Key Takeaways
- The Xbox Series X lacks the innovation and excitement of the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
- With so few exclusive games to play on the Xbox Series X, interest in the console has dwindled.
- The Xbox Game Pass model calls into question the future success and appeal of the Xbox Series X.
In today’s console world, Nintendo Switch reigns supreme. PlayStation 5 They may not have “games,” but at least people are interested enough to make jokes about them. There’s a third console that doesn’t seem to get as much attention as the others. It’s, of course, Xbox Series .
Yes, there are rumors about Xbox, but for the most part, it feels like the rumors are primarily centered around Xbox as a company. Xbox as a consoleSure, there’s a lot of talk about big acquisitions, Subsequent closure by Xbox. But none of these have to do with the console itself. For all intents and purposes, there just isn’t as much enthusiasm for Xbox as there is for the PlayStation 5 or the Nintendo Switch. But why?
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The most obvious reason for the waning enthusiasm for Xbox is the lack of appeal of the Xbox Series X/S as an upgrade. Sure, the Xbox Series X is significantly more powerful than the Xbox One, but the days of spectacular increases in console power are long gone. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s boring.
This tedious factor is exponentially worse when you look at the console itself and the user experience that comes with it. In every sense, the Xbox Series X is Xbox One 2The controllers are nearly identical, the UI is nearly identical, and the console itself looks unremarkable: midway through the console’s launch, physical game releases began removing the console’s title from the box, revealing only the Xbox label.
Gone are the days of dizzying leaps in console power, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s boring.
Personally, I love this. The merging of the Xbox lineup makes perfect sense from a consumer perspective. You can use an Xbox Series X controller with an Xbox One and vice versa. Xbox One games can be played on an Xbox Series X. The UI hasn’t changed all that much, so the overall experience feels familiar. But there’s an undeniable appeal to change and innovation.
The PlayStation 5, on the other hand, looks odd. Depending on the settings, the PlayStation 5 can look really flashy. But it’s visually impressive. In addition to its looks, Dual Sense This is one of the biggest advancements in basic controller layout in a long time, and while the PlayStation 5 UI is different from the PlayStation 4 UI, it still feels familiar.
Of course, there’s little need to explain why the Nintendo Switch is such a compelling console: it’s a home console, and it’s portable. This basic premise, combined with the incredibly impressive first-party products that Nintendo has released for it, has ultimately catapulted it into what could potentially be the best-selling console of all time.
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Do you have games on your Xbox?
The double-edged sword of Game Pass.
Like the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X has a few issues with gaming. The PlayStation 5 doesn’t have a ton of exclusives, but the Xbox is in a pretty lonely spot. Most of the exclusives are great, but there’s still no true Xbox Series X exclusive to sell the console.
last year, Starfield It was heavily hyped as a killer app. Bethesda Game Studios’ first single-player game since Fallout 4 seemed like the obvious choice to pick up a controller for. But the game was widely panned. Personally, I’ve put over 100 hours into Starfield and enjoyed it a lot. There was just one problem: I didn’t buy it. Instead, I paid $15 for a month’s supply of the game. Xbox Game Pass on the game’s release date.
Personally, I’ve put over 100 hours into Starfield and had a ton of fun. There’s just one problem: I didn’t buy it. Instead, I paid $15 for a month of Xbox Game Pass.
According to documents released during the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard merger, Xbox Game Pass is causing a decline in game sales, which isn’t surprising, but it certainly could cause cascading problems.
Even if you only have an Xbox One, there are still plenty of games you can play on it. Any new titles you really want to play will be on Game Pass on launch day. Games released exclusively for Series X aren’t essential to play. If you’re not too interested in owning a physical copy, there’s no reason not to pay for Game Pass. If you’re not too interested in faster load times, or if you’re one of the 66% of Americans who don’t have an Xbox One, 4K TV What motivates you to buy an Xbox Series X?
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What will it take to get people interested in Xbox again?
Is the Series X beyond saving?
The days when the Xbox 360 was the king of gaming consoles seem like a long time ago. The energy and enthusiasm that once surrounded the Xbox no longer seems attainable. It’s unclear what will draw people back to Xbox, but it’s easy to point out why the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch are superior.
What are Nintendo and Sony doing right that Microsoft should pay attention to? Making some major changes to the current look and feel of the Xbox would help the console stand out. I personally like the Xbox brand name, but it would also be nice to make the new console generation distinctly new.
Nintendo will likely be dealing with similar issues in the near future. Nintendo Switch 2 Due for release sometime next year, it remains to be seen how Nintendo will build up excitement for its new console without making it too similar — a topic no doubt familiar to the company that made the Wii U.
Whatever Microsoft ultimately does with Xbox in the near future, we can only hope that it will regain its former cultural importance. What was once one of the most exciting console lines on the market, and the game that revolutionized online gaming into the behemoth we know it as today, has fallen into the depths of indifference. Xbox needs something better, but at the same time, we need a better Xbox.
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