Xbox has changed its strategy and started releasing games on other platforms previously exclusive to the Xbox. These moves have caused some unrest among Xbox fans, who have voiced their dissatisfaction on social media. This has been especially true since the announcement of the Indiana Jones game, which is a major upcoming title for Xbox. My exposure to all of this is all hearsay through podcasts and reports in YouTube videos. In these discussions, very few people can (or want to?) find a convincing reason that answers why you should still buy an Xbox. I have a few ideas.

But before I share them, I would like to briefly rant about the notion of being disappointed and now questioning the point of owning an Xbox. So, please stay a while and listen.

(Or rudely skip ahead to the “Pro Xbox” section.)

PlayStation Envy

I am baffled by any outrage because of this. Shouldn’t we gamers be happy for each other? Now, more players can also enjoy the great games that have only existed on an Xbox (not all, of course). The idea of being a fan of a brand, a.k.a. a giant corporation accountable to shareholders, is beyond me. How can it be so simple to shake this loyalty? Is it a form of schadenfreude that turns people into Xbox fans because they know that PlayStation owners do not get access to certain games, like Halo, Gears of War, and other exclusives? Is it jealousy, as the other platforms will soon have more games available to them?

What made people choose an Xbox over a PlayStation in the first place? Was it only the games? The pull of the Xbox exclusives must have been stronger than Sony’s portfolio. If so, it’s not like releasing more titles on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch removes them from the Xbox platform. And if games weren’t the reason, the other arguments favoring an Xbox would not change. Right?

Pro Xbox

But what are those other arguments in favor of Microsoft’s console?

Hardware

Let me begin with the tangible part first. A reason to prefer an Xbox could be the hardware, which goes beyond just the console. But let’s start there. Sony’s PlayStation 5 design is divisive, while you could classify Microsoft’s Xbox Series as boring and bland. I happen to prefer the Series X and S over the PS5. The PlayStation is one hell of an enormous, ugly fella.

But maybe the PS-style controller isn’t working for you. I was in that camp for a long time, and only the Dual Sense convinced me otherwise. Other people prefer the Xbox controller layout and form. When you only go by the bundled input device and ignore third-party offerings, it can be a deciding factor when purchasing a console. The controller might sway you in the direction of an Xbox.

Although both systems support 3rd-party controllers, the story around such accessories is complex. For the longest time, you could purchase almost any controller labeled “compatible with Xbox”. Compatible isn’t licensed, though, and Microsoft clamped down on this practice in the name of security and gaming experience.

(I wonder what a gaming experience one must have when their input device is not working 🤔.)

Sony isn’t much better either, as they had been fined almost 14 million European Orens for shutting out competitors in the PS4 era. And don’t get me started on the support of PS4 controllers in PS5 games (it must be the new buttons 🤭). Unless Microsoft has shut out older generation controllers on the Series X|S, which still worked when I owned a Series X, you can still use an Xbox One controller on the latest consoles.

As a result, the asking price for official third-party controllers usually exceeds the standard bundled one, starting north of a hundred Orens.

Another point for Xbox in the hardware category could be its official accessibility solution, the adaptive Xbox controller. However, the move to block the unlicensed devices mentioned above has also killed many home-made accessibility solutions.

As you can see, looking beyond the bundled controllers paints a complex picture for both companies. It is essentially a draw but counts as a loss for either of them. Here’s another interesting story looking at these anti-consumer practices.

Software

If the hardware alone is not the (only) deciding factor, then maybe the look and feel of the Xbox operating system is what people like. It would not be the first time a system OS sells the hardware. People flock around Apple’s Macs because they strongly prefer it over Microsoft’s Windows or Linux. The same applies the other way around and can be true when choosing a console.

Software is also more than the OS. Modern devices are furthermore defined by their ecosystem. Microsoft’s Game Pass is a strong proposition despite its recent segmentation. When you spring for the Ultimate tier, you get many titles with this subscription on the day of their release. Sony does not do that. Returning to the Indiana Jones example, PlayStation players also get to play it. But as a Game Pass subscriber, you get it without additional cost.

Some titles even nicely sync their progress with the PC version of a game. If you own an Xbox and a Windows PC and game on both, you may have the option to choose where to play based on your mood and not lose progress. That is a valuable feature when appropriately implemented.

Famous Last Words

I understand why one could have mixed feelings – initially. However, everything will likely remain the same if you are on an Xbox in the grand scheme of things. Actually, you may now even get to play multiplayer games with your friends on PlayStation, like Sea of Thieves.

This whole discussion is a big, fat Nothing-Burger to me. But then again, I do not have any loyalty to the big corpos that are only interested in extracting money from me. I do not like the idea of exclusive titles as a consumer. I understand why companies implement such practices, but that does not change the fact that I would like to play on the platform I prefer – within reason, of course.

Thank you for staying a while and reading.