Xbox: A Roller Coaster of Love and Frustration
- Nathaniel Hope
- Feb 26, 2024
- 38 min read
Updated: Feb 10
I was born in the mid 80s, caught up in Nintendo fever like the rest of the world. Sure, you had your Sega fans, your Atari fans, your Amiga fans, and Commodore 64 fans. But it was Nintendo that just dominated the market and had my attention for the better part of a decade. Growing up, that's all I lived and breathed. That is, until I turned 14 and found myself eventually gravitating to the Sony Playstation. Boy, that was quite a journey, let me tell you. It was such a crazy journey that I ended up writing about it. If you haven't read that story, you can check it out here. Anyways, back in early 2023, I found myself purchasing an Xbox Series S. In doing so, it got me thinking about things. Since I've already told the tale about my journey to the Sony Playstation, maybe it's about time I talk about my experiences in the world of Microsoft's Xbox. It's a rollercoaster of a journey (still kind of is). And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I haven't played on an Xbox or had a membership to Xbox Live in over a decade. Yet, here I was, hooking up my newly acquired Xbox Series S. It got me reminiscing of the old days and I started to feel a bit nostalgic.
I can still remember the awesomeness that was Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Gears of Wars, and Halo 3. I have fond memories playing a variety of Call of Duty games with my brother Alex, both online and split screen co-op. That franchise was something we used to stay connected together. Fable II? Where has a game like this been all my life?! Seriously, it's like Zelda and Disney had a baby. But that baby ended up turning into a punk rock teenager with an attitude, stuck somewhere in the middle ages! It was awesome! Guitar Hero and Rockband? Boy did I spend countless hours playing all those games and their extravagant set pieces. The more I think about it, the more I have to admit, I really loved the Xbox 360. It was such an amazing console experience during an amazing time to be a gamer.
Sadly, right after the Xbox One was announced, all that changed and I found myself jumping ship. I ended up going with Playstation 4 instead. From then on, I’ve never looked back. That is, until now.
So, it's 2023 and I just bought a brand new Xbox. Why is that? Why now? Well, honestly? I wanted to turn it into an emulation station. With the amount of YouTube videos that I’ve watched from the gaming community these past few years, just about everyone agrees that this machine is amazing for homebrew and emulation. Apparently, it runs just about anything you could imagine. And not only does it run games well, but it can run them at higher resolutions and higher frame rates. As someone who is a fan of the homebrew and emulation community, that sounded quite exciting. So I kept an eye out for any good deals. Eventually, an opportunity landed on my lap. A friend of mine had an unopened Xbox Series S sitting in his closet, just collecting dust. Turns out it was one of those fear of missing out moments. They didn't have an Xbox Series X available, which is what he wanted. But he ended up getting a Series S instead. Before he got a chance to actually use it, he eventually ended up finding a Series X and offered to sell me his Series S. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate.
When I hooked it up, I figured I'd reconnected my old Xbox account and take a look around the Xbox ecosystem and see what I've been missing after all these years. And I gotta tell you, I had some tears of joy after I found my old avatar. Dude, it's been over ten years. It was like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen in forever. I had almost forgotten about my avatar, and yet, there he was. Still wearing that Ghostbuster outfit I bought all those years ago, still reading that Alan Wake book. It was a very sweet moment.
There was a part of me that felt good to be back. It feels kinda like revisiting a home you once lived in, but it's all different now. I've almost forgotten about the whole Xbox experience and all the fun I used to have being a part of it all. When the nostalgia goggles finally came off however, it's about that time when I started asking the tough questions. Questions like, "what happened?" And, "why did I jump ship and go with Playstation after years of being in love with my time with Xbox?" Well, it's a difficult thing to answer. My journey through gaming is nothing short of a complicated relationship. Or in this case, complicated relationships (plural). I have played on multiple consoles and had a variety of gaming experiences in my lifetime. To understand it all, at least in the case of Microsoft's Xbox, we have to go back about twenty three years. Queue the Back to the Future theme song and...
Come with me on another journey
My experience with the Xbox dates back to the original Microsoft Xbox, back in 2001, back I was still a junior in high school. Like the Playstation debuting in the mid 90’s in a world dominated by Nintendo, Microsoft entering the fray with its own gaming console was, in my opinion, interesting. And I say interesting because roughly three weeks after the announcement, Sega announced its discontinuation of its own console, the Dreamcast. They also also announced its intentions to focus solely on software development on other consoles instead of creating it's own proprietary hardware. One of the consoles they were in talks to develop for was, in fact, the Microsoft Xbox. And by the end of March, Sega had made it official. For a new console like the Xbox to be entering a market that was currently being dominated by Sony’s Playstation 2, it certainly needed some third party software support. And as someone who owned a Dreamcast and enjoyed its vast library of games, I really was genuinely interested in the Xbox. But I never ended up purchasing one. I jumped on to the Playstation 2 bandwagon after seeing Final Fantasy X for the first time. That, and the Nintendo GameCube came out six months later in September. Man, now that I think of it, 2001 was a crazy year for video games!
But the best part for me was the simple fact that I never got to miss out on the Xbox thanks to Derptaku (my bestest friend in the whole wide world). He ended up getting one of his very own. From there, I was able to experience it and see what it was all about. We got into some amazing games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Halo: Combat Evolved, Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Fable, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and more. It was absolutely epic. What set the Xbox apart from the competition at the time was the inclusion of a broadband Ethernet connection and a built in hard disk drive (HDD). With this system, you were able to play games online, something the Dreamcast tried to tap into years prior through your phone line. But ethernet was an absolute game changer. And with an HDD, you were able to copy music CDs onto the hard drive and listen to your music while playing your games. This was a console first and another serious game changer. I have a memory of Derptaku and I playing endless hours of Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball while rocking out to bands like Disturbed and Metallica, in-game! It was absolutely the best time ever, let me tell you.
