Xbox Series X review: A full year later, the Xbox Series X is proving its worth
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The start of something bigXbox Series 10 review: A full year later, the Xbox Series Ten is proving its worth
Another look at the Xbox Serial 10, six months on. 
Source: Matt Chocolate-brown | Windows Central
On Nov. 10, 2022, Microsoft unleashed the Xbox Serial X onto the globe, and millions have already purchased the console, and its sibling, the Xbox Series Due south.
For those taking a more cautious "wait and see" approach, you might have been put off by the Xbox Series X launch lineup. Y'all may take been wondering how the consoles held up over time. After over half-dozen months of almost non-cease usage, I'm pretty confident to call the Xbox Series X my favorite console of all time.
For over a yr, my Xbox Series X has become my primary console of choice, and the cornerstone of my leisure time. And afterward Microsoft's E3 2022 showcase, I couldn't be more excited for the platform's futurity.
Every bit the Xbox Series 10 passes its first birthday, we're going to comprehend the hardware and design, its capabilities as a gaming console, as well as a centerpiece of your entertainment system. What are we losing, and what are we gaining? Are the tradeoffs worth it? Do the games honor Microsoft'south claim that this is the most powerful gaming console ever fabricated? And is the Xbox Series X a worthwhile gaming investment for the future?
True next-gen gaming
Xbox Series X
Bottom line: The Xbox Series Ten hardware will not disappoint. Information technology'south powerful, sleek and modern, and games that are optimized to have advantage of all the new hardware will truly polish. The launch lineup was looking sparse, but subsequently E3 2022, we now have a truly brilliant future to expect forward to.
Pros
- Superb design in powerful hardware
- Efficient cooling and silent sound
- Quick Resume multiple games faster
- Xbox Games Laissez passer hereafter is exciting
- Huge investments in exclusive content
Cons
- Disappointing media center and smart home features
- Content sharing and social capabilities experience increasingly dated
Xbox Serial 10 review: Specs, hardware and design
Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central
| Category | Xbox Series X |
|---|---|
| Processor | 8 cores @ 3.8GHz (3.66GHz w/ SMT) custom Zen two CPU |
| Graphics | 12.155 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ i.825GHz RDNA two GPU |
| Die size | 360.45mm2 |
| Process | 7nm enhanced |
| Retentiveness | 16GB GDDR6 west/ 320MB charabanc |
| Memory bandwidth | 10GB @ 560GB/southward, 6GB @ 336GB/due south |
| Internal storage | 1TB Custom NVME SSD |
| I/O throughput | 2.4GB/s (raw), 4.8GB/s (compressed, with custom hardware decompression cake) |
| Expandable storage | 1TB Expansion Card (sold separately) |
| External storage | USB 3.ii external HDD support |
| Optical drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray drive (No 3D Blu-ray support) |
| Performance target | 4K @ lx FPS, up to 4K @ 120 FPS, 8K @ threescore FPS |
| Color | Matte Black |
| Size | 301mm 10 151mm x 151mm |
| Price | $499 |
When the Xbox Series X design was outset revealed, people were immediately shocked by its apparent size. Non too long after, we learned that the PlayStation v, the Xbox Series 10's chief competition, sports a similar book. The reality of thermodynamics is catching upward to panel design; as PCs push always-increasing ability, the grade factor of consoles also changed to accommodate necessary cooling technology.
With this in mind, it'south hard to find annihilation to fault in the Xbox Series 10's visual blueprint, unless you intend to lay it out apartment, that is. Conspicuously, this console was designed vertically offset, with a profile that is at least superficially similar to mod smart speakers and compact PC towers. The design is comfortingly familiar while besides existence undeniably Xbox.
Microsoft doesn't score whatsoever points for its horizontal configuration, though, which many may be exploring. The unsightly foot at the base just looks atrocious when exposed, as if the console had been toppled over. It at least remains functional, with pocket-sized anxiety that keep the side panel from scraping on the surface of whatever it's placed on. The feet are barely visible if you're concerned virtually them being an eyesore when you exercise have the console stood upwards vertically.
