Goodbye, Xbox. This time, it's really you, not me.

I loved my Xbox 360. I loved the feel of the controller. I loved using Kinect. With my 360, I wept as Mordin met his glorious end. With my 360, I defeated the Archdemon. I had no intention of changing consoles; instead, my hard-won dollars would be spent towards the Inquisitor's Edition of Dragon Age: Inquisition. That all changed when the powers-that-be decided to FUBAR Xbox Live.

I remember it clearly. Unable to sleep, I was using the Xbox at four o'clock in the morning when I was suddenly and inexplicably logged out of Xbox Live. What began as a minor annoyance evolved into significant frustration over the subsequent months as I was required to log in every time I switched applications. I suppose I should be thankful. Initially, my account wasn't even recognized.

I suspect these changes were instigated to accommodate the launch of the Xbox One, the clunky, over-priced successor to my beloved 360. Before this, I had no desire to switch brands: I simply would have waited to upgrade my console as finances would allow. Xbox Live has forced my hand.

I'll be buying the PS4 under protest. Yes, it has actually gone up in price. Yes, I will have to learn how to manipulate a new controller, one that I feel remains inferior in both design and durability to that of the Xbox. Yes, I will have to sacrifice DLNA support. And, perhaps what makes me most angry of all, yes, I will have to forego the collector's edition of DA:I in order to afford this unforeseen and unwanted change (I was really looking forward to lock-picking that secret compartment in the steel game case). That is how much I have come to despise Xbox Live.

The Inquisitor's Edition: O, what might have been mine...

I comfort myself with the fact that the graphics of my pre-ordered Deluxe Edition of DA:I will be presented in all their 1080p glory. Let's hope I don't come to regret this decision.

The Deluxe Edition, ironically, for Xbox One