Some People Think the Xbox Is Dead but Here’s Why I’m Still Loving Mine

There’s nary uncertainty that Sony’s PlayStation 5 has taken the prize successful this generation’s console war, but there’s nary specified happening arsenic a cleanable console. I person much consoles than sense, and I inactive prime up my Xbox controller 90% of the time.

Why Some People Are Saying Xbox Is “Dead”

It’s nary concealed that Microsoft is going done a pugnacious clip successful presumption of console sales. While we don’t person close figures connected which to gully factual comparisons, you don’t person to look acold to spot signs of a struggling hardware business.

It’s plain to spot erstwhile walking into brick-and-mortar crippled retailers that the Xbox games are located connected the backmost wall, good distant from the Switch cartridges and Pokémon plushies. You tin besides spot it successful decisions that the institution has been making implicit the past 12 months, main among them being the prime to bring antecedently Xbox-exclusive games to rival platforms.

Microsoft was ever keen to bring its games to the PC aft all, and the PC is the world’s astir fashionable gaming platform. If it were a three-way competition, Windows would triumph adjacent with upstarts similar Valve’s SteamOS trying to devour Microsoft’s lunch. But the determination to bring games different than Minecraft and acquired properties similar DOOM to Switch and PS5 is simply a important one.

If you’ve ventured into Sony spaces connected forums similar Reddit successful the past period oregon so, you mightiness person spotted the astonishing inclination of PS5 and PS5 Pro owners glazing Microsoft’s accomplishments with Forza Horizon 5. The crippled already looked stunning connected the Series X, but Turn 10 made exceptional usage of the PS5 Pro’s added grunt to enactment retired a Pro-enhanced version. This means that the champion mentation of Microsoft’s flagship arcade racer is present connected a Sony console.

Financially, Microsoft’s determination to pat into its rivals’ monolithic idiosyncratic bases makes a batch of sense. But it’s besides a motion that the institution has shifted absorption distant from much accepted console practices of guarding its console ecosystem. This has led to immoderate play from Xbox stalwarts, adjacent though the institution inactive operates nether an “Xbox first” policy.

Personally, I’m not excessively bothered. If my superior Xbox broke tomorrow, I’d astir apt caput close retired and bargain different one. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that aboriginal Microsoft consoles present the goods, but I don’t see myself loyal to immoderate peculiar platform. Forza and the similar connected PlayStation conscionable means that much radical get to play, and if that makes the franchise much successful, past we each get to benefit.

Game Pass Is a Huge Draw

Game Pass is simply a immense portion of what I emotion astir my Xbox. I jumped connected the Xbox bid aft sitting retired the Xbox One past procreation successful favour of the PS4 (and yet PS4 Pro). The Xbox One did precise small to triumph maine over, from the underwhelming uncover to the anemic hardware to the trickle of games that funny me.

When the Series X and PlayStation 5 procreation yet kicked off, I decided that determination was astir apt country successful my beingness and fund for some consoles. I decided I’d commencement with the Xbox Series X and drawback up connected the games that I’d missed retired connected portion glued to my PS4. I redeemed 3 months of Game Pass for $1 and ne'er looked back.

I’m blessed to admit that Game Pass has been a immense power connected my gaming life. Not lone does it correspond large worth to me, but I besides spot the work arsenic a tastemaker. Even if Microsoft’s latest first-party merchandise is simply a miss, you tin warrant that a fewer much games volition get connected the work that aforesaid period that are worthy checking out. If not, there’s a immense backlog of things I’ve been meaning to play forever.

I’m self-aware capable to recognize that a conglomerate similar Microsoft picking up publishers similar Bethesda and Activision is concerning for the manufacture arsenic a whole, but I won’t unreal that I haven’t benefited from these developments. It’s however I’ve experienced immoderate of my favourite games of the past fewer years, similar Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and my existent obsession The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered without having to ammunition retired afloat price.

And past there’s the trimmings. I’d astir apt ne'er person played games similar Blue Prince and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess were it not for the information that they conscionable showed up connected my console. Being capable to effort retired the champion Call of Duty crippled successful years, risk-free, truthful that I could get owned by 13-year-olds again was a blast.

Game Pass is, hands down, the main crushed that the Xbox is my superior gaming platform. It’s the crushed I prime up Microsoft’s controller first, alternatively than a DualSense, oregon the Switch, oregon my Steam Deck. It’s the crushed I haven’t been capable to warrant throwing unneurotic a gaming PC. For now, I’m blessed to fto the bully times rotation for my $20 per month.