Source: Matt Chocolate-brown | Windows Cardinal
Having the console horizontal or vertical won't bear upon the thermals or usability of the system in any way from our testing. The ports' layout is a tad more abrasive than they were on the Xbox Ane South and X. Instead of a line of ports, they're stacked on top of each other in an irregular pattern. Microsoft tried to make it easier by adding engravings adjacent to the ports to feel them out with your fingers. It'south a nice bear on, but when in that location are wires, USB devices, retention cards, and dongles plugged in, it doesn't help equally much equally I'd like.
| Loading speed exam | Xbox Serial X (SSD) | Xbox 1 X (HDD) |
|---|---|---|
| Monster Hunter: Globe | 4.seven seconds | 35.6 seconds |
| Gears v | viii.9 seconds | 47 seconds |
| State of Decay 2 | 13.1 seconds | i minute, 3.4 seconds |
| Fortnite | 10.two seconds | 24.3 seconds |
| Rocket League | four seconds | 5 seconds |
Speaking of ports, Microsoft opted for a proprietary tech solution to expandable storage, in the grade of the $220 Seagate 1TB NVME Expansion Menu. The next-gen consoles utilise NVME SSD storage not only to speed up loading times but also to give developers more next-gen tools. The cards themselves are pocket-sized and well built, and Microsoft says other manufacturers will offer competing solutions, which should bring the price down. The metal parts of the cards do become incredibly warm (as NVME storage would inside your laptop as well). Thankfully, they take thick plastic handles for removal and insertion. The cards are certainly easier to manage than typical NVME m2 drives we become for laptops. And the fact the cards are hot-swappable is likewise pretty awesome. Taking your games, saves, and Xbox Alive contour to a friend's place has never been easier, merely that toll is going to be a tough sell for about.
Xbox Series Ten is the best console Microsoft has e'er built.
NVME storage may get pretty toasty, merely thankfully, the Xbox Series X itself doesn't. Microsoft built the Xbox Series 10 to direct air from ane end and out of the other, expelling warm air from the concave vent at the organisation's top end. The adroitness and technology prowess here is undeniable. I reviewed the Xbox Series 10 initially in the winter months of the UK, simply fifty-fifty in the summer I don't notice the Xbox Serial X getting unmanageably warm in an unconditioned room.
The Xbox Series 10 is not just by and large libation than its predecessors, but as well quieter. Using a $300 microphone and a sound meter, we were effectively unable to detect whatever dissonance coming out of this system, which is impressive indeed.
Source: Windows CentralXbox Serial X running 4K 60FPS Gears Tactics.
Getting PC-like power in such a compact, cool, and quiet device is merely remarkable.
For a full rundown of how hot the Xbox Series X gets caput to this link. But as you can see from the above heat signatures, the Xbox Series X remains on the cooler end of computing hardware. By comparison, the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro become significantly warmer running games that max out their specs while also being noisier. Games optimized for the Xbox Serial X like Gears five and Gears Tactics top the system out at effectually 52C, which is impressive for a 12TF system. Running backward-compatible titles designed for Xbox One, the heat expulsion was even lower, at effectually 35C.
When it comes to applied science and design, I'grand pretty confident to state that the Xbox Series X is the best Xbox console Microsoft has ever congenital. It'due south really not equally large equally it seems in pictures, and getting PC-similar power in such a compact, cool, and tranquillity device is simply remarkable. Merely a video game console is far more than than its design.
Xbox Series X review: Features and OS
Source: Windows Central
The Xbox Series Ten is a tale of gains and losses, at least when information technology comes to features. On paper, this is an all-new generation, just the reality is more than complicated. The Xbox Series S and X share an OS with Xbox One, and the 2022 Xbox One is a wildly different proposition than what we have today.
Xbox Series X media back up is a bit of a mixed bag.
For fans of the sometime schoolhouse Xbox vision as the eye of your entertainment system, the reality is that the Xbox Series S and X are dropping many of the features that enabled that. HDMI pass-through is gone, along with the IR Blaster. This means that the Xbox Series Due south and Ten cannot control your Boob tube/cable box for surfing channels seamlessly without switching hardware signals.
