Why buy an Xbox now instead of a PC? The same reasons as always

Since Microsoft announced at E3 that the rest of its first-party exclusives currently on the table will also be coming to Windows 10, there have been murmurings. Some from fans, some from the media. You may have heard them. You might have even uttered it yourself:

"Why would you buy an Xbox One now and not a PC? Microsoft just shot itself in the foot."

Or words to that effect, anyway. It's true, Windows 10 PC gamers will get to enjoy titles that would have otherwise been console exclusives; Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Halo Wars 2 are among the big names hitting the desktop soon.

But I think that response is incredibly short sighted. The reasons for buying an Xbox One, or any console for that matter, haven't really changed.

Using myself as an example. I've played consoles since I was 8 years old. I've owned most of the major releases in that time, aside from the Sega Saturn and the PS4. I love console gaming. Now that I'm older I can afford to buy a proper gaming PC, and indeed I have purchased one. But I still have an Xbox One and use that for at least 90% of my game time.

So, why would you buy a console instead of a PC that can do everything an Xbox can — and more?

Price, for one. The new Xbox One S will sell from $299, play every Xbox One game and also 4K Blu-Ray discs as well. You won't get that from a PC for that money. Using my own example again, I needed a £150 graphics card upgrade to play Forza 6: Apex on my PC close to the level I can already play Forza 6 on the the Xbox One.

I spent not quite twice that amount on buying the 1TB Xbox One console I currently own. That's just the graphics card — there's a whole rest of a PC you have to put around it. Whichever way you look at it, you're guaranteeing a generation's worth of gameplay from a console.

With a console you don't have to worry that your hardware is up to snuff

Going with a console you may sacrifice resolution or frame rate, but for the most part you get a consistent experience. You don't need drivers, you don't need to worry about whether your hardware is up to snuff. You buy a game from the store, and you play it.

Games consoles are also far more accessible to the masses. Casual gamers, kids, aren't having to do anything more than plug in a box, open a game and play it. Probably having a great time, too.

That's not to say I don't see the value and the appeal to PC gaming. There are some games that just flat out-have a better experience on a PC than on a console. I'm likely going to play Halo Wars 2 on PC rather than console because I'll be able to guarantee a good, comfortable mouse and keyboard experience.

Xbox One is supposed to get mouse and keyboard support, but I'm not keen on the idea of playing like that on the couch.

Xbox Play Anywhere is also a great way to leverage the power of Microsoft's ecosystem, perhaps introducing a whole new generation of PC gamers. Being able to play the same game across two different machines is enormous. It's already making me care way more about gaming on Windows 10 PCs than has ever been the case before.

Microsoft might well make a few new PC gaming fans here

But the two can live together in harmony. You don't have to choose one or the other, and it's ridiculous to suggest anyone should buy a PC over an Xbox One. If you want a console, you go buy one. That'll be the best for you, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

What Microsoft is doing here is more likely to invigorate Xbox as a platform yet further and introduce something new to a generation who previously passed it off. It's probably not going to turn PC gamers into console fans, but it might well create a few going in the opposite direction.

Both are fantastic in their own way. They can, and will both live together, side-by-side. There's never been a better time to be interested in a new Xbox console, no matter what the naysayers may suggest.

