Talking Point: What Convinced You To Pick Xbox In The First Place?

The price. The Series S was like half the price (maybe even lower) than a PS5 where I live.
I just wanted to play current-gen games. Don't care about graphics and FPS.
And then I discovered Game Pass and just can't go back to Sony.

The end of the Dreamcast and I never liked Sony or Nintendo

The main reason is that I never liked Sony as they are super anti consumer. I was actually into SEGA and would still be with them if they survived but obviously couldn't compete with Sony even Microsoft is struggling against them after spending many billions lol. SEGA's demise gave Xbox a opportunity to be born and enter the market.

Never been interested in Nintendo as the hardware is weak and don't like the type of games they make.

This might be my last Xbox console as hate how Microsoft is managing the brand. Will stick around until the end of this generation then decide to stay or go PC.

Back on the original Xbox it was largely good support from Sega with games like Panzer Dragoon, plus they'd just bought RARE so I was excited to see where that would go (as it turned out, nowhere for a long time).

I dabbled with 360 and Xbox One without playing too much but got the Series X largely because I'm a huge Bethesda fan (including other Zenimax studios), plus as I was also moving to PC, the ease of cross buy/save was appealing. Oh and it's backwards compatibility is a huge selling point for me, with Daytona USA, the excellent version of the Streets of Rage Trilogy and many, many more classics only available on Xbox Series today

Halo for me. What a game (and it still holds up today via The Master Chief Collection).

Backwards compatibility.

Xbox seemed like the spiritual successor to the Dreamcast, with the Sega titles at launch and the controller. I wasn't a fan of the original Playstation, although I did eventually get a PS2 and have pretty much had both an Xbox and Playstation since.
Having said that, the Xbox 360 cemented my love of all things Xbox, with it's achievements and gamerscore, gamertag and online integration. Which others would follow.

I remember seeing gameplay of the original Forza Horizon and falling in love with it. Subsequently played a good bit of FM4 and other games. Seeing Horizon 3, combined with backwards compatibility, and gamepass made it a no brainer for me. I do think Xbox has it's issues currently, but I still don't regret my choice

@Banjo- this and RARE Replay are amongst the main reasons I still have an Xbox

I fell right for Microsoft’s vision when I got my first Windows Phone 7 device. My little Avatar lived in my phone and my mobile gaming counted towards my profile. I bought a 360 a bit late in the day and never looked back. Games like Fable 2 and Forza Horizon 1 I replay at least once a year.

I stuck with the Xbox One because of backwards compatibility and the promise of new Fable and Forza. Horizon has gone on to become Microsoft’s tentpole franchise and they made a dumb mistake shuttering Lionhead.

I stuck with the Series S out of price, legacy purchase access and its physical dimensions. It’s a lovely little console with some great games.

I started with the original Xbox alongside my GameCube, then skipped the 360 and One in favor of a ps3/wii and wiiU/Switch/ps4. Ended up getting a XSX 2 years after the 9th gen started (did get a ps5 day 1).
I just recently got a working X360 Slim and I’m currently playing through some Guitar Hero and Rockband games on there.
Also got a Kinect capable Xone last year so I can play Kinect games if I’m ever in the mood.

I main Nintendo and PlayStation obviously but I do enjoy my time with my Xbox’.

The PS5 wouldn’t fit in my tv unit. And it’s ugly as hell.

I do wish that weren’t the case because the Series X hasn’t exactly been great so far.

After having a PS2 for years my step brother bought a 360 not long after it came out. I said "why wouldn't you just wait for the PS3?"

Then Gears of War came out, i got hooked, and Xbox has been my primary platform ever since.

Original Xbox for me. I love games and another system to game is all it took. I have no brand loyalty i look for the games i want to play and that is it. I am a console player. My PC is for finances and surfing…much less surfing now that we have smart phones 🤓

Games like Fable, Azurik, Buffy, Darkwatch, Blood Omen 2, lord of the Rings third age, knights of the old republic, and Sudeki helped round out that generation for me. 360 i got when Oblivion came out with collecters edition and the rest is history.

What convinced you to pick Xbox?

The sad demise of my beloved Dreamcast, PGR, Halo, JSFR ,Otoggi, Shenmue...just a few of the reasons 😁.

And because I've always felt like the original Xbox was a sort of spiritual successor to the Dreamcast.
It was also vastly more powerful than the PS2 and once I've played Halo and PGR it instantly become my favourite console platform.
I even bought the translucent edition when it came out. Good times.

I was attracted to the Series S for its price. And while it has provided me with some great gaming experiences, Microsoft has made some disappointing decisions with its IP and its support for underrepresented genres on the platform.

As it stands now, I don't plan on getting a console again. I'd like to get an APU — probably a Strix Halo or its successor — in "the next console generation", paired with Steam OS or Chimera OS.

My last Sony home console was PlayStation 2, from there I was surfing the waves with Wii, then Wii U. Suddenly, me and my friends had more time and money, and wanted to invest in a new main system.

We weren't interested in God of War and such, so we picked Xbox One X, due to a promising service and features, and the many titles we skip before.

In our first years we caught up with Gears, Halo, Forza, Ori, State of Decay, and a some multiplatforms. So, we came for the system aspects, and stayed for the games.

The console I started out with was technically an Xbox 360, but I don’t think I was really into Xbox at the time and the console was originally intended for my mom.

I got a Series S for Christmas a few years ago and what made me really want to swap to an Xbox was the games, namely ones developed by Rare. I remember playing some of Rare’s games for the first time on the Switch in 2021-2022 and had a pleasant experience with the games I played, namely the Donkey Kong Country trilogy and the first Banjo-Kazooie game. I kept hearing about how great their other N64 games were, but I couldn’t play them since they were exclusive to Xbox consoles, which made me want one so much and was my only reason for wanting a Series S. I did get gifted a three month long Game Pass subscription, and while I do know that multiple of Rare’s games are playable on there, I still went ahead and purchased Rare Replay during a sale and a couple of their individual titles since I wanted to play them forever. It’s amazing that my taste in games and my favorite console changed so much just by simply playing four of their games on the Switch! I just love the console so much, and it’s the only one I play now.

Always had Sony consoles since the PS1, but also wondered about the Xbox exclusives like Halo and Gears. My friend lent me his Xbox 360 once and I played all the Gears games and Halo 4 and damn I was absolutely blown away! Since then I've bought both consoles each generation 😅

I've owned every Nintendo console.

XBOX Series X is my first foray into XBOX & the #1 reason was full backward compatability.
I think XBOX is fully for gaming preservation & allowing everyone to play all of their games without needing to purchase every past console.

Clearly waiting for their games to be released can be a bit frustrating, but with their backward compatability it allows me to enjoy all of their past.

I do have a PS5 as well but I only use it for their 1st party games, I don't think Sony really cares about their customers & their diehard fans are insufferable.

halo ce hype had me buy the og xbox. back then i owned all platforms including pc. not worth owning more than one gaming device nowdays imo.

College dorm room seeing the entire floor playing call of duty 4 or Halo 3 together made me think I need to get in on this. I still play xbox with a lot of those guys.

I was in university when Halo came out . We set up tiered seating with couches on milk crates for the back row and didn't sleep for weeks.
Never looked back save a decade or so dabbling in WOW on the side. Still rocking my XB One S and can't get enough of Elden Ring.

To me it was localized prices, being in Latin america, if the Store has the same prices of Playstation, I would Never had bought an Xbox in the first place, since I really don’t care about FPS or “American Flavored games”

I was a Sega guy since Genesis. So after Dreamcast, and Sega throwing a lotta support behind OG Xbox I naturally went with Xbox. Also why I basically went with 360.

I skipped X1/PS4 era (grad school /dating/marriage), then went with Series X when I decided to get back into gaming as I still had a lot of my OG Xbox and 360 games (and I thought EVERYTHING was back compat 🤣…soon found out only about 1/2 my games were, but back compat still so money).

I was a Nintendo kid, and got into the 360 after realizing just how many games weren't on their Platform.

I started with the 360.