And thanks to the partnership Microsoft now had with Sega, I was able to play the epic second chapter that was Shenmue II! That, and many more sequels to their hits found originally on the Sega Dreamcast. Games like Crazy Taxy 3, Jet Set Radio Future, and Toe Jam & Earl III!
And of course there was also Microsoft's flagship game, Halo: Combat Evolved. A game that needs no introduction. A game that changed the gaming landscape. A game that put the Microsoft Xbox into people's living rooms. When I moved into my first apartment with a few of my friends back in 2003, we used to have Halo multiplayer parties all the time. We'd have 4 player split screen on a 27” CRT television baby! When one person died, you had to pass the controller around to whoever was waiting a turn and we did this for hours. Man, those were the days. It’s funny thinking back on it because even then, living in my first apartment, I never owned my own Xbox. My roommate had one in the living room for anyone to play and Derptaku had one as well. I always had access to an Xbox so I don’t feel like I was really missing out. Then the Xbox 360 launched in 2005.
Now, I wasn't quick to jump on it at launch. Partly because it cost $399. That's a lot of money when you're a poor, living-on-your-own, 21 year old in 2005, working a minimum wage job. But most importantly, the launch games didn't have anything I was familiar with aside from Quake 4 and Perfect Dark Zero. And all the newly announced IPs didn't make me go "OMG I NEED THE NEW XBOX". You see, that's actually kind of important to me. My go-to for picking up new consoles was, and always will be, because of the games. As a company putting out a new console, you need to give me a reason to buy it. A powerful machine that can do so much doesn't do me any good if there's nothing for me to play on it. So I waited. And eventually, that all changed with the upcoming release of Halo 3! Now we've got something I know I must play. After the infamous ending that was Halo 2, I was ready to "finish the fight". I bought the Halo 3 Legendary Edition Xbox 360 console in September of 2007. I think it was then, in that moment, that gaming changed for me.
When I play a console owned by someone else, it's kinda like show-and-tell. It's neat, we have fun, I'm shown cool things, we high-five each other, and then I eventually go home. But when you invest in a console of your own, it just hits differently. And I think that's the key word there, 'invest'. I invested my hard-earned money into getting my very own Xbox 360. In turn, I've also invested my time into it and soaked up everything it has to offer. When I got my first Xbox 360, it was like entering a new, unknown landscape. Everything was different, new, and exciting. The Xbox 360 had been on the market for a few years now and I was jumping in at a time where Microsoft was refining the system, adding in new features. Features that I've never experienced on a console before like an engrossing online multiplayer experience, complete with voice chat and direct messaging to friends. And I absolutely LOVED that keyboard add on to your controller so you can easily send messages. It was like texting before it was cool! Oh, and custom avatars and premium dashboard themes were the absolute best! I love the avatar creator feature, getting my avatar to look like me and wear fun outfits like that Ghostbuster uniform! There were so many outfits and accessories you could get to design your avatar and I was here for it. And I absolutely loved the ability to decorate my dashboard to showcase my favorite games. Customization and personalization made the system yours. It wasn't just an Xbox 360, this was your Xbox 360.
While the system did come with a standard, built-in DVD player, Microsoft took its approach to consumer content into bold new territories. While Sony was pioneering its high definition Blu-ray format, Microsoft went a different direction after its failed HD DVD format lost in "The Format Wars." Going forward, it partnered with major corporations like CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Turner Broadcasting, and more. They negotiated the rights to rent and sell more than 1,000 hours of material, digitally. Movies, TV shows, music videos, clips, you name it. And some programs were available for streaming and downloading in high-definition, which, back then, was a BIG deal. High Definition TVs and HD content started to become popular around 2005. The fact that the Xbox 360 was ready for HD since its launch, with partnerships in place to already provide its customers with HD content, was absolutely wild. And this was way before the streaming wars! Netflix was still renting DVDs through the mail back then. They didn't start their own streaming service until January 2007.
The Xbox 360 was simply just exciting. It's like everything fell into all the right places at the right time. When I got my own system, I was excited to just be a part of it all. Gaming became something else entirely. The Xbox 360 enhanced the way we play, the way we connect with each other, and how we consumed content. While Halo 3 was the catalyst that got me to purchase my own system, I was introduced to new gaming experiences with Fable II, Gears of War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Bioshock, Rockband, and much more. I was introduced to Xbox Live Arcade, a digital video gaming marketplace focusing on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers.
Thanks to Xbox Live Arcade, I was able to download classic console and arcade games.
It became a hub for both big and small game developers, introducing me to the world of digital downloads and smaller indie titles not typically found in stores. The constant addition of new games to the arcade was always exciting because you didn't know what they were going to put out next! I spent countless hours playing games like the old-school 1989 TMNT Arcade Game, Resident Evil Code: Veronica X HD, Soul Caliber, Quake Arena Arcade, Banjo-Kazooie & Banjo-Tooie (way before the Xbox One Rare Replay release) Tron, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and much more!