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

83 Comments

Whoever said that has no idea what he is talking about. In a near future Microsoft will probably enable you to play your xbox game in any pc anywhere maybe even via 4g connection on any windows 10, PC or mobile. You will have your xbox with you wherever you go, on a trip? windows 10 mobile with continuum and you have your xbox there, just plug your controller
I like that future and I see it happening.
I agree with this article.
This article is my favorite article on the Citadel.
Somebody doesn't know what latency is.
In the near future we will have 5G(+) or maybe even 6G ;) 4G is already old and latency is a problem from the past and the current.
I've tried mirroring the XBox to PC, in my own LAN, and even there latency was bad enough to make it unusable.
Uhh there is already ways to minimize latency, Blizzard does that to their games and like Nima said, 5g is coming, tecnology is evolving, note i said we dont even have it now, even continuum wont work right now. People like you probably said computers were impossible. And you might need an upgrade to your LAN, i tried mirroing xbox on my pc and could play it no problem at all, Fallout 4 with no latency apparently.
Uhh, Try a game that really demands lightning reflexes from you, like Forza Motorsport 6 or Doom. Uhh, also, I've had computers since before you were born. Uhh, and I've got a gigabyte LAN. Uhh.
Doubt that dude, unless you are over 50 years old. Also, dont play demanding lightning reflexes games on the damn 5g, that doesnt mean the rest of the world wont use a feature because a few selected games will not run properly in it, right? Thats the same as saying its not worth getting xbox one over PS4 because a couple of games wont run in 1080p, get over it.
no mouse and leyboad. no vr. no multitasking. stuck in windows store.. yeah its awesome right ??
I see the same feature coming to PC gaming. So you have your stationary gaming PC at home and you can play games on it remotely via another PC, mobile, even an Xbox...
Just per ordered a 2 TB Xbox One S, Aka "Sexbox"
I will never use a PC for games again, just don't like using a KB&M and the frustration when games don't plug and play grrrrrrrrrr.
I'll happily sacrifice a bit of video quality for the convenience.....and the price.
I've never owned a console before... Though I've played games on consoles, but,I always love my games being on my laptop/mobile and available to me anywhere I go.
I am a PS4 and Xbox 360 user. I needed to upgrade my PC video card and wanted a Xbox One. Now that E3 is over I bought a Nvidia GTX 970 at New Egg for $219. Now I have my upgraded video card that I needed and don't have to buy a Xbox One because of Play Anywhere. Win Win for me.
That assumes all console titles will release on PC. Microsoft-published games will be Play Anywhere, but that doesn't mean all the publishers are going to do it.
Microsoft said all first party will. Everything else I can play on my PS4. I also have a long HDMI cable coming out my PC that goes to my Big Screen so I can play from my Lazy Boy. Now if my entire library of Xbox 360 games ever was playable on the Xbox One, then I would upgrade it then, but out of my 50+ games on 360 only about 6 are playable on the Xbox One, not worth it right now.
Right, but even then some 3rd parties will be coaxed or compelled to take part of the initiative. Microsoft owned studio are simply guaranteed to take part and thats enough in my book.
That is actually another win-win for Microsoft and not a shot in the foot. They also win with gaming sales, they win with xbox live, with more players in their side they will win more exclusives. That was the right call for them, the author of that phrase should shot himself in the head!
You're talking about games not coming to the PC, but you've got that backwards. The PC has a library of games that makes the Xbox look tiny in comparison. Plus, PC games are way cheaper because of Steam sales and other outlets. Last of all, PC gamers don't have to pay a monthly subscription just to play their games online. Sure the Xbox now is pretty inexpensive, but it wasn't at the time it was introduced. A good PC can still be purchased for pretty cheap if you build it yourself and have common sense. And a PC can do so much more than play games, and that's not something that ever gets brought up in articles like these.
Gaming shouldn't be about where you play but how you want to play. Play anywhere just gives you that choice.
I love Microsoft's future of gaming from project scorpio to PC along cross platform play also HoloLens. Great job. Yes gaming is fun.
I play 90% of game titles on console despite having a PC which is leaps and bounds faster. XBox One is at the center of my entertainment, it controls all other media like my TV, my AV receiver etc. Its just convenient to also play on this device :)
And... will be fun when Cortana arrives!!! There is no reasont not to own an xbox nowadays...
Somehow, I think that Microsoft will take the Project Scorpio to redefine what is a gaming platform. With UWP, One Core and Xbox Anywhere, a new Xbox can do games, movies, music, Office Mobile, proper internet browsing and many more. The need of a traditional home PC would become a niche. Who knows?