The OneGuide TV app has been completely removed, and maybe oddly, even the ability to play 3D Blu-ray has been killed besides. Typically, Microsoft cites depression usage as its primary reason for removing features. In fairness, the trends certainly seem to propose viewership is increasingly moving towards apps like Netflix and Disney+, as over-the-air and cablevision Boob tube viewership wanes. Still, if you built up your amusement organisation around the Xbox I'due south features, information technology may sting to know that these are gone.
The Xbox Series Due south and X do still have an IR receiver, though, which ways you can still utilize media remotes like the PDP Talon to control apps. If you have a modern Television set that supports HDMI-CEC commands, you can even use those remotes to command your gear up as well. All of our recommendations for the best TVs for Xbox Serial X do utilize HDMI-CEC, alongside virtually modern TVs after around 2022 in general.
Just like the Xbox One consoles, the Xbox Series X still supports 4K UHD Blu-ray, 4K playback for media apps, and videos, alongside HDR10 and at present Dolby Vision, with Dolby Atmos and DTS:Ten surround for sound. The Xbox consoles also back up Amazon Echo and Google Banana vocalisation commands every bit well. When paired with HDMI-CEC, yous tin can even set up upward routines that are at least reminiscent of the expert old Kinect days, that command your Xbox and Tv simultaneously.
While the Xbox Series Ten media support is a bit of a mixed bag, Xbox doubles down on gaming features with considerable success.
Source: Windows FundamentalWhen emerging from Quick Resume, you'll go a small notification in the top right.
The first headline act is Quick Resume, which is quite literally a game-changer. Thanks to the NVME SSD, the Xbox Series X storage is fast enough to have an unabridged game land and commit it to storage memory. This is similar to how it works with apps on your smartphone, just to be able to practice it with a piece of software equally big and complicated equally a video game is no easy feat. When saved in a Quick Resume state, yous can re-open your games in mere seconds afterward the panel has been shut down into standby, or even after being completely powered off and unplugged.
Afterward having Quick Resume for a few months, it'south simply impossible to go back to an Xbox I console.
The Xbox Serial Ten (and S) are too capable of doing this for several games simultaneously. You tin keep your favorite multiplayer game similar Overwatch or Monster Hunter: World suspended in the lobby while you lot expect for friends to log on and jump over near-instantaneously to that unmarried-player game in your excess. The exact number of games available for suspension varies past their size and complication, and as of writing, there aren't any tools for managing how Quick Resume works. For example, it would be nice to give certain games Quick Resume priority over others since if yous're cycling through many different games in short succession, there's no way to know which is existence kicked out of the Quick Resume state. Most gamers won't apply it this fashion, though, unless you're equally indecisive nigh what to play like I am.
An earlier downside I've encountered, is some games that resume out of Quick State accept corrupted audio or lose sound completely. Thankfully, this has been rectified in recent updates. Microsoft has also added tools to manage how Quick Resume works, with the ability to view at a glance in your library which games are before long suspended. Information technology can still be a chip inconsistent, though, which makes it an unreliable replacement for simply saving your game.
When a game is in a Quick Resume state, information technology has a couple of arrow icons over it in your game library and shows a "Quick Resume" bulletin in the pinnacle correct corner on the championship screen when it loads in. After having Quick Resume for a few months, issues aside, information technology'southward only impossible to get back to an Xbox One panel.
The Xbox Series X (and S) have advantage of many of the latest HDMI 2.1 features, including Car-Low Latency Fashion or ALLM, which makes sure your Boob tube is set to Game Style when it detects that an Xbox console is connected. The Xbox Serial X can as well accept advantage of 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz outputs, which some games in the launch lineup are gunning for. Microsoft has likewise added a unique "FPS Boost" feature to the Xbox Series X and S consoles, giving astern-uniform games a frame charge per unit heave, and in some cases, "Auto HDR" as well. Microsoft's impressive push for game preservation continues.
