I’ve had a video game console in a bedroom or a living room for as long as I can remember, and the majority of those years usually meant having two set-top boxes right next to one another. The first for video games, and the second used for movies and TV. But obviously we live in a time of convergence, and cord cutting, so consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 are basically the all-encompassing boxes many people are looking for.

They aren’t perfect by any means, and if you don’t play video games they’re probably a bit too pricey for just wanting a set-top box that has Hulu, Netflix, and other services. Plus, they’re locked into their own ecosystems in some respects. Sony and Microsoft both have ways for people to listen to music and buy movies and TV shows, for instance. But luckily they also offer access to other services which are cross-platform.

I’ve had aspirations to have a one-platform house for quite some time, and it’s something that I could make happen if I really wanted to, but it’s something I haven’t made happen just yet. And it’s because I don’t like the idea of having to stick to one platform. Despite the fact that I’ve been using an iPhone, and probably won’t ever adopt an Android tablet into my life, I like the idea that I can opt-out and switch when I want, and still have access to my digital content without any hassles.

I buy the majority of my movies from Amazon so I can watch it on Amazon Video, which means I have it just about anywhere and everywhere. I’ve got an Xbox One, a MacBook Air, a Windows 10 PC, and an iPhone — and I can watch my movies on any of those devices. If I bought my movies from Microsoft’s digital storefront, I could watch them on the Xbox One and PC. And if I bought them from iTunes, my MacBook would suddenly become my main viewing device, and that doesn’t sound all that appealing.

This is actually one of the reasons I’ve stayed with Spotify, versus switching over to Apple Music. (The other reason is that Spotify stillhas more of the music I listen to.) I can have Spotify on my computers and my iPhone, but that leaves the option out for my Xbox One (thanks, Sony!). I’ve considered switching to Microsoft’s Groove music streaming service, but again I’m restricted by music selection more often than not.

This probably wouldn’t be a hassle at all if I wasn’t someone that played video games, which means I already have the set-top box situation figured out. If I didn’t have that console I could switch to an Apple TV, for instance. Or, I could if it had Amazon Video. Or I could pick up a Boku-branded box. There are options out there, and thanks to preferring cross-platform services I’m not hindered in a big way.

Do you prefer cross-platform services, or are you someone who’s adopted one platform into your life? Let me know!