What still blows my mind was the media content. For the first time ever, I was able to download full seasons of TV shows on my Xbox. That was a new concept back then. I remember the first TV show I bought digitally on my Xbox. It was the first season of Nickelodeon's Doug. I was a kid again! Like, even today, I still think being able to do that was crazy. No more finding channels, looking for reruns, etc. On demand was a new concept and it was absolutely fun. And when Netflix launched onto the Xbox 360 in November 2008, this system became my central entertainment device for absolutely everything. It was then that I completely cut my cable. All I needed, all I wanted, was fast internet and my Xbox 360. And for nearly five years from that point on, that's exactly what I did.
One of my favorite memories on the console was the fact that I could voice chat with my best friend, Derptaku. We used to call each other on the phone all the time. But thanks to the Xbox 360, we stopped doing that. We just plugged a headset into the controller, connected with each other through Xbox Live, and talked almost every day, for hours! We didn't have to worry about running out of minutes on our phone plan anymore! Anyone remember those days? Phone plan minutes? (Definitely feeling my age here). Thinking back on it, I felt like a genius. And it was funny too because I would put the controller in my pocket while still wearing the headset! I'd walk around and do stuff around the house while we just talked, like he was in the room with me. And to this day, I still think that was absolutely wild.
When I think about what life was like back then, as you can see, I have some pretty fond memories of the Xbox. But as I went down memory lane, I stopped to ask myself, why didn't I get a Playstation 3 back then? The PS1 and PS2 became two of my all-time favorite consoles after being a Nintendo kid for most of my life. So you would think that the PS3 would be a no-brainer. Then I started to remember when Sony officially revealed the Playstation 3.
The price tag that shocked the world
If you queue up Sony's E3 2006 press conference and its North American launch in November of that year, I can tell you that there was a plethora of reasons why I chose not to get a PS3 at launch. The biggest reason was the fact that it was absolutely expensive. I'm talking really expensive. In a world where the average consumer was used to purchasing consoles for roughly $300 and under, seeing a price tag of $599 for a 60GB model and $499 for a 20GB model came as quite a shock. I mean, what's in that thing? NASA parts? Well, Sony did make an attempt to educate the public regarding its pricing structure. One of the biggest reasons why it was so expensive was because of the new IBM Cell processor. It was designed specifically for the new console, featuring new processing technologies. It was also apparently very hard to work with and very expensive to manufacture. Another main reason was because of the included Blu-ray disc drive, a first of its kind.
For those of you who are too young to know, or too old to remember, I'm going to paint a picture of the time period here. It's 2006. And in this year, we're about to be introduced to the high-definition standards of 1920x1080p and the Blu-ray disc format. Standalone Blu-ray players started to enter the market that same year in 2006. Sony and Samsung were among the first Blu-ray players to be released to the pubic. Guess how much those cost? They were a whopping $1000. Yikes. Compare that with the Playstation 3, a system that could play games on these new type of discs, while also able to play Blu-ray DVDs, while also able to play regular DVDs and CDs...yeah, when you look at it that way, it does kinda look like you're getting a steal with all that fancy technology inside. The only problem was, a lot of people didn't see it that way. What they saw was the hefty price tag on what they initially thought was going to be the next big gaming console. But it turns out, Sony wanted the PS3 to be more than a gaming console. They envisioned the PS3 as the cornerstone of entertainment. Kind of an all-in-one package. But the average consumer didn't feel this way. Even in the early days of YouTube, you can find people uploading unique ways to share their frustration over it all.
It's got a beat and you can dance to it
Now, Microsoft was on a similar path with the Xbox 360. But it was a gaming console first, and an entertainment box second. And they didn't put everything into the system all at once. They gradually added all these new features while still focusing on games and their online experience. But Sony went all-in with new, expensive tech, all at once. What I find interesting is that the PS3 was so expensive to manufacture, that even though they were selling these systems at $599, they were still selling these consoles at a loss! Pretty crazy, right? I started to ask questions like "Why"? That's a lot of money they're asking for and a lot of money they're losing in the process. Well, if I put all that aside and focused on what was important to me, I wanted to know one thing. If the PS3 has all that fancy hardware in it and it's going to be the best thing Sony has ever produced, what games are coming out at launch? Turns out, not a lot. Here's their launch line up.
There was nothing coming out that really made me go "OMG! I NEED TO GET A PLAYSTATION!" And as I've stated earlier, this is something very important to me. Many consoles have come and gone over the decades. Many have succeeded and many have failed. What all the successes and failures have in common is one thing, I feel, is its the games. No games, lack of games, or lack of one single IP that gets everyone excited to play? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying your hardware. You need to convince me to buy your console. Games are what sell consoles. Period. Not all the fancy specs. Not all the "latest and greatest" hardware and technology crammed into one machine. Top of the line stuff is great and all. Innovation is great and all. But what am I going to do with it? What am I going to play on it? How am I going to enjoy all that neat, fancy stuff?
I'll give you some examples of what I mean
Sega Dreamcast: I purchased it at launch (with my allowance and lunch money because it was 1999 and I was only 14 years old.)
