Timing is everything .
When a console launch , it ’s decisive . Every ingredient of a fresh system — from computer hardware to software program — has to come together to gather the expectation of an eager and often hypercritical fan base . And when the Xbox Series X first set up in 2020 , it did n’t have the art of timing on its side due to COVID-19 spoiling Microsoft ’s prominent launch plans .
At first , the Xbox Series X feel like an athlete who spend the twelvemonth practise for the big biz , only to find the rest period of the squad did n’t show up . It was a powerhouse that corrected many of the wrongfulness from the early days of the Xbox One . The futurity was undeniably bright , but , due to cardinal software time lag , it just was n’t a system that was deserving purchasing immediately – or any sentence in the result calendar month .
That ’s change in the class since the console table ’s handout … but not by much . Major freeing likeHalo Infiniteand ForzaHorizon 5have helped give Microsoft ’s powerful variation car a little more gas , but the Series X still struggles when it comes to delivering big exclusives that sincerely put its baron to the test . great gambles likeStarfieldandRedfallhave yet to pay off some of Xbox ’s pricier investments that were meant to reinvigorate its first - political party campaign . alternatively , Microsoft has double up down on Xbox Game Pass to fill the gaps . When you ’re fully bought in to the full Microsoft ecosystem , the Xbox Series X feels like the proficient cabinet on the market place today .
But that ’s the catch — you ’ll need to pay that monthly subscription fee to make the system sense worthwhile . Game Pass means there areplenty of games to play on the system , thanks to slow-witted compatibility and optimizations to some third - party titles , but is it deserving plop down $ 500 on a newfangled cabinet when the same game already work out on the honest-to-goodness one or your personal computer ?
Digital Trends originally review the Xbox Series X over the course of a calendar week , though we ’ve since update it to reflect the current state of the console ( notice that this reviewfocuses solely on the Series X , not the $ 300 Series S ) . After spending more fourth dimension with it and watching its library expand , the Xbox Series X is still a tricky machine to recommend . It ’ll either be your most or least used console table depending on whether or not you ’re willing to grease one’s palms into the Game Pass ecosystem .
About our Xbox Series X review
Our Xbox Series X review was first published on November 5 , 2020 by Chris Morris . It has since been updated by Giovanni Colantonio , keeping it up to date with late biz releases and hardware updates . The most recent update was on May 3 , 2024 , to reflect new game releasess likeStarfield , as well as developments in Microsoft ’s multiplatform game strategy .
Setup: hurry up and download
Gamers screw to await a daylight one while , but that does n’t make it any less frustrative . The initial download was less than 1 GB , and that was freestanding from any required biz update . The accountant also requires a dapple .
The result is a apparatus process that will likely take 10 bit to an 60 minutes of your sentence , count on the speed of your internet connection . sure enough , it ’s better to receive a patch than to not , but the engagement between major day one updates and the desire to dilute up a game the instant you release on the cabinet is an offspring the blaze fresh strong - state hard drive ca n’t fix .
Otherwise , setting up the console table is a zephyr . Microsoft tug using the Xbox app to do so . It really is a timesaver , have you copy your background , GamerTag , Wi - Fi password ( assuming you do n’t have a hardline cyberspace connective for your console table ) , and other information over chop-chop , drastically simplifying the apparatus .
Performance: plenty of power, in a big box
Microsoft has shouted about its superior ironware at nearly deafen levels since it first bug the Series X ( called Project Scarlett at the time ) . By now , you likely know the spectacles and buzzword : 120 frame of reference per second ( Federal Protective Service ) , HDR , 12 teraflops of processing power , and so on .
Despite its performance , the Series X is amazingly restrained . The cooling structure of the system of rules is so efficient that you ’ll sometimes marvel if the console is actually turned on . The Xbox One , in comparison , is like a green engine .
The Series X is not , however , an easy conniption in most habitation entertainment centers . Microsoft ( like Sony ) build its next - generation system to be a case item . The Series X is smaller than the PlayStation 5 , but it ’s still not ramp up to agree easily into the average livelihood room A / V cabinet . This is due to its width , the consequence of a shape more similar to a box than a slate . It could be an annoyance to some owners .
Once you have the opportunity to put the Series X to the test , you ’ll come up an exceedingly hefty machine that lives up to Microsoft ’s performance promises . plot likeForza Horizon 5andMicrosoft Flight Simulatorlook stunning on Series X and will probably play well there than they will on your PC , unless you ’re dealing with a high - end rig . But those experiences are still few and far between , even two years later . I envisage we ’ll see the console ’s hardware advertize to its limits more consistently as Microsoftscoops up publishers like Activision Blizzard , but for now , the top executive bump over the Xbox One has n’t felt as impactful as it should be .
Storage: 1TB isn’t what it used to be
The Series X comes with acceptable , though not optimal , storage space . The 1 TB laborious drive ( compare to the Series S ’s 512 GB ) is on equation with the Xbox One X. You ’ll only have 802 GB available , though , after subtract the amount used by the system ’s operating system . That should be fine initially , but as this generation advance and games need more quad , it could be problematic .
knock system memory to 2 TB could have futurity - proof the console , though it certainly would have strike the Series X ’s $ 500 price ( a key merchandising point for Microsoft ) .
Still , Sony ’s PlayStation 5 is at a disadvantage . It ship with 825 GB of internal repositing and , like the Xbox Series X , not all of that will be available for instal game . According to prelaunch reports , about 667 GB is uncommitted for games . That means the PlayStation 5 has 135 GB less uncommitted entrepot than the Xbox Series X.