I was a mostly Nintendo gamer as the last time my parents could afford two systems was the genesis and snes. I also started to notice that videogame marketing was becoming more geared towards teenage boys and more violent. I love fighting games as the arcade is what got me hooked on gaming but the hypersexual and violence focus of games like mortal kombat, Tomb Raider and FF7 drove me squarely into the Nintendo and PC (Age of Mythology and the sims 2 were my jams and I still enjoy them now) camp. I was aware of systems like xbox and PlayStation but the games that made them popular weren’t interesting to me and to make matters worse I no longer fit in with the gamers at school because they were mostly boys that were sexualizing girls and women in a way that made me deeply uncomfortable (and afraid to be honest). Especially after puberty hit. So gaming became very isolating for me. I still find most marketing strategies for xbox and PS to be unappealing.

I didn’t branch out until I was in undergrad. I got a job at GameStop and had to play/keep up with games I had no interest in to do my job. But at least the people I worked with were both more mature (or at least performative to keep their jobs) and I found other teenage girls my age to game with. My boss was super cool but I am not gonna lie that part of my decision was influenced because I had a crush on his wife. He mentioned oblivion to me and my pc wouldn’t be able to run it so he suggested a 360. I couldn’t afford one but he loaned me one from the store after mentioning his wife loved the game (I had never played a western RPG before and was wary) so I agreed to try. That game got me interested in Bethesda, but my plan was to upgrade my PC. The tipping point was Virtua Fighter 5 Online. I LOVE VF but could only play in the arcade so I hadn’t played since VF2. Finding out that was the best version of the game (at the time) prompted me to buy a used 360, VF5O, Oblivion CE and a hori arcade stick. I’ll tell anyone the 360 is the worst gaming purchase I ever made as I am on my 8th, but it did prompt me to dig back into gaming so much so that I bought or traded for a PS2, PS1, xbox, dreamcast and sega saturn that same year. I started buying every major console after that. I will admit what kept me with xbox is the controller. I loathe the dualshock/sense so while I buy sony systems for the exclusives I try to buy multiplats on xbox if they aren’t on Nintendo.

I’m at a crossroads where I’m feeling disappointed in gaming again though so my plan is next gen to go back to Nintendo and PC. But it has been an interesting experience nonetheless.

Original Xbox but not strictly day one a few weeks after. But every Xbox console day one since.
The games, Halo was amazing back then.
The power of the console
Something new and a bit different

I got an Xbox360 to play Lost Odyssey and I've never looked back. Great decision for me.

Towards the end of the OG xbox's life they were selling them for about £70 in my local game store.... That, plus the fact I could get Halo and Project Gotham dirt cheap had me sold.
A lot cost, low risk purchase.

Then went 360 a couple of years later.
Skipped xbone... went PS4.
Tempted back to Series X after missing Halo, Forza and Gears.

I got a 360 back in the day but didn't really use it over my PS3 because I've never really been a multiplayer type of gamer. I only recently came back to the Xbox ecosystem because of Gamepass. This on top of Xbox being... highly customizable and allowing me to play games I wouldn't have easy access to otherwise.

I was a Microsoft fan before being an Xbox fan. So I bought Xbox 360 because I wanted a console and it was made by Microsoft.

I've bought mostly to play third-party titles as I was first a Nintendo Player and third-party wasn't available on Wii / Wii U.

Just later I started paying attention to Xbox first-party, fell in love with Gears of War and them started playing all their first-party titles.

Now I play on Xbox not just because I am a Microsoft fan, but because I love their IPs.

Also, Xbox became my main platform to play(currently through Xbox PC App tho) , with Nintendo Switch coming second.

@carlos82 Well, actually, it was Rare Replay that started the backwards compatibility program and it was Rare Replay the first reason. I bought the game before my first Xbox, Xbox One. It was the Elite bundle because the older bundles were all sold out, so my first Xbox controller was the Elite. I almost bought the Xbox 360 before that, but I was so Nintendo fanboy back then. I think that if Nintendo fanboys tried Xbox, they'd love it, because Xbox games are more Nintendo than the PS games. PS games are less gamey and more cinematic, as a PS4 owner (that I got before the Xbox One).

OG Xbox. They only thing I didn’t like was the big controller (Duke) but I managed. The S controller was a big step up. Sega games! Being able to put your own CD’s on the box and listen to your favorite music in whatever game you played was awesome! Fond memories!

@Lup this was what got me into Xbox in 2021. The price of the Series S was affordable and game pass was a no brainer. The series s is a good match for my 1080p TV too.

Series X for me. Bought it at launch, after owning PS2/3/4/4 Pro. I wanted something different and Series X delivered in spades. The honeymoon phase lasted about a year and a half when I realised that MS overpromises and underdelivers on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, Series X is a great console (better than PS5 by a mile) but the fact that you can now play all Xbox and Sony exclusives, paired with my busy life, made me decide to go PC handheld. Got a ROG Ally and I’ve been loving it. MS got my attention with the Xbox handheld next gen so maybe I’ll be back.

I missed out on the OG Xbox, owning a PS2 and GameCube during that generation. I eventually got an XBOX 360 S in summer 2011, as a friend had one brand new that they’d won in a school raffle. They only wanted the Kinect for their existing 360, so I got the console for £80. It was my first foray into HD gaming and due to getting it later in its life games were very cheap and it kept me going for ages. Games with Gold allowed me to get games for pennies and I discovered some real gems that way. From there it was an Xbox One S in 2018 (again for a good price, with two controllers and 3 games, 2 of which I immediately traded in and got chunk of money back) and as of 2022 a Series X. The seamless transition between generations, upgrades to playing older games on newer hardware and the bonus of dvd/bluray/4K have kept me firmly in the Xbox camp. Nothing against Sony, but it just doesn’t make much sense to get a PS5 as well for a handful of exclusives. It’s a pity that there isn’t an equivalent of the Series S for the PlayStation, it would be an ideal companion machine (I’m guessing quite a few PS5 owners have a Series S as well to play exclusives at a much lower price).

3 Simple words Gears of War!

I bought my first xbox 360 for the games. Mainly for halo and the fable series. I say first as ended up buying like three of them, as first 2 got the ring of death. So definitely wasn't for the hardware lol. Now got series x and will always stay loyal to the xbox brand.

I was a SEGA fan and had all their systems. I was crushed when the Dreamcast came to an end. I looked at the other consoles at that time to see which franchises were going to which systems from SEGA. They heavily supported the Xbox and I went with that. I miss those days. Lots of great games.

Me buying an Xbox was the need of a system to bring competition to Sony and it did as that caused PlayStation to lose many exclusivities that Nintendo couldn't have at the time such as Tomb Raider, Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, and many more.

@Pusher2021

Yes! Ripping CDs to the OG Xbox was great!
Had a real nice playlist for driving around in Project Gotham.
Now I have Amazon Music on my Xbox, which I can play in the background, but... I wish newer consoles and games could figure out a way to integrate music streaming services so you can switch/skip tracks (or change playlists) whilst within the game.

Found my 360 in a skip, took it home plugged it in and it worked. Although it's my only Xbox.

I had a 360, probably my favourite gaming generation, but the Xbox One wasn’t for me.

The price, backwards compatibility and size of the Series S was a huge draw to me. Also the fact I could get Gamepass for just a great deal, buying a load of Xbox Live and upgrading for £1. It’s been great for me, but Gamepass is starting to lose its appeal at the moment. I’m switching games less, and playing more things through, and preferring to buy games in the sales and not wanting to pay a monthly fee. I will probably just sign up now and then when it suits, and keep buying cheap games as/when.

The series S has been great for me, so no regrets, I’m just less interested in the subscription service at the moment.

@Pastellioli Interesting to hear a different perspective from a latecomer appreciating those quality games from Rare's golden era!

Halo.

I was literally dreaming about that game.

I remember having read a fantastic article about it in a magazine (yes ! on paper, you know !). The article was claiming that this was a masterpiece, a game-changer for the genre and the video games in general, like Golden Eye 64, in a way.

