8 Reasons 2017 Is Finally The Year To Buy An Xbox One
Microsoft are systematically dethroning Sony.
Given that the Xbox One has now passed its third birthday, now is as good a time as ever to celebrate that large black box - or, slimmer white box, if you've got the Xbox One S.
The games press mauling post E3-2013 when the Xbox One was first officially revealed wasn't pleasant, and the internet reaction wasn't much better: the Xbox One sounded expensive, had a power-sapping Kinect accessory and threatened baffling disc-lockout procedures as part of its hardware/software combination.
But that was then and this is the end of 2016: The reputation of the Xbox One is improving all the time. From excellent backwards compatibility and the best controllers on the market to consistently good online services and further promising exclusives coming, the Xbox One is definitely a contender against PlayStation 4. Microsoft is doubling down with exclusives that long-time Xbox fans will appreciate such as Dead Rising 3 and Crackdown 3, as well as offering more popular iterations of games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3.
Sales-wise, this generation has already been won by the PlayStation 4, but the Xbox One is still going to put in a decent, silver medal winning performance by the time PlayStation 5 and the next Xbox are both announced.
--
8. Elite/Customisable Controllers
Custom thumbsticks, paint jobs like something off 'Pimp My Ride' and an array of whistles and bells: gamers have wanted more from their controllers since the earliest days of Atari and Nintendo. Microsoft have been the first company to take advantage of the burgeoning trade in PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 thumbsticks via online auction websites with the introduction of the Xbox One Elite controller.
The Xbox controller has always been a reliable and dependable piece of kit and the design has never strayed far from the Xbox S controller - we just had to get over the hurdle of the ol' 'Duke' first of course.
The Xbox One Elite controller may cost over £100, but there is some serious bang for your buck included. The ability to buy durable metal thumbsticks, add paddles for racing simulators, have a d-pad that somehow looks like a precious metal and have the controller offer better grip with more rubber edging are all appreciated plus points. The Elite goes further than that though, by allowing total customisation of button assignments, even down to defining what clicking an analogue stick will do in-game.
The controller was well-received by gamers despite its price point, simply because it offers such a vast number of improvements over the original design, and addresses longstanding gripes with the Xbox 360 controller such as being slippery to grip or having a near-useless d-pad. The main contention came down to price and the fact the Elite has not yet been offered in any Xbox One bundles.