Source: Windows Key
For the launch of the Xbox Series X, Microsoft has too given u.s.a. a refreshed dashboard feel, which follows Microsoft'southward latest fluent blueprint principles, while as well pulling away a bit from Windows itself, taking on different fonts to requite Xbox a fleck of its ain identity. These new stylings are persistent across the Xbox Game Laissez passer apps on PC and mobile, as well as the new Xbox app, which comes with a handy new feature for new Xbox Series Ten console owners also. While you lot look for the Xbox Serial 10 to download its initial updates, you can sign in and install your games and settings via the mobile app on Android and iOS, streamlining the whole process. Microsoft also refreshed the Xbox store's design across the board, making it incredibly speedy in the process.
The Xbox Series X and S dashboard is a painstakingly polished and responsive feel.
The Xbox Serial X dashboard likewise sports Dynamic Themes, which are animated and stylish, but they aren't as sexy as they could be since they're blurred past 1080p HD limitations. This is one thing that continues to issues me about the Xbox Series X, and it's the fact the dashboard is HD and doesn't support HDR. Flipping betwixt a 4K HDR-enabled game and the dashboard will cause your set to go blank for a little while, which is an irritating, albeit minor event. But when your TV media switching is slower than the Xbox Serial 10 is to really load a game, information technology sort of defeats the point of Quick Resume.
Various fan-favorite features from the erstwhile Xbox One days are notwithstanding missing. Movie-in-pic for media apps is yet gone, which was pretty handy for grinding segments in certain games. The Upload Studio app is yet dead, which means making content out of your Game DVR clips still requires frequently-expensive 3rd-party PC or mobile software. Things like party chat messaging also yet feel quite sluggish compared to modern messaging platforms similar Discord, WhatsApp, and Telegram, for no good reason. Microsoft has begun porting the new Edge browser to the Xbox Serial X and Due south consoles, though, and has improved its mobile app offerings a bit here and there, but it's a slow process. Merely the issues are pocket-sized, and don't injure the overall feel.
What nosotros have is an Os that refines upon all of the mistakes and forced-Windows 8 integrations of yesteryear, prioritizing speed, usability, and gaming in a higher place all else. Almost every best Xbox One accessory and all of your best Xbox headsets carry forward.
The Xbox Serial X and Southward dashboard is a painstakingly polished and responsive experience, which is a far, far, far weep from the sluggish and clunky Kinect-starting time environment we got back in 2022.
Xbox Series Ten review: Games and ecosystem
Witcher three's performance mode hits 4K sixty FPS with ease, fifty-fifty without the future optimization patch CD Projekt RED is working on.
The Xbox Series X has promised to be the "world's most powerful console," simply what does that mean in reality? At to the lowest degree, in theory, it means that games will hit 60 frames per second more than consistently, at 4K resolution more consistently, while also bringing in some next-gen visual features. Some of those advanced features include ray-tracing reflections and shadows, which aims to cast low-cal more dynamically, rather than artificially, elevating the visual fidelity of your games. Microsoft also offers FPS Boost and Auto HDR to enhance past-gen games, besides, while other companies are eager to sell those enhancements for a premium.
The architecture brings in some of the latest tech from AMD, with a massive CPU boost over the past-gen consoles. The manner Microsoft has built its Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S platform enables past-gen games designed for Xbox One to gain natural performance boosts on Xbox Series X.
Games like Monster Hunter: World with uncapped frame rates go from 30 frames per second on average to anywhere up to sixty frames per 2d (FPS), without any programmer intervention. Diverse games with unlocked frame rates and dynamic resolutions should perform far better across the board on the Xbox Series 10. Others would need updates to "unlock" the frame rates, but various Xbox 1 games nosotros've tested like State of Decay 2, Monster Hunter: Earth, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice run into vast improvements. Even games that are capped at 30 FPS see improvements, with a vast reduction in lost frames during complex sequences. Jedi: Fallen Order, for example, never drops beneath 60 or xxx in its respective performance modes on the Xbox Serial X — this is a game that was notorious for performance bug.
