Xbox One Wireless Adapter for Windows Now Available.

[cmdrdredd]

So I got mine today in the mail and it comes with a USB extension cable so you don't need to have it sticking out of your PC. Nothing else to mention, it works fine.

Note: you will probably have to manually have windows update check for drivers because they are not automatically installed as part of windows 10.

 

[ViRGE]

Old version? You mean the one without the 3.5mm port and updated bumpers?

Correct. That one. It sounds like the bundled version is using the old controller with the sketchy bumpers.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I don't know, but it could be. I didn't even realize there was a bundle until you mentioned it.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Does anyone know what's going on with the bundled version? It sounds like MS may be shipping the old version of the XB1 controller with it.

I've not seen the bundled version..is it on Amazon yet?

Honestly, for the price of the bundled version ($80), you can buy a XB1 wireless controller (the updated one....$55) and the wireless adapter ($25) for pretty much the same price.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Also worth mentioning for anyone who may be using or considering the elite controller with swappable sticks and programmable paddle buttons etc. There is an xbox accessories app in the windows store that will let you adjust stick sensitivity, remap buttons, adjust the trigger sensitivity etc.

 

[ViRGE]

I've not seen the bundled version..is it on Amazon yet?

Honestly, for the price of the bundled version ($80), you can buy a XB1 wireless controller (the updated one....$55) and the wireless adapter ($25) for pretty much the same price.

Yes, it is. That's where I'm seeing reports that the bundled version includes the old controller.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Xbox-Controller-Wireless-Adapter-Windows/dp/B015IX3X3E/

 

[BlueWeasel]

Yes, it is. That's where I'm seeing reports that the bundled version includes the old controller.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Xbox-Controller-Wireless-Adapter-Windows/dp/B015IX3X3E/

Ah, thanks. I think I'll just buy them separately to ensure the updated controller.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

if you have prime, you can get an extra discount when you add certain controllers to your cart.

updated xbox one controller with the plug and play kit is $58 in the cart. (Make sure the seller is amazon.com. Pre-checkout price is $74)
also dualshock 4 is $45 in the cart as another example.

 

[ViRGE]

if you have prime, you can get an extra discount when you add certain controllers to your cart.

updated xbox one controller with the plug and play kit is $58 in the cart. (Make sure the seller is amazon.com. Pre-checkout price is $74)
also dualshock 4 is $45 in the cart as another example.

Yep. I just did that before seeing your post and it turns out it's cheaper. Amazon is offering "Amazon Prime Member Savings" on the XB1 controllers, so a standalone controller + adapter was $73 ($48 + $25) versus $80 for the bundle.

 

[Midwayman]

Yeah! How dare they force everyone who got a free upgrade to Windows 10 to have to use it to continue to use new peripherals they make!

The issue is there is no more WMC in windows 10. Presumeably a lot of people buying wireless controllers will be wanting to use them to play with their HTPC hooked up to their TV. Quite a few HTPC need WMC. See the problem?

 

[sweenish]

Use Kodi. Or Plex.

I've never understood this need for WMC that so many people have. But I just have a Chromecast now.

I also just buy controllers for gaming.

 

[Aikouka]

I've never understood this need for WMC that so many people have.

This is going to sound a bit mean-spirited and part of me means it this way... have you ever looked to see why? I'll be very clear...

WMC IS THE ONLY SOFTWARE THAT CAN PLAY CABLECARD CONTENT THAT IS PROTECTED WITH A COPY-ONCE OR COPY-NEVER FLAG.

What does that mean? Well, your cable company can use whatever flag it darn well pleases, but typically, these flags are used on channels like HBO. However, I've even had broadcast networks that had shows randomly flagged.

 

[sweenish]

So?

Pretty much all networks have apps, do they not? And most of those apps even support Chromecasts. Or how is a DVR not the same?

WMC is a relic clung to by people afraid of change. What you describe hasn't been relevant for years. So again, I fail to see the point.

Props for admitting you intended to be dick-ish, though.

 

[cbrunny]

I don't even know what a cable card is. Never seen a reason for WMC but an old pc of mine did have it. I had a tuner card in that one and tinkered for days with it. Could never get it functioning properly.

 

[Midwayman]

So?

Pretty much all networks have apps, do they not? And most of those apps even support Chromecasts. Or how is a DVR not the same?

