Mainstream media seems really impressed. Nearly every review I've read has referred to it as futuristic or the future.
Xbox One Is a Slice of the Future - Rolling Stone
Xbox One a great game player _ and more - AP
Xbox One review: This is the console of the future - Fortune
The Xbox One is the closest thing to the future of television weve yet seen - Hollywood Reporter
Xbox One review: The gaming device that goes far beyond gaming - Consumer Reports
Xbox One: A family-focused console that goes beyond gaming - Washington Post
Xbox One review: Compelling console with a strong lineup of games - NBC News
Some mainstream sites were really definitive in saying the Xbox One was definitely the best choice this holiday:
Originally Posted by NBCNews
The Xbox One really is a compelling piece of hardware, complete with a strong lineup of launch games. And that's more than I could say for Sony's PlayStation 4, which arrived last Friday.
... if you're really craving a new system now or need something to bring home to the kids the Xbox One is your best bet.
Originally Posted by Fortune
If the Xbox One isn't already near the top of your holiday wish list, it should be.
Originally Posted by RollingStone
Sony's PS4 is not the entertainment hub we were expecting. But Microsoft's next-gen gaming console unifies your gaming, movie and TV watching under one voice-controlled roof
Originally Posted by Associated Press
The images in the games I tried are on par with the PS4's as detailed and realistic as anything yet produced by a living-room console.
"Forza Motorsport 5," the latest auto racing simulator from Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios, takes full advantage of the Xbox One's graphic oomph. You can see the attention to detail in every car. From the driver's seat, you can read every instrument on the dashboard. The beauty extends to the gorgeous environments, from the Bernese Alps to the streets of Prague to famous racetracks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Originally Posted by WashingtonPost
And the specs are everything that you may expect of a next-generation console and well matched against newly released PlayStation 4. Xbox One graphics are smooth and fluid, with responsive game play and few glitches.
Microsoft does, however, arguably have a stronger launch lineup of games, bringing heavy-hitters such as Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse: Son of Rome, which shows the promise and limitations of the Kinects potential for gaming.
They all seemed to love Ryse and Forza the best.