If 1 TB is n’t enough , you could enlarge Series X ’s storehouse . Players can sneak an outside hard drive to the system . Testing by Digital Foundry discovered that , at least for backward - compatible title , an external upstanding - Department of State grueling private road was almost as fast as on - gadget storage .
The cabinet also has a Storage expanding upon notice slot that can double retentivity sizing , but at $ 220 , it is n’t inexpensive to do so . The PlayStation 5 can be upgraded with a encompassing smorgasbord of third - company PCIe 4.0 SSDs , which can be purchased for as little as $ 200 ( for 1 TB of store ) .
The controller: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it
Controllers are our connection to the games we play , and they ’ve become increasingly significant over the past few generations . Microsoft has stick closely to the same design for the preceding two genesis , and there are n’t any major change this clip around .
The Series X controller fits nicely in your men and has been ergonomically tweaked to make it slightly more comfortable . It ’s a turn more societal than previous Xbox controllers thanks to the improver of the capture and share button , which allows players to record screenshots and video clip and quickly post them online .
It continues to utilize AA stamp battery , rather than national rechargeable ace but is anything but a tycoon hog . Still , the use of batteries feels a little dated . The PlayStation 5 controller ships with an internal rechargeable electric battery . Xbox Series X owners will have to pay up for that upgrade as an add together - on .
Games and software: Struggling with exclusivity
When we originally reviewed the Xbox Series X , the game library was anaemic . The console found with no major exclusives , with its biggest Clarence Day one form of address being a next - gen rerelease ofGears Tactics . That slow launching would ultimately set the degree for the console ’s entire life brace so far . Even if the Xbox Series X has recover its beachhead with Game Pass in the yr since launching , the lack of on-key cabinet - selling exclusives only start out more glaring as time goes on .
The launch lineup undoubtedly looked amazing at the time . Gears 5ran incredibly smooth at 120 frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) , which raised hopes for title still to get along . The issue is that we ’re mostly still hold off for Microsoft to capitalize . Outside ofForza Horizon 5andHalo Infinite , there ’s virtually no single piece of computer software that ’s as enticing as the PlayStation 5’sHorizon Forbidden WestorRatchet & Clank : Rift Apart . That was supposed to change whenStarfieldandRedfalllanded in 2023 , but both games underwhelmed to dissimilar degrees . Significantlymore game are on the horizon , but we ’ll likely be midway through the Series X ’s life brace by the time Microsoft find a reproducible meter . And even then , there ’s no warranty that games likeClockwork Revolutionwill be unassailable enough to make player feel justified in their purchase of the cabinet .
Microsoft ’s long - term drama is Xbox Game Pass — and it ’s make for to an extent . The subscription service is a tremendous deal , give players access code to a whole depository library of titles . If you asked me what the best console table currently on the market is , I ’d say Xbox Series X with a Game Pass subscription . However , bump off the service from the equation , and it ’s much hard to justify the $ 500 price ticket — especially when you could still get Game Pass via your PC . You ’re even able to play game likeHalo Infinitethrough your Samsung TV . Plus , Microsoft has begin launching some of its best exclusive ( likePentimentandHi - Fi Rush)on other consoles . All of those options make the Series X experience like a very expensive way to do what your other gadget can do . grant , the console will give you much more constancy over a cloud experience and there ’s value in continue everything in one Xbox ecosystem .
So how do plot actually benefit from the Series X computer hardware ? Reduced incumbrance times are the big draw , though I ’ve notice that the PS5 lean to experience quicker on the whole . Loading from game launch to gameplay inGears 5(for a new campaign ) still takes well over a second . learn Dogs : Legion , while unoptimized , have a bit less meter . These are right result than an Xbox One X , but not the clamant - frolic accessibility that was suggested . Forza Horizon 5is much more impressive with hardly any loading at all in its massive open world , but there are obtrusive sales booth when firing up its photo mode . Still , lading fourth dimension are notably better than on old hardware , even if they ’re not the fast in the West .
Quick Resume , the touted feature that set aside game much like you debar an app on your smartphone , is a strong merchandising point . On several occasions , I ’ve had multiple games open at the same time and been able-bodied to seamlessly jump in and out of them . It feels like a magic trick and rest one of the Series X ’s most telling tech features .
The Smart Delivery lineament , which ensures players get the best version of a secret plan for their scheme , is a nice touch that will save frustration , but the fact that it ’s not useable for every game is annoying . It ’s not even uncommitted for every Xbox Game Studios secret plan , which is positively baffle .
The promise
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft ’s stake on the time to come . It ’s an madly brawny system that , once the society ’s intragroup team begin to showcase its mightiness , could wow the play populace . The problem is that it ’ been years now and we ’re still waiting for that here and now .
Microsoft feels it has something to prove in this console generation . The Xbox Onestumbled out of the gateand never fully reclaim . That ’s not the caseful this sentence . While the lack of software program is vexatious , it ’s hard to blame the company solely , as the pandemic put long - term strains on everyone in the gaming world
It still struggles to get up to the hoopla …
Microsoft is pretend a compelling case for the value proffer of Series X with Game Pass . There ’s a grounds it ’s touting the huge subroutine library of backward - compatible games and the Smart Delivery option . No , you wo n’t get a deep program library of AAA exclusives that could keep you occupied for a class . And you may not get it for quite some time . But Microsoft argue that this is a stark opportunity to play games you never catch around to or are presently savour in an enhanced environs .
It ’s not a bad argument , by any substance , but it ’s more reasonable and practical than emotional . Console launches were once a chance to show off young gaming experiences that simply were n’t possible before . The Xbox Series X fell short in that department in 2020 and it still struggles to entrance up to the hype long time later .
