As Zaboru scrolled through the forums, Xbox had only been released for around one day, almost two, yet there were already countless reviews and discussion threads from users who bought the console early. Most of the threads had absurd amounts of engagement too, with people arguing nonstop about graphics, performance, launch games, controllers, and online services.
Honestly?
The forum looked like a battlefield.
Zaboru chuckled softly before deciding to read some of the most popular threads himself.
The first review he opened was titled:
"GRAPHICAL GALORE!"
The thread itself immediately screamed excitement.
"Honestly, I didn't expect the performance to be THIS good! After playing Xbox, I genuinely don't think I can go back to ZEPS 3 graphics again. Bro, some of these games almost look real, especially HORI. That game looks INSANE! For graphics alone I give this thing 10/10. Sorry ZAGE fans, but I think this is Xbox's era now!"
The comments below were already exploding.
"BRO RELAX IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS!"
"Graphics are insane though not gonna lie."
"HORI genuinely surprised me."
"ZEPS 3 still has way better game library."
"XBOX FEELS NEXT GEN AF."
"Are you sure about that?"
Even here.
The phrase still appeared.
Zaboru covered his face while laughing tiredly. Somehow his stupid catchphrase had infected every corner of the gaming internet.
Still, he honestly was not angry at all.
He already understood there would always be players who valued graphics above everything else. That was normal. Xbox was newer hardware, so naturally many people would be blown away by visual improvements.
Then he opened the comments properly, and as expected, there was immediate backlash from many ZAGE fans defending ZEPS 3.
"The graphics are great, sure. I played Xbox myself, and honestly, if you say it beats ZEPS 3 graphics by a decent margin, then yeah, that's true. But that doesn't suddenly make ZEPS 3 obsolete. Xbox only has six games right now. Meanwhile ZAGE already has years of insane releases. Some ZEPS 3 games are timeless."
Another user replied:
"Exactly. Better graphics doesn't automatically mean better games."
Then another person immediately countered:
"Yeah but once Xbox gets MORE games? That's when things get dangerous."
The thread quickly became a massive argument between people defending ZAGE and people hyping Xbox's future potential.
Some people focused entirely on graphics.
Others cared more about game libraries.
Some argued that Xbox represented the future of gaming hardware, while others insisted that ZAGE still completely dominated in creativity and game variety.
One user even wrote:
"Bro, Xbox right now feels like a super talented rookie player. The potential is terrifying, but ZAGE is still the championship veteran."
That comment alone somehow started another five-page argument.
And honestly?
Zaboru found all of it incredibly amusing.
"Well... casual console-war stuff," he muttered while drinking coffee.
For him, this kind of thing was normal now. Every new console generation always created tribal warfare between fans. Some people defended their favorite systems like national identity, while others treated graphics comparisons like life-or-death debates.
Still, beneath all the chaos, Zaboru noticed something genuinely important.
People were taking Xbox seriously.
Not as a joke.
Not as some failed side project.
But as a real competitor.
And that alone already meant Microsoft succeeded.
After thinking about that for a moment, Zaboru finally moved toward another topic that interested him even more.
Online services.
The next major topic Zaboru opened was titled:
"XBOX ONLINE IS ACTUALLY GOOD."
This one immediately caught his attention because online services were far more important than many casual players realized. Graphics could impress people at first glance, and launch games could create hype, but online infrastructure determined whether a console could survive long-term in the modern era. Zaboru knew this better than anyone because ZAGE had already built Steam, YouTube, online accounts, digital stores, multiplayer networks, and multiple live service games.
The thread itself was extremely enthusiastic.
"Guys, I played HORI multiplayer last night, and it's actually SO good! I expected some lag because it's a new console launch, but somehow the connection stayed really stable. I played several matches with random players online, then invited my friend over and tested couch multiplayer too. Both worked smoother than I expected. HORI's multiplayer feels fast, the shooting is responsive, and I didn't experience any major delay during matches.
It also works surprisingly well with other multiplayer games. Madden 2001 online matches feel smoother than I thought, and Furious Fight is pure chaos when played against other people. The matchmaking still feels simple, but for launch day? This is honestly impressive. Xbox Online might be the best reason to buy the console right now. Overall, I give Xbox Online 10/10. I love Xbox, man. If you like multiplayer, you should seriously consider buying it!"
The comments below were also surprisingly positive.
"Wait, HORI multiplayer is actually stable?"
"I played Madden online yesterday and it worked better than I expected."
"Furious Fight online matches are chaotic but fun."
"Xbox Online might be the real selling point honestly."
"I was going to wait for iPlay, but now I'm interested in buying Xbox too."
Many people agreed with the review, and several users who had been undecided suddenly became interested in buying Xbox because of it. For players who had friends in different cities or wanted to compete without visiting arcades or P.C Bangs, stable online play sounded extremely attractive.
