Xbox One reveal: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Like dust in the wind, the Microsoft reveal for their next-gen console has come and gone. What's left is the Xbox One, a sleek, all-in-one entertainment console that will redefine how you interact with your TV. There was a lot of information that gives a clear view of where the Xbox One is going with its next-gen plans. However, a lot of questions remain unanswered – most likely until E3 – and other information that trickled out after the reveal has not been that great either.

Here's the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Xbox One reveal.

The Good

• The Controller – It's incredibly risky to redesign what many consider to be the best video game controller ever. That didn't stop Microsoft from adding 40 design innovations. There's not touchscreen or share button, but there doesn't need to be. It's all about refining what's already great. There's rumble motors in each of the triggers, the d-pad is a plus sign instead of a circle, the analog sticks are refined, and the battery pack doesn't stick out the back.

• Steven Spielberg Halo series – Initially, I was concerned that Microsoft was concentrating too much on entertainment and creating their own shows. While I'm stick weary of how much the entertainment aspect of the console will impact gaming, I am excited to see Steven Spielberg is part of a live-action Halo TV series on Xbox One. This will definitely get some other big names on board for creating custom shows.

• The name – I hated… HATED… F*CKING HATED the Xbox 720 name. I didn't get the logic behind it. Well, we have the 360, and this will be the second 360, so add it together. I'm happy it just turned out to just be a rumor. Xbox One is simple, and it makes sense, as it's going to be one console for all your entertainment needs.

• Exclusives – Microsoft guaranteed that in the first year alone, there will be 15 exclusives released for Xbox One. Of those 15 exclusive games, eight of them will be brand-new franchises. Of the three console manufacturers, Microsoft has had the weakest exclusives. Hopefully, this is a good sign that they're looking to rectify the problem.

• Mo-cap dog – This dog is a star. A STAR I TELL YOU! He's gonna go far in this business, kid.

The Bad

• No concrete release date – The Xbox One will release “later this year.” C*cktease.

• No price announced – Microsoft could've stuck it to Sony by not only showing us what the console looks like, but they could've told us how much the Xbox One will cost. Knowing that it won't be backwards compatible, I won't be trading in my Xbox 360. It would've helped to know a price so I know how much I would have to save.

• Too much Kinect – Not everything is better with Kinect. For example, navigating the Xbox 360 with Kinect is a nightmare. It's just flat-out easier to do what you want to do with a controller. If the Kinect's motion and voice integration is as smooth as Microsoft made it appear in the reveal, then great! But I highly doubt it will operate that flawlessly, smoothly, and quickly. And if it doesn't, will it be better than what we already have? Markus “Notch” Persson might have said it best when he tweeted “I wanted a game console, not a voice and gesture based tv remote box.”

The Ugly

• No backwards compatibility – If you have a large collection of Xbox 360 games you want to keep playing, it looks like you'll have to hold onto your Xbox 360 to play them. Microsoft Xbox LIVE VP Marc Whitten stated that there is no backwards compatibility on the Xbox One due to the different core architecture. Also, none of the XBLA games will work – and Microsoft isn't planning on rectifying that. For me, I'm excited about a game like Disney Infinity and plan to get lots of gameplay hours out of it with my four-year-old son. I was planning on trading in my Xbox 360, but I won't be able to do that if I want to play Disney Infinity. It's a bad situation to be in for consumers.

• Fee for used games – All Xbox One games must be installed, tying the game to an account. If owners want to use the disc with a second account, that owner would have to pay a fee and install the game from the disc. If it feels like a money-grabbing move, that's because it is. Guess you can't lend a game to a friend anymore. I have a big question: If I buy a game, but don't have my internet connected, will I be able to play the game? How else would it be tied to my account?

There's a lot that still needs to be addressed. But like most reveals, there's always things that are good, things that are bad, and things that are Sarah Jessica Parker ugly.

You can follow Senior Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, movies, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at LLiebl@GameZone.com