Summary
The debut of a console is a very important event. It is necessary for every aspect of a new system, from the hardware to the software, to be in harmony in order to fulfill the requirements of a fan base that is enthusiastic and often quite critical. Furthermore, the Xbox Series X did not have the art of timing on its side when it was first released in the year 2020. This was because COVID-19 had spoiled Microsoft’s intentions for a significant launch.
At first, the Xbox Series X left me with the impression that it was an athlete who had spent the whole year training for the big game, only to discover that the rest of the squad had gone missing. It was a powerhouse that rectified a great deal of the difficulties that had been present in the early days of the Xbox One. The future was certainly bright, but because of significant software delays, it was just not a machine that was worth acquiring right then—or at any point in the months that followed.
Microsoft Xbox Series X review
In the years that have passed since the console was first released, there has been some change, but not a significant one. Despite the fact that major releases like as Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 have helped give Microsoft’s powerful sports vehicle a bit more gas, the Series X continues to suffer when it comes to providing large exclusives that really put its capabilities to the test. Some of Xbox’s most expensive investments, which were intended to revitalize the company’s first-party efforts, have not yet paid off, despite the fact that they have been big gambles like Starfield and Redfall. On the other hand, Microsoft has increased its focus on Xbox Game Pass in order to fill the voids. It is possible to get the impression that the Xbox Series X is the greatest console currently available on the market when you are completely immersed in the whole Microsoft ecosystem.
However, there is a catch: in order to maintain the feeling that the system is useful, you will be required to pay a monthly membership fee. Because of backward compatibility and improvements to select third-party titles, Game Pass ensures that there are a large number of games available to play on the system. However, the question arises as to whether or not it is worthwhile to spend $500 on a new console when the same games are already playable on the old console or on your personal computer.
Digital Trends first conducted a review of the Xbox Series X over the course of a week; however, we have since updated it to reflect the current condition of the system. It is important to note that this evaluation is primarily focused on the Series X and does not include the $300 Series S. Even after spending more time with it and seeing its library grow, the Xbox Series X is still a difficult computer to recommend to others. Depending on whether or not you are prepared to put money into the Game Pass ecosystem, it will either be the console that you use the most or the one that you use the least.
Regarding our assessment of the Xbox Series X
Chris Morris was the one who first revealed our assessment of the Xbox Series X to the public on November 5, 2020. Since then, Giovanni Colantonio has made several changes to it, ensuring that it is always current with the most recent game releases and hardware upgrades. The most current update was released on May 3, 2024, and it reflected both new game releases, such as Starfield, and advances in Microsoft’s approach for developing games that are compatible with several platforms.
Setup: download as quickly as possible
The fact that gamers are aware that they will get a fix on day one does not make the situation any less aggravating. Additionally, any necessary game updates were not included in the first download, which was less than one gigabyte in size. Additionally, a patch is required for the controller.
You will be required to spend anything from ten minutes to one hour of your time in order to complete the setup procedure, which is determined by the speed of your internet connection. The contradiction between significant day-one updates and the urge to load up a game the moment you turn on the system is a problem that the blazing new solid-state hard drive is unable to resolve. It is certainly preferable to get a patch rather than not receive one at all.
Aside from that, initializing the console is a piece of cake. Microsoft encourages users to do so by using the Xbox app. It allows you to transfer your settings, GamerTag, Wi-Fi password (assuming you do not have a hardline internet connection for your console), and other information across in a short amount of time, which significantly simplifies the process of setting up your console.
The performance is impressive, with a lot of power packed into a large package
Since the company initially hinted at the Series X, which was referred to as Project Scarlett at the time, Microsoft has been yelling about the superiority of its hardware in virtually deafening quantities. The specifications and phrases are probably familiar to you at this point: 120 frames per second (fps), high dynamic range (HDR), 12 teraflops of computing power, and so on.
The Series X is remarkably quiet, despite the fact that it produces performance. It is possible that you may sometimes question whether or not the console is truly switched on due to the cooling structure of the system being so effective. In contrast, the Xbox One is comparable to a gas-powered jet engine.