I immediately sold my PS2 and all my games to get one. A crazy move, but I wanted to play that game.

And when I finally was able to boot it... Man, that title screen ! It was transcendent. This impossible ring in space, those voices who were singing like monks, or something... It was unreal.

I naturally followed with the 360, the One and now the Series X. The one thing that brought me back, for Series X, was the backward compatibility program. It is so important, to me.

PS : one thing I should add is that I always played on every console, for each generation. But I still consider my Series X as my main console.

I'm one of the weird ones who started with an Xbone!

It was a combination of Rare Replay, Halo MCC, and backwards compatibility, plus Blu-Ray support and that low price (half as much as a Switch!) as bonuses.

I got a couple of OG Xboxes for free later on, and it has been fun to do a bit of catching up on this great system that I didn't play much during its time.

First and foremost the Gamepass. Next the hardware. Third the relative customer friendly ecosystem.

Halo and Gears of War.

I jumped from pc gaming because of Gears of War and Cod4, took a while to get used to a controller vs mouse and keyboard but bo going back on sofa gaming now, I have a PS3 and PS4 for the odd exclusive (mainly Uncharted, Last of Us) but never considered anything other than Xbox as my main source for games. Still don't.

I simply wanted the latest and greatest and armed with my new student loan, I got the OG Xbox with Halo and Tony Hawk 3 back in 2001. The price dropped soon after and Microsoft compensated us early adopters with two free games - there wasn't much to pick from so I went with Project Gotham Racing and Dead or Alive 3. My university dorm room was the place to be, my new friends also had PS2 with GTA 3 and Pro Evo and GameCube.

4 years later I was living in Canada and the 360 came out - Call of Duty 2 was my first game. Back in London a year later Gears of War blew our minds. The start of the level with the pouring rain was the the best graphics I had ever seen in a game. That generation was fantastic overall. I owned four 360's due to the red ring of death then a move to NYC. I still use Kinect for the sports games today.

I skipped Xbox One due to the PS4 having an outstanding catalog of games and returned to Xbox with Series X (primarily for Flight Simulator) where Gamepass helped me catch up on the exclusives I missed and introduced me to the pleasures of many indie gems. I won't be getting any further Xbox hardware as I've joined the PC ecosystem which I find to be far better value after the initially pricey hardware investment. I hope Xbox lives on though, perhaps in the handheld arena (growing among young people in particular) and/or a niche high end console with PC architecture. Only Microsoft knows their plans though. Or do they?!

Lastly, Halo LAN parties are still among my favourite gaming memories.

360 to have alongside ps3, as these came out at the age where I was working so had the income.

Had two 360 with rrod. So skipped xbone, as they had lost my goodwill. Came back with the S as it was a great price and could catch up with games I’ve missed.

So my first console was the original Xbox, but funny enough that was actually only a few years ago that I got it. I used to be very brand loyal to Nintendo, then Sony, then both, and now I just buy all of the consoles once I realized that Xbox is actually pretty darn cool, regardless of how long it takes me to get the money to do so.

So what tempted me to pick up my first Xbox, an OG, was biting the bullet and deciding that I finally want to try out an Xbox console, and boy was I pleasantly surprised. The OG Xbox is easily my favourite of the bunch, I love that thing. What keeps me buying Xboxs is of course the fact that I buy every console, but if we ignore that, it's console exclusives, some games that run a bit better on Xbox (not all, but some, like in any console generation), some features here and there. Not very specific I know, but there really is a lot to like about the Xbox consoles. I was unbelievably surprised by how much I ended up really like the Xbox One X once I picked that up!

I bought my brother's old Xbox 360 in 2017 since he wasn't using it anymore. I wanted to play Resident Evil 5, 6 and Revelations 2, but at that time only had Nintendo consoles and these games weren't available there. Later in 2021 I chose Series S because it was the most affordable console. I don't care about 4K gaming since my TV is 1080p, and backwards compatibility also played a role. And then I discovered Microsoft Rewards, with which I could acquire dozens of games at a low or no cost. Xbox has so many advantages that I don't even consider getting a PS5 ever.

I bought Xbox for Halo 1 which supplemented my PS2 and I have continued to buy both Sony's and Microsoft's consoles to this day. This is why it upsets me seeing the Xbox brand basically crumbling, much of it is from self inflicted wounds. PlayStation is best when Xbox is at it's best, I don't count Nintendo as they live in their own world.

very simple back in 2003 I bought the xbox for one game kotor one of the best xbox games ever, my first console was the sega megadrive BTW.

Well after Dreamcast died even though it was responsible for bringing arcade quality gaming into our homes I needed a alternative.

Then comes the Xbox which is actually responsible for bringing online console gaming we all know and love into our homes. A fact people forget or missed. It was heavily backed by Sega so that piqued my interest.

Then something truly crazy happened they released the specs. This box was going to run off DX, Intel Pentium 111 and a Nvidia GeForce 3....... TF......That's when I said MS/Xbox is coming to play and win.

I've been a Xbox main since but have always been a multiplatform player since the Master System/NES. I've defended and talked up Xbox since the XB1 doing so with thoughts of what I would do with all those publishers.

I got to say though, I've stopped doing those things. Truth hurts but Xbox and especially the ppl making the decisions have squandered every internet breaking decision they could have made. You stopped doing different things because you listen the oppositions fanboys thinking listing to them will change sales.

You have so many devs and IP at you're disposal but so many years later and I've yet to hear ONE exciting thing coming from it. Short of Avowed and I guess Outer Worlds 2 though I think the latter would have happened without Xbox. ( They could have bought back the rights and with Xbox's current state they probably would have done it)

You gave Fable to Playground games..... Playground Games. Not to say they aren't great devs they make the best racing sim in the world. They just aren't a good fit for Fable or wouldn't have been my 1st or even 4th choice. I hope you prove me wrong. Considering the lack of well anything about the game I don't have high hopes.

Phil's obsession with Gamepass and tripling down on it just feeds fuel to the flames. FOCUS ON YOURE GAMES AND DEVS. The lack of involvement within their own studios is well dumb. Sure don't hold their hands but make sure it's on track to be something we want to play.

343 Studios is a PRIME example of the consequences of the aforementioned issue. How do you ruin Halo? The formula was done for you? Gears, same crap this constant push for open world elements that have no business in these games.

Really all's I can say is look within yourselves while looking back at what made Xbox great in the heyday Xbox/360. I would LOVE to see crap on everyone and go with Intel and Nvidia again. Maybe not the current intels let's wait till gen. Then both you and Nintendo would be running Nvidia hardware.

Look at you're IP look at the cult classics and start greenlighting sequels and or Remakes to hold us off till new IP launches. You can have collaboration between studios now you have that power. You need to turn all the publisher power into a well oiled machine and kill it.

Sending exclusives to PlayStation only helps PlayStation and is only worth it if they do the same. Otherwise every person such as myself who has HEAVILY invested into the Xbox ecosystem won't buy anything from Xbox especially if you ditch hardware. Which is you're future if you send all you're exclusives to PS.

In a perfect world we wouldn't have exclusives and each person could pick the box they want. Take a look out the window and you can see this world is far from perfect.

Oh but you're hardware, elite controller, backwards compatibility and OS all rock.

One of my flatmates had an Xbox in my final year of university whilst I had a Dreamcast and GameCube, and we both had gaming PCs. After I left and he stayed on to complete the final year of his PhD I went back to visit and ended up playing Knights of the Old Republic, at that point I knew I couldn’t wait for the PC release and when I got back home I went straight out and bought an Xbox.

@antstephenson For a while I got the full boxset of GTA Vice City on there. It felt like I had all those radio stations of that game in every other game.
On the PS3 you could watch ripped movies.

All too good to be true in the long run to keep those features in every new game box. They take away all the good stuff 😔

The original Xbox was my first one, and I'm not gonna lie; it was the very impressive screenshots of exclusive titles in magazines that made me extremely interested. Being a huge Dreamcast-fan I had to get the bundle with Jet Set Radio Future/SEGA GT 2002.

