The Xbox Series X is made to impress with both design and performance. After the relative failure of the Xbox One, Microsoft has done a lot not to repeat its mistakes and come back on top. Nonetheless, here are the top ten reasons why you may skip the Xbox Series X, or at least wait before it joins your living room. As this isn't about being biased, you can also check our Top 10 Reasons Not to Buy a PlayStation 5.

10. Xbox Series X Controller Lacks Excitement

Microsoft has been pretty conservative regarding the Xbox Series X controller design. As a result, it barely improves over the previous model with a better d-pad. Also, the gamepad is slightly smaller and adds a share button. Compare this to the PS5 DualSense with its improved touchpad adaptive and programmable triggers. Finally, Sony's controller doesn't need headphones, as it includes a speaker.

The Xbox Series X gamepad uses traditional AA batteries, while the PS5 employs a built-in solution. To be honest, we always prefer devices with replaceable batteries. Still, we're aware that many gamers aren't big fans of it. If you wonder why Microsoft didn't make further advancements, it's because they wanted to keep the Xbox One controller compatibility.

9. Power Consumption and Heat

Microsoft was desperate for Xbox Series X to be the most powerful console, but there's a price to pay for it. Hence, the system is not environmentally friendly, as it may consume over 300 watts! That's significantly more than even Xbox One X, which didn't exceed 250 watts. On the other hand, Sony boasts that the PS5 is energy-efficient and uses only 0.5 watts in suspended mode. Even in the most demanding titles, the power consumption rarely peaks above 200 watts.

Of course, this also means that gaming on Xbox Series X will slightly increase your electricity bill. Therefore, playing for about two hours daily will cost you around $26 yearly. OK, that's a minor expense, but you'll still be more eco-friendly by gaming on the PS5.

8. PS5 Has Better Audio

It seems that everyone stopped caring about the audio quality. Even the expensive PC gaming setups use crappy integrated sound cards, and everyone listens to highly-compressed music on streaming services. However, both PS5 and Xbox Series X made significant leaps. Microsoft's console has a dedicated sound chip, meaning not only does it sound great, but it's also not consuming CPU power.

However, PS5 is far more exciting as it has 3D audio incorporating a Head-related Transfer Function. What it does is calibrate the sound to your ears, so you can enjoy it in the best possible way. This might be the most crucial advancement in audio technology on consoles since the surround sound.

7. No VR

If you're into VR gaming, the Xbox Series X isn't for you. Even though Microsoft introduced Windows Mixed Reality as its VR platform, they won't use it on Xbox Series X. The company is clear on this, as they think there's not much interest in it. Even though the head of the Xbox division Phil Spencer hopes that VR will be increasingly popular, it's improbable it'll ever be on Series X.

Meanwhile, Sony continues to invest heavily in its PSVR, so there are plenty of titles to enjoy. However, we'll see if Microsoft's or Sony's approach is better. Nonetheless, if you're into VR gaming on consoles, PS5 is the only choice.

6. PS5 Sells Better, Becoming a Priority to Developers

PlayStation 4 dominated Xbox One, which also boosts the reputation of PS5. Consequently, many gamers buy PS5 because the PS4 was so successful. Sony is doing everything to keep this crowd, as almost all PS4 games work on the PS5. This means that Xbox Series X is handicapped as Microsoft needs to prove its gaming dedication.

Of course, the company showed us with Xbox 360 that it knows how to beat Sony. Still, the predictions aren't great, as PS5 is doing much better than Xbox Series X and S combined. As the gap widens, it becomes clear that PS5 will stay far ahead in sales. Hence, it will become a priority for many developers, as they'll optimize their titles for it.

5. Crossgen Exclusives

Microsoft wants to keep Xbox One players happy, promising that almost all Xbox Series X exclusives will come to their consoles. While many will applaud the company for this move, there's a huge downside. The issue is that the difference between the versions won't be as noticeable as with real console exclusives.

Early signs were bad enough, as it was hard to see the disparity between Gears 5 running on the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. Of course, the resolution is better, and there are a few more details. However, it still looks only like a slight remaster. It should be said that Sony is doing similar with the PS5, but their cross-gen support is more limited.

4. PS5 Has Faster SSD, and It Doesn't Need a Proprietary Expansion

Xbox Series X has an impressive SSD, even larger than the one in PS5 (1 TB vs. 825 GB). However, it still offers 2.4 GB/s compared to Sony's 5.5 GB/s. As the developers get to know PS5 better and the game size increases, the loading performance difference will increase.

Furthermore, PS5 has an obvious advantage when it comes to expanding storage. Hence, gamers can buy regular NVMe drives, although not all are compatible with the console. Still, this is much better than what Microsoft is doing by forcing you to buy a proprietary Seagate card, which is more expensive and harder to get.

3. No Real Exclusives

Do you know that Xbox One has only about 10 exclusives, most of which are Kinect-only games? The Xbox Series X stands even worse, as it won't have exclusives at all! Of course, Forza, Halo, or Gears won't come to PlayStation 5, but they are only console-exclusive. This means they are all available on PC and look even better there.

If you have a gaming PC, all you need is a PS5 to play the exclusives and a few third-party games that aren't coming to Windows. That's why we seriously doubt that many PC gamers will decide to buy Microsoft's console. Plus, as we said, lots of Xbox Series X first-party games are cross-gen, including Forza Horizon 5.

 2. Xbox Series S

Microsoft surprised everyone by offering the Xbox Series S at only $299 while promising it's still a powerful console. Series S doesn't have a disc drive, but it supports ray tracing and has the same-speed SSD as the Series X. However, it does perform worse, meaning it won't support 4K gaming. So, if you have a 1080p display or medium-sized budget 4K TV, the Xbox Series X is pretty pointless.

The $200 price difference is significant enough to drag many gamers away from Series X, and it may even tempt PC gamers to give it a go. The lack of a disc drive is still a big no-no for some people, but most don't care about it. Thus, there's no question that the Series S is a better choice.

1. PS5 Exclusives

PS4 exclusives were probably the biggest reason why it beat the Xbox One. Sony knows that well, using this strategy even more with PS5. This includes additions to favorite franchises but also complete remakes and new IPs. While Sony started porting some of its exclusives to Windows, many won't ever come to it or arrive years after the PS5 release.

As we've said, Xbox Series X doesn't have a single exclusive, so PS5 gamers with an average gaming PC don't have much reason to buy the system. Yet, Microsoft is sticking to its philosophy that exclusives are not fair to consumers. Still, we're not sure that's the winning strategy.

Despite all the negatives on our top ten list, there are still many things to like about the Xbox Series X. With so much power, backward compatibility, and a price below expected, Microsoft is making an honest effort to attract gamers. If they are successful, this can only benefit the whole gaming industry.

What factors made you buy or skip the Xbox Series X? Does the Xbox Series X sound more attractive than the PS5? We'd love to hear your voice in the comments!

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Cover photo: TopTens.fun/Midjourney