Xbox Series X
MSRP $500.00
“The Xbox Series X is an extremely powerful console, but it still struggles to deliver console-selling exclusives.”
Pros
Gobs of potential
More storage than PS5
Accessible library by way of Game Pass
Good worth
Cons
Lacking huge exclusives
Difficult to slot in most A/V cupboards
Next-gen potential is untapped
Timing is all the things.
When a console launches, it’s important. Every part of a brand new system — from {hardware} to software program — has to come back collectively to satisfy the expectations of an keen and sometimes hypercritical fan base. And when the Xbox Series X first launched in 2020, it didn’t have the artwork of timing on its facet as a consequence of COVID-19 spoiling Microsoft’s huge launch plans.
At first, the Xbox Series X felt like an athlete who spent the 12 months working towards for the large recreation, solely to search out the remainder of the staff didn’t present up. It was a powerhouse that corrected lots of the wrongs from the early days of the Xbox One. The future was undeniably vivid, however, as a consequence of key software program delays, it simply wasn’t a system that was value buying instantly – or any time within the ensuing months.
That’s modified within the years for the reason that console’s launch … however not by a lot. Major releases like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 have helped give Microsoft’s highly effective sports activities automotive a bit of extra fuel, however the Series X nonetheless struggles in terms of delivering huge exclusives that actually put its energy to the take a look at. Big gambles like Starfield and Redfall have but to repay a few of Xbox’s pricier investments that have been meant to reinvigorate its first-party efforts. Instead, Microsoft has doubled down on Xbox Game Pass to fill the gaps. When you’re absolutely purchased in to the total Microsoft ecosystem, the Xbox Series X looks like one of the best console available on the market immediately.
But that’s the catch — you’ll have to pay that month-to-month subscription price to make the system really feel worthwhile. Game Pass means there are many video games to play on the system, because of backward compatibility and optimizations to some third-party titles, however is it value plopping down $500 on a brand new console when the identical video games already work on the outdated one or your PC?
Digital Trends initially reviewed the Xbox Series X over the course of every week, although we’ve since up to date it to mirror the present state of the console (Note that this overview focuses solely on the Series X, not the $300 Series S). After spending extra time with it and watching its library develop, the Xbox Series X continues to be a difficult machine to advocate. It’ll both be your most or least used console relying on whether or not or not you’re prepared to purchase into the Game Pass ecosystem.
About our Xbox Series X overview
Our Xbox Series X overview was first printed on November 5, 2020 by Chris Morris. It has since been up to date by Giovanni Colantonio, holding it updated with latest recreation releases and {hardware} updates. The most up-to-date replace was on May 3, 2024, to mirror new recreation releasess like Starfield, in addition to developments in Microsoft’s multiplatform recreation technique.
Setup: hurry up and obtain
Gamers know to anticipate a day one patch, however that doesn’t make it any much less irritating. The preliminary obtain was lower than 1GB, and that was separate from any required recreation updates. The controller additionally requires a patch.
The result’s a setup course of that may seemingly take 10 minutes to an hour of your time, relying on the velocity of your web connection. Certainly, it’s higher to obtain a patch than to not, however the battle between main day one updates and the will to load up a recreation the moment you activate the console is a matter the blazing new solid-state onerous drive can’t repair.
Otherwise, establishing the console is a breeze. Microsoft pushes utilizing the Xbox app to take action. It actually is a timesaver, letting you copy your settings, GamerTag, Wi-Fi password (assuming you don’t have a hardline web connection on your console), and different info over rapidly, drastically simplifying the setup.
Performance: loads of energy, in an enormous field
Microsoft has shouted about its superior {hardware} at almost deafening ranges because it first teased the Series X (referred to as Project Scarlett on the time). By now, you seemingly know the specs and buzzwords: 120 frames per second (fps), HDR, 12 teraflops of processing energy, and so forth.
Despite its efficiency, the Series X is surprisingly quiet. The cooling construction of the system is so environment friendly that you simply’ll generally marvel if the console is definitely turned on. The Xbox One, compared, is sort of a jet engine.
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The Series X shouldn’t be, nonetheless, a straightforward slot in most house leisure facilities. Microsoft (like Sony) constructed its next-generation system to be a showcase merchandise. The Series X is smaller than the PlayStation 5, however it’s nonetheless not constructed to suit simply into the typical front room A/V cupboard. This is because of its width, the consequence of a form extra just like a field than a slate. It may very well be an annoyance to some house owners.
Once you’ve got the chance to place the Series X to the take a look at, you’ll discover an especially highly effective machine that lives as much as Microsoft’s efficiency guarantees. Games like Forza Horizon 5 and Microsoft Flight Simulator look gorgeous on Series X and can seemingly play higher there than they may in your PC, except you’re coping with a high-end rig. But these experiences are nonetheless few and much between, even two years later. I think about we’ll see the console’s {hardware} pushed to its limits extra constantly as Microsoft scoops up publishers like Activision Blizzard, however for now, the facility bump over the Xbox One hasn’t felt as impactful accurately.
Storage: 1TB isn’t what it was once
The Series X comes with acceptable, although not optimum, space for storing. The 1TB onerous drive (in comparison with the Series S’s 512GB) is on par with the Xbox One X. You’ll solely have 802 GB obtainable, although, after subtracting the quantity utilized by the system’s working system. That needs to be high quality initially, however as this era progresses and video games require extra space, it may very well be problematic.
Bumping system reminiscence to 2 TB may have future-proofed the console, although it definitely would have affected the Series X’s $500 value (a key promoting level for Microsoft).
Still, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is at an obstacle. It ships with 825GB of inner storage and, just like the Xbox Series X, not all of that might be obtainable for putting in video games. According to prelaunch experiences, about 667GB is offered for video games. That means the PlayStation 5 has 135GB much less obtainable storage than the Xbox Series X.