Then there was Halo: Combat Evolved, Project Gotham Racing, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Dead or Alive 3, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and many others that blew my mind. It was amazing.

I was a Sega fan. Had Sega consoles since the Master System. When the Dreamcast died I obviously blamed Sony, and there was no way I was getting a Nintendo but I still wanted to game so I went with Microsoft and had every one since the original xbox. Never regretted it, but I've since owned Sony and Nintendo consoles too.

I got the original Xbox because of Halo and never looked back.

I've told this story a couple of times on here. lol.

I grew up with Playstation. We had an old PS2, then a PS3. And I got a PSP for Christmas one year. I was a die-hard Sony fan. But my sister's (now ex) boyfriend owned a 360 and he used to bring it over so the two of them could play games together. So when it was time to buy a new console, she ended up getting an Xbox One. I wanted a PS4 and was so annoyed she went with Xbox. lol.
But I remember the first two games were Halo MCC and Resident Evil Origin. It was the first time I played through the Halo games and the story was amazing (even though it was kind of glitchy). John and Cortana's love lives rent free in my head and my heart....

And now I own more Xbox One games than 3 generations of Playstation games. lol.

Gears of War! That and the 360 was cheaper than the PS3.

I started way back in 2004 with the OG Xbox simply because of Halo. I had PS2 at the time and was (to my own grown up disappointment) a fanboy. That was until a friend nagged and nagged and nagged me to go and play Halo after school. i did and I've had every Xbox and PlayStation released since. Can't choose between them as there are exclusives games on both consoles I love to play.

I got the One S with Doom and a second controller for $150 on a Black Friday sale and that was hard to resist. My friends play mostly on Xbox and those 2 factors got me into their ecosystem. I'm done with Xbox after this gen though. I have a nice PC and a Steam Deck now and have no reason to own an Xbox console going forward, especially in light of their recent self-sabotaging business practices. I post mostly on this site because there isn't a PC version of the sister sites. Speaking of that, why isn't there one? 🧐

I had a PS3. Played Saints Row 2

Loved that game.

Wanted to play the first Saints Row game. So I bought a basic 360 Arcade.

Then I added a few other Xbox exclusives. Halo is the one really remember.

Every generation since, I have had both a PS and an XBox.

But I always seem to buy the Xbox first.

The series x was certainly easier to get hold of than the ps5.

@carlos82 how on earth do you play Daytona on a series X? I bought it on my 360 but it's impossible to download to my series X?

Exclusives like Halo and Mech Assault and Splinter Cell.

You know, games you don't get anymore. Or atleast good versions of.

I started with Series S. I really wanted to play Psychonauts 2, and a handful of indies I saw going to xbox (Deaths Door, The Gunk) and get a next generation system. At the time ps5 was unavailable, so I thought, I can get a Series S and gamepass (which was always running first month for a dollar at the time), check out Psychonauts 2, use gamepass as an indie arcade machine, and maybe check out all the back catalog I've heard so much about, like Gears.

And it has been great!

I have all xbox consoles still hooked up and mostly hacked but I truly think they have been the worst major player since day one. The 360 was decent but still not a patch on sonys offering and from the one onwards its been in freefall. I think its overly kind to compare xbox to sega (although tbf xbox has now lasted longer as a manufacturer) as unlike sega I don't think xbox leaves behind much of a legacy. Yes you can point to forza, gears and halo but so what??. Microsoft arrived with a bang and are leaving on a whimper. I fully expect them to continue as a profitable 3rd party and probably have game pass on more devices which is great for Microsoft but I fail to see how that's a win for any xbox player...

I wanted to play Halo and later KOTOR and I wasn't disappointed with either

But at that time I already had a Dreamcast and PS2 as well, I haven't been single platform for 4 console generations

Got my 360 about 5 months before Gears of War came out which I got for Christmas.

Started by Xbox 360. Parts because I was coming from SEGA and parts because of Kinect

Fable. I'd read a feature and dev interview in Edge and was completely tweaked. I know the final game differed somewhat from the vision Peter "I may have exaggerated just a tiny, little bit" Molyneux was pedalling but it was, in the end, a genuinely brilliant, innovative game. And very British too.

Uncle recommended Halo to my dad who still knew how to use a controller at the time. Then with the 360 it was cheaper and we didnt need a hd tv. Got ps4 after only ps1 before with dual consoles from being able to work for first time

I joined on 360 simply because of piracy, wanted to Hope on 360/PS3 generation(Resident Evil 5/ Naruto New games) but the price of the games was simply absurd for my family financial health.

Lack of PS5 availability convinced me.

I don't totally regret it and have enjoyed playing many of the Gamepass games.

That said, I may switch sides again when PS5 Pro comes out.

I was always a Nintendo guy, from when I was 2 through present day. But I heard incredible things about Mass Effect back in 2012 and couldn't play the full trilogy on any Nintendo platform, so I got a second hand XBox 360 from Craigslist. Snagged those games and Perfect Dark for nostalgia, and I was hooked.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition got me to upgrade to a One X, and then last year Series X was on sale for 350 so I jumped on it. Legendary Edition, Dead Space remake, and AC Odyssey have been incredible on that so far!

I started with the OG Xbox, what convinced me to buy what would be the first console I ever bought myself, was playing Sudeki and Dynasty Warriors 3, at a gaming tent thing that was at a music festival I was at in the the early early 2000's, I had never heard of the console before that moment, but I liked what I saw while playing those games.

Series S was the easiest way into the current generation. I still don’t have a 4k display (I know…), and so Series S was perfect. I had owned an Xbox 360 for a short time, and wanted to play Lost Odyssey and other games again from that generation. The backwards compatibility was a huge selling point as well. I love that little box. Even with a PS5 now, it still gets a lot of play!

• Better controller
• Xbox Live used to feel premium compared to PSN and nintendo wifi
• Achievements used to be more appealing than trophies
• The multiplayer experience and Xbox overall used to be more fun to play than PS3

I got a ps3 first and was eventually going to get an Xbox360 anyway since i like to have all consoles

Series S for me, easiest way into current Gen during pandemic & supply shortages, plus was able to get it "free" with points. Then convert a couple years Games With Gold & with upgrade to Game Pass Ultimate for $1, then throw in earning Microsoft rewards points & this has got to be the absolute bargain for entertainment value. Lots of "fans" bashing Microsoft lately, but quite frankly at least for me, there is nothing Sony could have done to provide equivalent bang for my entertainment money.

My company was have a contest and I won and original Xbox. I went out that night and picked up Knights of the old Republic and fell in love.

I was looking for a box to get more TV and sports all well as call off duty, and I felt my fantasy football was lacking so Xbox really spoke to me. 😂

Seriously, for me, I'd reached a breaking point with PC gaming. Was looking for something that "just works", consoles were finally catching up to PC, so I bought a PS3. And then finally got fed up with 3rd party looking blurry and choppy on PS3 and finally broke down and got a 360 after waiting for the Jasper models to fix rrod. Ending up really liking it.

Then 2013i was only going to get one and I was 50/50 for either to impress me. Xbox was offensive, PS4 (shu ftw) sealed the deal and I ordered 2 ps4s by the end of the night. Laughed at Xbox for years.

Then debated between PC and Xbox to go all digital and x1x was impressive and I didn't want the hassle of PC again. Phil's Xbox vision sold me and I've loved the in between of PC and console that it's been. At least until now.

I got a series x coz of gamepass and coz I heard that they listen and deliver what people ask for. Found out after getting the SX, it wasn't true. I was disappointed with the console, so I gave it away.

Two words, Ha lo

I was a Nintendo kid before jumping to Xbox 360, had an N64 then Gamecube but I wasn't sold on the Wii, so it was a choice between Xbox 360 or PS3, and in 2006 decided to go for 360 partly because it was the cheaper option of the two, but mostly because of Perfect Dark Zero, coming from Nintendo I was a big fan of Rareware games on the N64, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark being my favourites as a kid, so it was a no-brainer.

I played Halo 1 & 2 and a bunch of classic OG Xbox games for the first time on 360 and I was blown away, and Xbox 360 is my favourite console to this day.