I Barely Turn connected My PS5

It’s existent that Sony has a Game Pass alternate successful the signifier of PlayStation Plus, and I adjacent subscribed for a full twelvemonth erstwhile I picked up my PS5. But Sony’s attack is rather different, focusing alternatively connected third-party games, older first-party titles, and older PlayStation classics. There are nary time 1 exclusives, and though this seems to beryllium moving large implicit astatine PlayStation, I fto my subscription lapse successful favour of Game Pass instead.

Despite Sony’s misshapen achromatic container inactive sitting nether my TV, I don’t find myself turning it connected precise often. Sony’s first-party output hasn’t done a batch to triumph maine implicit this generation, peculiarly successful the past fewer years. When I yet got my hands connected a PS5 successful 2022, I played catch-up with games similar Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the previously-exclusive Deathloop but fell disconnected erstwhile Game Pass drew maine backmost in.

I recovered myself sitting retired Spider-Man 2 and God of War: Ragnarok, not due to the fact that I don’t judge they’re bully but due to the fact that Game Pass ever gave maine thing other to do. In a satellite wherever determination is truthful overmuch to play astatine each times, a crippled truly has to seizure my attraction to gully maine successful oregon pique my curiosity capable to springiness it a go, risk-free. It besides happens that third-party output has been beauteous coagulated this generation, with games similar Baldur’s Gate and Elden Ring being peculiarly bully examples of this.

Fortunately, Sony’s upcoming Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to the fantabulous Ghost of Tshusima, should bash capable to crook my caput and yet complaint the aged DualSense. Games similar Pacific Drive and Helldivers 2 are inactive connected my to-play list, but I’ve small involvement successful Final Fantasy reboots and I’m not convinced yet that Bungie’s Marathon volition bash capable to forestall different Concord situation.

This, similar each matters of taste, is purely subjective. Microsoft’s first-party titles haven’t each been belters this procreation either (though I’d reason they’ve turned it astir successful the past fewer years). It’s conscionable that I find myself resonating much with a console connected which I tin play the Oblivion remaster and DOOM: The Dark Ages connected time 1 without shelling retired much than the monthly interest I’ve go accustomed to.

Will I Buy Another Xbox?

There are already 2 Xbox Series X consoles successful my surviving room, 1 for maine and 1 for my partner. I’m looking guardant to buying Borderlands 4 erstwhile and playing it connected some consoles simultaneously with the assistance of crippled sharing (you tin bash this connected PlayStation 5 too).

It would beryllium foolish to perpetrate to the acquisition of immoderate console earlier thing has been announced, though Microsoft has teased that enactment connected the adjacent procreation of consoles is already underway. There are besides immoderate persistent rumors astir a handheld portable Xbox, though it’s looking progressively improbable that Microsoft volition manufacture the hardware itself.

Perhaps the astir absorbing question is what Microsoft volition bash with the adjacent Xbox console to marque it much enticing. One thought that conscionable won’t dice is the imaginable of integrating third-party stores similar Steam into the platform. From a hardware perspective, the Xbox is already a glorified PC (so is the PS5). Integrating services similar Steam (or GOG, oregon the Epic Game Store) sounds large to me.

As idiosyncratic who loves the Game Pass acquisition and who owns a decent room of games connected the Steam platform, this is 1 imaginable I’m precise excited about. Ironically, it would adjacent supply a pathway to playing Sony’s PC titles connected a Microsoft console.

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  Xbox Series X

  The Series X is the astir almighty current-generation console and offers entree to Microsoft Game Pass for a ample room of subscription games retired of the box. It besides doubles arsenic a UHD Blu-Ray player!

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  Xbox Series S

  While not arsenic almighty arsenic the Series X, it's unthinkable the Xbox Series S tin inactive tally the aforesaid room of next-gen titles. If you aren't funny successful moving games astatine 4K, you tin prevention a batch opting for the Series S instead.

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The Xbox isn’t dead, but the adjacent console volition apt beryllium precise antithetic from thing Microsoft has offered before. In a way, it has to be. While a collaborative portable Xbox doesn’t look acold away, existent reports constituent to 2027 being the twelvemonth we spot a successor to the Xbox Series X.