The Xbox Series X is an extremely impressive console and a must own for those with an
extensive library of Xbox titles. Its raw power and innovative features such as quick resume
make it feel light years ahead in terms of quality from where the Xbox One was at its launch.
However, if you’re looking for experiences to show off the power of the next-generation,
you may be found wanting, as a glaring lack of first party exclusives make this the ideal
console for someone who’s already on team green, but it’s unlikely to convert anyone to their side.
The Xbox Series X feels like the result of a generation’s worth of humility.
After the largely toxic response to the Xbox One, Microsoft had to do some serious soul
searching to start off this generation on such a confident foot. Ironically, in some ways,
the Xbox Series X takes great advantage of many of the ideas that caused so many
to so violently turn against their last system while other elements like its sheer raw power
aim to end the conversation of which version of a game is better to play.
The glaring downside at launch is the complete lack of games that can be played
exclusively on Xbox Series X. System seller, Halo Infinite’s delay in an unknown region of 2021
leaves the system rather short changed. While Microsoft can boast that it has the
highest number of playable games at launch with Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles supported,
there’s nothing yet that shows off the real power of the system’s 12 teraflops.
Of course, what the Xbox Series X does have is Gamepass, Microsoft’s subscription service which
provides users with hundreds of games off the bat for around £10 a month. This is a fantastic
deal especially with every Xbox first-party title coming to the service on launch day.
A factor that will only swing things more in their direction, is the acquisition of Bethesda,
the developers of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Launch titles include Yakuza: Like A Dragon,
Dirt 5 as well as some updates to existing Xbox titles such as Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4.
Yakuza is dripping with personality as per usual, but in a break with tradition,
Like A Dragon adopts an RPG style combat system rather than it’s typical third-person beat em up
roots. The game has a few visual options, and while none of them will absolutely stun you,
Kamorocho at night looks fantastic while running at 4K.
Gears 5 is probably the game I’d recommend early adopters try first.
Even if you’ve played through it before, there’s now a New Game
Plus mode that replaces Marcus Fenix with Dave Batista, no, you didn’t hear me wrong.
Gears Tactics, a strategy game previously exclusive to PC
makes it’s console debut and the transition is smooth. The controls map well to a controller
and the game’s loading times are impeccable, a feature of most of launch titles.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps was already one of the best looking games of the last generation
and on Xbox Series X it shines. Clever platforming mixed with heart string yanking story telling,
it’s an essential play for anyone that missed it. Series X also supports 120 frames per second here,
if you have the tech to display it, but even at 4K60 it’s a marvel.
So what actually differentiates this generation of Xbox? Well, for me, it’s two words; Quick Resume.
This feature enables you to swap between up to 5 games on the fly,
picking up exactly where you left off. When it works, it feels like magic. Are you deep in a
mission on Gears 5 but remember you have to turn in your daily log in for NBA2K21?
Just swap to NBA using quick resume and it’ll hold your spot in Gears 5 exactly where you left off..
Another impressive feature in my opinion is the internal SSD hard drive.
Essentially this means that things like loading times are significantly reduced.
This also has a massive effect on backwards compatible titles. Immense loads like The Outer
Worlds and The Witcher 3 are reduced to brief pauses in the action. It’s very impressive. The
benefits enjoyed by backwards compatible games extends to significant frame rate improvement,
with some 360 and OG Xbox titles frame rates literally doubling.
The SSD is fantastic, but sadly it’s only 1TB, and that fills up quickly.
While backward compatible games can be played from an external USB
3.0 storage system, Xbox Series X games must be installed on the SSD.
This is expandable via Seagate's memory cards, but they’re extremely expensive.
One solution is to use a USB 3.0 drive as cold storage,
moving the games you’d like to play back and forth. This is a bit of a pain,
but it’s necessary when game installs are only getting larger, looking at you, Modern Warfare.
If you’re currently using an Xbox, the UI is going to feel extremely familiar, as disappointingly,
Microsoft has stuck with the current menu interface used by the last generation of Xbox.
While the UI itself is fine, it’s fast and it’s much better than the Xbox One’s original effort,
it’s a bit disappointing to plug in your new box and not be dazzled with a completely
new feeling menu. It’s a small thing, but it contributes to the feeling that more than ever,
Microsoft want to homogenize the Xbox ecosystem. Much like when the iPads dropped the numbering
convention and just became; iPad, this is a similar step in that direction.
The box itself is an obelisk of sheer black, accented with green paint on the
inside vent at the top. This is certainly a departure from the last generation,
but I like the way that it looks on my desk. It’s certainly large, but that’s a theme across
both of the next generation consoles, where the Xbox is actually the shorter of the two.
A common refrain from the previous generation is how loud consoles could be.
Certainly in the case of the PlayStation 4, it often sounded like it was about to
take off from my desk and enter orbit around Mars. So I’m extremely happy to
say that the Xbox Series X is very, very quiet. I’d often forget it was even on,
when stepping away from my desk, and even after long sessions, it didn’t burst a lung.
Heat wise, the machine certainly gets warmer than the Xbox One X, but not so hot that I worried
about it. The Xbox Series X is designed to bring cold air up from the bottom of the system,
through all of the internals and then expel warm air out of the top..
The controller isn’t all that different from what you’ll currently use on an Xbox One, save for the
addition of a share button and a circular D-pad. I found the share button very responsive and
its positioning at the centre of the controller made me more likely to engage with the feature.
The Xbox Series X feels like a console that won’t be relegated to my secondary machine,
like its predecessor was last generation. Microsoft has had to swallow a lot of humble
pie in order to make the strides they have since the fiasco of 2013, but in doing so they’ve began
the generation with a very confident system. The technology is excellent and is pound for pound
more powerful than its direct rival, although how much that’ll matter as the generation proceeds,
we’re yet to see. Features like quick resume and the SSD aided load times make the entire process
of using an Xbox Series X smooth and easy. The time between turning the thing on and being in
a game has never been shorter. The backwards compatibility efforts also mean that it serves
as the console of record for every generation of Microsoft's titles, an element that’s sorely
lacking on the Playstation 5. Unfortunately, Halo Infinite's delay and nothing in its stead make the
system at times feel like it turned up too early for the dance. While your third party games are
going to look and play great here, there’s nothing you can point to and say I can only play this
on my Xbox Series X. How much that’ll actually matter to early adopters I’d predict is minimal,
but for me it’s what’s stopping the Series X being an absolute must play at launch.
Come on. Time to face the music
Thanks for watching this review, if you enjoyed it before sure to check out another on BBC The Social
as we begin this next generation in gaming. Until next time, I’m Jordan Middler, see you later.