I’m Sticking with Xbox

I regularly re-evaluate my technology choices, and this year I've spent a lot of time in the PlayStation camp in order to understand how this platform compares. But I'm sticking with Xbox.

More to the point, I'm sticking with Xbox because I feel that Microsoft has the better solution. That Microsoft, partially out of necessity, is delivering the gamer-first functionality that I want, while also providing a credible entertainment entry.

It doesn't always work out this way. And as Microsoft's consumer-based offerings, especially, continue to lag or even be outright ignored, I suspect that many reading this understand where I'm coming from. You may want to choose the Microsoft solution. But boy do they make it hard sometimes.

So I've struggled. I keep Groove limping along despite stronger services from Spotify and Google. I keep using OneNote. And OneDrive. And Skype. Despite obvious problems with each.

But Xbox is personal. I've been impressed with each console release in turn, and with the Xbox 360 in 2005, I switched from PC gaming to the console for good.

A big part of this experience, of course, has been the Call of Duty series of games, each of which has consumed a good chunk of each year, in turn. When Xbox lost the COD franchise to Sony in 2015, I fretted about not getting map packs as quickly as before. And as I noted in My First Year As a Second-Class COD Gamer, that experience hasn't been great.

So I dabbled in the dark side. Earlier this year, I dusted off my PlayStation 4, updated it, and began re-evaluating it. Compared to the original Xbox One, the original PS4 was quieter, smaller, and more elegant, though I've always preferred the Xbox One user experience to the strange, dull PS4 interface. And I vastly prefer the Xbox One's hand controllers to those of Sony's.

But I'm a COD addict. And I eventually starting purchasing the map packs---or DLC, for downloadable content---for the then-current COD title, Black Ops III, on PS4 first so I could experience the new maps earlier. And with news that the PlayStation 4 Pro would offer the highest-quality graphical experience for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered---the games I figured I'd be spending the next year playing---I started to seriously consider whether switching to PS4 made any sense at all.

But it does not.

A number of factors tilt things in favor of the Xbox. The first, of course, is the gorgeous new Xbox One S, which I dubbed "the perfect thing.". This console is sleek, beautiful, and quiet, and as time moves on, I've only become more impressed by its 4K and HDR graphical capabilities. It's just a great visual experience.

Then there's the controller. Yes, Sony is finally and belatedly getting its own rip-off premium controllers, but the Xbox One Wireless Controller---in particular the Xbox One Elite Wireless controller for which I paid $150---is superior. There is this controller and then there is other ...

Gain unlimited access to Premium articles.

With technology shaping our everyday lives, how could we not dig deeper?

Thurrott Premium delivers an honest and thorough perspective about the technologies we use and rely on everyday. Discover deeper content as a Premium member.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC