Introduction

This isn’t going to be an unbiased view or review – as if there was such a thing minus conducting a double blind study on it and even that is questionable. This is my story of why I love the Xbox brand and I have never been swayed by the competition.

Let me start by saying I am certainly not a Microsoft “fan-boy”. I feel, in the area of personal computing, they have not innovated since Windows 95 and actually are holding the industry back. Don’t even get me started on Google: we’ll sell you out so you can get it for free and Apple: let’s put lipstick on a pig! Well, I guess if I have to use a pig, it might as well be pretty, lipstick and all, so I am writing this from a Mac.

So with that out of the way, why the Xbox?

Graphics

I remember getting my hands on an Xbox back in the early 2000s in London and hooking it up to a flat widescreen CRT and 5.1 surround sound system at home. I bought two games initially: Dead or Alive 3 and Halo, and I was floored by the graphics. This was the first piece of hardware that could simulate high-resolution textures using bump mapping, pixel shading and the like and it looked super good.

Remember, the console was designed by the guys who designed DirectX (hence Xbox) and they knew just how to do it. The PC would be getting these features approx a year after the Xbox launched.

This was a far cry from the likes of Sony’s first 2 consoles: PS1 and PS2 which could only push out low-resolution textures and lacked hardware for pixel shading or bump mapping. In fact, even the PS3 was weak in those areas.

I must admin, Microsoft lost the plot with the Xbox One X and was overtaken by Sony in the graphics department, but not by much. Most cross-platform games initially ran at lower resolution or at a lower framerate on the Xbox One. Microsoft however did correct course – freeing up system resources by removing Kinect and helping developers utilise the EDRAM better – and brought games upto better performance on the system.

The Xbox One X is a message from Microsoft to say: we are sorry, we messed up. We have engineered a box that is kick ass and will push the graphical boundaries in this generation. In fact, due to heavy customisation of the silicon inside of the Xbox One X, 6Tflops of power will go a long way to make it competitive with not just the current Playstation line-up but also well into the next generation.

Games

The Xbox over 3 generations has built up a massive library of amazing games. It would take a lot more time to play through them than I have now as an adult so not going to run out of games to play anytime soon. Whoever is complaining that Xbox doesn’t have enough exclusives or good games should look on their shelves: I bet you haven’t played through those games you bought last month or even last year.

I think Microsoft’s new approach to backwards compatibility: bringing 3 generations of Xbox games playable on the Xbox One family of consoles – and beyond – is a massive value proposition for both developers and gamers. There are over 1300 Xbox One games that have been specifically developed for the Xbox One, while 400+ Xbox 360 games are also playable with more and more becoming compatible every week. The Xbox 360 had a library of over 1200 games over its lifetime. Even if Microsoft only made half of those available to play, we will have more games playable on Xbox One than any other console in the history of gaming.

Then there is backwards compatibility for the original Xbox. There were over 1000 titles developed for that system. Even if Microsoft only brought forward a quarter of those, it would show that they honour the investment gamers have made into their platform and that is massive!

The value proposition and brand loyalty for me therefore makes a lot more sense than buying a Playstation. Even IF Sony were to bring forward PS1 and PS2 games, I lose interest because of a lack of good graphics or audio. I even detest most PS3 games because a lack of texture quality stands out for me almost immediately. Granted, PS4 games look and sound great. But that isn’t the whole story…

Controllers

I don’t really know where Sony got their idea for the Playstation controllers, but I have always found their analogue sticks way too flimsy without enough resistance to allow them to be accurate – rather frustrating! The PS4 controller is slightly better, but it’s neither ergonomic or smart design. Maybe it’s designed for Japanese hands but I need something a bit meatier to grab onto.

The Xbox controllers from the first generation Xbox were very well designed, for accurate aiming and great button / trigger positioning. The controller sits in the hand very comfortably even after hours of play.

The dual rumble motors of the Xbox controller also just feel much much better. It literally feels like they can simulate different textures: as you’re riding on the asphalt, as your motorbike speeds up, as you fly through the air, etc. It’s a sensational piece of kit. Yes, the Playstation controller used to have rumble motors, but since it didn’t sit in your palm properly, all you felt was this light piece of plastic vibrating in your hand. Let’s just say I was not impressed.

The final blow Microsoft managed to land on Sony’s flimsy controllers was the Xbox Elite Controller and the superb customisability of even the stock controller button layouts – per game no less!

Xbox Live and Services

It is not secret that Microsoft was the first company that successfully launched online gaming for consoles. Sure, they weren’t the pioneers (Sega were), but they were the first to get it right. Xbox Live is a very well-designed network and how it integrates with games. Microsoft’s push to enable cross-platform play between consoles should also be praised. I think it’s the right thing to do for gamers and Nintendo agrees. However, if I was playing on a Sony Playstation with a PS controller, I would sure have my behind kicked sooner than I can say “hey!”. Maybe I can see why they are scared… 😉

I would like to see Microsoft re-enable Xbox Live for original Xbox games – and keep it alive for Xbox 360 games. In fact, some of the most popular titles could get a rotation on Xbox Live with certain weekends dedicated to oldies where the service is enabled for that game for everyone to join in. That way, the smaller but faithful community for those older games could get together and have a blast.

Why the Xbox One X

The Xbox One X makes a lot of sense to me. Finally, Microsoft is back on the horse. They have engineered an Xbox that will be a tough act to follow for Sony. They have the best controllers, the best online services, an amazing catalogue of games over 3 console generations that will be playable on the machine over time – at great performance and improved graphical fidelity.

On that note, I would actually like to see Microsoft applying higher anti-aliasing to Xbox 360 and original Xbox games than they were originally released with. I know it’s not as simple as applying texture filtering which will be done, but I think it would improve visual fidelity greatly if jaggies were gone from older generation games. Microsoft, please make it happen!

As you might have guessed, jaggies are the last bug-bear I have with video games of today and the Xbox One X will be the first console that promises to eliminate them by either a 4K resolution or downsampling for 1080p screens. I have to say that even the Xbox One S made grate strides to reduce them though. Have you tried the 4K output of the Xbox One S? It reduces jaggies considerably so for me it was worth of price of admission – especially with a UHD Blu Ray drive.

As I said earlier, I think the Xbox One X could also become a machine that is kept alive beyond the Xbox One S and play next-generation games – albeit at a lower resolution or graphical fidelity. Nonetheless, if Microsoft are smart enough, they will ensure games will be forwards compatible (play on older consoles), and actually the plumbing they have been doing under the hood of the Xbox One family of consoles will enable them to do just that – and much easier than the challenge of porting games back and forth through the generations. This is something Sony has not even begun to work on and enable properly, and I think over time, it could cost them their console business or at least a considerable amount of business. However, we want Microsoft on their toes and not get complacent so long live Sony!

In any case, that is only my view of why I love the Xbox brand. Whichever console you play, enjoy! Let me know in the comments below why you love your Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo or whatever else you’re playing. Happy Gaming!