What about next-gen games, though? Well, what about them indeed. As of writing, there aren't really a huge amount of games that are fully built from the footing up for the Xbox Series X, but that is well-nigh to change very soon. Microsoft's E3 2022 showcase offered a wide-ranging glimpse at some of its future games, and they expect absolutely listen-blowing. Forza Horizon 5 has some of the most impressive visuals ever seen, and Halo Space's notorious delay has yielded groovy results for the game's graphical quality. Flight Simulator likewise pushes the boundaries of cutting-border photorealism, while fifty-fifty games from smaller studios like The Ascent impress with their detail and lighting quality. Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda last yr is actually starting to acquit fruit in the exclusives department too, with Starfield, the next game from the legendary creators of The Elder Scrolls, at present touted equally a permanent Xbox panel exclusive.
Gears five is staggering in its beauty, a monument to the skill and passion of The Coalition.
As of correct this minute, we do accept a decent variety of games that take reward of the functioning overhead from the Xbox Series X. Gears 5 for instance, has been given a next-gen makeover. Ray-tracing appears on puddles and sure reflective surfaces, and Microsoft has pushed the multiplayer out to 120 frames per second. Gears 5 is staggering in its beauty, a monument to the skill and passion of The Coalition game studio. Other games like Falconeer and DiRT5 are also pushing 120Hz modes, but neither game is particularly listen-blowing in visual complication, even if they have great art styles.
As nosotros movement deeper into the Xbox Serial Ten generation, nosotros should run into even more games that are more optimized around the organization that hit 4K60 without compromising on things similar ray-tracing, as is the case with Gears five. In that location is a range of smaller improvements beyond the board, though, which makes the gaming experience far better than what nosotros e'er had on the Xbox One.
Source: Windows Central
The NVME SSD lone has massive implications for game development. Fast traveling in Watch Dogs: Legion is near-instantaneous. Loading screens take become brief to the point of irrelevancy. Monster Hunter: World maps went from anywhere upwardly to a minute's worth of loading down to around x-15 seconds. The vast majority of games we've tested see similar speed enhancements, too.
Save for the SSD loading speeds, the big difference between the Xbox Series Ten and the Xbox 1 from 2022 is that Microsoft didn't really accept anything ready to showcase the technology at launch, instead very largely on Sentry Dogs: Legion and the Xbox One-enhanced version of Gears five. In the case of Gears 5, is information technology worth going back to for a bump in visual quality? I'm not sure, but I'd approximate almost would rather play something new. Into the summertime and towards wintertime of 2022, though, we'll take Battlefield 2042, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, The Ascent, Flight Simulator, Far Weep 6, and various other games that truly showcase the tech. Many of them volition also be included in Xbox Game Pass, at no boosted cost. This ultimately brings us to the future.
Xbox Series 10 and the hereafter
Source: Matt Brown | Windows Primal
A console is just equally good as its ecosystem, and when it comes to Xbox, Microsoft certainly has a few tricks upward its sleeve. Microsoft has purchased Bethesda Softworks and ZeniMax Media, which would requite it controlling ownership of DOOM, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, Prey, and various highly predictable games similar Starfield. After E3 2022, nosotros practically have confirmation that the vast majority of these games volition also be exclusive to platforms where Xbox Game Laissez passer exists, effectively making them Xbox console exclusive.
You likewise have Xbox Game Laissez passer, which is undeniably one of the all-time deals in gaming.
Microsoft has been investing in its first-political party portfolio more than information technology ever has in the past. Hellblade Ii's in-engine trailer from 2022 is tantalizing. Microsoft is absorbing major manufacture talent in California with its studio, The Initiative, to build Perfect Dark. Fable is coming back, congenital by a large team at Playground Games. And Forza Motorsport 8 is in the pipeline besides.
Microsoft continues to enjoy robust support from major third-party publishers, including Ubisoft, 2K, and EA. Microsoft also invests in projects from second-party studios, with Asobo'southward Flight Simulator 2022, and Moon Studios' Ori the Volition of the Wisps. A cursory glance at our all-time upcoming Xbox games list reveals dozens of titles worth looking forward to.