If everybody is thinking PC things are moving to Xbox they are wrong, Xbox is actually moving towards PC regime, because PC is actually unbeatable... PC master race
Maybe the next Xbox will be a PC, Microsoft branded pc running windows 10 and support all Xbox games. There is really little reason left not to take the next step combining these two completely.
PCs are going down, probably your next PC will be an xbox and you just stream your work to your dumb display. Thats a safer bet, lower risk of loosing your work, get robbed, carrying heavy stuff around.
How good that be to take your Xbox to office and to say we keep it with us to get the work done... Great
Why would you take your xbox to office, that makes no sense. You do realize that you could stream your xbox from your home to a dumb laptop wherever you are, right? http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nexdock-dumb-laptop,31613.html So you get a very thin and light laptop wich doesnt have a processor, stream your xbox to your smartphone and then to the dumb laptop via continuum. Safer, cheaper, one less heavy and expensive device to take care of. You are a little late thinking PCs are unbeatable, we can see how their are selling more and more each year, right?
PC gaming, Football Manager series aside, has never been for me. I prefer to kick back on the couch, pour a beer, throw on the console and play away.
But Steam has Big Picture mode where you can do exactly that.
It. Just. Works.
Other reasons:
* Microsoft-published games will be Play Anywhere. Some other publishers are likely to do some of that as well. However, who knows if all publishers will go that route. Some games are likely to still be console only.
* Xbox 360 backward compatibility is still only on Xbox One. Unless that changes, that's still a pretty valuable reason to have the console.
Somebody help me understand this: My classic XBOX ONE is obsolete?
Nah, it'll run all of the games. It just won't do 4K.
Nope, your Xbox is the same spec wise as the XBOX S, and seeing as how there were still games publised on the 360 till just recently (unless there are still new ones) i'm sure that the current XBOX ONE will be supported by devs for quite some time to come.
Last console I owned was the Xbox 360 and I can never see myself going back to console gaming. The PC is simply more powerful and offers hundreds if not thousands of more games for the platform than any of the consoles can hope to offer. Not to mention the higher frame rates and higher resolutions available to play at. And if I want to play some games on the couch? Why, I just turn on my HTPC, and set up Steam Streaming to play anygame I want from my desktop with my Xbox One controller.
I dearly wish XBOX became a software shell so you can jump into games but when you feel like it you could click the PC button and XBOX turns into a Windows 10PC. There are times I would like PC functions on the TV without attaching another device.
Given what MS is trying to do with the UWP, the question might end up becoming, "why should I buy a PC when I can get an Xbox?"
Because a PC can do so much more than an Xbox could EVER do.
I prefer PC and Nintendo games. My Xbox One gets some dust.
UWP apps on xbox one possible in a near future?
That's what's coming with the July anniversary update to Xbox one...UWP apps will work on xbox too...
Not just possible but actually happening in the next couple of months with the anniversary update.
"The same reasons as always" Not even kind of close. Exclusive like Forza and Gears are not so any longer, and Halo might follow soon. Avoiding mouse-and-keyboard users could go away. Long hardware cycles might be disappearing, like how the XB1 is getting replaced in four years. Things are quite different from before.
The reasons for buying an Xbox One, or any console for that matter, haven't really changed.
Yup, Still zero.
I have ZERO interest in playing games on my PC, just not my thing.
It's not too different from the PC if you hookup your computer to your TV. I admit that users need to click around a bit to enter the games. That's why I hope there will be a console mode on W10 for controller friendly navigation. It could be switched on when the controller is active (pressing a button on a connected controller, like removing Surface's Typecover for tablet mode prompt).
I don't have to click around at all on my living room PC, I pick up my Steam controller, push a button, and Steam launches in big picture mode. I don't have to use a keyboard and mouse.
The interesting thing about PC is that costs may be lower in the long run unless you always want the latest high-end rig. I usually find that PC games are cheaper compared the console version. This is probably due to greater market competition as the PC platform is greater. E.g. Physical, Steam, Origin, GoG and UWA all compete on the PC while consoles have more fewer options physical or their single store. Rarely, do I ever find a lower cost on the console for the same title.
