Xbox Series X
Ranked 10 of 29 game consoles by recommenders
Recommended for a simple, reliable console with strong backward compatibility and good value for home entertainment; critics say the Xbox brand has lost direction and subscription costs have risen.
Recommended for a simple, reliable console with strong backward compatibility and good value for home entertainment; critics say the Xbox brand has lost direction and subscription costs have risen.
32 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 19
- criticize it
- 13
- approval share
- 59%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 5 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games
“XboX has a really good track record of backwards compatibility. I can (and do, occasionally) play 360 games on my series X.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “Resetting Xbox” “I can (and do, occasionally) play 360 games on my series X.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “Resetting Xbox” Smooth 60fps play without settings fiddling
“All the games optimised, usually 60fps, no messing about with settings”
Comment from 10 Jul 2026 in “45% of Enthusiasts 'Seriously Considering' Leaving Sony for PC” “I have a plenty good time on my series x, cant think of any stutters.”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Steam Machine” Strong entertainment value for the money
“Series X is a premium experience. Walmart delivered one for $350 at 4am with Diablo 4.”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Microsoft's 'unhackable' Xbox One has been hacked by 'Bliss'” “by a very large margin the most at-home-entertainment bang I have gotten for my buck”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “Microsoft's 'unhackable' Xbox One has been hacked by 'Bliss'” Hassle-free setup and everyday use
“logged in via QR code and Xbox app on my phone. No need to type into the console.”
Comment from 5 Aug 2026 in “Xbox goes down. You can't play games you own on disc” “enjoy turning on an Xbox Series X and just doing what the box is there for”
Comment from 14 Mar 2026 in “Your Phone Is an Entire Computer”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Xbox brand seen as struggling
“After the lack of exclusives on the Xbox Series X, their game pass shenanigans, and the horrible UX decisions over the years, the Xbox brand is trash to me.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Phil Spencer is exiting Microsoft as AI executive takes over Xbox” “Xbox has ignored its userbase since XSX release”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Xbox CEO ends Copilot AI development and overhauls leadership” “Xbox is in complete disarray and is imploding”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “Microsoft raises Xbox prices by up to 43%” Naming of consoles confusing
“they screwed up again naming the next generation”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “The Smartphone Killed the Xbox” “the current letters are just straight up confusing.”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “2025 was the year Xbox died” Subscription costs raised
“After the lack of exclusives on the Xbox Series X, their game pass shenanigans, and the horrible UX decisions over the years, the Xbox brand is trash to me.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Phil Spencer is exiting Microsoft as AI executive takes over Xbox” “after they jacked the cost of their subscriptions”
Comment from 3 Sep 2026 in “Microsoft Announces Change to Xbox Cloud Gaming, Switches to Monthly Hour Limits” Little improvement over earlier Xbox
“I can't tell you why my Series X is better than my Xbox One. Literally I don't see a difference.”
Comment from 6 Jul 2026 in “Resetting Xbox” “the Series X was a massive disappointment”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “The Great Steam Deck Crash of 2026: How the New Pricing Decreased Demand by 80%”
Other game consoles people recommend
The four most recommended other game consoles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valve Steam Machine | 326 | 240 | 58% | 12 | 1 mo5 owners | — |
| PlayStation 5 | 121 | 181 | 40% | 12 | 3 yrs8 owners | — |
| Xbox console | 62 | 212 | 23% | 12 | 21 yrs6 owners | — |
| Xbox 360 | 41 | 19 | 68% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Xbox Series XThis page | 19 | 13 | 59% | 8 | 5 yrs3 owners | — |
What people said
32 of the 34 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the square tower Xbox has similar specs”
“gamepass + xbox is the closest thing to netflix for games”
“after they jacked the cost of their subscriptions”
“I like the software side on my Series X”
“I have a thousand times more confidence that MS will keep the signed, auto-distributed periodic xbox series x operating system updates 'secure'”
“logged in via QR code and Xbox app on my phone. No need to type into the console.”
“Xbox is in complete disarray and is imploding”
“there's hardly any game I play today that requires the X's extra horsepower”
“the Series X was a massive disappointment”
“All the games optimised, usually 60fps, no messing about with settings”
“I can (and do, occasionally) play 360 games on my series X.”
“XboX has a really good track record of backwards compatibility. I can (and do, occasionally) play 360 games on my series X.”
“while recovered some credibility somewhat with the Series X”
“Is the Series version better or worse?”
“I can't tell you why my Series X is better than my Xbox One. Literally I don't see a difference.”
“The most current hardware (Xbox X) I mainly use to play remasters of old games”
“Xbox has ignored its userbase since XSX release”
“It's a glorified blurry player, and it works fine as such.”
“Series X is a premium experience. Walmart delivered one for $350 at 4am with Diablo 4.”
“by a very large margin the most at-home-entertainment bang I have gotten for my buck”
“enjoy turning on an Xbox Series X and just doing what the box is there for”
“Xbox is such a terrible gaming experience that I switched to Steam long ago.”
“After the lack of exclusives on the Xbox Series X, their game pass shenanigans, and the horrible UX decisions over the years, the Xbox brand is trash to me.”
“more expensive than last year's better performing PS5 Pro”
“the current letters are just straight up confusing.”
“It just didn't play out like I was hoping.”
“Much better than my experience on either Windows or Xbox.”
“they screwed up again naming the next generation”
“if you look at numbers from recent quarters, that's absolutely abysmal”
“the Series X hardware was/is fine and they are generally pain free”
“Every time I turn on my Xbox or PC with steam/GOG I have to wait for an update of some kind.”
“I have a plenty good time on my series x, cant think of any stutters.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.