The Xbox Series X is the ultimate Xbox, but that might not be enough right now
Games Features For Our Consideration
Video game console generations used to represent massive leaps forward in technology. The NES had 8-bits. The Super Nintendo had 16-bits. It didn’t matter what a “bit” even was, the important thing was that one system was a regular Nintendo and the other system was a super Nintendo. Or take the Xbox 360, which made huge advances in HD capabilities and online features when compared to the original Xbox. When Microsoft got to the Xbox One, though, the pitch was a little less clear. Rather than pushing game-centric advances, the idea was that the One would be the “one” box you need in your living room. It could play games, sure, but with HDMI pass-through you could watch TV through the Xbox and use the motion/voice-sensing Kinect sensor to change the channels. That wasn’t really a thing anyone wanted, though, and yelling at your Xbox to control the TV didn’t exactly make playing video games any better. So Microsoft gradually shifted the identity of the Xbox One toward being an all-out powerhouse with the One X revision, effectively arguing that—on a technical level—the Xbox was simply the best console to play video games on.
That philosophy permeates every aspect of Microsoft’s latest console, the Xbox Series X, which is absolutely, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the best game console that Microsoft has ever made. It’s faster, it’s more powerful, it’s practically silent, and it just straight-up looks like a damn beast. It does everything that the Xbox One and One X can do but better in every way, save for the stuff that no one wanted the One to do in the first place (there’s no HDMI pass-through, but you won’t miss it if you never used it).
Existing controllers and Xbox-branded TV remotes still work, and any game you can play on an Xbox One—including tons of Xbox 360 games and a solid collection of original Xbox games—can be played on a Series X (except for games that were entirely dependent on the Kinect camera, which is no longer supported). Some games have been optimized over the years to take advantage of the more powerful Xbox One X hardware, and more still will be optimized to take advantage of the even more powerful Series X, but you’re likely to notice an improvement on literally anything you choose to play, whether it’s something small like faster load times or something more noticeable like sharper graphics or implementation of modern buzzy features like ray tracing.
For example, a Series X can get you from the start menu of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to walking around the world in about five seconds. In Star Wars: Republic Commando, an original Xbox game, the levels pop up so fast that load screens are done in the blink of an eye. Even a massive modern game like Red Dead Redemption 2 only takes about 15 to 30 seconds to get going, and then that’s it for noticeable load times. Microsoft also updated a handful of existing games with Series X enhancements ahead of the launch, like Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and Sea Of Thieves, all of which look downright fantastic now (even if you don’t have a 4K TV), in addition to getting shockingly fast load times.
It’s also hard to overstate the value of Microsoft’s Game Pass service—a Netflix-like subscription system that’s supported right out of the box and gives you access to a curated list of Xbox One and Series X games for a flat fee (for a higher fee you can even throw some PC games in there). One of the ways Microsoft is selling the Series X is on a monthly payment plan, and that plan includes access to Game Pass (though you’re on the hook to keep paying it off for two years). That means that even if you aren’t coming in with your toe already dipped into the Xbox ecosystem, it’s pretty easy to load up on games for a reasonable price—though you don’t own Game Pass games, and you’ll lose them if you stop your subscription.
If the Xbox Series X is supposed to be the ultimate system to play games on, though, there’s a disappointing lack of software that really makes it feel as magical as the Super Nintendo or the Xbox 360. With Game Pass being a thing, it’s impossible to argue that there’s not a lot to play on the system, but this is a launch without one must-have exclusive that you can only play on the Series X and can’t get anywhere else (or at least one that is so much better on the Series X that it can justify the purchase). Halo Infinite could’ve been that game, but a tepid response to a big trailer and some possible issues with the developers transitioning to remote work during the pandemic forced Microsoft to delay it into next year. Series X games will support all sorts of graphical advancements like 4K quality and 120 frames per second, but only if your TV setup also supports those things, and even then the slim launch lineup means a lot of games won’t have features like that enabled until later.
