Much has been made of the Xbox One's gameplay recording features, and how it could make recording personalized gameplay videos that much easier. Simply by hitting a button, gamers could have access to a full suite of video recording and editing tools that typically cost several hundred dollars. Plan and simple: the feature could be a game-changer for a lot of people.
As it turns out, however, gameplay recording on the Xbox One might not be as useful as was originally thought. In fact, as Microsoft has now revealed, Xbox One DVR recordings cannot exceed 5 minutes.
This, of course, diminishes the potential for making "Let's Play" videos using the Xbox One's native gameplay recording features. It's a real shame too, because the Xbox One, as we have now learned, will allow picture-in-picture recording for live commentary using Kinect.
Earlier in the week it seemed like Microsoft was offering limitless recording capability after Microsoft's Phil Harrison said gamers could record "as much or as little as they want." Then, Microsoft PR came out of the woodwork to clarify Harrison's claims with this statement:
"We are committed to giving gamers the ability to produce high quality videos easily and quickly. We can confirm the recording buffer in Game DVR is 5 minutes, which we feel is optimized to take advantage of high-quality production features and advanced social mechanics in Xbox One."
The buffer element of the quote might be a bit confusing, but Game Informer got further clarification and, yes, gameplay recordings are capped at 5 minutes. Sony's PS4, on the other hand, has a 15-minute buffer — meaning it automatically stores 15 minutes of gameplay — but there is no recording limit, or Sony hasn't revealed one. Thankfully, even if there is a limit, Sony has already announced the PS4 will support gameplay capture through HDMI.
In addition to this news on video length, we have also learned that gameplay sharing on the Xbox One will be limited to Xbox Live at launch. While Microsoft has promised that gamers will be able to upload their videos to YouTube and Facebook, the feature will not be available until some time next year.
So, while Microsoft has introduced a new gameplay recording feature for the Xbox One, they have severely limited it. Most gamers who were excited by the DVR ability, present company included, saw it as an easier way to record lengthy gameplay videos. Moreover, the use of Kinect for instant picture-in-picture sounds cool, but is less so with shorter videos.
Perhaps over time Microsoft will be able to increase the time limit on DVR recordings - they have been known to reverse their policies before - but for now the feature has more of a novel appeal than a functional one. For now, Xbox One Let's Play videos will likely have to be made using external means.
Are you disappointed to learn there is a limit on Xbox One gameplay recordings? Do you think this will hurt the appeal of the feature?
Microsoft's Xbox One releases November 22, 2013.
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Source: Game Informer