Previously I took to our review columns to express my love and also hatred for my Xbox 360. On my birthday in April, with my loving family members’ help, we retired said Xbox 360 and replaced it with a brand new Xbox One.

I was beyond excited, as bringing in this new console meant I would be replacing my barely working, loudly whirring pile of junk with a potentially quiet, properly running machine.

As I unboxed my $350 purchase, I became giddy. Finally I would be able to watch Netflix properly, have access to any game owned for that system and enjoy my down time once again. I’ve had the Xbox One for about three weeks now, and while some slight technical issues have arisen, overall, I am impressed.

One great new feature is the console will save your place in games and apps unless you completely shut it down. Your games also will not close if you open another app and will pick up right where you left off before.

Another great new feature is called snapping, which allows you to run two apps at one time. One app is primary, and the other app runs in a small window to the side. This way, you can play music on YouTube while playing a game, and your screen would only slightly be reduced in size.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, the console is just better than its predecessor. Games run smoother and look nicer, even on the same TV. And the hardware is able to support all these new features, which require lots of power and consistency, with relative ease.

With the console basically being akin to a computer with a Microsoft Windows operating system, I would also think the hardware is built to support the system it’s running.

The great new features and properly working hardware mean I once again have a console I am happy with. The only downside is that I have around 35 Xbox 360 games, which cannot be played on the Xbox One.

Rating: A

To contact Clayton Mitchell, email sportswriter@occc.edu