Microsoft has had a fairly rocky presence in the console market over the past few generations with the Xbox One unable to dent the PS4's sales figures without must-play exclusives and a host of controversies prior to launch. The Xbox Series X was in a great position to learn from the mistakes of the Xbox One and Microsoft looked to deliver some serious competition to Sony's PS5. However, despite the investments made to improve its position in the console market over the past few years, the Xbox Series X is starting to follow an eerily similar trend set by the Xbox One, but it's not too late to correct course.
Although the start of the current console generation was marred by supply chain issues and chip shortages that made it difficult for many to get their hands on the new consoles, especially the PS5, Sony was off to a strong start with launch exclusives like Demon Souls and Spider-Man: Miles Morales while the Xbox Series X failed to hook potential players with its own big launch exclusive. Microsoft has since attempted to rectify this lack of major console exclusives along with pushing Xbox Game Pass as a selling point with mixed success. The pieces are in place for the Xbox Series X to overcome the challenges faced by the Xbox One, but Microsoft still needs to put them together.
The Xbox Series X Still Has a Chance to Right the Wrongs of the Xbox One
This month saw the 10-year anniversary of the Xbox One's announcement back in May 2013, one that was infamous for the negative reaction many fans had to its proposed features. The Xbox One was originally announced to include controversial elements such as the requirement to be constantly online, mandatory Kinect peripheral, and tying games to specific Xbox Live accounts that would have resulted in used game sales being impossible. While Microsoft tried to bill this console as an all-in-one entertainment package, these controversial elements left a bad taste in the core fanbase's mouth, and they were ultimately scrapped on launch.
The Xbox One never quite recovered from these pre-launch controversies and its limited exclusives couldn't compete with the hits of the PS4. Going into the current console generation, the Xbox Series X had two key things going for it that were set to give it a great shot at competing with the PS5: Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft's acquisition of studios like Bethesda and Obsidian. Game Pass had only been growing in value since it launched late into the Xbox One's life and having highly-renowned studios like Bethesda and Obsidian producing console exclusives for the Xbox Series X would give players a huge reason to buy.
However, despite having popular developers under its banner, the Xbox Series X has had a tough time producing exclusives that warranted a console purchase with system sellers like Halo Infinite and Redfall launching to lackluster reception. Other exclusives like Obsidian's Grounded and Pentiment have received favorable reviews, but are smaller titles with much more niche audiences than Sony's exclusives like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok. While Xbox Game Pass has helped bolster sales to a degree, the Xbox Series X is still having a hard time overcoming the exclusive games issue that held the Xbox One back during its lifetime.
Ultimately, what the Xbox Series X needs more than anything to avoid falling into the same trap as the Xbox One is that one hit exclusive that can get players on the fence to finally take the plunge and purchase the console. A lot of hope is riding on Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield to be that game, but other in-development exclusives like Avowed, Fable, and even Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 also have the potential to fill this role. Two underwhelming console generations in a row would be tough for Microsoft to shoulder, so now more than ever the Xbox Series X needs a hit.