
We don't know about you, but sometimes the constant doom and gloom we have to consume on social media about Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo and everything else gets us into a slump. There's only so much you can deal with!
So, on this quiet Thursday afternoon, let's try and push past the negativity and celebrate all the good things about the Xbox brand in 2024. There are so many of them, of course - the Xbox Series X and Series S are still fantastic consoles, we've got some great Xbox first-party games on the way in 2024 including Hellblade 2 and Indiana Jones, the Activision Blizzard takeover will soon be bearing fruit, and there's so much more could highlight too!
There are obviously areas of improvement we can identify, but generally, we still think this is one of the best times ever to be an Xbox owner. The Xbox 360 era takes the crown for many Xbox fans which is understandable, but the Xbox Series X|S era came in second in our recent poll - easily surpassing the OG Xbox and Xbox One generations.
You could say this is a very generic "Talking Point" to throw out there, but that's because we don't really want to place any restrictions on it. We just want to know your favourite thing about Xbox right now! Whether it's a game, a feature, an experience you've shared with a friend recently... let's take this opportunity to celebrate the brand a little bit.
What's your favourite thing about Xbox right now? Tell us down in the comments section below.
Comments 63
Being able to play physical discs from every era of the franchise is beyond cool. And if MS treats the Series X like the One next gen then I’ll be able to keep collecting next gen games for years.
It’s so much fun being able to walk into my local retro game store, pick up a random edgy as heck 360 game off the shelf and learn I can play it right now.
Mine is a backwards compatibility machine and that isn't changing it seems.
Game Pass is useless to me, I'm not interested in their first party output and I'd rather play third party releases elsewhere.
My favorite thing is literally the entire package. Backwards compatibility, the home screen and menus, Game Pass, the 4K Blu-ray player, the controller, and the store sales. I can't pick just one but the entire presentation makes it my favorite platform to game on.
I really enjoy game pass and I feel like it allows games with a large variety to be made and noticed it’s not very often we get games like Pentiment, palworld and hifi rush among others these days.
Gamepass
Dev mode for emulation
Cheap games from argentina
Quick resume is amazing
Gamepass on pc too
Retro stuff
Also dirty cheap x360 games
Backwards compatibility is the big point for me as I love being able to play a good amount of 360 stuff like Skate 3, Saints Row 2, Orange Box, Tekken 6 and Tag 2.
I also love the UI and the controller. I love everything Xbox.
I'm not really into the first party range for either Xbox or Sony. So I'm just happy to have the ecosystem of Xbox at my fingertips. If I play Starfield, cool. If I don't, it's not the end of the world. To me, it's more about the whole package rather then having a machine for specific games. I tried Switch and Ps5, they weren't for me. Xbox works for me 100%.
Quick resume.
That’s why Sony is trying to do something similar.
Also a good back compat library.
Objectively, I think the Xbox Series is the best Xbox, it has the best combination of games, services, policies and hardware.
In fact, I think it is one of the few generations in which I can affirm that Xbox is far above Playstation, which takes less and less care of its users.
However, I think that Microsoft has a problem generating enthusiasm, some decisions may be right from a commercial point of view, but not from the point of view of the players. I believe this has happened several times in Xbox history affecting the reliability and identity of the brand.
Gamepass - especially cloud on my phone
Backward compatibility
Excitement for future exclusive opportunities - hellblade, whatever double fine are up to etc
Backwards compatibility……what?
Are you people serious?
Let’s look forward not back and get some quality games lined up for game pass.
@JonBoyJ
Booooo.
/s
Right now Xbox is the only console I trust to continue playing all the games I currently play in future consoles. I buy all my 3rd party games on xbox for this reason.
Just the entire package really. The fact that they are marketing themselves towards gamers and the gaming ecosystem. Rather then worrying about we have to beat Sony and Sony is the enemy. The fact that they acknowledge that we are all gamers no matter what piece of plastic we decide to have hooked up to our TV.
@JonBoyJ
Totally agree, but Xbox are not the only ones guilty of this, especially if we included the ever growing list of remasters and remakes.
I thought I had purchased 3 years ago a new generation, not an older generation.
Game Pass, backwards compatibility and cross play on PC with PC game pass are my favourite things.
The toaster & fridge🤣
The games are good. And quick resume is good.
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Like many others here, the number of games the series consoles can play due to backwards compatibility amazes me.
Game pass has been my saving grace of my bank account, but more importantly, it opened me to a wide selection of titles and experiences.
The Xscreen for the Series S has been one of the best purchases I made, and I will always remember playing Elden Ring in a Campervan due to it.
Xbox excites me moving forward and looking forward to our libraries being fully available anywhere we are.
