Console hardware

Discussions of dedicated console hardware such as Xbox, PlayStation, and so on.

image of xbox series x and PS 5 against a fantasy battle background
Console hardware

I prefer the Xbox…

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Every day I seem to see another article or Youtube video implying that the Xbox console is a dead platform. The decline in Xbox sales is definitely a real thing. Playstation 5 sales are easily double the number of Xbox Series X/S consoles that have sold. And Microsoft themselves have said that their focus is no longer on selling more consoles.

But I still prefer my Xbox Series X over anything Sony is making currently. Should I be worried? I’d say no, not at all: but I’ll put my stake in the ground here to refer back to when I’m proven wrong in a year or two…

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Console hardware

Measuring my life in gaming devices

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I am a gamer, these days primarily of the video / computer game variety. Lately I haven’t felt like writing about gaming on my blog for a variety of reasons.

I do hope to get back to it at some point, and I felt a bit inspired to take a step in that direction by this #blaugust2024 writing prompt from Rieaglenest :

Do you have memories of an old game consoles/device that you have? What games do you usually play on that console? If it’s not specifically a game console, what do you usually do when using the old device?

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Console hardware

Xbox Series X failure

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I have had an Xbox since not long after they first came out: back when ‘Xbox’ was the entire name of the console. I’ve been on the Xbox Live service nearly as long: over 16 years.

So it goes somewhat without saying that I wanted to get the latest iteration of the console: the Xbox Series X. Unfortunately the global chip shortage for ‘advanced’ technology components meant that getting one wasn’t so easy. The Xbox Series X was (and still is) very hard to come by: any that appeared online were bought up in seconds, and then offered for sale via Ebay or Amazon ‘resellers’ at several times their retail cost. I fought this battle for about six months in ever-increasing frustration.

My Xbox Series X: before I realized it was defective

I finally got an Xbox Series X in November via the ‘All Access’ program: more on that later. A month later I realized my fancy new console was defective. This is my story.

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Console hardware

New XBox stuff announced at E3: Natal and full downloads

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E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) has suffered through some setbacks in the last few years. The industry show is basically a venue for the manufacturers of computer games and game related products to communicate with the media. Normal citizens like you and I are not allowed to attend. The big vendors like Microsoft and Nintendo decided a few years ago that the show was costing too much money for not enough return, and they withdrew en masse. E3 went through some gyrations to try to re-invent itself, but has basically come back identical to what it was, just a bit smaller. I’m not sure what has really changed, but the big vendors seem to be back.

This post isn’t about E3, though: instead, it is about a couple of interesting (to me) announcements that Microsoft made at the event. Project Natal, a full-body motion interface with no actual controller, and XBox Live full game downloads.

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