Annoyances you have with console interfaces

So, just got an Xbox One. Very nice system, really. I like it.

That said, the interface is driving me nuts. It's only been a few hours, but I already cannot for the life of me understand why some things are the way they are:

• This is the biggest one- why the hell does pressing B on the home screen start the game? What? How? Why? How does that even make sense? In what context does it make sense? What the hell were they thinking?
• It needs far better notification management than it has
• Pins are online only?
• The entire layout is a mess. It looks good, but things aren't always the easiest to find. It took me a while to find my queued downloads (and even then, they are segregated by download types- I can't find a universal download list at all). I still don't know how to play custom music in the background as I play games (I've resorted to using a combination of Snap and muting game music). There's loads of these annoyances. They don't make sense.

But hey, the Xbox One is not the only system that has UI issues, is it? For example, take the Wii U:

• WaraWara Plaza is an abomination and should not exist
• Everything takes far too long to load- this is my biggest problem. Miiverse ostensibly provides the same kind of integrated share and community hub to Wii U that the PS4 and Xbox One also have, but since booting it up is such a hassle and takes so long, the impulse passes. This is the case with everything- while things are far faster now than they used to be, the fact that I have to see loading screens at all speaks poorly of the system
• There is no controller consistency. While Nintendo have done a better job of making sure each supported controller gets you an even experience across the console OS and services, the fact remains that a lot of important functions (such as the entire settings menu) still require a abrupt and jarring shift to the Wii U Gamepad. To someone who doesn't use the Gamepad, this can be annoying.
• Wii backwards compatibility is a mess, and honestly, I would have taken no BC than the joke we got.

The PS4 has its issues too:

• Library layout and organization is a joke, and the fact that I can't arrange or organize my games at all is amazingly poor thinking
• The PlayStation download list is a nightmare. I have a mental breakdown just thinking about mine, spread across four systems, including multiple PS+ games, and with no logical coherence or organization to it whatsoever.
• There needs to be better keyboard consistency. Typing with the touchpad may be my favorite form of console keyboard inputs ever, but the fact remains that an app or a service can, at a whim, decide that it doesn't support touchpad typing. It's jarring and amateurish.
• Why in the world do I still need to synch my Trophies?

So, yes. Owning all three, I can definitely point out interface issues with all three. As of right now, I am sourest on Xbox One, and happiest with PS4 (in terms of UI), but I guess that makes sense- the Xbox One is new, and its interface is a bit of a shock after the clean and simple PS4 and Wii U UIs- it's actually even complicated compared to the Xbox 360. I suspect that as time goes by and I spend more time with it, I will warm up to it a bit more.

How about you all?

The PS4 is so close to being perfectly fine, it just needs a few tweaks here and there. Xbox One needs a complete rehaul, that ui is a complete mess.

Trophies should sync automatically now in the background maybe you should activate it first.. i havent synced my trophies in a while it just does it on its own.

Now to answer the question.

PS4:

• The train list of apps/games seriously needs a "favorite" option! i need to favorite the games and apps i want to be shown on the first page and not the most recently touched/played.
• UI needs a "Search" option so that instead of going through the large library i have ( will surely increase even more the more games release) i just easily type the game im looking for and it will show it ( similar to what Sony has done with their Xperia Z phones just simply tap left, search for the app you want and there you go!)
• Option for when a friend is online is highly required ( though it could be annoying since i have over 350 friends lol)
• Appear offline is a requirement that must be added! ( sometimes its very annoying when 10-20 people send me invites to join them in games)

They don't sync instantly- every time I press the PS button once I get the Trophy, I have to wait for it to finish synching before I can see what Trophy I got.

And yes, the PS4 UI is very, very good, but the entire organization/lack of search is a pain lol.

why did you get it we all told you the UI sucked?

listen to the forum users were not making this crap up go look up some posts where we said it was laggy and looks like windows 8 EVERYONE said don't get it and look what u did u got it an now ur like omg this things bad just like we said

All console GUIs are bad. Just typing in a good log-in and password is cumbersome.

Eh. Wii U and PS4 make it pretty easy with touch inputs, and PS4 and Xbox One at least allow for PlayStation App/SmartGlass typing.

Uhh... PS Store!

laglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglaglaglaglagalaglag

They'll probably keep changing it like last gen, so I don't think it's a huge deal. The X1 has bigger problems right now. The media abilities are still a bit iffy for example.

The UI works like queuing up apps and such. This includes the game. If you're playing a game, and you back out to do something, pressing B will undo the action, so in case you had the game running, it'll undo the apps, and pop you back in the game.

It's by far the least of my concerns when it comes down to this console.

Yes, but it goes against 25 years of muscle memory- the B button is always cancel, always a 'safe' button (so you can mash it while backing out of a menu, and when you get to the home screen, you change nothing). This completely goes against that.

It's not a deal breaker, it's just stupidly annoying.