Gamepass and backwards compatible but it more just nice than amazing that I can still play games I bought on the 360 but you can't beat gamepass at all it's the Netflix of gaming and the super fast SSD drives now are amazing loading used to be terrible last gen borderlands 3 stands out
Gamepass, controller, rewards points, cloud saves and cloud gaming. It's very convenient and for someone who can't always play infront of the tv having the ability to play on a phone or laptop if needed and just carry on with the progression is really great.
Also tbaggin mofos in Infinite is always a good time lol. Fiesta or Husky raid is just pure mayham.
Oh also how fast and quiet the series x is and quick resume.... beautiful stuff.
well phil said.....
no doom n gloom right.
i think game pass is getting a little better but..... i gotta go.
Gamepass, the games are good, quick resume and backwards compatibility. Also I think the community around Xbox is better.
Nowadays my PlayStation and my switch are exclusives machines only.
Series X is easily the best console. GP, quick resume, upgraded backwards compatibility, and the best controller.
Basically, the best value in gaming, the best hardware, the best controller, the best digital rights, the best online services, the best backwards compatibility, the most generous rewards scheme, free cloud save system, Quick Resume and, in my opinion, the best exclusives compared to modern Sony and Nintendo, although I prefer Nintendo's modern games over Sony's modern games. As a nice bonus, the least toxic community.
What I really like about Xbox is, I have the ability to buy older games like Saints Row 1, GTA 4 etc. and play them any time I wish, without having to subscribe to Game Pass in order to do so.
The best thing is the Series S and Gamepass. I came for Starfield but due to it being delayed the bonus was subscribing to Gamepass and loving it. The series S is perfect for what I need it for and never once thought I made a mistake purchasing it… quick resume, fast SSD and all the backlog I could hope for….
Oh and the rewards … despite changing from time to time are easy to rack up. My New Year’s resolution was to earn enough this year to get BG3 and DD2 and already $50 in rewards earned …. So on pace (really hoping for a sale on BG3 to make it by year end)
I have the all 3 consoles, but I prefer playing with my Series X because I like the interface and gamepad plus on my tv xbox games look better.
EDIT:
I forgot: the Series X is quieter than the PS5 Slim Digital
Hard to say the Backwards Compatibility when that's long been over and I have a perfectly functional 360. I guess... the controller? I'll always like it more than the PS one, but it's effectively been the same controller for almost 2 decades so, that feels like a Mr. Fantastic stretch for something good.
I'm a recent adopter so I love it to pieces, so many games I've yet to play that are massive hitters!
I'm wisely waiting to play dragon's dogma on march 22th and i was playing spongebob squarepants rehydrated and nickeleon all stars brawlers 2, right now theres alot to play i feel bless with all the games available on the store, life is short folk we can pass our time argue on social media all the time life goes by and there so many good games to experiment be sure to stay healthy and active and be present to play your games on the system you love.
The games may be fair (compared to whatever people want to say on other platforms) I keep watch of what Xbox has but they aren't my type of games and the waits may be what they are but I think they are trying their best.
I haven't used the services or benefits of current gen and I'm not fussed to either but to those that are glad your enjoying them and the current gen games or old games your enjoying. I'm fine where I am right now at the moment.
I'm still enjoying collecting OG Xbox or 360 games or the odd Xbox One games I haven't. Playing game OST CDs via the CD app. Or playing anime blu-rays on my Xbox One and mostly because the POST beep is off. Not buying a PS5 to be able to enable a setting to do the same.
The major third parties of this gen I've played a few, most even on PS5/Series consoles are fine. Nothing that I'm that desperate for. The enhancements/load times I'm fine ignoring and sticking to old gen for a bit longer.
In terms of third parties many people I know of are playing on PS5. I myself haven't touched really any third parties of current gen because any I was interested in I got on PS4 because that's the copies I haven't to find or they were exclusive like Valkyrie Elysium so I had no choice but to get the PS4 version.
In terms of the people I know they prefer the Touchpad for inventories or just used to the controller even if they prefer the Xbox Series controller due to the Dualsense's sharpness. I find it to be the case on it too and the Xbox Series controller to me has too much grip I don't like personally. It feels like sand level of just too much awkwardness with the grip and I can't stand it so glad the Xbox One controllers are support and I don't use the share feature really anyway but Impulse Triggers still yay in the handful that use them in Gears 4 & 5 or racing games that I've experienced them on Xbox One. The Xbox One controller with slight grip for the later model with the bluetooth is just enough without being too annoying feeling to me.
While Minecraft Legends, Halo Infinite, Pentiment, Starfield, Age of Empires, Gears Tactics, Forza (either series but I prefer Motorsport), Hifi Rush, Hellblade 2, Redfall, Avowed or State of Decay 3 when they come out, and more have been fair releases and continued support of Sea of Theives. To me they aren't really my type of games or I'm not desperate to play them. Also digital only makes me less interested to play them either Gamepass or not.