The Series X, on the other hand, does not effortlessly fit into the majority of home entertainment centers. In the same way that Sony did, Microsoft designed its next-generation system to be a demonstrative product. In spite of the fact that it is smaller than the PlayStation 5, the Series X is not designed to be readily accommodated into the typical audio-visual cabinet seen in a living room. This is because of its breadth, which is the result of having a form that is more comparable to that of a box than a slate. There is a possibility that it may irritate certain owners.
When you finally have the chance to put the Series X through its paces, you will discover that it is an exceptionally powerful system that lives up to the performance promises that Microsoft says it will provide. It is quite probable that games like Forza Horizon 5 and Microsoft Flight Simulator will perform better on Series X than they would on your personal computer, unless you are dealing with a high-end rig. These games provide a fantastic visual experience. However, even after two years have passed, such encounters continue to be very rare and infrequent. The power jump over the Xbox One hasn’t seemed as dramatic as it should have for the time being, but I assume that when Microsoft acquires publishers like Activision Blizzard, we will see the console’s hardware being pushed to its limits more often.
Storage: One terabyte is not as much as it used to be
There is sufficient storage capacity included with the Series X, albeit it is not the best available. Compared to the 512GB hard drive included in the Series S, the 1TB hard drive is comparable to that found in the Xbox One X. On the other hand, after deducting the amount that is used by the operating system of the machine, you will only have 802 GB accessible after that. In the beginning, it ought to be acceptable, but as this generation continues to grow and games demand more space, it can potentially become troublesome.
It is possible that increasing the system memory to 2 terabytes would have made the console more future-proof; however, this would have undoubtedly had an impact on the pricing of the Series X, which is $500 and is a crucial selling point for Microsoft.
Despite this, Sony’s PlayStation 5 is in a disadvantageous position. As is the case with the Xbox Series X, it comes with 825 gigabytes of internal storage, although not all of that space will be accessible for the installation of games. The prelaunch sources indicate that there is around 667GB of space available for games. The PlayStation 5 has 135 GB less storage space available than the Xbox Series X, according to this information.
You have the ability to increase the storage capacity of the Series X if 1 terabyte is not sufficient. An external hard disk may be connected to the machine. Players can do this. An external solid-state hard drive was found to be virtually as quick as on-device storage, according to testing conducted by Digital Foundry. This was the case for games that were compatible with older versions of the game.
In addition, the console has a slot for a Storage Expansion Card, which has the capability to double the amount of memory available; however, at a price of $220, this is not an affordable option. There is a broader selection of third-party PCIe 4.0 solid-state drives (SSDs) that can be used to enhance the PlayStation 5. These SSDs may be bought for as little as $200 (for 1,000 GB of storage space).
It is not necessary to repair the controller if it is not broken
Controllers are the means by which we are connected to the games that we play, and their significance has grown significantly over the course of the last several generations. Over the course of the last two generations, Microsoft has maintained a design that is quite similar to the previous one, and this time around, there are not any significant modifications.
In addition to being ergonomically improved to make it significantly more pleasant to hold, the Series X controller is designed to fit comfortably in your hands. As a result of the inclusion of the capture and share button, which enables players to take screenshots and video clips and rapidly publish them online, this Xbox controller is a little bit more social than the controllers that came before it.
However, despite the fact that it continues to require AA batteries rather than internal rechargeable ones, it is not a power hog in any way. The use of batteries, on the other hand, seems a little bit archaic. An integrated rechargeable battery is included with the PlayStation 5 controller as standard equipment. Customers who possess an Xbox Series X will be required to pay an additional fee for that update.
When it comes to games and software, exclusivity is a challenge
At the time when we were first reviewing the Xbox Series X, the game catalog was very limited. The platform was released without any significant exclusives, and the most notable game that was released on the first day was a rerelease of Gears Tactics for the next generation. That sluggish debut would eventually be the defining moment for the whole of the console’s existence up to this point. In spite of the fact that the Xbox Series X has established itself with Game Pass in the several years that have passed since its introduction, the absence of genuine console-selling exclusives is only going to become more apparent as time goes on.