I played all Xbox systems but didn't own one until the One era. I mainly play on the PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, since I grew up with their fun, interactive, and cinematic stories mixed with gameplay that left a lasting impression on me.

I didn't care for the original Xbox, since it was established as the home of FPS shooters and ports of games I already had on PS2. I appreciated the 360 era overtime though, with Xbox diversifying their game library. I would love if they made more RPGs like Lost Odyssey again. So I picked up a 360 for the Kinect games and then the blue Xbox One S to continue playing those 360 titles. I already decided once the PS5 came out I would also own the Series X, so I could play Hellblade and Starfield. It's good owning all systems.

Original Xbox: Shenmue 2 and Football Manager (still called Championship Manager back then I think). Both exclusives (after the DC died) so I bought an Xbox to play them

I can actually admit I “married” into the Xbox fam. I was hardcore PlayStation and then I hear about this brand new console called Xbox but GameCube was coming out around the same time? And that’s the console I was aiming for (grew up on NES). Few years later I get married and lo and behold tucked away in her bedroom was an original Xbox. I thought what the hell let’s try this. Been hooked ever since. We were divorced in 2015 and I kept the original Xbox. Yep she got the house, two cars but I kept her Xbox.

OG Xbox, I wanted to play Silent Hill 2 on Xbox because it had a extra character and level that wasn't on the PS2 plus the reviews said it looked much better on Xbox. Picked up Halo with it as well.

Believe it or not it was Rallisport Challenge. I was in CompUsa and they had a demo unit. I fell in love and bought an issue of Official Xbox magazine where there was a feature on Dead or Alive 3...

@armondo36 So it was actually Dead or Alive 3 that convinced you, but Rallisport makes for a convenient cover.

I just picked them both up somewhat recently. Haven't properly gotten into either, but they both look great!

Halo Combat Evolved. First game you could play, and use the enemy weapons against them. Only game, you could hop in a vehicle with a friend and start shooting.
Remember, xbox live is five. I didn't think so.
The only reason I bought a 360 was because of the game demos I played at the local Walmart.
Call of Duty 2, was a Xbox 360 launch title that I played at Walmart, the graphics were the best you could play at the time. Gamers were waiting for graphics to start looking like real people, and not like Minecraft people.

It’s great to see a positive article that could create traffic and engagement on the site. Good. @FraserG

tried halo with my cousin and fusion frenzy with family.
everything about my time with the OG xbox was just fun in a nutshell. I prefered nintendo and sega back then and the dreamcast insta dying did sting so to see so much sega on my gamecube an xbox on top of what they both had made me feel like they was the places I preferred to be.

I had the OG Xbox but the library was mostly weak (Hitman Blood Money and the GTAs were the only all-timers for me). I also had the PSX through PS3. But I’ve gone Xbox since because:

1. Bethesda Game Studios RPGs
2. Sleeker hardware
3. The controller (needs gyro though)
4. Game Pass
5. Western RPGs from first party studios
6. Not a fan of PC twiddling
7. Not a fan of PlayStation cinematic style games or JRPGs
8. Back compat

The box of the original Xbox had a screenshot of Knights of the Old Republic. That did for me. Got the console, game didn't come out for like another year.

Gears of War and Halo were my motivation to get the Xbox 360 Elite upon release.

@eduscxbox "I was a Microsoft fan before being an Xbox fan"

soooo, not a Lotus user, then? 😂

original xbox.
few reasons. at the time i was very into dead or alive and 3 was exclusive, heard how halo was suposed to be great and that it was the most powereful console.
ps2 broke and decided to get a gamecube and an xbox instead of a replacement.
360 was a no brainer. awesome times.
xbox one , wtf were they thinking, i left.
series x bought for BC and bethesda exclusives.

I got an Xbox 360 for oblivion. No need for an Xbox 1, but I got a series x for game pass (and starfield, which I did enjoy for 200+ hours). No regrets. Microsoft rewards was an unexpected bonus that also keeps me around.

for me it was Xbox 360 and gears of war trilogy i had to play play it.

Gears. Old house mate got me into it, loved it, got my wife into playing co-op and it was literally the only games I played for years. Play everything these days but without gears I probably wouldn’t even be a gamer

Bought my Series X because of Starfield. I already had a PS5 and also had the PSX, PS2, PS3 and PS4 before, but I simply had to play Starfield (and wasn’t disappointed).

At the moment I’m not playing my XSX because I’m emptying my PS Plus backlog before I let it expire this July. From then on I’ll be playing a lot of Game Pass on it, while keeping my PS5 as my go to console for non-Xbox exclusives. The main reason is the dualsense controller, it’s just way ahead of the Xbox controller.

@Dimey can you download it through the app?

Palworld... really original, I know xD

@carlos82 I got so excited for a minute, it downloaded, then said I don't own it! so close!!

seems I owned outrun and sega rally but never bought Daytona. Absolutely gutted

OG Xbox. A little late to the party but it was Halo 2 online that drew me in. People were already incredibly skilled at it, but after 247 games of Lone Wolves I finally beat 7 other random humans at a game of pure skill and practise. Definitely up there with my favourite gaming moments.
Unfortunately gaming will never achieve such heady glory days again, the market is too diluted imo.

I answered X360, though debatable.

Got original Xbox not long after launch in 2001. Was quite intimidated by it (had not much room to fit alongside PS2 as well as VCR,, while was confused over how the hard drive worked).

Also no exclusive titles to my liking (ironically now playing Halo CE segment of MCC).

Sold it off to a friend after a week or two.

X360 ended up with first love. Toys R Us promo material and head start on PS3 had me sold.

I started with Series S. I was a happy PS4 owner back then in 2020 and I was definitely inclined to buy PS5, obviously, nothing to discuss there.
But then they actually presented the console. And the games. So I said to myself: "Yeah... thanks for all the fish".
I bought myself Series S day one. It was a great console through and through. Generations ahead of PS4 (even PS5 for that matter) in terms of social interactions and QoL.
Gave it away this year, so now I'm back on my PS4.

@Dimey Sega really need to make these games available again, it's nice that some get put into Yakuza games but we need standalone versions too

Black Ops 2 being backwards compatible on the Xbox One and the fact that I love the design of that console. Still use it pretty much every single day and play Black Ops 2 on it here and there also.

For me - it was the marketing. I saw the PS5 reveal and the game's that were coming to it and nothing grabbed me.

Then I saw the Series X reveal and their game's. Then I saw they had bought Bethesda and they had backwards Compatibility with 360 game's.

From there I was sold and it's my 1st Xbox.

@Darude84 I like that the PS5 can stream to YouTube and that's the only reason I keep it, but I'm more excited to play Xbox over PS5

£184 for the series s last December in the UK. I'm fortunate that I still havenall my PlayStation's and currently run a ps5 but have the disposable income to get the series s. Mainly out of curiosity because my plan is long term to turn it into a retrogaming beast. but the 3 months game pass included was a nice addition that allows me to now play games I've missed out on for the last 20 odd years since I've solely been a playstation owner.

So no loyalty switching, no moral change of stance. It was just cheap. And I've built up enough m$ points and cashback from other means to continue game pass if I choose to.

For the record neither anything Sony, Nintendo or M$ are doing right now excites me. Andmi wouldn't trust any of them as far as I could chuck them.

I'm a sucker for new tech. I get every new system.

I always get all new games systems, so its a no brainer. The 360 days were great if I ignore rrod and made me optomistic for the future of the brand.
Not so optimistic now and dont use my series x, but Ive kept it in case Avowed is everything we hope it will be.

I bought the Series S because I couldnt get a hand on a PS5 and I really wanted to play Cyberpunk on launch. Lol.
Looking back now I dont regret it even though the game was a broken mess because I discovered so many great Xbox gems and franchises like Halo, Gears and Forza plus I played a ton of games on Gamepass I otherwise would have skipped.

Original Xbox for Halo. I was ready to buy a Mac. I thought I was done with consoles when Sega died, but here we are.

