It has now been a year since the ‘official’ (purists will count the Wii U) start of the next-gen console wars, pitting Xbox against Playstation in an intense fight for survival. Suffice it to say that, despite an undoubtedly strong consumer response to the Xbox One, the Playstation 4 has achieved something of a victory, however pyrrhic.
Xbox One fans still have a great deal to celebrate however, with healthy sales and a slew of interesting titles headed their way, there has arguably never been a better time to pick up the Xbox One. Microsoft are going one step further however, they have announced a large giveaway to loyal users consisting of a bevy of treats and goodies. Provided that they meet the minimum requirements (purchased the Xbox One prior to October 1st 2014, have signed up to receive Xbox Marketing emails, are in one of the 13 launch markets, are over 17 and have at least 10+ hours of playtime), all will be given a new gamer picture, several new backgrounds and a choice of two free movies to rent.
In addition to this universal giveaway, fans will be entered into a prize draw, from which the winners will be picked at random. Winners can expect to receive anything from an Xbox One Limited Edition Call of Duty Advanced Warfare bundle to a Xbox Live Gold 12-month subscription code.
In the last year, fans have achieved a collective Gamerscore of over 11 billion and have spent more than 2 billion hours playing games on the Xbox One. This is a testament to the popularity of Microsoft’s latest gaming machine and to the passion of the fans behind it. With a more competitive price point following the removal of the previously obligatory Kinect sensor from the core package, and significant momentum behind it, all the signs point to the Xbox One having many promising years to come. Indeed, with Sony showing significant financial weakness recently and Microsoft recently becoming the second most valuable company in the world, the switch in situation may happen sooner rather than later.
