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I recently purchased Forza Horizon 4 because it was about to be delisted from all digital storefronts.
I bought the gamedespite the fact that I don’t own an Xbox or a gaming PC.
My New Year’s goal is to pick a gaming platform by the end of 2025.
But after making that purchase, I thought to myself, “this is silly.
I’m not rolling in cash, but I’m in my mid-thirties and have a stable job.
I can set aside some money to game.
My desk setup has been built for ergonomics, but it’s now time to make it gaming-friendly (which includes better cable management).
We’re all spoiled for choice when it comes to gaming right now.
Just about anything with a screen seems to be an Xbox,at least according to Microsoft.
There are also excellentgaming handhelds, regular consoles, andaffordable gaming PCsaplenty.
Why not take advantage of that to try things out?
While I don’t own a gaming PC, my primary laptop is capable of gaming.
To be completely honest, my laptop probably could serve as my gaming PC.
It certainly runs the games I’ve installed so far.
If I can keep my game library within one or two stores, that will be ideal.
Considering I bought Forza Horizon 4 already, I decided to try it first.
That meant using the Microsoft Store.
Ah yes, the ever-controversial Microsoft Store.
Surely it could not be as bad as people have said.
My first time using the Microsoft Store for a AAA game in years did not go well.
After the first installation failed, I had to organize installing all the DLC content manually.
One of my favorite games of all time is Tales of Vesperia.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition was only 6.99 through Steam.
It’s not a new game, so I imagine it will stay inexpensive for a long time.
I’ll have to test more than two games, but Steam has taken an early lead.
Do you prefer PC or Xbox gaming?
But I can already tell that gaming of any kind will be a slippery slope in the budget department.
I suppose that’s normal for gamers my age.
At some point I’ll also look into Xbox gaming.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you about which gaming platform you prefer.
Why do you like your platform of choice?
Are there common pitfalls I should avoid when getting into gaming?
Is the Microsoft Store truly awful or was my experience an isolated incident?
like reach out to me on social media (@seanendicott.bsky.socialon Bluesky).
I’ll dive in to learn from you all and shape my next piece.