Reason: I bought it at launch because of Sonic Adventure and it's bold new 3D direction. I played a demo of the game at a kiosk at Toys R' Us and I was absolutely blown away. That excited me. Never seen anything like it and I was amazed. And most importantly, I wanted to play Resident Evil Code: Veronica. At the time, the Sega Dreamcast was the only way you could play the latest entry in the series. And I was (and still am) obsessed with Resident Evil. I didn't want to miss out on that. So I got the console, explored what games they had to offer, and waited for the next Resident Evil to release. But what I loved about my time with the Sega Dreamcast was the gaming experiences I discovered on it. Once I owned a Dreamcast, I fell in love with new gaming experiences found in Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Seaman, Street Fighter Alpha 3, and more. I also fell in love with the console's innovative features. Controllers with a screen? And it's a removable memory card? Hell yeah! Surfing the internet on your CRT TV by hooking up the console to a phone line? That was wild! Playing Quake III Arena online? Wasn't really the greatest because phone lines. But still, I loved the innovation. The Sega Dreamcast really was ahead of its time. But I wouldn't have discovered all that if I didn't have something to both play and look forward to.
Nintendo Gamecube: Did not purchase at launch (Yes, I know. That does not sound like the Nintendo fanboy I used to be.)
Reason: Lack of interesting games. Don't get me wrong. I'll always love Nintendo. But seriously, where was the next Mario or Zelda? The Nintendo 64 was a behemoth of a console with so many amazing games in its library. All it took was Super Mario 64 to get me to want a Nintendo 64. Fast forward to the Nintendo Gamecube's release and I was honestly quite disappointed. Their tech demo showed off some really cool stuff on what the system could do. But overall, the system lacked games that made me want to get it at launch.
What got me to eventually get a Gamecube: Super Smash Bros. Melee came out about two weeks after the console's official launch, and that was initially THE game that made me want a Gamecube. But what was looming over the horizon that I was the MOST excited about was the release of the Capcom's Resident Evil Remake in March 2002. It was around that time I got a Gamecube (just in time for my birthday too!). Good thing too because eight months later, Capcom released Resident Evil Zero, another exclusive to the system. The one game I was also super hyped about as well was Resident Evil 4. That came out for Gamecube in 2005. A lot of people forget that it was exclusive to Nintendo's platform originally. They eventually ported it to other consoles. But there was a time when that wasn't an option. And like the Dreamcast, I did not want to miss out on these new entries in my favorite series. And also like the Dreamcast, once I had the console, I was able to enjoy the experience Nintendo was offering. I fell in love with so many games like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Eternal Darkness, and Metroid Prime 1 & 2. The system had its own amazing innovative features as well. Things like the ability to connect your Gameboy Advance to the system for expanded gaming options and multiplayer connectivity. It was pretty neat connecting to different Nintendo consoles together for games like The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, and tons more!
Nintendo 3DS: Did not purchase at launch
Reason: Lack of interesting games, plus the handheld console was absolutely expensive at the time. The Nintendo DS launched in 2004 at $149 and became one of Nintendo's best-selling handhelds next to the Nintendo Gameboy. The Nintendo 3DS launched in 2011 at $249. You could buy an Xbox 360 for less than that in that same year. The glasses-free 3D features were cool and revolutionary, sure. But in most cases, consumers just turned that feature off. And with lack of games to entice consumers to get the newest system when they already have a perfectly good functioning DS, what was the point?
What got me to eventually get a Nintendo 3DS: Both a console price drop and the release of Resident Evil: Revelations, a console exclusive at the time before it was eventually ported to the WiiU and PC. Once I had the console, and once they put out some amazing games to fully appreciate it, I fell in love with the 3DS and it became one of my favorite handhelds of all-time.
Okay, so, at this point, I'm sure you guys see a pattern here. Whatever console Resident Evil was on was most likely THE console I would buy. But that's kinda my point.
I had a game I wanted to play on these systems. I had something to be excited about. Don't get me wrong. Overall, I really wanted to like these consoles at launch. I like to see gaming win. And with the exception of the Sega Dreamcast and the Xbox 360, Sony and Nintendo really just dropped the ball when it came to the PS3, Gamecube and 3DS launches. Sony was offering an experience that was way too expensive that didn't seem worth it. Plus, there was nothing that made me feel "OMG I WANT A PS3". Nintendo was offering an experience that was less expensive and different than Xbox or Playstation when it comes to the Gamecube. But like the PS3, there was nothing that made me say "OMG I NEED A GAMECUBE". Same with the Nintendo 3DS. I already had a Nintendo DS. Who wants to spend more money on a system just to play games you already own, on an already inexpensive console?
And that's what brings me full circle, back to the Xbox 360. It was a perfect storm of gaming and entertainment. Not to mention, it was affordable. Once I crossed that threshold and got a console of my own, I found myself in the middle of a gaming revolution. And for 5+ years, it was an exciting time to be alive.
And then one day, all that all eventually changed.
Changes Ahead
The first change was when Sony released a slim model of the PS3 that included Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. It was about 2011 when I found it at a local Gamestop for a really affordable price. Because it was finally affordable, and because the PS3 has been on the market for about five years at that point, I decided to buy it. I wanted to finally see what I've been missing with the Sony experience. I've also never played an Uncharted game before. But I've heard great things. Even though I was starting with the third game in the series, I figured I'd just dive right in and see what it was all about. Spoiler Alert: Loved it! From that point forward, I found myself really enjoying the system and all its features. And I finally owned a Blu-Ray player now! I could start buying Blu-Ray DVDs and watch some of my favorite movies in HD. That was exciting. And now that I finally had a PS3, I fell in love with games like Metal Gear Solid 4, The Last of Us, Uncharted 1& 2, Journey, The God of War Saga Collection, God of War: Ascension, The Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection, and GTA V. And with their introduction with the Playstation Plus program, giving away free AAA games a month, I was able to play some pretty stellar games at no extra cost. Games like Batman: Arkham City, Crysis 2, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands, Oddworld: Strangers Wrath HD, and tons more! Sony, I will say, surprised me with the PS3. After a rough launch, they really did work hard to correct course and get the brand back into a better place for all to enjoy. It was in that moment I was like "Okay Sony, I see you." Though, I will say, I was still playing my Xbox 360 the most for entertainment and for gaming. Esp. with friends using online multiplayer. I had invested over five years into that system after all. It was a big part of my life. But, at the same time, it was a nice to have a different kind of gaming experience with the Playstation 3.
