 360 experience of playing .mp3s in the background from an external USB storage device while gaming are going to be left in the quiet until this feature is eventually patched in.

Conclusion

Much like Sony's next-gen console, the Xbox One was facing against the clock in order to hit shelves in time for the 2013 holiday shopping season. It's no surprise that the incentive to cash-in on holiday demand likely led to the console launching without the finishing touches that will be streaming in via software patches in the coming months.

The console certainly has its strengths, but the clunky interface and lack of previous-gen features like cross-game chat and .mp3 streaming are glaring. Hopefully, gamers who decide to wait a few months before picking up the console won't have to suffer through these missing/lackluster features. To see the complete list of missing features the Xbox One community put together, check out xboxfeedback.com.

Also check out: 5 Missing PS4 Features We Wanted At Launch

Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.