Hifi or Gears Tactics may but I have so many other hack n slashes or tactics games of 360/PS3 (Dante's Inferno 360 playing back compat Xbox One, Conan on PS3, Brtual Legend on 360 back compat Xbox One, some Disgaea series on PS3/4/PSP/Vita, Valkyria Chronicles 1 on PS3, Tactics Ogre Reborn, Wargroove, some other to buy too) to play then them right now. If physical was more wide spread for them sure but as digital or limited run I'd rather just watch let's plays at that point.
The games are fine so far. The services seem fair. I just haven't used them so I can't comment on them personally just people I know that have. I'm on Xbox One and happy still being on there right now. Even PS5 the Portal/PSVR2 isn't exciting and I want them to be. The first party don't interest me they killed of London/Media Molecule is surviving, Japan Studios are gone. I have nothing left to care about on PS platform unless it's old.
HiFi I haven't played. Forza Motorsport disappointed so the one game I would have wanted to play via Gamepass (as otherwise sometimes the Xbox Series X gets played and less so than the Xbox One VCR/Xbox One X we have that I've used more now then I did when the console was relevant but still infrequently) for hours I won't even touch even for it's updates I'm still not interested in it's core.
Hellblade is probably fine and I know someone that will play it. I didn't play the first (did Heavenly Sword/Enslaved Odyssey to the West/DMC reboot Ninja Theory games of old so I do like what they make) and like Ryse Son of Rome or God of War 2018/Ragnarok weren't my thing. While I did beat the story of 2018 I didn't like it. I have tried Ryse to about chapter 2 or 3 and I just dropped off. I may try it again at some point. The camera and the combat didn't do it for me.
Godhand I think even if similar camera angle and an old game the ideas of the combat system and silliness in it appeal to me more and the camera does put me off these games besides the content probably more so.
To me my Xbox One X/VCR appeals are back compat, Blu-rays/CD playing apps not on modern PS consoles and whatever leftover Xbox One games I never got around to. Otherwise I'm sticking to Xbox One VCR/Xbox One X at the moment and the few smart delivery games.
I have access to a Xbox Series X. I don't care to use it though. Load times don't interest me/quick resume is fine but more so for digital which I don't do so I can't access it. Smart delivery is nice for the games of that period of course. The new games are fine but I'm not that interested in experiencing them because of my backlog or even then many of them still aren't my thing for the most part but good on those they do appeal to.
Otherwise while family have used Gamepass for Disney Dreamlight Valley or Steam World Build I myself haven't got any interest to do so.
For me it always come back to the controller. I believe the PS5 and Series X are so similar (i have both) that it comes down to little things and exclusive games. I don’t hate the Dual sense like i did the Dual shock. But it’s still not my everyday controller. Xbox controller are an excellent fit in my hands and i am really excited for the mid gen controller refresh. Other than that the hardware runs really well. I like the admittedly expensive SSD expansion cards of course BC as has been stated on here from many. They need to bring me a Gears of War collection and a really great Fable and Perfect dark game and i am living well on Team Green.
Backwards compatability, 100%. It's not perfect but sometimes I just wanna chill and play some good old games like the Fable trilogy or even third party stuff like the original Assassin's Creed. Can't do that on PlayStation outside of cloud which... while nice in a pinch, isn't a true gaming experience to me.
Hopefully 360/PS3 emulation can catch up by next gen if we're truly gonna be forced into an all-digital future.
Gamepass and backwards compatibility are great but I love how slick the cloud saves work compared to other consoles. I can play the same save file on a large number of the devices I like to collect. I can switch between series x, series s, pc, ROG Ally, mobile, etc and it picks up right where I left of immediately. It has completely changed how I game and I never feel tied to one device.
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Game Pass is raining bangers. Persona 3 Reload + Episode Aigis alone is worth the entire year of Game Pass Ultimate I paid for.
For me it's all about cloud gaming and remote play. I work shift and am away from home a lot. In fact I have never played my series s on a tv. Always remote. I was using a switch before. But new AAA games playing portable. That is what it is all about for me. Any screen, anywhere.
I hope perhaps when ABK games come to game pass in mass, Xbox does some serious advertising. I mean I have signed up 2 friends who have ps5's to game pass. So we can all jam. Plus they didn't even need to buy an Xbox to do it. They just cloud game. They didn't even know it was possible. I think there must be literally millions of people out there in the same boat. Or kids, I gave my daughter a cheap bt controller, now see plays via cloud on an old phone. Cheapest and easiest way in to gaming. Plus no ads. I hate mobile or tablet games try to scam you every minute. Cloud gaming and remote play are the amazing. People just don't know about it.
There’s a lot to love about the Xbox.