It could be argued, then, that the world simply isn’t ready for the Xbox Series X. It’s more of a future-proofed platform that will definitely continue to be top-of-the-line for the foreseeable future than a thing that everyone must have right now. If you do absolutely need something now, Microsoft has the lower-tier Xbox Series S system, which is cheaper, a little less powerful, and has no disc drive (meaning, you can only play digital games or Game Pass offerings). In theory, it should do most of the cool stuff the Series X can do, like the faster load times and a feature called Quick Resume that lets multiple games run in the background, but Microsoft only provided us with Series X hardware, so we can’t speak to how it works in practice.
The Series X is definitely the best game console Microsoft has ever put out. But it’s still not necessarily an easy item to recommend. For one thing, it costs $500, and there’s no single game or feature that sets it apart from previous Xboxes in a dramatic way. Then again, the improvements that it does make from the Xbox One are really cool, and the Game Pass service is only going to get better once it adds the EA and Bethesda libraries and more games are updated to take advantage of what this console is capable of. The Xbox Series X might not be the platform you need to have now, but there’s a very good chance it’ll be the platform you’ll want to have for the future.
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For example, a Series X can get you from the start menu of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to walking around the world in about five seconds. You misspelled “sitting in a cart, looking around”.
You can finally be awake in about five seconds.
His ancestors will be smiling at him quicker, and you’ll be able to say the same.
“I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I quickly took an arrow in the knee.”
Last you can mod that now to start wherever you like.
There’s a pc mod that lets you select a new starting location, and it’s pretty much essential of you’re going to play the game twice. Ditto the mod that makes the cold weather dangerous (the game actually feels half-done without it). There’s even a fun interaction between the two, where one of the alternate start locations is a shipwreck at the far north of the map, and it’s incredibly challenging to get started without freezing to death. All they really need is a mod that makes the game’s plot and combat mechanics interesting.
Ordinator makes big improvements on perks and there’s a good archery plus mod that massive improves bows and arrows.
I always felt that one of Microsoft’s biggest mistakes with the One was abandoning the Kinect. Without it being sold with every console, there was no way that developers were going to design games with it. We weren’t going to get anything from the big companies like Rockstar, but the indies could have gone insane with it. It would have given the One its very own subgenre of games.
I think history shows it was a smart decision for the One, considering their aim with the Kinect wasn’t clicking with developers or public to justify the Kinect’s ongoing existence. Keeping the Kinect might create a niche of game genres, but it’s pretty apparent that is not Microsoft’s goals- they are aiming to anticipate trends, not support a temporary niche.
I’m in the minority with you. I would even say that towards the end of the 360 era most of the multiplayer games I played with other people were Kinect games (and Rock Band, but I guess that it’s own catagory). I was maybe one of the only people that even regularly used the voice commands when running apps. It had so much potential I’m surprised they abandoned it.
I liked it for Skype (before we all became housebound and only able to be in the virtual company of other humans through similar apps), but I can’t say I ever even once used it for anything else, and its main value came when I finally disconnected it and put it in the crawlspace, freeing up valuable TV stand real estate.
I don’t see the appeal of being an early adopter for the new Xbox – I’ll likely wait until I’ve caught up on my backlog of games for the Xbox One, which will likely be until there’s a significant price drop for the newer console. I also may just pick up a PS4 and catch up on the playstation games I missed this gen.
You are absolutely correct. In fact, that’s always been a solid approach to video game consoles. The only exception being the PS2, which was a huge technological leap over the PlayStation, and at $300 was also the cheapest DVD player on the market. I feel like I read a review or two like this about pretty much every console when it’s released; it doesn’t have enough games, there aren’t games that use it’s technologic capabilities yet, your TV doesn’t have enough resolution yet (not applicable for Xbox One and PS4 but definitely a concern for the 360 and PS3). I’m definitely not buying this one in the next year, but after buying the low end XBox one that came out a couple of years ago and dealing it the shitty performance of it’s bargain basement graphics card, I’m ready to pull the trigger on a top of the line console. My TV won’t support 4K, HDR, or 120 HZ, but games will still look better than they do now, and I guarantee you my next TV will support all of that stuff. If the price comes down $100 for Christmas 2021 you can bet your bottom dollar that’s going to be under the tree.