I just wanted to play Fable (the original)

Series X is my first xbox

I started with the original XB. I was on a gaming pause for a few years because of life circumstances (career, spouse, kids, house buying, etc.). I bought original XB near the end of its cycle to play Halo and its online vision. Bought every XB day one since.

I primarily game on XB but own Switch/Wii and all the PS devices except PS1. I primarily game on XB because:

1) They have a vision I want to see with gaming. Gaming anywhere on any device I choose.
2) Online is higher quality and more reliable (Although does have its issues).
3) My career has been full of MS products professionally and I feel they give good bang for each buck spent. Therefore I felt their gaming product would do the same. I was correct. I often compare my costs of gaming between Nintendo, MS, and Sony. I find Nintendo most expensive, Sony sec most expensive, and MS the cheapest platform to game on based on how I purchase.

The death of the Dreamcast and Shenmue 2 coming to Xbox made it an easy choice for me. Funny enough though I never got a 360, that whole generation of games was all PC for me.

I was always Sega, then PS 1/2. Held off on PS3 because of cost. A few people I knew had a 360 & were singing its praises so I got one. Then a PS4 since MS ruined the One launch. Dived back in with a Series S (now X) solely for Forza 7 & also because I don't rate Sony exclusives. Infamous is their only decent one.

Ive played xbox from the start and stuck with them. Mainly for the controllers I never liked the feel of the sony or nintendo controllers fit in my hands and can't stand the joystick position on the PS.

Above all the platform malarkey, I love games period. That said, I bought my series X cause at the time I couldn't find a ps5 (which had been my main, but not only, system since psx) and I also though there were loads of games worth a shot on Xbox that I hadn't played before. E.g. have enjoyed some Halo, Gears, Ryse son of Rome, Recore etc.

Now, I have a very wide taste in games so game pass actually goes very well with my gaming philosophy and it's an amazing deal for me, even after price increases (although still buy games)

So, yeah, I'm not in any rush to go back to ps and comparing both I think Xbox actually it's a more rounded gaming/service experience; I feel a get significantly more for my hard earned money on Xbox. I doubt I'll go back to ps, I'll likely go PC with game pass and steam + Nintendo console in coming years. Overall, really happy with my Xbox despite all the bad publicity.

I was/am a lifelong Nintendo fanboy but wanted to get an HD console to play the games that skipped Switch. I ended up choosing Xbox becasue the Playstation audiance struck me as especially toxic. I now own all three and still think PS has the most toxic audience.

I was a Dreamcast gamer and didn't want to get a PlayStation - as a naive teenager, I felt angry that Sony "killed" the Dreamcast. I was very put off PlayStation in general by Sony fanboys - which I know is not unique to any one platform but they were the most prevalent at the time and I was quite attached to my Dreamcast! When Sega announced they were exiting the console market I saw a lot of toxic fanboys online rejoicing and it put me off Sony for about 10 years (I'm now very much a multiplatform gamer and think fanboyism is incredibly stupid).

Anyway I'd heard about a new very powerful console coming out called the Xbox and was immediately drawn to it. Halo looked pretty cool but then... Project Gotham Racing? Jet Set Radio Future??? Was this just an extension of the Dreamcast? I made it my goal to try to find enough money for the Xbox and finally managed to get one when the price dropped in the UK. Absolutely fell in love with it and to this day is probably my favourite console. I felt like Microsoft never really recaptured the OG Xbox magic and I'm not particularly happy with where Xbox is at now but that original Xbox? That was something special.

It was the games for me, loved playing Halo every chance I got.

@Luminous117 Yeah Halo was awesome. It wasn't the reason I bought the Xbox but Halo quickly became my favourite - especially playing coop with my friends.

It was the quick disconnect controllers for me.
Had lost 2 of the big PS2. One to a dog pulling it down and one from a kid.

Bungie and Halo. I grew up playing Myth 2 and ONI seeing the initial RTS Halo it was exactly what I was looking for. Then Microsoft bought them and then it changed to a FPS. It was Bungie so knew it would be good.

I bought Xbox without a second thought.
Despite that it was significanty more expensive than PS2, I bought it without any regret, because of "Halo 2" , "Jade Empire" "BurnOut 3" and also the hardware superiority to PS2.
I still have it in my room and never gonna sell it.

Day 1 on the OG Xbox. Liked the games that were being advertised, liked the idea of a company like MS coming into challenge Sony, and a thousand other reasons as the years went on. I’ll support Xbox until Xbox is no longer…

Dead Rising! Right around the time I got a copy of "The Zombie Survival Guide" by Max Brooks, I watched a friend play Dead Rising on their new Xbox 360. The idea of a zombie game where you're trapped in a mall using everything that isn't nailed down as a weapon was exciting. Still a favorite of mine to this day!

The original xbox was incredible. Everything including the headsets worked flawlessly. I don't think they had even begun to push that hardware but they needed cut costs and quickly launched xbox 360. The interface was basic but it did the job well. Definitely stood out against the ps2 at the time. Halo CE made it an inevitable choice.

One area that i think has gotten progressively worse is the dashboard for xbox. On the series x its a clunky mess. You can customise but sometimes less is more. It's so cumbersome to even message someone these days. Yet they give you quick access to report someone. I mean its nice there's an option for that somewhere, but it's hardly nurturing a positive community spirit. Definitely room for improvement overall imo.

Gears of war graphics blew me away at a friends then he put oblivion on and I was amazed. Stuck with them but did swap pre Covid to PlayStation. Switched back last year and so happy I did really enjoying gaming again on xbox

Been there from the start its Microsoft and features ive had others but always been into gaming and wanted to see what they could do and so far so good the xbox 360 was a slight let down but still a great console 4 player games local mint chronicles of riddick assault on dark athena gutted i find the series x and s mint its come on leaps and bounds since the start

If going off Xbox One or Series it would be just to have the next one to prepare for what is coming. The Xbox One was used a fair few times. I use it more nowadays then I did the whole gen. XD That in mind it is a Soundcloud while playing games, Blu-ray/DVD/CD player for game soundtracks or Anime tv series physical. Backwards compatibility and the odd Smart Delivery or older Xbox One games. That's it at the moment.

The Xbox OG and 360 have so many gems. Xbox One/Series are passable consoles but not something I care about that much. I only have memories of the OG Xbox as I don't own one anymore so BC compatible titles only at the moment.

DS/Wii were my first Nintendo systems and had a PS2 onwards as well as PSP, PS3, PS4, I myself don't care for a PS5 but have access to one from people I know. I don't own a PS1 but I bought a Vita during 2017+ because the PS4 was so boring of releases. 2017 itself had games I like of Knack 2 or Gravity Rush 2 or Dreams in 2020 or Blood and Truth on PSVR1 but mixed in with later (hence why Vita 2017, Wii U 2018, 3DS 2020, Switch 2021, other PSP 2000/OG DS/Vita 1000 mixed in there).

I don't care for those new IPs or old IPs but with new directions like their current PS5 strategy and why I don't want a PS5 is other than decent third parties of certain types that are hit and miss of appeal. (or I got them for PS4 like Valkyrie Elysium or Diofield anyways) With eh PSVR2/Portal execution that disappointed me I have no care for a PS5. Dead studios I cared about and so gone the creative games I wanted for games I've got no reason to get a PS5 for of first party at all.

I miss the Kinect gestures tutorial and the Windows 8 TV TV TV experience. Not because of the media aspects I mean the app picture in picture design of it. Also I mean I liked the Blade/last 360 design so the 2013 design while yes ads I find it less annoying then nowadays OS being so bad and ad sucking garbage my Xbox One X is so sluggish because of it. I hate to see the Xbox One VCR as bad I still have it but just barely converted it back for what I had it setup for before. I will just put games or Kinect games on it probably (not BC I know they don't support them but just Kinect compatible games that's all).

