A new BGR feature has put the Xbox Series X back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. On October 25, 2026, BGR published “4 Reasons Owners Regret Buying An Xbox Series X”, a piece that lists four specific pain points: declining exclusives, no day-one access to Call of Duty on Game Pass, restrictions on cloud gaming, and the cost and hassle of AA batteries in the controller. The Xbox Series X regret conversation has now moved from forum threads into mainstream tech coverage.
This analysis breaks down each complaint, separates what is confirmed from what is opinion, and looks at what the story means for anyone weighing a purchase today. It also sits alongside our earlier look at September US console sales from Circana, which covers the market side of the same story. For the wider picture, browse the gaming section of Tech Insider.
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What BGR Reported About Xbox Series X Regret
BGR frames its article around owner dissatisfaction, and the framing matters. The outlet does not publish a survey, a sales figure, or a count of unhappy buyers. Its four reasons come from the reporting and commentary of the writer, not from a dataset. That makes the piece an opinion-led roundup of recurring complaints rather than proof that a specific share of Xbox Series X owners wish they had bought something else.
Still, the complaints are not random. Each one maps to a real shift in how Microsoft sells and supports its hardware. Exclusives have thinned, a flagship shooter has moved away from the Game Pass launch-day promise, cloud play now comes with limits, and the controller still depends on disposable batteries. Taken together, they describe a console whose ownership story has changed since the day people first lined up to buy it.
The takeaway for readers is simple. The hardware itself is not the target of the criticism. The complaints focus on the ecosystem around the box, and on the gap between what buyers expected at checkout and what the platform delivers in late 2026.
The Four Complaints at a Glance
Before digging into each reason, the table below summarizes what BGR reports and how much of each claim our fact check can confirm. The “Confirmed detail” column lists only what appears in BGR’s reporting. Specific prices, exact hour caps and subscription costs are left out because they are not established in the sources we can verify.
| Complaint | Area | Confirmed detail (per BGR) | Not confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declining exclusives | Software library | Listed as a reason owners regret the purchase | Exact count of lost exclusives |
| No day-one Call of Duty on Game Pass | Subscription value | Call of Duty no longer arrives on Game Pass at launch | Exact Game Pass pricing |
| Cloud gaming restrictions | Streaming | Restrictions on cloud gaming cited as a regret | Specific time limits |
| AA batteries | Controller | Controller uses AA batteries, depleted cells mean swapping or wired play over USB | Replacement cost per owner |
| Overall owner sentiment | Market | Complaints reflect some owners’ opinions | Any number or majority of dissatisfied owners |
Reason 1: Declining Exclusives
The first complaint on BGR’s list is the slow erosion of games that you can only play on Xbox. For years Microsoft’s console pitch leaned on first-party franchises that justified owning the hardware. When those titles show up on other platforms, the reason to pick an Xbox Series X over a cheaper way to play gets weaker. BGR lists declining exclusives as the opening reason owners feel buyer’s remorse.
The logic is easy to follow. A console is a bet on a library. If the library overlaps heavily with PC, and with rival consoles, the hardware becomes a convenience choice instead of a must-have. Owners who paid for a dedicated box expecting a steady stream of games they could not get elsewhere feel that shift most sharply.
What Falling Exclusivity Means for New Buyers
A new buyer today gets a different deal than someone who bought early. If you mostly play multiplatform releases, the exclusives gap barely matters, because the games arrive on Xbox anyway. If you picked the console for franchises you assumed would stay on Xbox, the gap hits harder. The practical advice is to list the five games you most want to play and check where each one launches before you commit to any box.
Microsoft keeps adding titles to its subscription catalog, as our coverage of the October 2026 Game Pass wave shows. But a bigger catalog does not replace the feeling of owning something nobody else can play, and BGR’s first reason speaks directly to that gap.
Reason 2: No Day-One Call of Duty on Game Pass
The second complaint is about Call of Duty. BGR reports that new Call of Duty releases no longer land on Game Pass on day one. For many subscribers, that single promise justified the monthly fee. The franchise draws a huge multiplayer audience every year, and having the new entry included at launch turned Game Pass into a bargain for those players.
Removing that perk changes the math for the Xbox Series X specifically. A console owner who also subscribed to Game Pass for Call of Duty now pays full price for the new release, or waits. Our look at the Modern Warfare 4 launch across six platforms covers how the release is being sold. We also examined the series’ bigger challenge in our piece on how Modern Warfare 4 tries to win fans back.
We will not quote a Game Pass price here. The available sources do not establish an exact subscription figure, and guessing would mislead readers. What BGR does establish is the direction of travel: the day-one guarantee is gone, and owners who counted on it feel the loss.
Reason 3: Cloud Gaming Restrictions
The third reason concerns restrictions on cloud gaming. Cloud play once looked like a free bonus on top of the hardware. For owners who liked to continue a game on a phone, a laptop or a TV without a console, any new limit feels like a downgrade to the product they already paid for.
BGR flags the restrictions as a source of regret, though the specific limits are not something we can confirm from verified sources, so we do not repeat figures here. If you want the cost angle, our earlier reporting on Xbox’s cloud playtime test without Game Pass and the cost-per-hour math for Xbox Cloud walks through the numbers as reported at the time.
