I loved my original Xbox and the 360 was my first choice for the generation that followed. It had the better controller and was often stronger in multi-platform. Only TLoU and friends on PS3 playing GTA V online got me to fire up the PS3 which I bought as a Blu-ray player. Microsoft had landed. I even bought the Kinect but the novelty wore off quickly.
At the release of Xbox One and PS4 the choice was obvious which to get first. I always assumed I’d get a One later on but then never did, as the PS4 Pro and PSVR came out around the time I’d have most likely jumped in.
This current generation was personally a tighter decision for me due to the apparent difference in specifications, but I opted for a PS5 Digital first due to the price and larger extant library from PS4, and the more interesting controller.
Nothing since then has really tempted me to double-dip, the performance has largely been the same, and PSVR2 and now PS5 Pro has instead taken the spare budget. Halo Infinite and Starfield had me hovering over the buy button in the lead up to their release, but then personally didn’t seem worth it for me.
And now whenever I think about getting in on Xbox Series X I just start daydreaming about going a PC build route again instead to get the same games but in a better way.
I’m personally not a fan of a rental subscription for games so GamesPass has never appealed to me. If PlayStation offered the same I wouldn’t sign up, either. I prefer curating and building my own digital library across platforms like iTunes, Steam, and PSN etc.
No real point being made. I’m just offering a single datapoint in case of any post-mortem market research scraping threads like these.
If Xbox Series X was consistently a good chunk ahead in performance on multi-platform stuff, I’d have bought one. If Halo Infinite reignited the same energy Halo 2 gave me, I’d have bought one. If Starfield was revolutionary and closer to Elite Dangerous in how you explore, I’d have bought one.
If Xbox does make a handheld console with some decent performance packed into it, I’d be extremely interested. Since buying a PS5 I’ve bought into Switch and Quest ecosystems, and almost Steam Deck, just because they offer something different.
I’m very excited about the prospect of a handheld Xbox, but Series X so far just hasn’t given me that fizz of excitement that gets my wallet whimpering.