I want the apps/games to function like that again but we got social features YAY. I never use them. So Wii U/Vita/3DS or researching older consoles or just dual screen phones yeah the Xbox One being very 'normalised' has made me like it less even besides the fair games for it and barely using it for years anyway till brief on and off nowadays of first party, second party deals and mostly third parties like Ride 2 or Valkyria Chronicles 4 or so I put most of my time into last few years then on and off BC and Xbox One first party so infrequently. I even use my Xbox One X for YouTube then my Roku TV box being very eh and buggy/laggy/outdated these days.

OG Xbox I think we got it to play Halo or some others. I don't own it anymore but we used to have Blinx, Halo (I never saw but got told later), I had Scaler (I own 3 copies of it now, box art, no box art and box art with manual and 3 different status of the disk condition between them of scratches or not but 100% function) and probably others. I did own Forza Motorsport 1 but I want to get it again. Voodoo Vince.

I got a few Star Wars games and PGR 1 & 2 nowadays.

360 I think it was Halo 3, Gears, Forza Motorsport 3 & 4 along with just whatever other third parties. I have since picked up of course the many Rare games since like I did the many Xbox One games I didn't own of exclusives.

Nowadays my 360 is a DVD player or primilarly (besides the few moments of OG Xbox BC for PGR 1 & 2 but haven't bought many since to play on it) is just 360 games i missed out on. Whether that be 7th gen shooters or racing games or others like Kingdom Under Fire, Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon or others I missed back in the day and had a lot of fun with them.

Series X though it's been a Gamepass system and otherwise left to sit around even more then the Xbox One ever did.

Xbox One at least it was Forza Motorsport 5, Gears 4 & 5 (5 Gamepass though), Halo 5/MCC (I didn't play 5 till years later when I went eh fine), the odd games like State of Decay, Sunset Overdrive I hated then played it again and went what was I thinking and it's my favourite open world of 2 or 3 others as not into the genre/game design open worlds offer usually. Lucky's Tail. ReCore.

I got Rare Replay, Forza Motorsport 6 & 7 to be disappointed by 6, Forza Horizon 3, Quantum Break and Crackdown 3 years later aka last few years or months now.

Like I enjoy Strangers of Paradise or Demon Turf and Project Cars 3 is fine for smart delivery titles but otherwise I've no interest in the Series myself I just have access to it from people I know.

Friends had OG Xbox, so I could play there, but I wasnt going to buy a 3rd system at the time.

I wasnt in dire need of a new console when 360 and PS3 launched, but after seeing both in action I went 360. At the time (Oct 2007) Bioshock and Dead Rising were console exclusives (I dont care much for FPS/3PS so this isnt a factor) I had heard the better Guitar Hero/Rock Band experience was on Xbox, and I was b@lls deep into music games. I also really liked the controller, the interface and the achievements.

I bought a series X for Starfield. The purchase included 2 years of Game Pass Ultimate. I got pulled away from Xbox for several months to play PS5 games, and the latest Starfield patch came at the perfect time to start over. Really enjoying how the game has been updated since launch.

For me the og had such good games from Morrowind, fable, halo, Jade Empire. the 360 followed it up with oblivion, mass effect and that three disk monster i think it was called eternal odyssey that was a good ff type. Just the games really liked them After 360 they have had some good ones but Halo fell of for me and I was never that interested in forza.
I loved star field and looking forward to fable again Im sure there is more.
But Morrowind, Fable and Jade Empire started my love of Xbox oh and Island Thunder Multi Player for the win.

Halo and Fable. Halo is forever on my Xbox. They're the ones that don't get uninstalled. And hoping the next Fable is worthy of similar treatment.

Ain’t the marketing. What marketing? Zero marketing in the UK.
The Series X is wonderful console though. Sad to see it spoke about like a Wii U. Sony have marketed their way to the top so well. Hellblade 2 comes out on PS5 first and the plastic box Pushers would salivate over another cinematic adventure!
I game on Xbox, PS and Steam. Love all 3.

For me it was mostly the controller. I just didn’t find the DualShock on PS2 comfortable at all but the Xbox 360 controller felt very natural.

OG Xbox.
Loved playing Ninja Gaiden, Halo, Dead or Alive, Panzer Dragoon Orta and many more.

When I upgraded to the 360 on launch, playing the latest Dead or Alive in HD, on my new Sony HD (720p) screen, truly blew me away. Going from SD to HD, was probably the best next gen experience, I've ever had. Something I never really felt in the same way, with the Xbone and Series X.

The One S was my first Xbox console. I had a PS3 5-6 years before I got that, and played games on PC in that period. The PC was showing its age, and a new one was so much so I went for a console.
What convinced me to go for an Xbox One S was the 4K blu ray player (as I have a lot of physical media) and Game Pass as getting a console is all well and good, but then you'd need to spend a big chunk of money on games too.

Gamepass. I never owned an XBox until about 5/6 years ago (Playstation/Nintendo have been enough for me for years); I bought a new laptop for work that was capable of playing games and had always been intrigued by gamepass, so I gave it a go and liked it. However, I've never been overly keen on playing on PC so decided to grab a cheap One S, and off the back of that grabbed a Series X

The OG Xbox was light-years ahead of the interlaced mess that was the PS2.

@armondo36 I have that same demo disc

A series S was the first Xbox I owned, wanted one because of Gamepass and exclusive games like Halo, Gears etc and also the son wanted an Xbox

I owned a Dreamcast and the OG Xbox was the descendant.

XBox X,, simply for Starfield. Though now I'm hooked on ESO after waiting long enough for the Starfield expansion. Also Flight simulator is a great way to relax.
I've had every iteration of Playstation. Use them for different games now. Haven't fired up the PS5 since finishing CP2077 Phantom Liberty.

Halo is what got me on xbox, a console exclusive.
Although it's seems like most xbox exclusives are going to playstation now so I might finally have to make the move.

For me, it's been tug of war between GoW, Halo and Forza on xbox,
and Spiderman, God of war and Wolverine on playstation.

Some really interesting stories here, great stuff. I think what really got me into Xbox was the choice and fun to be had with Xbox Live Arcade - there were some great games and it all just worked. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has a lot to answer for!

The path to Xbox was a long one though

I was primarily Sega / Nintendo in the 80/90’s until I started working, then sort of stopped playing games until I got a PS2. I then upgraded to PS3 when that came out, but didn’t really play much on it, eventually picking up a 360 for cheap, towards the end of its life. The snappy UI and ease with which I could use the marketplace to get games drew me in, and once I was there I didn’t really look back.

Eventually I got a One S and I loved it, started playing so many more games - upgraded to a One X and eventually a Series X in the pandemic and have barely touched the PS4 I picked up along the way. I’m such a big fan of the Forza Horizon games, Halo is wicked too, and the breadth of choice in Game Pass is fantastic.

I’ve been around since almost the beginning. I bought my OG Xbox in Feb 2002, just a few months after it launched. I was intrigued by a lot of what the Xbox had to offer, but Halo was probably the biggest reason I bought one. I also remember being unreasonably excited about Project Ego (i.e., Fable), which didn’t end up living up to the hype. Ironically, I think Morrowind did more of what Project Ego promised than Fable did, and that came out two years earlier!

I was a PlayStation guy through and through for the life cycle of the PS1 and PS2. Loved them and didn't see that ever changing. I also thought the OG Xbox looked like a massive brick and wasn't overly impressed with anything about it.

Basically what happened was I was planning to upgrade from PS2 to PS3. I had the money ready to go but the PS3 kept getting delayed. Eventually I bought an Xbox 360 Mag (I miss the days of magazines) and kept feeling tempted by what I saw coming out there, to the point I folded and bought a 360 instead.

LOVED it and have never looked back. Now on Series X, game share with a mate that has a large catalogue of games on top of what I own and us having Game Pass which we've both paid for at different times over the last year's.

@PumaCNR ....if Microsoft had any brains, this would have LITERALLY been the case.

I remember deciding to buy an Xbox because I thought the name sounded better than the Playstation 2. The big black X across the front of the console was awesome and it was much more powerful than the PS2. Also, Microsoft made it so I thought that was impressive. And then I picked the 360 because it was the dominant console at the time. I couldn't go anywhere without hearing about or seeing the Xbox 360. No one I knew had a PS3.

