This is an odd issue I have been having with Microsoft as of late. They have been make hardware that I have found the be very attractive but the software is lacking and this related to Xbox but also to other products like Surface and Windows Phone/Mobile (well at least before they gave up on Windows Phone/Mobile that is), which is really odd considering MS is a software company first.
With regards to Xbox specifically, I picked up an Xbox One back in Holiday of 2014, when there was lots promise. I recall Fable Legends, the hints of a new Banjo game, and Scalebound announcement all getting me excited. Nothing materialized from that. Before I go further I should mention that I am mostly a portable gamer (my main gaming platform was 3DS/Vita and now Switch) and I play most stationary third-party games on a PC; so my experience may not translate to everyone. Thus, for me the reason why I bought Xbox One over a PS4 back then purely had to do with the exclusives that were announced. Suffice to say that the PS4 for me replaced my Xbox One when the Xbox One's exclusive library did not really materialize and the PS4 ended up being the stationary home console platform with the most exclusives and also the platform with, at least IMO, the best VR content. As of 2018, I own every hardware platform (portable and stationary; 3DS, Vita, XONE, PS4, Switch, PC) from the big 3 (as a portable gamer Switch is right now my choice system but I continue to game heavily on PC and PS4 as well), and outside of Sunset Overdrive (which was excellent, I might add) I have not really had a reason to turn the Xbox One on. In fact, as of right now, it is my least used console of not only this generation but any generation.
I actually really like the Xbox One hardware and OS, and so I would love to jump in and play the system if MS released some exclusives for it. As of right now, however, with MS Play Anywhere (which brings many of the few Xbox exclusives to PC), I feel like Xbox One may be the last Xbox I purchase. Going forward I can see Nintendo providing my portable hardware and exclusive Nintendo games for that hardware, Sony providing the VR and stationary exclusive Sony game experiences, and various PC hardwares (laptop, desktop, GPD Win) providing me with general purpose hardware for work and third-party video game experiences as well as MS games. If MS does not want to make exclusives anymore just for Xbox, one way I can see myself purchasing an Xbox again is if they bring full Windows 10 to it with a TV mode (like the Xbox One UI) but also the ability to run general purpose Windows software and OG XB/XB360 BC titles along with Windows games (including games on Steam, Origin and GOG since that is where most of PC games are); such a setup would easily replace my desktop PC. Of course, that does not make much financial sense for MS since opening up the platform like that would mean they would not make the same amount of money as they do now through their store and they also do not profit off of the hardware, so I doubt it would happen.