It is also not necessary to always have the latest PC hardware as games usually support a good range of lower hardware specs. So, PC owners could go a few GPU and CPU generations behind.
The main advantage I see with consoles is the low setup involvement required, hardware price, and exclusives. Customers only worry about buying the standardized set of hardware so less research is needed. I feel that if MS could completely merge W10 with Xbox with a console mode, then the "Surface" desktop could be the Xbox.
By the way, I'm currently tempted to get the Xbox one controller for the PC as it's on sale both in Canada and US. Though, my 360 controller is working fine... choices and decisons lol. I also wish that the One controller didn't use a propriety wireless connection.
The interesting thing about PC is that costs may be lower in the long run unless you always want the latest high-end rig. I usually find that PC games are cheaper compared the console version. This is probably due to greater market competition as the PC platform is greater. E.g. Physical, Steam, Origin, GoG and UWA all compete on the PC while consoles have more fewer options physical or their single store. Rarely, do I ever find a lower cost on the console for the same title.
It is also not necessary to always have the latest PC hardware as games usually support a good range of lower hardware specs. So, PC owners could go a few GPU and CPU generations behind.
The main advantage I see with consoles is the low setup involvement required, hardware price, and exclusives. Customers only worry about buying the standardized set of hardware so less research is needed. I feel that if MS could completely merge W10 with Xbox (console mode), then the "Surface" desktop could be the Xbox.
By the way, I'm currently tempted to get the Xbox One controller for the PC as it's on sale both in Canada and US. Though, my 360 controller is working fine... choices and decisons lol. I also wish that the One controller didn't use a propriety wireless connection.
Weird, my comment got double posted...
Never made any sense to me to buy a gaming console.
Another reason to buy an Xbox is for the larger player base for some games. I love playing Titanfall and somewhat enjoy playing Black Ops 3 but no one is really playing those games on PC. Black Ops 3 doesn't give player counts in match making but I usually only find 1 match and I'm stuck with just that 1. So if it's out of balance and I try to find other matches I'm usually out of luck. Titanfall does give player counts and last time I was on there were about 800 people playing on PC while at the same time there about 3000 on Xbox. 3000 isn't a ton of people but it's enough. So while I love my PC and games definitely look better it doesn't matter if there is no one to play with.
The only reason the games that you mentioned are not still played on PC is because there are a million other titles that PC gamers are getting lost in.
OK. That's great but it does me no good. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
I've been gaming on consoles since the intellivison and 2600. I still own a dozen consoles with the Xbox One being my most recent purchase. However, I have not turned it since around Christmas. A few years ago I decided to get back into PC gaming and haven't had much use for consoles since. I will still buy and play the few rare exclusives that come out that I have an interest in and I will buy Scorpio and the Neo when they release. But I am 95% on the PC side.
I look at it like this. PC has a high cost of entry but most of that cost can be made up by the low prices of games you purchase over the next few years. 3 years goes by, you upgrade your PC and repeat. Consoles are much easier and reliable and it's nice to not have to mess with stuff all the time. But, the trade off is lower graphics and performance.
There are pros and cons to both. I will say this though, I can't stand how the newer consoles and console games always need updates nowadays. It really frustrates me and it is 1 of the reasons I went back to PC. If I'm going to have to deal with the cons of PC gaming, I might as well game on a PC. I sure miss the days of popping in a cartridge, turning my system on and just playing. There is something to be said for that level of simplicity.
I've been a PC gamer and a console gamer. And the truth is, you'll change as you grow older. When I was a kid I was really into console gaming. For starters because there was no PC gaming in the time of Windows 1 and Windows 3. Even on Windows 95 it took a few years to get a good gaming experience there. On the other hand, consoles like the MegaDrive and the Nintendo 64 were there to entertain us. As I passed into my teenage years I started shifting to PC gaming and for years I didn't touch a console. However as I passed into adulthood, time became scarce. The PC became a working machine. And gaming was over. So I returned to consoles. To the PS2, the PS3 and the XBone.
And I don't see myself retuning to PC gaming at all. I barely have the time for Xbox gaming let alone serious PC gaming.