Hell, I still have a PS3 and games I haven’t played on it. I’m old, but frankly the PS3 has graphics about as good as I see in newer consoles. PS2->PS3 was a leap, but PS3->PS4 less so, and as far as I can tell PS4->PS5 even less. I’m less familiar with the XBox, but I think a similar stagnation occurred.
I agree. As much as I’m pumped by the improved tech, from frame rates to auto-HDR on older games, and the faster everything, I just don’t see the urgency to upgrade from my One X right now.That goes for the PS5 too. I have a PS4 Pro and with both new consoles being light on the launch titles and with plenty of new games coming out on current gen still, I’ll wait well into 2021.
Just continuing to stress that you can’t really get the most out of it unless you have a 4k 120hz screen to play on. The cheapest of those right now on Best Buy’s website is $600. So for anyone that bought a tv and console in 2013 like me, it will cost at the very least $1,100 bucks for the full experience. I’ll wait.
This is what is keeping me out of it about as much as the initial $500 cost. My back office TV used for gaming is just a run of the mill 2015 era TV (with included DVD player though!!!) that ensures that the graphical updates will not be noticed at all. This might be a 2022/when there’s officially a cut over with new games not working on the regular Xbox One any more purchase.
thats why i think the S is smart. my tv is from 2008ish but it still works great, so i’m not going to chuck it. but, my xbox one launch edition is noticeably long in the tooth playing last years AAA games, let alone stuff like cyberpunk.
so for 300 bucks i can get a lot of the load time stuff, some upgrade to graphics and significantly better performance, but without paying 200 more for a whole pile of features that are very cool, but totally wasted on my old TV.
i already own a terabyte external drive i use on my xbox one, and while you can’t play the high end stuff off of it (like you can currently) all reports say that you can transfer them back and forth quickly enough that its not a horrible burden
The only thing turning me off of the S is the useable storage space, but yeah I’m right there with ya. I mostly play Apex, Rocket League, and Super Mega Baseball 3 – and I get more frame drops than I’d like in both Apex and Rocket League. So at some point I definitely need to upgrade just to get those frames back, but not just yet.
yeah, the limited space isn’t great and the add-on price is so high you might as well just buy the X, but from the preview copy reviews, apparently you can plug any normal USB external drive into either console (and i think PS 5 too) and play any legacy games and swap next gen games off of it pretty fast.
also, i know i’m probably not the norm, but i tend to play one game at a time and then might have an arcade style golf game or something similar
4k, yes. 120hz ehhhhh not really. For most people it will make little difference.
I went back and forth for a while on which of the new systems to get and I settled on getting a new gaming PC 🙂
There was a period where I could pretend that my PC was more than just a media console, so the money I spent on it wasn’t just frivolous. But I haven’t used my PC for anything besides streaming and video games for at least 5 years at this point (it’s connected to a TV, which makes word processing basically impossible). However, when I look back over the last two console generations, I have spent way less than the cost of 2 consoles upgrading hard drives, video cards, and memory. I’ve also recycled some of my old components to upgrade my wife’s computer, which she does use for work. And I can still play all of my old PC games (even if they require some patches to get going), plus whatever console games are emulator-friendly. At this point if I were going to invest in a console it would probably be a used PS3 or PS4, just so I could see if The Last of Us is as good as everyone says.
“it’s connected to a TV, which makes word processing basically impossible”You could use a thin client like a laptop or Pi to remote into it for deskwork.“At this point if I were going to invest in a console it would probably be a used PS3 or PS4, just so I could see if The Last of Us is as good as everyone says.”If you do pick up a PS4, I’ll vouch for Bloodborne.
