Soon, the Xbox One generation will be behind us, replaced with a shiny, sparkly, vaguely monolithic new future. The Xbox Series X will move us into a new era, but there are a lot of things about the Xbox One generation that I'll be sad to see left behind.
Very soon, the Xbox One era will be a mere memory, confined to the annals of video game history for video game archeologists to dig up in a distant (hopefully non-apocalyptic) future. The Xbox Series X is poised to lead Microsoft's gaming division into a bright future, with more investment in content than ever before.
Alas, there are a few things about the Xbox One worth missing. Some, even worth mourning. Before we move ahead, it's time to take a look back, and reminisce about what could have been, and maybe a few things that you might be glad to bid farewell to.
A new digital economy
We all know the story by now. Microsoft pitched the Xbox One as an always-online digital-first console, with PC-like discs that came with digital licenses, transferrable only via participating retailers. PC gaming shifted this way a long time ago with the rise of Steam (when's the last time you installed a PC game via a DVD?). However, console gamers found Microsoft's attempt to "Steam-erize" the console market to be egregious. Was it really that bad though?
In 2020, I don't own a single physical Xbox One game, I instead own over 600 digital licenses, which I most frequently authenticate via the cloud, since I own a second Xbox acting as the "local" license.
Indeed, Microsoft had to pivot hard away from its original 2013 vision for Xbox games, leaving us with without the "up to ten family members" sharing of licenses, similar to some app stores like Google Play, which allow you to pool your digital content into a sharing library for a few authenticated family members. Now, we only get to share our games with those accessing the local license, which is a far cry from the ambitions of the original program.
Of course, I'm not trying to suggest the old ideas were all great. How would they determine who was a family member or not? Which retailers would be participating in the reselling program? What about independent retailers? What about selling our own games via Ebay? How will the Xbox authenticate licenses for offline games if your internet is down? What about areas with poor internet connectivity? And so on. Still, I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a way we couldn't somehow have both without the downsides, but alas, t'was not meant to be.
Kinect and voice control
Entertainment integrated
Why can't we have both?
Soon, the Xbox One generation will be behind us, replaced with a shiny, sparkly, vaguely monolithic new future. The Xbox Series X will move us into a new era, but there are a lot of things about the Xbox One generation that I'll be sad to see left behind.
Very soon, the Xbox One era will be a mere memory, confined to the annals of video game history for video game archeologists to dig up in a distant (hopefully non-apocalyptic) future. The Xbox Series X is poised to lead Microsoft's gaming division into a bright future, with more investment in content than ever before.
Alas, there are a few things about the Xbox One worth missing. Some, even worth mourning. Before we move ahead, it's time to take a look back, and reminisce about what could have been, and maybe a few things that you might be glad to bid farewell to.
A new digital economy
We all know the story by now. Microsoft pitched the Xbox One as an always-online digital-first console, with PC-like discs that came with digit... by: Jez Corden via https://www.AiUpNow.com/