For a console owner, the cloud complaint is a trust issue as much as a technical one. Buyers expect the features available when they purchased the hardware to stay roughly stable. When a streaming allowance gets tighter after purchase, some owners conclude that the platform rules can change under them.
Reason 4: The AA Battery Problem
The fourth reason is the least glamorous and probably the easiest to relate to. The Xbox controller uses AA batteries. BGR says that when the batteries run flat, owners have to replace them or play wired through a USB cable. In an era when most phones, earbuds and many rival controllers charge from a cable, disposable cells feel like a leftover from an older generation.
The complaint is partly about cost and partly about friction. Buying cells repeatedly adds up over years, and the hunt for fresh ones in the middle of a session is a small but real annoyance. We cannot state a replacement cost because the verified sources do not give one, so treat any cost claim you read elsewhere with care.
Wired Play as a Fallback
BGR notes that a USB cable offers a way to keep playing when the batteries die. That solves the immediate problem, but it also means the controller tethers you to the console, which defeats the point of a wireless pad. Many owners buy a rechargeable solution to avoid the issue, which adds a second purchase to the original console price.
The battery complaint matters more than its size suggests. It is a daily-use irritation that colors the whole ownership experience, and it is one of the few issues where the fix sits entirely in Microsoft’s hands.
What the Hardware Still Delivers
None of the four reasons says the Xbox Series X is a weak machine. Microsoft’s own listings describe a serious piece of hardware. According to the Microsoft Store listing for the XBOX Series X, the console runs a custom Zen 2 CPU with eight cores at 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz with SMT) and a custom RDNA 2 GPU rated at 12 TFLOPS across 52 compute units at 1.825 GHz. It pairs 16GB of GDDR6 memory with a 1TB custom NVMe SSD.
| Component | Microsoft’s listed spec |
|---|---|
| CPU | Custom Zen 2, 8 cores at 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz with SMT) |
| GPU | Custom RDNA 2, 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs at 1.825 GHz |
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Storage | 1TB custom NVMe SSD |
| Resolution | True 4K gaming |
| Frame rate | Up to 120 FPS |
| Optical drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray |
The official Xbox page for the console also advertises true 4K gaming, support for up to 120 FPS, and a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive. That last item still matters for owners who keep a physical movie collection, since not every rival box offers a disc drive in every configuration.
The point is that regret here is about software, services and accessories, not silicon. A buyer who values raw hardware, 4K output and a disc drive still gets what Microsoft promised on the spec sheet.
Why the Story Matters for Xbox’s Strategy
Read as a group, the four complaints trace a company that is moving from a hardware-first identity toward a service-and-platform identity. Fewer exclusives suggest Microsoft wants its games in front of more players on more devices. A change to Call of Duty on Game Pass suggests the subscription is being re-tuned around cost and value. Cloud restrictions suggest streaming needs guardrails. Even the battery issue fits the picture, since accessories are not where a platform-first company tends to invest.
That strategy can make business sense, but it creates friction for people who bought the box early. They paid for hardware under one set of assumptions and now live with another. Microsoft has also been testing new ideas around its gaming brand, such as the Xbox Labs experimental division, and the next hardware moves are covered in our report on the upcoming Xbox handheld and Project Helix.
For existing owners, the strategic shift raises a fair question. If the platform is increasingly about subscriptions and cloud access, how much does the specific console in your living room still matter? BGR’s list implies that many owners do not have a comfortable answer.
How Rival Platforms Frame the Same Tradeoffs
No console is free of regret, and it would be unfair to read BGR’s list as unique to Xbox. Every platform makes tradeoffs on price, library, online services and accessories. PlayStation and Nintendo buyers argue about their own pain points, and PC gamers weigh upfront cost against flexibility.
What sets the Xbox Series X apart in this moment is that all four complaints tie to decisions Microsoft made after launch. The controller design is a rare exception because it has been consistent. If you are cross-shopping, our PS5 Pro vs Xbox Series X vs Switch 2 price comparison lays out how the three stack up on cost, and our guide to the best console for GTA 6 covers a decision many buyers face this season.
Handheld shoppers face a separate set of choices. Microsoft’s partnership with ASUS has produced Xbox-branded portables, and we compared them in our ROG Xbox Ally lineup breakdown. A buyer who mainly wants to play Xbox games away from the TV may find a handheld solves the cloud and battery frustrations in one move.
Historical Context: How the Pitch Has Shifted
Console makers have always sold more than metal and silicon. They sell a promise about what the next five years of play will look like. When the Xbox Series X arrived, the promise centered on power, backward compatibility and a subscription that made the library feel enormous. Those pillars still exist, but the details around them have moved.
The battery story shows how little has moved on one front. Reports note that Xbox controllers have relied on AA batteries since the Xbox 360 era, so owners of the newest console still deal with a design choice that long predates it. By contrast, the software side has changed a lot, with Game Pass terms, cloud rules and exclusivity decisions all shifting within the lifetime of a single hardware generation.
That contrast explains why regret stories land. Hardware stays the same, but the surrounding deal keeps changing, and owners feel the changes without a way to opt out.