But the biggest thing that changed everything was on May 21, 2013 when Microsoft revealed their next system: The Xbox One.
I was genuinely interested in picking up the Xbox One at launch because I absolutely LOVED my Xbox 360 and all the experiences I had with it. I loved playing online with my friends, I loved the Xbox ecosystem, Xbox Live Arcade, all the games, everything. The new system even had some games I was interested in in playing. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Ryse: Son of Rome. But the system reveal was mired in controversy. It sent the gaming community into a full-on spiral.
To kind of give you an idea what I'm talking about, you should check out this YouTube highlight that really captures the essence of what Microsoft was trying to sell.
Pretty crazy, right? Microsoft created a gaming behemoth with the Xbox 360. They leaned in heavy with games, the online gaming experience, and all at an affordable price compared to the PS3. The Xbox 360 was a gaming console first. All that fun entertainment stuff was added bonuses over the years of its lifecycle. But with the announcement of the Xbox One, they took the opposite approach, leaning heavily on TV and entertainment. They showed off games, kinda. But gaming was clearly not the main focus. And on top of that, they added in some pretty outlandish restrictions in order to operate this new console.
Game licensing is very strict. Once purchased, physical discs can only be traded-in to approved retailers. If you want to give or sell a game to a friend, they have to have been on your Xbox Live friends list for 30 days, and games can only be transferred once. Lending games, renting games, and private sales (eBay, etc.) are not supported.
Kinect (camera/microphone) ships with every console and must be plugged in for the console to work.
Online connection is required, as the console must check-in once every 24 hours. If you’re playing on a friend’s console, it verifies your user account every hour.
And then there was the interview with then "Head of Xbox", Don Mattrick, in response to the outcry of the community regarding the 'always online' requirement.
It was in that moment that I was completely turned off by Microsoft. Honestly, I think it was in that moment I was heartbroken. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. Microsoft completely alienated their fanbase. They focused on all the wrong things, forgot what made them popular in the first place, and was giving me and so many other people reasons not to get the new Xbox.
But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. That light, fortunately, and thankfully, came from Sony.
E3 2013 was one that I will always remember. Sony was certainly the clear winner that year. But I don't think it was just because Microsoft shot themselves in the foot. While I feel that was certainly a big part of it, I also feel Sony learned from their mistakes with the launch of the PS3. They wanted their next console to be something that was affordable on top of something they can be proud of. Xbox showed up with a list of new rules on how you can enjoy their new system as an entertainment box. Playstation showed up with a revolutionary gaming system with no restrictions and some awesome games to look forward to.
In an interview with Polygon in regards to the PS4's lower price point and opposite approach to Microsoft's DRM policies, Sony VP of Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde said "I literally have goosebumps right now, because that was always our plan," -"It's something that we believe in. We know gamers come first; we know what they want. I was personally overwhelmed with the massive explosion on Twitter, with everyone essentially begging, 'Please don't do this Sony, please don't do this PlayStation!' It was so hard not to say, right away, 'Well, we never were going to do that, but now let's have a little fun and announce it in a fun way at the PlayStation press conference.' - "Could not believe how much the roof came down with that applause," Rohde added. "It was awesome."
Going down a different path
Ultimately, and not surprisingly, I ended up going with a Playstation 4. And I was lucky too because I was working at Best Buy at the time and I worked the midnight release! I was able to secure a console of my own and had a great time working the release. I got to meet other gamers and see the excitement on their faces as they were about to embark on a new gaming journey. It was exciting to be a part of that. Gaming and community go hand in hand, after all.
In an article from Makeuseof.com, writer Soham De says it best: "It was the principles of the PS4 that won in the hearts of the gamers - it put out first-rate exclusive after first-rate exclusive - Sony didn't just release a handful of great PS4 exclusives—it consistently gave gamers a reason to buy or play the PS4 year after year with its games." And that is the truest statement I've ever read in regards to the 8th console generation.
I am aware that some of the games on my list in the image above are also on the Xbox One, which is cool. I'm glad people who did purchase an Xbox got a chance to play a lot of these games. It's the first party studio games that you can only play on the console exclusively, that and third party games the came out exclusively. But overall, it's those first party titles and the experience they were selling that really made the PS4 shine.
And I'll admit, Microsoft did eventually get their sh*t together. It's not all doom and gloom. It's kinda funny to find out that Don Mattrick left Microsoft less than a month after the Xbox One reveal. I mean, how crazy it that? You reveal your new console, you piss off your fanbase, and then you dip? That was some serious gall right there. Seven months later, Microsoft announces Phil Spencer as the next head of Xbox. He's still the face of Xbox to this day and he's been leading the Xbox brand for a very long time now. What I like about Phil is he looks like he cares. He always puts himself out there like he cares about the Microsoft brand, the gaming community, and Xbox overall. He's like what Kevin Feige is for Marvel Studios, overseeing all things Xbox and pushing it towards the future. He is what encompasses the identity for Xbox. For Nintendo, they used to have Reggie Fils-Aimé until he passed on the torch to Doug Bowser. Playstation, well, up until recently it used to be Jim Ryan until he announced his retirement. Before that it was Shuhei Yoshida and Shawn Layden. But as of this writing, they don't really have someone like that anymore. There is no "face of the Playstation". But...I do have an idea on how they can fix that...