Gamepass, backwards compatibility, quick resume, automatic “best version” when downloading games, cloud saves(!), the UI.
My only super minor criticism is that I wish there were better dynamic backgrounds, I’m surprised they don’t have better ones.
No 1 - Quick Resume. I got so used to it that whenever it does not work it really gets me off.
No 2 - Game Pass. Love having easy access to games I would not cave for unless at a huge discount and day one access to lots of games I am looking for. In general I play at least one a month and another from my library.
No 3 - Backwards Compatibility. As someone that never got a Xbox system before (and kind of been off from gaming for 10/15 years since the new milenium) I adore it.
On a slight negative I don't like that some first parties ere coming without any physical version and japanese studios are still a hit or miss to release
The anticipation for the games coming out this year. I can't wait for Avowed, Indy, Hellblade 2, Starfield DLC and probably some more games I forgot.
Outside of Stellar Blade on Playstation there's nothing I'm interested in on the other consoles that I can't get on Xbox.
Low access barrier and discoverability (Game Pass, sales) of many different games. I have found new ones I love.
I can rediscover my favorite titles, presented in a fresh manner with higher resolution, framerate, and deeper colors.
Sharing saves between console and PC allows me to continue my games when I'm not at home.
Unique exclusives like Gears, State of Decay, and Halo, create a place that feels special and different from other platforms.
Playing co-op games with my wife and friends, the Xbox ecosystem really helps facilitate that. Gamepass is great, all my friends have access to a huge selection of games. And game sharing means I only need 1 sub or buy 1 copy of a game for both my wife and I. So Xbox has knocked it out of the park for us and our group for quite a few years now.
Xbox is by far the best service you can get into these days.
Game Pass Ultimate give a wide range access to rich libraries in both ecosystems, console and PC.
Play Anywhere, Cross-Save, Best Sales in the industry just barely below Steam's strong train. Too many games give you a copy to use on console and PC, for the same price.
High quality games on Game Pass, first party and third party, and growing insanely.
Backwards compatibility, controller and 10.00 Gamepass rentals
Backwards compatibility, really interesting day one releases on Game Pass and still having the most comfortable game controller, for me. I love my Series X, and it’s still my favourite way to indulge in my favourite hobby.
@Balta666 great picks there. It seems like Quick Resume is very underrated, but yeah, it’s a great idea and works really well, most of the time.
What is my favourite thing about Xbox right now? It's very difficult question for me, because I can't see anything that I like in modern Xbox right now. All good things stayed in Xbox 360 era.
Quick resume and Game Pass
Absolutely love my series S and had no intentions of really being engulfed in it. It was more or less a second system I bought on a deep discount just because. So far, my 2 favorite things about it are Gamepass of course, but quick resume is now a gaming must for me moving forward.
The UI is far and away my favorite thing, it absolutely blows PS out of the water. Also Far Cry 2, because Far Cry 2😁
So far the 1st party stuff has been just okay, but they've got some exciting stuff in the pipeline
I would mention how 60fps is available in the majority of games now, but I'm still on a last-gen potato, so that doesn't apply! 😅
Besides that, there's backwards compatibility, the comfortable controllers (which are also backward and forward compatible!), the ability to play any disc from CDs to UHD Blu-Rays, and the Rewards program!
I love the UI (most of the time), Quick Resume and Smart Delivery the most. I probably don’t use GP enough but it is still fantastic.
Excellent idea for an article by the way @FraserG love some positivity for a change 👍
I really like Xbox, the controller, quick resume, smart delivery, achievements, the shape of the box. But I have to sell it and go blue cause they have the games and I only have time for one box. I wish they had games I cared about. There is not one game I want to play that I can't play on PlayStation. I've owned every Xbox but I just don't like the exclusive games.
Gamepass, quick resume and backwards compatibility - in that order. There is plenty to play so I cannot complain.
i still use my xbox360 for 360 games
Gamepass, free cloud saves, quick resume, wider options on 3rd party controllers, cheaper online digital codes, back compat
Xbox, even series X is really good value. Runs well, game pass, ms rewards, quick resume. It's a really nice system and service all around in my opinion. Don't generally miss PS, but will get one eventually to play some of the games.
Gamepass being a single dad the value helps me out all my games all the time the years off time money invested and you cannot say tech is your thing if your not up with gaming.
Game Pass on my ASUS ROG Ally is far and away my favorite thing right now. I took the plunge and bought the XG Mobile dock (and yeah, ouch, stung the wallet a LOT) and the boost in performance has made it my go-to for nearly everything, docked or portable. I have so little cash left now that Game Pass is a lifesaver, and it helps that there's been so many great releases lately.
Gamepass and BC for me. Also the xbox controller. Keeps me in the ecosystem.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...