There is no denying that the launch lineup seemed to be fantastic at the time. At a frame rate of 120 frames per second (fps), Gears 5 played exceptionally smoothly, which stoked the fires of anticipation for games that are yet to come. The problem is that we are still waiting for Microsoft to be able to capitalize on this opportunity. With the exception of Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, there is hardly a single piece of software that is as appealing as Horizon Forbidden West or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, both of which are available on the PlayStation 5. The arrival of Starfield and Redfall in 2023 was meant to bring about a shift in that regard; nevertheless, both games failed to live up to expectations to varying degrees. There will be a significant number of more games in the near future; nevertheless, it is quite possible that we will be halfway through the Series X’s lifespan by the time Microsoft discovers a constant cadence. Furthermore, even if this is the case, there is no assurance that titles such as Clockwork Revolution will be powerful enough to ensure that consumers will feel justified in their decision to acquire the system.
One of Microsoft’s long-term strategies is Xbox Game Pass, which is proving to be successful to some degree. A huge amount of value is provided by the subscription service, which provides gamers with access to a whole collection of games. I would answer that the Xbox Series X with a subscription to Game Pass is the finest console that is presently available on the market if you were to ask me about it. Nevertheless, if you take the service out of the equation, it becomes much more difficult to justify the price tag of $500, particularly considering that you can still obtain Game Pass via your own computer. To add insult to injury, you can even use your Samsung TV to play games like Halo: Infinite. As an additional point of interest, Microsoft has started releasing some of its greatest exclusive games, such as Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush, on other devices. All of these features give the impression that the Series X is a very expensive way to do the same tasks that your other devices are capable of. While it is true that the console will provide you with a far more stable experience than a cloud-based one, there is also benefit in maintaining everything inside the Xbox ecosystem.
So, how exactly does the Series X hardware improve the games that are being played? Despite the fact that I’ve discovered that the PS5 has a tendency to seem quicker overall, the most appealing feature is the decreased load times. It still takes well over a minute for Gears 5 to load from the time the game is launched to the time it begins to play (for a new campaign). Even though it was not optimized, Watch Dogs: Legion required a little bit less time. These are results that are superior to those of an Xbox One X, but they do not provide the accessibility of immediate play that was proposed. Forza Horizon 5 is far more stunning than its predecessor, with no loading at all in its enormous open world. However, when the game’s picture mode is on, there are obvious delays. In spite of this, load times are noticeably faster than they were on older technology, even if they are not the quickest in the Western world.
One of the most compelling selling points is the Quick Resume function, which suspends games in a manner that is similar to suspending an application on a mobile device. There have been many situations in which I have been able to bounce in and out of various games that were open at the same moment without disrupting my flow. In addition to being one of the most astounding technological aspects of the Series X, it has the sensation of being a magic trick.
The fact that the Smart Delivery function guarantees that gamers will get the optimal version of a game for their system is a great touch that will save annoyance, but the fact that it is not accessible for every game is bothersome. It is really perplexing that it is not even accessible for all of the games that are developed by Xbox Game Studios.
The assurance that
It is Microsoft’s wager on the future that the Xbox Series X gets released. It is a technology that is so incredibly strong that it has the potential to wow the gaming community once the internal teams of the corporation begin to demonstrate its capabilities. It has been years since that moment occurred, yet we are still waiting for it to come. This is the dilemma.
Microsoft is of the opinion that it has something to demonstrate in this generation of consoles. As soon as it was released, the Xbox One was a stumbling machine that never completely recovered. This time, however, that is not the case. Although it is frustrating that there is a dearth of software, it is difficult to completely blame the corporation for the situation, given that the pandemic caused long-term stress on everyone in the game industry.
However, it is still having trouble living up to the anticipation.
Microsoft is presenting a persuasive argument for the value proposition of Series X with Game Pass during this presentation. There is a great reason why it is highlighting the vast library of games that are compatible with older versions, as well as the Smart Delivery option. This is not the case; you will not get a vast collection of AAA exclusives that might keep you entertained for an entire year. It’s possible that you won’t receive it for quite some time. Microsoft, on the other hand, contends that this is the ideal chance to play games that you have either never played before or are now enjoying in a more advanced setting.
Although it is not a horrible argument by any stretch of the imagination, it is more rational and practical than emotive. There was a time when the introduction of a new console was an opportunity to showcase innovative gaming experiences that simply did not exist in the past. In the year 2020, the Xbox Series X did not live up to expectations in this regard, and even now, many years later, it is still having trouble living up to the hype.