Source: Microsoft
Where Microsoft has struggled a chip more than is with some of the "trending" games that we see popular up from time to time, but Microsoft has been improving in this area too. Targeted exclusivity deals for Xbox Game Pass including MLB: The Show, Outriders, and STALKER 2 continue to smooth a spotlight on the value of the service. Microsoft has fifty-fifty started gradually improving its JRPG offering, grabbing Octopath Traveler and Dragon Quest Xi.
With ZeniMax's properties on lath, and finer confirmed as exclusive, the situation has changed very rapidly. Then, you also have Xbox Game Pass, which is undeniably one of the best deals in gaming. Games similar Elder Scrolls half-dozen are guaranteed to launch day one as function of a $x-per-calendar month subscription on Xbox Game Pass, aslope all of Microsoft's other games. Gears of War, Halo, Forza, Fable, Hellblade, Fallout, DOOM, The Elderberry Scrolls, Dishonored, Casualty, Wolfenstein, The Evil Within, and many hundreds of others comprise this vast library of content, which is exclusive to Xbox on consoles right now. Ultimate-tier subscribers can even accept their games onto Android and the spider web with Project xCloud via Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming. EA has also brought dozens of games from its back itemize into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as well.
The Xbox Series Ten didn't necessarily have a compelling lineup when information technology launched, merely Microsoft is ramping up rapidly. A huge library of content awaits merely effectually the corner, and for just $10 per month, rather than the $70-per-game argument competitors offering.
Xbox Series 10 review: Last thoughts and summary
Source: Matt Brown | Windows Primal
The Xbox Series X is a spectacular console. Every aspect of it is dripping with the love of a massive team that clearly cared about every millimeter, every line of code that was poured into this monolithic whole. Waiting for the full-blown characteristic set of RDNA 2 may cost Microsoft the sales race in Q4, but for those who are lucky plenty to get their hands on it, the Xbox Serial X is console gaming at its most excellent and most refined.
Xbox Series X is console gaming at its near excellent and nearly refined.
In terms of the ecosystem the Xbox Serial X is fastened to, Microsoft has struggled to change the narrative over its exclusive game offering, just that's beginning to change. A tidal wave of investment has brought the unabridged ZeniMax portfolio exclusively nether Xbox, alongside a robust lineup of satellite studios which include heavyweights like Obsidian, Playground, 343i, and many more.
The backward-compatibility effort on the Xbox Series X cannot be understated for its meticulousness and execution. Thousands upon thousands of games are launching with this console, from your favorite service-type experiences like Rocket League and Fortnite, to single-role player classics like DOOM and Fallout 4. Hundreds of games are effectively getting free "remaster" treatment, boosted to their maximum resolutions and frame rates thanks to the forwards-looking blueprint of the Xbox ecosystem architecture.
Pros
- Peachy pattern meets powerful hardware
- Well cooled and silent
- Quick Resume multiple games and additional loading speeds
- Xbox Game Pass and future kickoff-party investment bring exciting possibilities
- Vast roadmap of exclusive content
Cons
- Media center capabilities are degraded
If you're a hardcore Xbox gamer, yous're probable already sold on this matter. If you're looking to jump in for the first time with the all-time the ecosystem has to offer, the Xbox Serial X will non disappoint. Unmatched value, a truly huge stable of studios building exclusive content, and power that rivals some of the most powerful gaming PCs out there. The Xbox Series Ten is the best video game console Microsoft ever made. And honestly, it's now my personal choice for the all-time console e'er made.
Leading 4K
Xbox Series X
The full side by side-generation feel.
Xbox Series 10 is Microsoft's new flagship, as its almost powerful console with over 12TF GPU performance and a custom SSD. Information technology boasts up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS, full backward compatibility beyond four generations, and ray-tracing back up.
Next-gen in HD
Xbox Series Southward
Experience next-gen gaming for less.
Microsoft serves the next-generation for less with its budget-friendly Xbox Series S. The console packs the same high-operation CPU and SSD technology equally Xbox Series X, while scaling dorsum the GPU and removing the disc drive.
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/heres-what-time-xbox-series-x-xbox-series-s-preorders-start
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