# Xbox console 62 Hacker News commenters recommended Xbox console and 212 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 21 years (6 owners). **Verdict:** Recommended for backward compatibility, reliable everyday play, and a controller and online experience people like; critics point to price rises, layoffs and a loss-making division. ## Why people recommend it - Backward compatibility with older games (4 comments): "they changed so much in the console ecosystem, play anywhere, backwards compatibility without extra cost" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45944192)) "Xbox at least lets you play the X360 physical media back compatible with the latest console." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47957070)) "Old games do NOT need updates to run on newer Playstation/Xbox OS updates" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46447177)) - Reliable, turnkey, just works (3 comments): "The biggest value prop for me with console gaming is that it just works, every time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48865885)) "the very definition of everything just works, and no kernel drivers to worry about" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48472274)) "Xbox/Switch/Playstation are incredibly reliable and turnkey" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50194392)) - Plays from disc without internet (2 comments): "You don't need an internet connection to play from disc" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49169901)) "though that mostly functions as a DVD player these days" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47716400)) ## What people warn about - Repeated price increases (3 comments): "Netflix, Xbox, theatres, DVD/BD box sets, game consoles, and so much more did not need AI as an excuse to raise prices." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49775970)) "Xbox is literally imploding right now, they laid off half the company and significantly raised the console price." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49200555)) "they cluelessly and carelessly laid off most of their best staff, all while raising prices multiple times" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49147739)) - Division losing money for years (3 comments): "that division lost money hand over fist for a long time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46194948)) "Xbox the division has been losing money and each generation has a smaller and smaller share of the install base" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909570)) "Some try, e.g. Microsoft with Xbox, Meta with VR, but even then often it ends up being billions of lost profits." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48768588)) - Ads, telemetry and enshittification (2 comments): "the PS and Xbox OSes show you ads, and they have telemetry" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49001464)) "You had everything great. Xbox, Windows, Office,... and somehow in a short span of time you managed to enshittify everything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47586519)) - Locked to own or store software (2 comments): "A separate mode - you can side-load, but you lose all access to appstore and all built-in apps." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46259864)) "Xbox allows you to either load your own software or load software you buy from the Xbox store. Not both." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46252783)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Valve Steam Machine](https://hackerapproved.com/p/steam-machine.md): 326 recommend - [PlayStation 5](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-5.md): 121 recommend - [Xbox 360](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xbox-360.md): 41 recommend - [PlayStation 2](https://hackerapproved.com/p/playstation-2.md): 40 recommend - [Nintendo Wii](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nintendo-wii.md): 40 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Microsoft+Xbox+console&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Official site](https://www.xbox.com/en-US/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Xbox console", https://hackerapproved.com/p/xbox/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).