Market Impact: Reading the Regret Narrative
A regret headline carries weight with shoppers even without hard numbers behind it. Retail decisions often hinge on a few memorable negatives, and “no day-one Call of Duty” or “cloud limits” are easy to remember. Coverage like BGR’s can nudge undecided buyers toward a rival or toward waiting, especially ahead of the holiday shopping stretch.
The commercial picture is more nuanced than any single article. Sales data from Circana, discussed in our September console sales report, tracks what people actually buy. A regret narrative and a sales trend are related, but one does not prove the other. Owners can be unhappy and still keep playing, and buyers can ignore a negative story and still purchase.
Retailers, publishers and rivals all watch these narratives. Publishers care about install base, since a shrinking or stalling base affects where they launch games. Rivals care about conversion, since an unhappy Xbox owner is a possible customer for a competing platform. Microsoft cares about both, plus the health of its subscription business.
What Is Not Confirmed
Good reporting marks the limits of the evidence. Here is what the verified sources do not establish:
- Any specific number or majority of Xbox Series X owners who regret the purchase.
- A purchase price for the console, or a price for replacement batteries.
- Any cloud gaming time limit or hour cap.
- An exact Game Pass subscription price.
- A direct on-record quote from a named owner or a Microsoft representative.
BGR’s own framing treats the battery complaints as the opinions of some owners. No one has counted how many people feel that way. Readers should treat the headline as a summary of recurring criticisms, not as a measurement of customer satisfaction. Arabic-language outlet Al Rajol also ran a piece on why some players regret buying the console, which shows the story is travelling beyond English-language tech media.
Who Should Still Buy an Xbox Series X?
The right answer depends on the buyer. The table below turns BGR’s four reasons into a quick decision aid. It is our analysis, not a verified ranking, and it avoids prices because the sources do not confirm them.
| Buyer type | Biggest concern | Our read |
|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty regular | No day-one Game Pass access | Budget for a full-price purchase, check the subscription value before you commit |
| Exclusive-franchise fan | Fewer Xbox-only games | Verify where your must-play titles launch before buying |
| Cloud-first player | Streaming restrictions | Read the current cloud terms, since they can change |
| Casual living-room player | AA batteries | Plan for a rechargeable option or accept wired play |
| Spec and disc-drive buyer | Few of the four apply | The hardware still delivers on 4K, 120 FPS and the Blu-ray drive |
Anyone who already owns the console faces a different choice. Regret does not require a sale. You can keep the box, cut your subscription, and use cheaper accessories to ease the daily friction. Shoppers who prefer to cut costs on other hardware can also look at a refurbished PS5 versus a new one as an alternative route.
Predictions: Where Xbox Goes From Here
These are our own forecasts, based on the trends BGR describes. None come from a Microsoft announcement.
- Microsoft will keep tuning Game Pass tiers. The Call of Duty change signals that the company is re-balancing value against cost, and further adjustments are likely.
- Exclusivity will stay selective. Expect Microsoft to pick a few franchises to keep close to Xbox hardware while releasing others widely.
- Cloud rules will keep evolving. Streaming costs real money, so allowances and pricing will likely keep shifting as usage patterns become clear.
- Accessories will get more attention. The battery complaint is cheap to address with better rechargeable options, and criticism like BGR’s raises the pressure to act.
- Regret coverage will grow before the holidays. Platform comparisons peak around gift-buying season, so expect more pieces weighing Xbox against rivals.
The takeaway: the Xbox Series X remains a capable machine, but BGR’s four reasons show that the value of owning one now depends on services and policies that Microsoft can change at any time. Buy for the games and features you can confirm today, not for the ones you hope will stay.
FAQ: Xbox Series X Regret
What are the four reasons owners regret buying an Xbox Series X?
BGR lists declining exclusives, no day-one Call of Duty on Game Pass, restrictions on cloud gaming, and the cost and inconvenience of AA batteries for controllers.
Do most Xbox Series X owners regret their purchase?
No source confirms that. BGR’s piece reflects some owners’ opinions, and it gives no count or majority of dissatisfied buyers.
Is the Xbox Series X still powerful?
Microsoft lists a custom Zen 2 CPU with eight cores, a custom RDNA 2 GPU at 12 TFLOPS, 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 1TB custom NVMe SSD. It also lists true 4K gaming, up to 120 FPS, and a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive.
Does the Xbox controller use rechargeable batteries?
The controller uses AA batteries. When they run out, BGR says owners can replace them or play wired through a USB cable.
Is Call of Duty still on Game Pass?
BGR reports that new Call of Duty games no longer arrive on Game Pass on day one. We cannot confirm exact subscription pricing, so check Microsoft’s current terms before subscribing.
What are the cloud gaming restrictions?
BGR cites restrictions on cloud gaming as one of its four reasons. We cannot verify specific hour limits from the sources available, so check Xbox’s current cloud terms for exact figures.
Should I wait before buying an Xbox Series X?
If your main games are exclusives, Call of Duty on Game Pass, or heavy cloud play, check the current terms first. If you value the hardware, 4K output and the disc drive, the four complaints weigh less.