Microsoft
If 1TB isn’t sufficient, you’ll be able to develop Series X’s storage. Players can hook an exterior onerous drive to the system. Testing by Digital Foundry found that, no less than for backward-compatible titles, an exterior solid-state onerous drive was nearly as quick as on-device storage.
The console additionally has a Storage Expansion Card slot that may double reminiscence dimension, however at $220, it isn’t cheap to take action. The PlayStation 5 may be upgraded with a greater diversity of third-party PCIe 4.0 SSDs, which may be bought for as little as $200 (for 1TB of storage).
The controller: If it’s not broke, don’t repair it
Controllers are our connection to the video games we play, they usually’ve grow to be more and more essential over the previous few generations. Microsoft has caught near the identical design for the previous two generations, and there aren’t any main modifications this time round.
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The Series X controller suits properly in your palms and has been ergonomically tweaked to make it barely extra snug. It’s a bit extra social than earlier Xbox controllers because of the addition of the seize and share button, which permits gamers to report screenshots and video clips and rapidly publish them on-line.
It continues to make use of AA batteries, moderately than inner rechargeable ones however is something however an influence hog. Still, the usage of batteries feels a bit of dated. The PlayStation 5 controller ships with an inner rechargeable battery. Xbox Series X house owners must pay for that improve as an add-on.
Games and software program: Struggling with exclusivity
When we initially reviewed the Xbox Series X, the sport library was anemic. The console launched with no main exclusives, with its largest day one title being a next-gen rerelease of Gears Tactics. That sluggish launch would finally set the stage for the console’s total life span to this point. Even if the Xbox Series X has discovered its foothold with Game Pass within the years since launch, the dearth of true console-selling exclusives solely will get extra obvious as time goes on.
The launch lineup undoubtedly regarded wonderful on the time. Gears 5 ran extremely clean at 120 frames per second (fps), which raised hopes for titles nonetheless to come back. The challenge is that we’re largely nonetheless ready for Microsoft to capitalize. Outside of Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, there’s just about no single piece of software program that’s as engaging because the PlayStation 5’s Horizon Forbidden West or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. That was supposed to vary when Starfield and Redfall landed in 2023, however each video games underwhelmed to completely different levels. Significantly extra video games are on the horizon, however we’ll seemingly be midway by way of the Series X’s life span by the point Microsoft finds a constant cadence. And even then, there’s no assure that video games like Clockwork Revolution might be sturdy sufficient to make gamers really feel justified of their buy of the console.
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Microsoft’s long-term play is Xbox Game Pass — and it’s working to an extent. The subscription service is an incredible deal, giving gamers entry to a complete library of titles. If you requested me what one of the best console presently available on the market is, I’d say Xbox Series X with a Game Pass subscription. However, take away the service from the equation, and it’s a lot tougher to justify the $500 price ticket — particularly when you’ll be able to nonetheless get Game Pass by way of your PC. You’re even in a position to play video games like Halo Infinite by way of your Samsung TV. Plus, Microsoft has begun launching a few of its greatest unique (like Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush) on different consoles. All of these choices make the Series X really feel like a really costly solution to do what your different units can do. Granted, the console will provide you with rather more stability over a cloud expertise and there’s worth in holding all the things in a single Xbox ecosystem.
So how do video games truly profit from the Series X {hardware}? Reduced load occasions are the large draw, although I’ve discovered that the PS5 tends to really feel quicker on the entire. Loading from recreation launch to gameplay in Gears 5 (for a brand new marketing campaign) nonetheless takes nicely over a minute. Watch Dogs: Legion, whereas unoptimized, took a bit much less time. These are higher outcomes than an Xbox One X, however not the instant-play accessibility that was advised. Forza Horizon 5 is rather more spectacular with hardly any loading in any respect in its huge open world, however there are noticeable stalls when firing up its picture mode. Still, load occasions are notably higher than on outdated {hardware}, even when they’re not the quickest within the West.
Quick Resume, the touted function that suspends video games very like you droop an app in your smartphone, is a powerful promoting level. On a number of events, I’ve had a number of video games open on the similar time and been in a position to seamlessly leap out and in of them. It looks like a magic trick and stays one of many Series X’s most spectacular tech options.
The Smart Delivery function, which ensures gamers get one of the best model of a recreation for his or her system, is a pleasant contact that may save frustration, however the truth that it’s not obtainable for each recreation is annoying. It’s not even obtainable for each Xbox Game Studios recreation, which is positively baffling.
The promise
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s wager on the longer term. It’s an insanely highly effective system that, as soon as the corporate’s inner groups start to showcase its energy, may wow the gaming world. The downside is that it’ been years now and we’re nonetheless ready for that second.
Microsoft feels it has one thing to show on this console era. The Xbox One stumbled out of the gate and by no means absolutely recovered. That’s not the case this time. While the dearth of software program is bothersome, it’s onerous to fault the corporate solely, because the pandemic put long-term strains on everybody within the gaming world
It nonetheless struggles to catch as much as the hype …
Microsoft is making a compelling case for the worth proposition of Series X with Game Pass. There’s a motive it’s touting the massive library of backward-compatible video games and the Smart Delivery choice. No, you gained’t get a deep library of AAA exclusives that might maintain you occupied for a 12 months. And you could not get it for fairly a while. But Microsoft argues that this can be a excellent alternative to play video games you by no means acquired round to or are presently having fun with in an enhanced setting.
It’s not a nasty argument, by any means, however it’s extra smart and sensible than emotional. Console launches have been as soon as an opportunity to point out off new gaming experiences that merely weren’t doable earlier than. The Xbox Series X fell brief in that division in 2020 and it nonetheless struggles to catch as much as the hype years later.
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