At this point in time, my personal perceiption of the Xbox brand barely couldn’t get any worse.
I am resentful at times.
And I just can’t forget about their first official (!) Xbox One strategy and fierce backpaddling after it.
They had totally lost me when they were planning to restrict used games. But that’s just what Microsoft has always been about. Restrictions. And locking users in.
Now, with the Series, it’s their fourth (!) console generation already. Fourth!
Looking back in hindsight, they had nothing prepared for it.
Except the $499 price tag and a less powerful S version that is having the reputation of holding back the evolution of game development.
If it weren’t for their hefty acquisitions, there wouldn’t be any exclusive Starfield, Hellblade 2, Stalker 2 or Indiana Jones this year. It’s mind boggling to think about this at least a minute.
Not to mention every other of the 25+ IPs.
I just can’t wrap my head around it why so many people in the Xbox community cheer for this least type of effort.
An ‘effort’ of simply buying former 3rd Party IPs.
Now being “re-branded” as 1st parties, for the sole purpose of actually having a decent software catalogue in the first place beside Halo & Forza.
And they (MS) do all of this accompanied by GP – the all you can eat buffet locking IPs and your money behind licenses that will eventually expire.
Forcing you to at least consider buying an IP again (which actually is what MS wants you to do).
And if it wasn’t enough already, only three years into the current-gen they already announced new hardware – caused by the worst hardware sales ever.
Remember the ‘most powerful console’ marketing for the X? It’s been only 3 ¾ years since. And they’ve put nothing out there to touch the 12TFs.
I can’t speak for the future.
But speaking today, the Xbox brand to me personally is nothing but … well you get the point, I guess.
