The purchase of a video game company, a $10 game pass, and a cheaper digital version show why Microsoft’s Xbox Series X will be the best console of this generation.

Microsoft’s recent purchase of Zenimax (Bethesda) is a major deal for the Xbox Series X. “In what is set to be one of the largest ever acquisitions in the video game industry, Microsoft announced Monday that it has reached a deal to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of popular video game publisher Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion,” wrote Resse Oxner.

This will give Microsoft access to several major gaming franchises. “Once the deal is finalized, Bethesda properties including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, Quake, Starfield and DOOM will be owned by Microsoft. These series will be added to the Xbox Game Pass, a subscription-based cloud gaming service which has topped 15 million subscribers,” Oxner wrote.

Having the Xbox Game Pass for just $10 a month is another massive advantage. Shannon Liao of CNN wrote, “Microsoft is focused on selling games as a service, in hopes that gamers will purchase a monthly subscription to its Xbox Game Pass, which offers access to hundreds of games and starts at $9.99 a month.”

For some people like junior Steven Ribovich, the Xbox Series X is a way to continue to enjoy what was fun in the past. Ribovich said, “I am more interested in the Xbox Series X than the PS5 because I grew up with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, additionally I have met many people I consider friends from around the world that I grew up with online.”

For Ribovich the great memories he has made on past generations of Xbox consoles is another reason why he wants the Xbox Series X. He said, “I personally think the Xbox Series X is better not because of the design or specs of it (because in my opinion they are very similar) but I like it better because of the memories and people I’ve met through the console and company, and all the good times I can reminisce on from the past and I want to keep those for as long as I can.”

Another person that wants the Xbox Series X is math teacher, Trevor McGrath. He said, “I’ve been an Xbox person since the very first Xbox because that’s the console my brother bought, and he’s always influenced my decisions, especially when it comes to gaming. Nowadays I stick with the Xbox because it’s what I’m used to, I really like the controllers, and the friends I game with also have Xboxes.”

McGrath is both excited and not sure about Microsoft purchasing Zenimax. He said, “On the one hand, I feel like this could be building a monopoly situation with a console maker owning so many game developer companies. On the other hand though, it will hopefully mean these games run even better on Xbox, and maybe future games will release sooner for Xbox vs Playstation.”

Also although McGrath is not interested in a digital-only console he does like the idea of a slightly less powerful console that is $200 cheaper. “In the world we live in today, it totally makes sense for these companies to sell a digital-only console and if it saves the consumer money, that is awesome. The only reason I want the disc slot is because I own a bunch of DVDs and Blu-rays, and I don’t want to spend the money to buy them all digitally,” McGrath said.

McGrath also thinks Microsoft made a better digital-only console then Sony’s Playstation 5. He said, “They are selling it extra cheap because it’s also slightly less powerful, but supposedly only in the way that if you game on that machine, you’ll have to play at a lower resolution, they still keep the good stuff like HDR and higher frame rate, so that’s really cool. The PS5 is literally selling two identical consoles except one is missing the disc drive.”

As an additional bonus, the Xbox Series X has more storage space on the console. “Xbox has 1 terabyte of internal storage compared to PlayStation’s 825 GB. Any gamer will tell you that running out of storage on a console can be a hassle,” wrote Liao.

With a few months left before release both consoles are now available for pre-orders and with the Xbox Game Pass, the purchase of a new game developer, nostalgia, and a cheaper digital-only console, the Xbox Series X will put up a tough competition against the Playstation 5 and the already released Nintendo Switch.