Started with the original, and it was the look of Halo 2 that made me jump in.

I fell off gaming entirely during the 360 era so while my brothers had one, I missed out on most of that gen.

I came back to Xbox with the Series X for Halo Infinite, and Gamepass.

KoToR is the single reason I bought my first Xbox

Well back when the first Xbox came out I wanted to own all three systems because they all had exclusive games that made me want to own each one. I got an early 360 too because of the generational leap it offered at the time however by the end of the generation after three failed on me I kind of gave up with Xbox completely and skipped the Xbox one and only re-joined at the start of this gen but even now I am hardly using it and it is mainly just for gamepass when a game I want to play comes out.

My mates had PS2s and I had a Dreamcast. Xbox came along with Halo, MSR etc. It looked amazing so I picked one up shortly after launch - I got the bundle that included 6 games (and an extra controller?) and Halo. Loved it. Got into things like Splinter Cell, Timespllitters (2?). KOTOR, Half Life 2 and lots more. Happy days. Settled down again and barely played any games for a few years. Eventually got SXS 2 years ago.

I’ve always had PlayStation and Xbox. My dad brought home an OG Xbox and we played a ton of Halo and Morrowind on it. Then I won a 360 in a raffle. 360 had all the good games plus some awesome exclusives, so I played that all the time. I got a PS4 for the exclusives there and then an XB1 shortly after because I wanted Titanfall. I was excited for current gen and got both consoles. For my money, Halo Infinite was amazing, but it seems no one else thought that.

I like tech, and back then the videogame tech leaps were greater with each system. We need as big a jump as you could get.

PS2 we crazily hyped up and I feel for it, watching B.S. "trailers" online all through '99. I skipped Dreamcast because of it. Luckily, I was able to get the PS2 on launch day. The reality was pretty disappointing, with Red Faction being one of the few bright spots of the first year. GTA3 bailed them out and things got better over time.

The OG Xbox had a different approach and smart inclusions, along with greater compute. Third party libraries were more widely differentiated at the time, between each console and PC. That was interesting and I bought a bundle ($500 for console and 4 or 5 games) a week after launch. I remember not quiet knowing what to think about Halo until I actually played it and was ultimately impressed.

The first Xbox I bought is the Xbox One S. I had a PS4 in those days and bought the Xbox One S just because it was so cheap due to its failure.

I loved it, then I left PlayStation behind and bought the Xbox Series X day one. I have no plans on getting a PS5.

Halo: Combat Evolved

The exclusives. Same reason I bought a PS.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I do like to game. I stopped gaming after the Dreamcast era because I wasn’t a fan of Sony and had sold my N64. Once Sony took Sega out, I thought I was done with gaming. One day, my buddy called me frantically, saying, "YOU GOTTA COME OVER NOW!"

When I got there, he told me he had purchased a new console called Xbox. We played NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive, Tony Hawk, Fusion Frenzy, and, of course, Halo! Since I was in high school, I decided to get a job and save up to buy an Xbox, and I did just that. Some of my best gaming memories are with that console, playing Madden, GTA San Andreas, and Halo.

The Xbox 360 was my next console, which was also awesome, with the introduction of Gears of War and Forza. Microsoft had some killer instinct back in those days. I still supported them through the Xbox One days and currently own both a Series X and S. My kid and wife like Xbox, so I got the S as well. I was not a big fan of Sony exclusives and the coil whine and loud fan of the PS5, so I sold it and will likely never buy a PlayStation again.

I do not want to see Xbox turned into just a publisher because Microsoft won’t let the team at Xbox innovate. I plan on supporting the next Xbox but hope to get a PC as well to play the Sony exclusives. Sony fans will be in for a shock once they announce PC releases on the same day as their console exclusives.

@Hexamex-Tex soon you’ll be able to get PS exclusives day 1 on PC.

I bought the OG Xbox for a few reasons: I loved the games, esp. Halo(of course) and Munch's Oddysee; as much as it's lampooned now, I loved the "Duke" OG controller, because it was easier for my hands to use(I have cerebral palsy); I wanted more adult games, but didn't want a PlayStation(HATED the controller, and I have a friendly, but personal, rivalry with my identical twin)!

It's almost always been about the games but hardware can factor in, too. I was a little late to the original Xbox but I bought one in 2004, mainly to play The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. But it wasn't only that game that interested me. Halo 1 and 2, Forza Motorsport, Jade Empire, Doom 3, Star Wars Republic Commando, Dead or Alive 3, DoA Ultimate Collection, Top Spin, just to name a few.

The 360 I got over Thanksgiving break from college in 2005 and it had an underrated launch lineup that got me hooked. Project Gotham Racing 3, Condemned, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Ridge Racer 6, Perfect Dark Zero and then 2006 and 2007 saw a ton of games I was highly anticipating that all delivered, Dead or Alive 4, Gears of War 1, Halo 3 and Mass Effect 1 at the top of the list. I could write about even more (the 360 is one of my favorite consoles of all time) but I'll leave it at that.

Xbox One and Xbox Series X I got a year after their respective launches. The One had Forza Horizon 2 and Sunset Overdrive with the promise of more Gears of War, Rise of the Tomb Raider, etc on the way. XSX was the first time I purchased any console mainly for hardware. I wanted to once again have the best Xbox experience possible and having not bought an Xbox One X, an upgrade was long overdue. I got the XSX in late December 2021. Halo Infinite was the first game I played on it and it was a night and day difference from playing it on my 2014 Xbox One.

At the beginning, Halo. Got a 360 to stay on that zone but played mostly the Wii and PS3 that gen. Bought a One S to get a 4K Blu-ray player after getting a 4K TV, then found out about the backwards compatibility and stuck with it thus far.

Halo 2 and NFL 2k5. Picked the console up in May of 2004 and never looked back.

Started with OG Halp and Max Payne and got those 2 when they came out respectfully.

"What Convinced You To Pick Xbox In The First Place?"

Game Pass.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

My choices were to buy a gaming PC which would have been out of my price range, grab it bundled with an Xbox 360, or wait over a year for a dodgy port to thr incredibly overpriced PS3.

Not hard really.

Having owned a PS3, Vita then PS4 I felt a change of scenery would be good, picked up a Series X along with GamePass Ultimate and have quite enjoyed the back catalogue, however regarding new content since picking up in 2022 it's safe to say there has been nothing worthwhile to keep my attention. I'll keep my Series X as I've gained a huge library of mostly third party games and it's an amazing piece of kit but I feel it's time to move on.

It was never Halo, or any of the other exclusives. I just liked the hardware, controller, and services better. Even on the PS5 Sony still can't make a controller that has decent battery life.

Forza Horizon games. Still literally the only reason I have an Xbox at this point

I did have an original Xbox and it did have lots of unique games but the X360 is largely what got me into the Xbox. The ps3 launched selling for about $700 where I am so the price immediately turned be off getting a ps3 and I went with x360 instead. Grabbed a x360 for $400, $100 off the regular price. I also enjoyed getting achievements for playing games since this was a first. Even with other consoles my Xbox consoles are my main consoles.

@Dimey

About Daytona:

it’s been a long time but I think I did get it to download to the XSX via the Xbox website or via the app (really can’t remember). There normally is an option “ to buy” but mine said “owned” and got the option to download, and then could choose the device, XSX.

Note: All my devices are put in the dashboard of my MS & Xbox account. So all consoles are linked with each other in order to do it that way iirc. I hope this can help you in some way.

I started with the original Xbox and for me the big draw were exclusive Sega games like Crazy Taxi 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta and the hope that Shenmue 3 would come to the platform after 2's debut on it.

Halo and Project Gotham were also a big draws as was the idea of better versions of smaller multi platform games like Burnout, Sonic Heroes, Prince of Persia, The Thing etc.

I had an original playstation, and when the halo green xbox came out, i got that and been xbox ever since. I do get a bit sick of the short lifespan of the xboxes now. Felt like by the time there was games that i actually wanted on xboxOneX, they released the xbox series x. And now that they are getting games i want on that... theres talk about a new one. They used to last 8 years or so