Also, what is the button that used to be Back on Xbox 360 for? The one with two overlapping squares.

yah playstation 4 store does have some lag and sony should fix that thers no way a computer as new an graphics as new as the ps4 would have any online lag for scrolling

netflix doesn't lag on really weak laptops so why the hell owuld a store lag on the ps4 makes no sense

Microsoft gets more shit than anybody else for the fact they dare to change things. Always the case with Windows and I see always the case with Xbox. I actually prefer Xbox One UI in almost every single way. What I don't like, though is that every piece of system functionality is counted as a separate app. Of course then there's lag when you sometimes want to Snap apps with a controller, laggy performance of Internet Explorer while snapped and several others, including non-consistent behaviour of games when you want to snap an app beside them (more of devs fault than MS, I guess) but nothing major, actually. As for custom music, it isn't still implemented but it will be.

BTW pressing "B" usually reverts to the previous app, and since they assumed you'd always have something running on your main screen, be it a game or a TV, it's probably programmed this way. But I have never had problems with it.

I agree about notifications, however if you use a Smartglass app on your phone and it's highly recommended btw, this is a non-issue.

I guess pins are online-only since they are tied to cloud services, but who the hell would use a next-gen console offline?

BTW finding your queued downloads is actually very easy and you could have paused them or queued from Day 1 unlike PS4!

I don't have a problem with it. I don't mash away when I'm fiddling with apps and such. And it doesn't back you into the game if your game isn't running.

Honestly, I have no idea. It's used in-games for a different menu. Recently, the pause menu in TW3.

USB keyboard is your best friend.

Trust me, I am fine with change :P I was one of the advocates for Windows 8 for example lol.

As I said, a lot of my issues with the Xbox One UI so far might be teething problems- I might grow warmer towards it with time as I get used to it.

I understand their logic for B, I guess- I just wish it had been some other button. The B button press goes against 25 years of muscle memory haha.

I should reinstall SmartGlass (uninstalled it a while back, but I imagine I will be using it some more). Still, though, notifications should be better manageable from the console itself.

That still is not an excuse, however- as we know from Windows, for example, pinning offline is possible and works just fine. It's just something else to consider if I ever do happen to be running the system offline for whatever reason.

And please let me know how to! I tried looking for them haha, but ultimately, the only way I could check on progress was Games->My Games->Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

I am almost completely positive this is not true- it backed me into FIFA 15 at least four different times in spite of me quitting it each time.

Just booted up TW3, backed out of it, closed the game, pressed B, and nothing happened.

Just tried it again myself- yep, you're right!

Still, they should switch this function over to some other button. Like that double window one, for example :p

what games did you get with xbox one?

pinning is only thing that makes the ui useable you can pin netflix and your favorite games and when you done with that game unpin it

really good for digital titles cuz you don't need a disc swap

with the ps4 the interface is so good that it don't need anything like that

With the way I have no clue what it does on the home menu, I say yes to that.

PS4 store? i would have agreed if you said PS3 store but PS4??

must be your connection to be honest because the PS store ON PS4 is simply perfect

It came with MCC, plus I got FIFA

That button will bug my OCD so much.

it still feels delayed an laggy when i sccroll up an down in the store near ps plus and that left side

it feels like there is delay and i seen it lag almost like im streaming the shop or something it doesn't feel like im on website with no lag an i dunno why that is

No lag on PS4 PSN. Now Vita or PS3 PSN are a complete and utter joke, but PS4 PSN is pretty smooth.

I'm talking PS3. :P

The PS3 PSN Store used to be so good before the stupid redesign. Urgh.

Just like GameSpot! :O

The annoying thing about the PSN store on PS4 is that dosent show PS3 and Vita games or even avatars i mean how come you can buy your avatars off PS3 but NOT PS4? wtf sony?

oh yeah buying games or viewing the store off PSN on browser is miles better than doing so any of their consoles lol.. on a website you can view ALL games PS4,PS3 and Vita as well as view all the deals while on PS4 you can only view the PS4 stuff.

PSN on PS4 still needs some work i would agee

PM me your Gamertag, char!

@finalstar2007: Can you buy avatars on Vita or the webstore, or is that PS3 only?

ah on Vita i dont know. i havent really paid attention but i dont think the vita store does.

lately i been buying all my games via the PSN website as its much faster and easier for me then i command the Vita,PS4 or PS3 to download the games i bought off the website so i think its only the PS3 that allows you to buy avatars.

just use the website based PSN its so good :P

Sent!

Xbox One UI.

Easily the worst UI I've ever seen from a console, cue the sore fanboys with their "U DUNT OWN IT" comments.

I'm totally on the same page with those annoyances. The layout in general peeves me off. The thing is though, with Kinect everything is far far easier. It is clear it is designed to be used with Kinect, as voice commands can take you to any app without spending 5 minutes looking for the dam thing. Same as well goes for snapping and unsnapping apps which is just a chore without Kinect.

The problem with this though, is that it shouldn't be, and Microsoft should adapt their interface so it works well regardless of whether you have Kinect or not.

I don't like Windows 8 tiles and 360 UI so I probably won't like the Xbox One UI either.