Bring Back Kevin Butler You Cowards!
Anyways, when Phil Spencer took over for Don Mattrick, he started to implement some pretty big changes. To start, the Kinect ended up being a total failure for the Xbox One and proved to be a costly accessory. So, in May 2014, Microsoft announced that they would sell the Xbox one without the Kinect sensor bringing the console down to $399. They also rolled back some of their other decisions including its limit on game sharing. Great news for consumers still interested in getting an Xbox. Plus, it put the Xbox back on a better competing field with the Playstation 4. But for me, the damage was already done. I moved on and was having way too much fun playing games on my PS4. Getting back on the Xbox train was going to take some serious convincing. And as we all know, the only way to do that is through games. In the meantime, I took a step back and just kept a watchful eye on what Xbox was going to do next. I wanted to see how they were going to win back fans.
Looking towards the future
For the last 11 years I've watched Xbox change, grow, and innovate. Some of it has been pretty neat to watch unfold. They debuted Xbox Backwards Compatibility on November 12, 2015 which was pretty awesome.
Looking at this, overall, this was a pretty big win for gaming in general. No one was doing this. Not quite like this in size, scope, and detail. They started with Xbox 360 games and even added original Xbox games to the program over time. For the gamers that don't own their old Xbox 360 or original Xbox consoles anymore, this was an amazing option to still enjoy their favorite games. And when it comes to gaming preservation efforts, this was a step in the right direction. That being said, for me, I still have both the original Xbox and Xbox 360 systems and games. They all still all run and play fabulously. I've also invested in a RetroTINK-5x where I can connect old consoles to it and upscale them to modern TVs. It's a pretty amazing piece of hardware and still gives me the ability to play my original consoles with ease and flexibility.
Then in 2016 they started what seemed like reboot of sorts of the Xbox One with the announcement of "Project Scorpio", the most powerful Xbox console to date. This console was debuted to have "eight CPU cores, 320GB/s memory bandwidth, and 6 teraflops of GPU power." The console project was officially unveiled at E3 2017 as "Xbox One X" for a November 2017 release.
Generally speaking, I thought the console was cool. But like every console before it, I started to ask myself, 'what would I play on it'? Around the time Project Scorpio was announced at E3 2016, Microsoft had also announced "Xbox Play Anywhere." When you own an Xbox Play Anywhere digital title, it’s yours to play both on Xbox and Windows PCs at no extra cost. The concept was pretty cool. They even made nearly all of their first-party games cross-platform compatible, allowing the ability to play together on both Xbox and PC. You could even to switch between the two platforms without losing progress. But for me, I own a great gaming computer. And generally speaking, whatever game Microsoft puts out on Xbox, they also put out on Windows PCs. So...again, I really didn't need to get an Xbox. And the funny thing is, I wasn't (and still am not) the only one saying this. Like, yeah, your hardware is powerful and that trailer is full of hype for your hardware. But everything you can play on it, I can play on my PC. For the games I can't play on PC, I've got a Nintendo Wii U and a PS4. And each of those systems gives me a different kind of gaming experience than the other. Xbox just hasn't sold me still. Aside from being the ultimate power machine in console form, I start to ask, 'Since I can play all these games on other platforms and an Xbox isn't really necessary, what sets you apart from your competitors'?
Enter Game Pass
In June 1st, 2017 Microsoft introduced Xbox Game Pass. Unofficially named "Netflix For Games" in the gaming community, this program gives subscribers unlimited access to a vault of older Xbox games, as well as day-one access to the latest releases, including AAA games.
While all of this looks fun and sounds good, there's a lot of grey areas here. First, if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription, then you have access to all the games within the Game Pass catalog. Play any game, anytime, for as long as you want, and for as long as you have a subscription. No need to 'buy' the game for $70 when you have hundreds of games you can play at your fingertips for the cost of a subscription. Sounds great in theory. But what I have an issue with is, like anything, games come and go from the service. Games aren't on there forever. Some leave, some come back. What's even crazier is someone on Reddit put together a Google Sheet with a list of current, past, and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass. According to the list, there are over 804 games that were once on Game Pass and have since been removed from the service. Games in general are on track to move to an all-digital future and Microsoft has been experimenting with its subscription based service since 2017. In the short run, they make money off of your subscriptions and you can essentially play a bunch of games, including many AAA releases on their launch, day one. But in the long run, if you think about it, you don't really own these games. They do. They say what you can play, when you can play it, and for how long you can play it. I don't know about you, but I don't like what that future of gaming looks like.
But Xbox doesn't stop there. Two years later, they announce "Project Scarlett" at E3 2019.
What confused me about Project Scarlett was I felt like I was watching the exact same announcement they did with Project Scorpio. It was almost a recreation, shot-for-shot, with a lot of the same people, all hyping up this "new" and powerful Xbox console. And as seen in the above video, Phil Spencer was describing it it as "The most powerful and highest performing console hardware we've ever designed." It was all déjà vu for me all over again because here we are, only two years from Project Scorpio, and Microsoft is announcing yet another new 'powerful' console. I start to get mildly irritated because I don't understand the point. And then I go back to what matters to me the most and I rhetorically ask, "Ok, fine. I'm still listening Microsoft. What will I be playing on Project Scarlett?"