PC + Xbox Gamepass for PC @$5/month > Xbox Series X
Any Xbox + PC + Xbox Game Pass Ultimate >
Console still has the edge with the service IMO
I too am building a new gaming PC but I also discovered that for new cards (like nvidia’s 3000 series) it’s a bit of a challenge finding them for unscalped prices. Couple of places I checked have a backorder of 2-3 months…So.. i’m getting an Xbox Series X until I can get my gaming PC going. lol
Look, I want it. I want it so bad.But I’ll probably wait a few months.
I don’t buy their consoles anyway but they really couldn’t have made the branding any more confusing here. Xbox Series One X Series X One
Oh man do I agree, what a branding clusterfuck of XxXs. Also missed opportunity for the DMX tie-in promotion where DMX is playing the new XBox Series One X rapping “X Gon’ Give It To Ya”.
yeah, not seeing the value for my needs, but i do see what Microsoft is bringing to the table with this system. I’d rather just get a 3070 for the same dough. Although, i wouldn’t mind playing my purchased library of 435 Rock Band tracks at 4k and 120fps (kidding. i can wait until this box is $300 or less for that…)
I have no interest in either new console, but part of that might be the fact that I’m planning on moving to Europe in a year (if everything goes well), and really don’t want to lug these monstrosities over there.
I think this article will also apply to the PS5. My advice: wait at least a year for the library to build up before getting any console. Even when a console has a killer launch title or two, the following 6 months are usually light on great stuff while developers learn the quirks of the new consoles.Beyond that, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone hold their breath for Microsoft exclusives. Microsoft appears to be going a different path: gobble up up developers and publishers so they can sell inside and outside of their own platforms, while making their consoles attractive for their streaming options and performance. Microsoft knows they won’t beat Sony when it comes to exclusives: the Japanese market is too important to Japanese developers, Xbox hasn’t been able to crack into the Japanese market after 3 generations, and you can’t win the exclusives war without Japanese developers. So I think they’re not going to try, and will instead make flexibility and affordability their selling points. Even with Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition, I expect you’ll see Elder Scrolls 6 on the PS5 on launch day. Why forego their cut on all those global PS5 sales? Instead, negotiate for cross platform cloud saving and use that to drive additional sales on the PC, or maybe even a Switch Cloud version, a la Control.
With the lack of things to play it’s sounds more like Microsoft wasn’t ready for the series X.
There was this little pandemic thing going on also though which delayed a lot of first and third party software, not sure if you’ve heard of it? Co-Conny? Corrie… Corban? Yes, Corban-19.
lol, yeah sure. Covid is why most Series X exclusives are still a year or two away.I forgot that the entire industry shut down this year and no games are being released at all due to Covid.
I forgot that the entire industry shut down this year and no games are being released at all due to Covid. Sir, do I actually need to point out how the development schedule of an incredible number of games has been massively slowed by the fact game teams have been working remote from home, or the fact that if any games were released this year, it’s due to the fact a good portion of them had already been in development? Do I actually have to list all of the games across all platforms which have been on-the-record delayed this year specifically due to the pandemic? Here’s a short list just so we can recognise this isn’t a hoax, heaven forbid: Last of Us 2 (PS4, which was delayed a few months, eventually released)Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe (delayed until 2021)Guilty Gear Strive (delayed until 2021)Halo Infinite (Xbox, duh)Tales of Arise (delayed indefinitely)Deathloop (A playstation timed exclusive which was meant to come out by launch, now rumoured for May 2021)Kerbal Space Program 2 (delayed until 2022)Cyberpunk 2077 (original release date was April 16, now releasing December 10)Destruction Allstars (was a PS5 launch game, delayed until next year) Or you know, just read this:https://www.pcgamer.com/one-third-of-developers-have-had-their-games-delayed-due-to-covid-19/
Another hot (mess) take from Sam, the worst writer on A.V. Club.
And now we’re back to censoring people with “PENDING APPROVAL”? Why not just ban me if what I have to say needs approval and you’re going to censor?