Race cars zoomed across a dusty track and fingers danced from button to button. Microsoft’s newest video game console, Xbox One, graced Northwestern Wednesday with a taste of its horsepower.
The Xbox One was available to play from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of a tour promoting the Xbox One’s release. A truck parked on the East Lawn of Norris displayed six monitors, as people sampled the racing game, Forza Motorsport 5. The game is a launch title for the Xbox One, and comes out the same day as the device.
SESP sophomore Eric Morales got a taste of the Xbox One’s capabilities and wasn’t disappointed.
“I loved it. The controls were tighter, the analog [sticks] were looser and more responsive and the graphics are gorgeous,” Morales said after finishing a race.
Morales owns a Xbox 360 and had the original Xbox before that. He said he also pre-ordered the Xbox One.
“I love Xbox … it’s my console!” he said.
The Xbox One preview didn’t just attract Northwestern students. Bryan Dickinson, a game design student in Full Sail University’s online program, also came to test the new system.
“So far, so good,” Dickinson said of the system. “I’m really impressed with the controller. [The design] feels good.”
The One Tour spokesman Jeff Shafer acknowledged the attention that the Xbox One has received from players like Morales and Dickinson, adding social media and word-of-mouth are a “big player” for publicity.
“It’s great, I love being on the road with the Xbox One,” Shafer said. “I love that people are getting a chance to test drive it.”
The Xbox One will available in stores on Nov. 22.