Well, at then end of the Project Scarlett announcement, Phil Spencer did say Microsoft would launch the new system with the next Halo game. That certainly peaked my interest a bit. But the next Halo game would turn out to be an Xbox Play Anywhere game. So again, I didn't need an Xbox to play Halo. I could play it on my PC...Okay, fine. Is there anything else I could play on Project Scarlett?
Well, they also announced "Project xCloud" where their game-streaming technology will "give gamers more choices in how and where they play."
Similar to Sony's "Playstation Now" service, Project xCloud lets you stream your games to your device of choice like your mobile phone or PC. No downloading games to your device or having your device connect to your console. Games are streamed directly to your device of choice through Microsoft's own servers. So...technically I also don't need an Xbox console to play any of its games if I can have them streamed to my device of choice...You're really making it hard here Microsoft...
At 2019 The Game Awards in December, Microsoft debuted Project Scarlett as the Xbox Series X.
As you can see, like the Xbox One X and the Xbox One before it, you've got another great looking console with all the power and performance you could ever want. But if you are looking for actual exclusive games to play on it, you still won't find it here.
There's a part of me what wants to like what Xbox has to offer. But all I see them make these days is powerful hardware with no real reason to own it. And the kinds of gaming experiences it's offering, doesn't stand out to me. The only thing that has stood out to me by Xbox is the sheer amount of companies it's gobbled up over the years.
Having a gaming catalogue from all these companies under the Xbox umbrella would certainly make Xbox Game Pass pretty enticing. And that seems to be their biggest focus right now. Considering that many of these companies previously and currently have products on other consoles, it only seems fitting that Xbox becomes more of a publisher at this point. Many Xbox Game Studios have found homes on other consoles over the years. Microsoft's owned "Studio MDHR", who developed the popular game "Cuphead", was released on Nintendo Switch in 2019 after only being available Xbox and PC previously. And just recently, Microsoft announced it will also be bringing its games "Grounded" and "Pentiment" to the Nintendo Switch later this year.
Moves like this, acquiring studios left and right, bringing games to other consoles other than its own home console has a lot of people wondering, is this the end of "The Xbox"? Is Xbox shutting down? What is the future of Xbox? Is Halo coming to Playstation? Questions like this were stemming from a swirl of online rumors on various social media platforms so much that it caught the attention of Phil Spencer. It got so bad that he responded on X (Twitter).
On Feb 15 2024, on the Official Xbox Podcast, they interviewed Sarah Bond, current Xbox President, Phil Spencer who is now the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and Matt Booty, who's President of Gaming Content & Studios. In this interview, Phil Spencer addressed the multiplatform Xbox game rumors. “We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy,” he said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can.”
Matt Booty reassured Xbox players that Game Pass will stay an Xbox-exclusive service on console. “I think that we at first party can come back to some core principles,” Booty explained. “First, that all of our games will be on the Xbox platform. Second, all of our games will go into Game Pass on day one. And third, we know that Game Pass will only be available on Xbox.” Unfortunately, that's not entirely true as you can also access Game Pass on PC. That's something they keep throwing around a lot. What they call "Xbox Exclusives" aren't exclusive to Xbox if you can also access its library of games on PC. Anyways, Sarah Bond also revealed that they are working on the next generation Xbox console. "We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday. We’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building." Phil Spencer added to this by saying "Many people know I’ve been on Xbox for over 20 years, and I want to make sure Xbox is in the best position for the next 20 years,” he said. “Our hardware is a critical component of that. The absolute best experience someone has on Xbox is hardware that our team builds and that people play on.”
Now, I don't want to sound like a broken record here. But...why would I want to play on yet another 'high powered and performance enhanced' Xbox when Microsoft still has an exclusivity problem? Well, in that same interview, when talking about gaming exclusives, to my surprise, Phil Spencer believes that exclusive games are going to become much less important in the industry over the next decade.
"The fundamental decision driver for any decision that we make, anything we're going to talk about today, is the long-term health of Xbox - that we're running a growing platform that is reaching more players, that our games are having as much success as possible," Spencer said.
"I do have a fundamental belief that over the next 5 or 10 years, exclusive games, games that are exclusive to one piece of hardware, are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry. And that's not some great insight, because if you look at the last 10 years and what the biggest games are today, it's a natural place - whether it's one console in PC, multiple consoles, mobile, console, and PC - you see big games landing on multiple platforms. And we want to be a great platform for creators that are trying to realize that potential."
He makes some interesting points. But at the same time, I'm not so sure if I agree with it. I mean, it certainly helps if you own all the companies that makes the games. But just think about it. Imagine a future with no more exclusives. Imagine all games are available on all platforms. Therein lines the question, what would be the point of owning a console? Why choose Xbox? Why choose Playstation? Why Nintendo? If all games are on all consoles, there wouldn't really be a need to choose anything aside from maybe the hardware. But if you make everything the same, in the end, there's no competition anymore.
Competition Breeds Innovation
Without Coke, we wouldn’t have Pepsi. Without Trader Joe’s, we wouldn’t have Whole Foods. Without Blockbuster, we wouldn’t have Netflix. Without Barnes & Noble, we wouldn’t have Amazon (started as an online bookstore in 1995). Without YouTube, we wouldn’t have Twitch. Without Nintendo, we wouldn’t have Playstation. Without Myspace, we wouldn’t have Facebook. Without Napster, we wouldn't have iTunes (now Apple Music) and music streaming services like Spotify.
