Where will you build your library for the decades to come?

Sorry in advance for the long post, but I think this could be interesting for people who are wondering how the industry might evolve if the Microsoft, Valve and Sony of this world decide to be REALLY customer friendly. It’s a mix of personal reflection and broader questions about where gaming is heading.

For context, I’m a 90s kid who grew up during what I’d call the first golden age of gaming. After becoming a father, I stopped gaming for almost 2–3 years. I only started again a few months ago (thanks to Expedition 33 for reminding me how meaningful and layered a game can be).

Since then, I feel like I’ve been hit with this urge to replay all the classics, the real masterpieces of storytelling and gameplay. I’ve played or replayed BG3, Rebirth, Cyberpunk, Witcher 3, Ivalice. I restarted FFX and Remake. I want to play the Resident Evil remakes and probably MGS next. I’m really back into it I’d say… though with that return to gaming came a question. Where should I actually be playing all of this?

I was a long time PlayStation player, from PS1 all the way to PS4. Near the end of the generation I briefly went through Stadia before buying an Xbox Series S, simply because the PS5 and Series X were impossible to find at the time.

(Side note, I sometimes wonder if the mixed sales of certain PlayStation exclusives that launched only on PlayStation at day one might partly be explained by the fact that a lot of players switched to Xbox or PC during that shortage period, but that’s just speculation.)

I still have that Xbox Series S today. Naturally I’ve been using it for a lot of games, and I’ve also used Boosteroid for PlayStation titles I didn’t own, which I eventually rebought on Steam.

Over the years I also played on PC in parallel, which means that today my Steam and Xbox libraries are both pretty massive. And that’s where the doubt starts.

The Series S works. I’m not saying it’s unplayable. But I’m starting to feel its limits, especially when I compare it to visuals on GeForce Now Ultimate or Boosteroid Ultra. The difference can be huge and I’m really not a fan of 30 FPS…

At the same time, even though cloud gaming works and I actually play a lot through remote play, I still prefer owning my own hardware. I like the simple and stable interface, the Quick Resume feature which is amazing for dad life. I like having something local, even if I end up using it a bit like a home server.

So I started thinking about upgrading to a Series X. But does that really make sense when I already own a Series S and we are probably near the end of this generation? I honestly don’t know. I still doubt, especially with GTA VI coming. I have real concerns about how well the Series S will handle it at launch.

Then I saw the rumors about a future Xbox that could give access to both Xbox and Steam libraries. And that’s when it suddenly felt like that was the actual solution to my dilemma.

Because in the end, I think that what I’m actually trying to figure out is where I should keep building my library for the decades to come. And if a console could play all my Xbox and Steam games in one place, with a simple and stable console-like interface, that would clearly be ideal. I could just buy games wherever they’re on sale without overthinking it. I wouldn’t constantly wonder if I’m making the wrong long term strategic choice. I wouldn’t feel stuck between ecosystems. I would just build my library. That’s it.

(In the long run, I even feel like if Sony doesn’t eventually offer something similar, meaning giving PlayStation users access to their full library across devices in some way, they could start feeling the consequences.)

Because when you step back, the industry does seem to be moving toward convergence. Sony is putting games on Steam. Xbox releases games across Xbox and PC. PC handhelds and SteamOS devices are growing fast.

So I feel like I’m at a crossroads. Do I keep my Series S and use cloud when needed, accept the compromises and wait for the next Xbox? Do I buy a Series X now for GTA VI even if this generation is nearing its end? Do I move more toward PC and try to build something that’s still user friendly but more open?

Maybe some of you have insider knowledge or follow these trends more closely than I do. Do you actually see this convergence becoming real in the next few years? Is Microsoft really going to push further toward openness and create that console that can play everything or is it just wishful thinking?

If your goal was to build a solid and durable library for the next ten or twenty years, what would you do today?

I’m not just looking for a hardware recommendation. I’m genuinely trying to understand which direction makes the most sense long term, both for me and for where the industry seems to be heading.

What do you think?

TLDR: I came back to gaming after becoming a dad and now I’m questioning where I should build my library for the next 10–20 years. Not sure if I should upgrade now or wait for where the industry is clearly heading.