WMC is a relic clung to by people afraid of change. What you describe hasn't been relevant for years. So again, I fail to see the point.

Props for admitting you intended to be dick-ish, though.

Seriously? A DVR records TV. Its not on demand video. Its local storage. It doesn't count against bandwidth. Its not bit-starved streaming video. It doesn't have unskippable ads. Hell with WMC and a few plug you can have it automatically strip out all the commercial so you don't even have to hit FF. You can keep shows as long as you like and archive whole seasons of shows without having to worry about the network making them unavailable when you want to watch them. You have control over your media. Think it doesn't happen? I know streaming services like Amazon have pulled *PURCHASED* streaming movies like Christmas movies around Christmas and the only way to play them is to 'rent' them. There are also plenty of channels without 'apps' or just content that you can't get without a TV subscription (like live sports)

Ever if I were offered the opportunity to goto an all on-demand stream TV solution I wouldn't want it for many of the reasons above. Mostly the commercials though. Anytime I forget to DVR a show its such a PITA to have to watch forced commercials.

 

[Aikouka]

Pretty much all networks have apps, do they not? And most of those apps even support Chromecasts. Or how is a DVR not the same?

You can't always get the same content from streaming services. In some cases, they lock them down under timed exclusives where you usually have to pay to gain access to the episode close to its original airing.

WMC is a relic clung to by people afraid of change. What you describe hasn't been relevant for years. So again, I fail to see the point.

I think you're misunderstanding why people want WMC. We don't cling to it because it's some great program that we cherish. In fact, I don't like WMC that much. The only praise that I'll give it is that it's really not that bad of a 10-Foot UI. Apart from that, it's pretty damn evident that Microsoft gave up on the program years before officially doing so. For example, in Windows 8, you have to buy Windows 8.x Pro and then pay extra for the Media Center pack just to get it. The problem is that most computers don't even come with the Pro OS, so you have to spend another $90 just to upgrade. :\

Props for admitting you intended to be dick-ish, though.

Well, I don't exactly prefer doing it, but it gets a little tiring explaining that all the time. I was hoping the big letters might cause other people to take notice too.

I don't even know what a cable card is. Never seen a reason for WMC but an old pc of mine did have it. I had a tuner card in that one and tinkered for days with it. Could never get it functioning properly.

This is probably the most common CableCard that I've seen.

 

[sweenish]

Seriously?

Did I /s?

A DVR records TV. Its not on demand video. Its local storage. It doesn't count against bandwidth. Its not bit-starved streaming video. It doesn't have unskippable ads. Hell with WMC and a few plug you can have it automatically strip out all the commercial so you don't even have to hit FF.

You kind of blended DVR and Chromecast-capable network apps in there. Had me confused for a second. Your entire argument clashes with itself; it's very poorly organized. My Plex server has all the benefits and none of the downsides you're mentioning.

When I do stream Netflix, the picture looks pretty good. I've seen some comparisons between streaming HD and blu-ray. Blu-ray is still on top, but honestly it's close enough that I don't think your argument flies unless we're talking about 4K. I still prefer blu-ray for the superior audio experience, though. Which doesn't really apply to cable TV, and consequently WMC. There is very little cross-over between my blu-ray library and Netflix, so I haven't tried a comparison. My blu-ray player is a PS3 anyway, so it wouldn't be a great comparison.

I technically have a data cap, but Cox doesn't care too much. With the exception of those very few US markets where Comcast is being super lame, and a few international markets, I don't think data caps works as a general argument. It's just not widespread enough.

You can keep shows as long as you like and archive whole seasons of shows without having to worry about the network making them unavailable when you want to watch them. You have control over your media. Think it doesn't happen? I know streaming services like Amazon have pulled *PURCHASED* streaming movies like Christmas movies around Christmas and the only way to play them is to 'rent' them. There are also plenty of channels without 'apps' or just content that you can't get without a TV subscription (like live sports)

A lot of this is the same as a DVR. Doesn't really make a case for WMC over any other DVR. I guess there's the ad-stripping, and as long as the Hopper is limited to Dish, you have a point.

I can always concede live sports as a justification for a cable subscription, not WMC. But here, again, my Plex server has all of these benefits, minus live sports. All your hooplah about skipping ads goes right out the door when you bring LIVE television into the argument. It basically nullifies all your arguments for WMC. Just get a DVR and a cable sub. That's your live sports and archival.