Consoles are ideal to me as an adult because they are simple and immediate and cheap. And for recreational use, I have no need of the power of a gaming PC. That's why I absolutely loathe the New XBone Experience or the upcoming anniversary update for example. Not because they're abstractly bad updates (although the UI is a disaster no matter in which scenario). But because they focus too little on games and too much on social stuff.
I don't play console to socialise with Russian teenagers. I play it to decompress from the work day. That's why things like Star Wars Battlefront p*ssed the hell out of me with its multiplayer focus. So...I'll keep buying consoles. And maybe one day, when I retire and have the time to actual gaming, I'll return to PC gaming. By then I should also have no better place where to burn money than on 800€ graphic cards.
Until then, the Xbox and the PlayStation make perfect sense to me and will be my first option over a gaming PC. Despite the #PCMasterRace Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
Couldnt agree more, Another reason not many people mention is the social aspect of console gaming, I can spin up mario kart with my kids and play for hours, sitting on a comfy chair on a 60" screen. or have mates over for a game of FIFA on the projector, good luck getting that squeezed around one small ( lets face it not many people have monitors that are 24" or larger ) monitor to play. i feel its also easier and safer for the kiddies to play with as well, they dont have to tweak anything, just pop the disk in and off they go, not to mention that lack of access to stuff they shouldnt be accessing ( dodgy websites, social websites ) is mostly locked away in a console.
I'll just drop this here. Direct comparisons of PC vs Console gaming for the same money. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQbCPWtOQp0FoY_-7GwWSErWP2j7--Hh5
I like to play games in PC, very much comfortable with keyboard only....
Great article Rich. :-)
Haha. Pc for ever! F*** xbox. We all know pc will ramain!
Seriously, that's the best you can come up with?
Because I can't play current gen AAA games on a $349 (what I paid for my One) PC?
Did anyone else notice those slightly arrogant and condescending PC only gamers. LLOL. I had that same mentality when I was exclusively just a PC gamer specially when Steam just came out and the idea of digital gaming is here. Now that its on consoles, I can have that same PC benefit of keeping them n one account. Now as a n adult, I prefer to have a gaming setup discreetly, so it doesn't look like I'm a nerd gamer. console gamings benefit is to have that benefit of just pick up and play, and cheap enough to enjoy casual gaming. Stop bragging about graphics. Time and time again, developers are being creative at making games, indie developers making amazing games that are not photo realistic. Stop bragging about pixel count, or building your own pc for cheap because in the real world, people do not build computers. In fact PC tower sales have dropped since the rise of tablets. Casual gaming are now on phones and tablets, PC Gaming is dead.
If you want to label anyone who uses a PC as a "nerd gamer" you've got serious issues.
I've always preferred PC gaming because it grants you more freedom. I can choose between hooking my computer up to my TV and playing via a controller and sitting at my desk and playing via keyboard and mouse. There are some games that play better with a controller and other games that play better with keyboard+mouse. The other reason why PC gaming is more appealing to me is the convenience of being able to do everything on one device. I've always had a computer, I don't remember ever not having a computer. I spend most of my time on my computer. Why would I buy a separate device for gaming when I could simply upgrade my computer's specs and play games on that? It's like owning an iPod on top of owning a smartphone; your smartphone can already do what an iPod can do, so why own two separate gadgets for what one gadget can do?
Well put Richard. I prefer console gaming for the reasons you listed. I am on a PC all day at work and the last thing I want to do is game on one when I am home. What Microsoft is doing with Windows 10 has made me consider getting a gaming PC in the future. I would like to have both just not right now. I never cared for keyboard and mouse so I would still like to use a controller on PC which I am told you can do (depending on the game).
Price is the primary reason to buy an XBOX instead of a PC. It is the Gaming part of a Gaming PC that you can have in your living room for a lower price
On good PC hardware, a PC game can blow away what a console looks like, in peformance (FPS) as well as graphic levels. No question by the time the Xbox one, or PS4 were released, the PC specs already surpassed them by 2X...and by now, it's 4-8X.. With that quailty, you also get a possable large cost. A well built PC, if you self build it, about $800-2000, and retail box, $2000-5000.. as a Xbox one will cost you $200+ If you want the ultimate graphics with the best detail possable, NOTHING beats a PC for gaming... And like Richard who wrote this, I have a reasonably high end PC gaming system, I have had about 95% of the consoles over the years and currently have running... Xbox One, Xbox 360, WiiU and a PS4... I do a lot of console gaming as well as PC..