Competition is about price, quality, reputation, brand name, innovation, and even improvement. Competition can help businesses identify consumer needs and develop new products or services that meet these needs more efficiently than competitors.
For example, Federal Express, known as FedEx today, was created in 1971 as a means to get supplies like medicine and computer parts delivered faster than what the current postal options were at the time. United Parcel Service, or UPS as we know today, may have started in 1907. But even with 64 years running, FedEx sought ways to improve the postal conditions of the time. As pointed out by Andrew Zaleski at CNBC.com, "Both of these private package-delivery services have grown into international behemoths, each moving more than 25 million packages per day and doing tens of millions of dollars of revenue every year." But it goes to show you that more competition means greater choice and more services. When we have access to a wider range of products and services, we can find the product that best meets our needs. The Autorité de la concurrence said it best as "Competition is not just a matter of price. In practice it means greater product diversity and it promotes the emergence of new services. The pressure exerted by their competitors encourages companies to promote their products and to stand out by focusing on originality or quality of service or by targeting new customer segments."
All these examples demonstrate the importance of staying innovative and adaptable in today's rapidly changing landscape. Companies that fail to keep up with new technologies and changing consumer preferences risk losing their competitive edge and being overtaken by new and innovative competitors. Competition is a good thing. To really drive that statement home, here's a quote I found from Heather Boushey and Helen Knudsen: "Healthy market competition is fundamental to a well-functioning U.S. economy. Basic economic theory demonstrates that when firms have to compete for customers, it leads to lower prices, higher quality goods and services, greater variety, and more innovation. Competition is critical not only in product markets, but also in labor markets. When firms compete to attract workers, they must increase compensation and improve working conditions."
So if you look at competition in the case for video games and the video game industry, here's what we find. Generally speaking, when Sony unveiled the PS3, most consumers leaned towards the Xbox 360. Likewise, with the launch of the Xbox One, the majority favored the PS4.
Nintendo on the other hand, saw this and tried something completely different. Realizing that they were facing tough competition in areas they used to occupy, Nintendo opted for a different approach called the "Blue Ocean Strategy." This strategy involves creating and fulfilling new demand in markets that are not yet explored, essentially making competition irrelevant. Nintendo embraced innovation and introduced the Nintendo Wii, prioritizing simplicity, functionality, and interactivity over the race for the best graphics and computing power.
The standout feature of the Wii was its motion-sensing controller, the Wii Remote, which allowed players to physically interact with games by detecting their movements in three-dimensional space. Nintendo also emphasized affordability and ease of use in the Wii's design, aiming to create a console that was not only technologically innovative but also accessible to a wide range of users, regardless of their gaming experience. This strategic shift proved to be a game changer, as it opened up gaming to a whole new audience — people who wouldn't typically engage in video games. Nintendo's focus on creating an enjoyable and inclusive gaming experience rather than solely chasing technological superiority resonated with consumers. The Wii became a massive success, with total lifetime sales surpassing 101 million units. And with Nintendo dominating the video game space with the Wii, surpassing both Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 in sales, it also created a new competitive space as both Sony and Microsoft tried to replicate the success of the Nintendo Wii with Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect.
In Conclusion
When you fast forward to today, in 2024, I'm still enjoying my time with Playstation. While they aren't without their own issues and have made some questionable decisions in this generation of gaming, overall, I'm having a great experience. But not just with Playstation. I also love my Nintendo Switch. Yes, still, after all these years, my Switch is amazing. Remember when it launched in 2017? Crazy, right? I also love that the Nintendo Switch was another innovative game changer. So much so that other companies have tried to innovate and compete with their success. First came the Nintendo Switch, then we see products like the Steam Deck, the Asus ROG Ally, the Retroid Pocket series, and so many more. I got a Steam Deck this past Christmas and I absolutely love it. Being able to play the majority of my Steam library on a handheld device is absolutely amazing (not to mention, all the different kinds of emulators that you can run on it).
Be that as it may, we come back full circle to where this conversation all started. As you can see, my journey through gaming has been nothing short of a bunch of complicated relationships. I have played on multiple consoles and had a variety of gaming experiences in my lifetime. Specifically, twenty three years ago, I was introduced to the original Xbox and it's been a rollercoaster of a journey. With any relationship and experience comes a variety of ups and downs. I've loved my time with the Xbox and don't regret those experiences.
While I may have been frustrated with the various direcitons they've gone since the Xbox One, I've also enjoyed seeing them thrive in new spaces and trying new things. They're still figuring themselves out and I think that's just fine. I don't know what the future holds. All I know is I love video games. And because of competition and innovation, I've had the privelge to ride the wave of gaming greatness, in all of these technological adventures, for my entire life. I may not have a reason to buy an Xbox console. But I care about the gaming industry so much that I really do hope Xbox finds success in all of its acquisitions. I hope that on their journey to find success, I hope it brings joy to gamers. And most importantly, I hope whatever they do, I hope it pushes the competition to continue to innovate. My go-to for picking up new consoles was, and always will be, because of the games. I still stand by that and what I said earlier. As a company putting out a new console, fancy features are great and all. But hardware, specs, and graphics aren't everything. I want a reason to get excited and own what you are selling. I want an experience. And I want that experience to 'wow' me. A powerful machine that can do so much doesn't do me any good if there's nothing fun and exciting for me to play on it.
And with that, I leave you with one of the greatest speeches in video game history that still resonates with me to this very day. Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
BlueNile101
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