But even with just an internet sub, I can get some live sports through ESPN. Still not ideal if that's your thing.

Ever if I were offered the opportunity to goto an all on-demand stream TV solution I wouldn't want it for many of the reasons above. Mostly the commercials though. Anytime I forget to DVR a show its such a PITA to have to watch forced commercials.

This just keeps reinforcing my argument that WMC is a relic, just like cable subscriptions. Since all your arguments are tied to paying way too much money for way too little content. If skipping ads (when you use it just like a DVR) and a few games (with ads) helps alleviate that extra money people throw away, I guess I shouldn't try to take that fromt hem.

The faster people ditch cable TV, the faster ESPN will de-couple, and everyone can be happy. HBO and Showtime already have, now you can get premium cable without having to buy a cable package AND a premium sub.

You made more of an argument for a cable subscription, and not WMC. The one salient thing was ad-stripping with a third party plugin. Then you threw it out the window when you thought live sports was somehow an argument for WMC.

A relic. That's what it is.

 

[sweenish]

You can't always get the same content from streaming services. In some cases, they lock them down under timed exclusives where you usually have to pay to gain access to the episode close to its original airing.

I'm not talking about amazon prime, Netflix, or Hulu Plus.

Networks have specific apps for their network, where if you have a cable subscription, you have access to that network's content digitally.

I have no experience with these apps. I've never felt that a cable sub was worth the price. If they still charge extra or don't give full access, then that's more evidence of how horrible the current cable model is. All the more reason to just ditch it.

 

[Midwayman]

Did I /s?

You kind of blended DVR and Chromecast-capable network apps in there. Had me confused for a second.
You made more of an argument for a cable subscription, and not WMC. The one salient thing was ad-stripping with a third party plugin. Then you threw it out the window when you thought live sports was somehow an argument for WMC.

A relic. That's what it is.

Your previous comment made it sound like you were talking using apps and chromecast as opposed to a DVR. A normal DVR functions much like WMC for sure. As for WMC specifically as a DVR vs normal DVRs

- You can put high performance hardware in there. Every cable co DVR I've ever used is clearly built by the lowest bidder.

- Plugins/customization.

- Number of streams recorded. Nothing I've seen commercially can come close.

- Generally much better ability to integrate media libraries and TV.

Vs other PC based DVRs...

- You have to if you want to record copy once flagged material.

Even in its heyday WMC was never the best PC based DVR. It was merely required. Its still an 'okay' design and better than most of the cable co DVRs even now.


I'm all for corded cutting and all, but the thought of having to sit through commercials again makes me ill. Such an incredible waste of time.

 

[wilds]

I got mine a few days ago. It works great and it is detected as a USB device so it works with all the old 360 programs.

The USB port is basically fried on my Xbox One controller so it is nice being wireless!
edit: Anyone else use this thing as a mouse as well? It works great as a remote-mouse hybrid.

 

[cbrunny]

It let's you use the xbone controller as a mouse?!?

 

[ViRGE]

I got mine a few days ago. It works great and it is detected as a USB device so it works with all the old 360 programs.

I had to manually install the drivers via this guide over on the Steam forums as my copy of Win10 refused to locate the drivers for the adapter through Windows Update. Not the best install experience, but once installed it works well enough.

The fact that MS used WiFi Direct makes this whole thing a bit amusing though. The adapter is basically a 2x2:2 (dual stream) 802.11ac access point in a USB stick. That's a lot of horsepower just for connecting to a controller.

 

[Aikouka]

The fact that MS used WiFi Direct makes this whole thing a bit amusing though. The adapter is basically a 2x2:2 (dual stream) 802.11ac access point in a USB stick. That's a lot of horsepower just for connecting to a controller.

I wonder if it's actually MU-MIMO capable? That would make sense with their use of a 2x2 adapter as they could support simultaneous data receipt/transmission from/to two controllers. The only thing is that MU-MIMO is pretty new, so there's a chance that it wouldn't be available to implement when the X1 was being developed.

 

[Homerboy]

What adapter do I need to a 360 controller?

 

[Aikouka]

What adapter do I need to a 360 controller?

You'd need the one of these. You might also be able to get one second-hand for cheaper if you don't mind waiting. $16 for one is okay, but I recall getting one bundled with a controller for only $35.