I've been saying a similar thing. Many PC gamers may now pick up a console where they hadn't before, because they didn't want to be buying games twice.
It is not about buying an Xbox. At the end, MS makes hardware in order to push their software. They want to sell you the game liscence, and that is it. They want you to buy a live subscription, they want you to stream movies, or music, they want you to use skype and office etc, etc. Quantum Break is the example. You get to play PC and Xbox only if you buy the digital version. Same thing will apply to all future games. They want to get rid of physical copies and used game sales and go digital. I can guarentee you that 3rd party (EA, Activision, Ubisoft etc) will be more than happy to follow suite. They would all like to sell thier games digitaly. If PC/PS4 people are happy and now will buy MS games, its a win for MS. If they potentially loose some sales because a specific subgroup of fanbois gets bent out of shape because now more people are playing said game that was console exclusive, MS does not care. My strong suspicion is that MS wants to kill all consoles by the end of the next generation (~10 years). You will be able to play anywhere on any device almost seamlessly. All you will need to do is bring your joypad and abe able to sign into live. Probably in a few years you will be able to use continuum and use your phone to make the bridge to the cloud, where all the games will be. You are already seeing the early phase of this with streaming from Xbox to PC, and probably by the time Scorpio is released they will have the reverse, PC to Xbox.
It is more cost effective to game on PC in the end. Free or Cheaper games, better sales. If you have a hardware failure, it's easier to fix, if you know what you're doing vs getting banned or sending it in for repair to Microsoft. The only thing consoles have going for them is simplicity. But the tradeoff in this digital age to me favors the PC, with its versatility and competition for your hard earned dollar.
I have both. I find the Xbox One frustrating to use. I spend most of the time updating... PC for me!
WHen they announced I felt, thank you. Now I can ditch my xbox one. Dont get me wrong, I love it but I also have a gaming PC with steamlink to stream my games to the livingroom when I want to get that "console" feeling. XB1 will be good for those who dont own a true gaming PC and that wants everything to work straight out the box. For those who owns a gaming PC that crowd will love this and also not buy an console and stick to the PC. If you want console feeling, get an steamlink for 30-40 euro and you have a so much powerful console (if u have a true gaming pc)
Just per ordered a 2 TB Xbox One S, Aka "Sexbox"
I will never use a PC for games again, just don't like using a KB&M and the frustration when games don't plug and play grrrrrrrrrr.
I'll happily sacrifice a bit of video quality for the convenience.....and the price.
Actually not everyone is good at playing games with a keyboard, and also the price of such high end PCs with perfect graphics card that allow you play such games is higher than the price of an Xbox one
To be honest, Xbox Play Anywhere doesn't really change much if you're deciding whether to buy a PC or a console; it's still a matter of (at least to me) cost, covienience, and experiance (as in the experiance of playing games, not how much experiance you have). If you've got a gaming PC and not an Xbox One, then good for everyone. Microsoft earns its money, and you get to play more games. That's it.
"Why would you buy an Xbox One now and not a PC? Microsoft just shot itself in the foot." It is true to some extent, IMO. It is about vendor lock-in, mostly: If people opt for PC instead of Xbox, it means they will have access to other gaming distribution platforms, such as Steam, Origin or GOG. While on Xbox MS can make sure you have to stick with MS ecosystem and games, on PC, you don't have to. As a PC gamer, I love to have choice, but honestly, there is zero reason for me to get Xbox now. I will probably buy most of those Xbox titles simply on PC and if I am going to get console now, it will be PS4. So, this "trans-console" approach can do some good for MS, but it also can backfire in long-term.
I prefer my PC over my 360 as I'm more comfortable using a keyboard and mouse as opposed to the controller, and the price of games for the PC are much cheaper and most often don't require a subscription to play online. My 5-6 year old PC plays GTA V and The Division on max detail without too much issue ... The Division isn't even out for the 360, and all the recent updates for GTA V aren't supported on older consoles.
I honestly don't get what all this fuss is about.. Does any of this prevent anyone from playing the games they wanna play? No? Then what's all this mud slinging over console vs pc gaming? Its silly and childish really. It doesn't matter what platform you game on. We're all gamers.. Focus should be on the games we all play and enjoy. The more gamers the better.

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