The PS4 UI's servisable but there's so much that can be done with the space. It feels like they tried to do something minimalist but it still feels cluttered with so many unnecessary things. Just let us hide/show apps as we wish and place icons anywhere like a Destkop with custom backgrounds and I'm good.

I have to say that the horizontal list of apps on PS4 is s step down from having your gaming library separately vertical. I also think the notifications section is rather confusing and weird.

@charizaard1605 "Wii backwards compatibility is a mess, and honestly, I would have taken no BC than the joke we got." Really Char? It's a bit strange you have to open the Wii within the Wii U, but it's definitely worth it to have backwards compatibility. Unless you're including the Wii Virtual console backwards compatibility. That's a bit weird especially with the controller compatibility.

Seems like nitpicking. The only one that bothers me is the Wii U and that's because of the stupid music.

For Wii U:

• WaraWara Plaza shouldn't exist. It has no useful, functional purpose and creates a huge amount of overhead. Wii U would be far better off without it. It would make more sense to display an image of the game/app you're hovering over on the TV screen, much like the 3DS.
• Why the hell can I add friends in two separate places? Why do I need to open and load an app to view my friends? Better yet, why isn't it all packed into Miiverse? Miiverse should be the central hub for everything social. You should be able to bring up a modal on the Gamepad(or TV) to quickly view your friends and messages and then get back to your game. Going into the greater Miiverse app should be optional.
• You should be able to navigate the entire Wii U OS with any of the supported controllers. To this day, you can only navigate the Settings menu with the Gamepad. Because reasons.
• Wii mode shouldn't exist on the front end. It should be something that operates in the background. No going into the Wii dashboard at all. You put your game in, click on it from the disc icon, and it boots the game using Wii settings. Modify the Wii OS to boot back to the Wii U dashboard when the user clicks the Wii Menu item from the Home Menu. Wiiware and VC games should operate the same way. Icons appear on the dashboard and you boot them like all other Wii U software.
• Why isn't Settings in the bottom set of apps? Do #2, get rid of the Friends List app, and put Settings down there.

The X1 User Interface is an abomination. Decent system, but I hate navigating through the menu on it. Every feature on it seems to be a hassle, from snapping and unsnapping, to navigating to the store, checking achievements, looking at friends online, and starting a party. It was all so much easier on the 360 (with the exception of snap which didn't exist on the 360). It feels like a chore to navigate the system.

Wii U, my main issue is why is the Wii menu a separate OS?

Char, you should add me - IAMWEAP0NX (the o is the #0) I'm looking for some people to play the X1 with.

I agree at first the XOne interface takes a little getting used to. I didn't like the 'B' button thing myself but you get used to it after a few days.....it's pretty much like an 'undo' function basically. The thing to remember about the XOne UI, is that it was designed with Kinect in mind, so to get the best experience you need to use voice commands as well. It's not essential, but makes the navigation more seamless. Some things with voice commands, others with the controller.....depends what I want to do.

For example whenever I need to open an app or a game I just use the voice commands....it's a lot faster, and it switches instantly.....don't need to go to pins or even look at the the app/game....and for some games that have longer names I just have them pinned. "Xbox Bing" command acts as a search function for both you machine and the internet, and you can find things pretty quickly with that.

They tried something different with the Interface and I like it, once I got used to it and in conjunction with Kinect it's pretty seamless for me and quick, but yeah I agree it can be jarring at first because it's just done differently than what we are used to.

edit: small clarification about Xbox Bing voice command, it does not actually search for stuff locally on your machine but what I meant to say it makes it easier to access certain items on the console(not just the internet), for instance when you use it with the name of a game it will give it to you in the search results, from there you can access its store listing and view more details.

Congrats on the purchase. Though inferior in many ways to the PS4, I think the Xbox One holds its own, especially if you like certain genres.

Gamertag - Rndom Grenadez for some Halo MP.

The X1 ius a mess and even though I would like to see improvement on the horizontal PS4, I would not like it like the X1s.

Congrats, enjoy, what games you playing?

OT, I think it works okay after you get used to it, it sure wasn't as intuitive as 360 but I'm thinking after E3 and W10 goes live on X1, we're likely to see something brand new and I'm sure hoping for major improvements..

Windows 10 UI will change the Xbox One's completely

@FireEmblem_Man: windows 10 is continuing the metro design

its gonna boot up all those tablet windows an apps on phones/tablets/consoles in that metro boxes an stuff

and windows 10 on pc also has some of those apps in the start menu an big boxes in there

its not changing the game much at all windows 10 is a continuation of windows 8 the thing we hated instead of a revamp back to windows 7 or something ppl loved imo

Well, at least MS is addressing the issues with the Xbox UI, Windows 10 is coming for the platflorm sometime in the fall of this year. I'm expecting Cortana replacing the Xbox commands (for those that have connect) and Windows Store game apps integration.

Who cares? Your opinion suck and Windows 10 is pose to be a huge hit since Windows XP

Lets hope it keeps up with current gen 8 console leader PS4!