I don’t know how many times I thought about purchasing a Windows Phone once I had an Xbox. The part of my character that likes to think I don’t obsess over this kind of thing has me thinking once or twice. I’ll be honest though, it had to be more than that.
For me the Xbox 360 and Zune, those small portable media players that Microsoft abandoned for Xbox Music, were gateway drugs. Seriously, once I had a Zune I needed an Xbox 360 and a Windows Phone followed soon after. I wasn’t just anxious to get my hands on all these new gadgets. A part of me told myself that if I had all of these things that worked together my life would be much easier.
For the most part I was right. Owning an Xbox One, Windows Phone and Windows PC has made some things a lot easier. For the most part, it all works seamless together. My Xbox Music Pass is available on my PC, in my living room on the Xbox One, in my office on my Xbox One and on my phone. Videos I purchased on my Xbox 360 or Zune are still with me, forever they will serve as reminders of that Knight Rider remake that went horribly wrong.
It’s been a wonderful world of synergy, earning Xbox Live achievements wherever I am and activating my Lumia 925’s Wi-Fi tethering from my Surface Pro. I loved every minute of it. And I’m going to Android for a bit.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. Earlier this week I made the decision to purchase the Moto X, Motorola’s latest flagship. I made the move after spending a lot of time thinking about what I need from my smartphone, what’s available today and how Microsoft has changed in recent years. In short, I purchased an Moto X with the same mind set as someone purchasing an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4.
While playing Forza 5 on my Xbox One a few ago, I started thinking about how I wish gamers would stop complaining and bashing rival consoles. It’s always been my position that these are nothing more than pissing matches, users who spent their hard earned money on something and fell like they needed justification. I purchased an Xbox 360, because I liked the company that made it and it worked with what I had already.
At some point I put down the controller – seriously, people your Drivatars are a nightmare – and did some brain storming on what thinking with about your needs and making a buying decision based on that would feel like. No spreadsheets, no hardware allegiance.
“Would switching to something besides Windows Phone affect my gaming and music experience,” I thought to myself. There’s no way that it could, Windows Phone offers about as many exclusive Xbox One features a there are gold bars in Fort Knox. (Smart people say it’s been gone for years, according to History Channel.)
How would my music listening experience change? Could I expect a better experience? If I stay with Xbox Music it’s definitely not going to improve. The Xbox Music on Android and Xbox Music on iPhone apps are basic. So I switch to Spotify, which is available everywhere except for on my Xbox One, and keep it moving. To Microsoft’s credit and can make the move and still keep Skype, Office, Outlook and Xbox SmartGlass.
Games, would I get those too? Sure. Xbox Live achievements? Well, no but it’s not like I bothered anyway.
In the end, it was the Xbox One, Microsoft’s proprietary gaming console, that helped me see the light. THe Xbox One works with the iPhone, Android smartphones and Windows Phones. Apps from everyone are available and you go with it. I purchased an Xbox One because I liked all kinds of entertainment. The same thought process works with just about anything.
I’m switching away from Windows Phone because flagship smartphone hardware is hard to come by and I have a grudge with HTC. Isn’t that why folks switched to Xbox 360 or why Xbox 360 users might have opted for a PS4?
Think about what you need, buy what you want and keep the return receipt in case anything goes wrong. The answers to life, my smartphone problems and just about everything else were sitting right there, just below my television set.