Zaboru read the thread carefully while nodding. If the online service truly worked as smoothly as people claimed, then Microsoft had made a very smart move. A good online system could turn even a small launch library into something more valuable because players would keep returning to the same games for multiplayer.
Despite all of this are copying STEAM XBOX still doing Good Job Overal
Still, something about the thread felt slightly strange.
The praise was almost too clean.
Too enthusiastic.
Too perfectly worded in certain places.
Zaboru narrowed his eyes slightly, but he kept reading with an amused smile.
Then Zaboru explored more forum topics, and the longer he read, the more he noticed something strange.
Most of the reactions were positive, which was normal. Xbox was new, the launch games were solid, and Microsoft had enough brand power to attract attention. But some threads felt too polished for ordinary user impressions. The wording was too neat, the praise repeated similar points, and several accounts kept emphasizing the same things again and again: stable online play, powerful hardware, smooth graphics, and how Xbox was "definitely worth buying now."
Zaboru leaned closer to the screen and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hmm... most of them are positive, but something feels really amiss."
It had only been around two days since release. There was no way ordinary players had already explored every feature deeply enough to make such confident statements about the entire Xbox ecosystem. Some reviews sounded genuine, but others felt like carefully prepared marketing comments disguised as normal community opinions.
After a moment, Zaboru chuckled.
"I see what you did there, Microsoft."
He shook his head, but there was no anger on his face. If Microsoft really paid some people to comment positively, or quietly encouraged influencers and forum users to push certain talking points, then honestly, that was just standard corporate warfare. It was not exactly clean, but it was not surprising either.
Besides, Zaboru could not even fully blame them. Microsoft was entering a brutal market dominated by ZAGE. Of course they would use every trick available to make Xbox look as strong as possible during launch week.
If anything, Zaboru found it amusing.
Still, another thought suddenly crossed Zaboru's mind, making his lips twitch with amusement.
"Well... I wonder if the infamous CD-stuck problem will happen in this world too," he muttered.
Zaboru remembered the original Xbox from his previous life having certain hardware problems, including cases where the disc tray or game disc could get stuck inside the console. It was not something every player experienced, but it was memorable enough that the thought immediately came back to him while reading all the early praise. New hardware always looked beautiful during launch week, but the real test usually came after thousands or millions of players used it daily.
Would this world's Xbox have the same problem?
Or had Microsoft already avoided it because technology here was several years ahead?
Zaboru honestly could not tell yet.
For now, at least, Xbox was clearly a good console. It had strong graphics, decent launch games, promising online features, and enough identity to make people take Microsoft seriously. That alone was already a major achievement.
And honestly, Zaboru was excited.
Because if Xbox could be this interesting, then Apple's iPlay might also surprise him in its own way.
Then Zaboru leaned back and started thinking more seriously about Microsoft's future game library. "Hmm... I wonder how Microsoft will make their games from here," he muttered. "Will they rely on internal studios? Will they buy existing video game companies? Or maybe they'll do both, just like Sonaya is currently doing?"
That question interested him more than the launch sales themselves. A console could start strong with good hardware, but without a steady stream of quality games, that momentum would eventually dry up. Microsoft had money, technology, and business power, but the video game industry was not something that could be conquered with money alone.
They needed developers who understood games deeply.
They needed directors with vision.
They needed teams that could create identity, not just imitate whatever was already popular.
Zaboru chuckled softly while staring at the forum page. "I really hope their library expands properly, though. If Xbox gets more good games, the entire industry becomes more exciting.".
Then another thought crossed his mind, and Zaboru's grin slowly widened.
"Still... after seeing this Xbox, I really can't wait for ZEPS 4 to come out," he thought. "Hehehe... when that thing finally appears, it will blow everyone away."
Zaboru was not going to lie to himself. Xbox was good, and iPlay might become interesting too, but ZEPS 4 was different. It was not simply another console made to answer competitors. It was the next major weapon ZAGE had been preparing quietly in the background, guided by Zanichi's hardware genius, ZAGE's absurd resources, and Zaboru's knowledge from his previous life.
If Xbox and iPlay made people feel that the next generation had finally arrived, then ZEPS 4 would make them question whether they had celebrated too early.
Of course, Zaboru did not underestimate Microsoft or Apple. He respected their efforts. Microsoft clearly understood power and online features, while Apple clearly understood presentation, lifestyle appeal, and user identity. Both companies had entered the battlefield seriously, and that alone deserved praise.
But once ZEPS 4 came out?
Zaboru already knew it would throw both Xbox and iPlay into the "obsolete" category far faster than they expected.
Still, that was a story for the future.
For now, he simply smiled, closed the forum tab, and let the console war continue without revealing the real monster waiting behind ZAGE's doors.
To be continue
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