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Xbox Series X: The matte black cuboid looks mysterious. Image: GAMES.CH
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We tried Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and these are first impressions
How’s the “Most Powerful Xbox Ever”? Who is the new Microsoft console worth buying for? And what can the little sister Xbox Series S do? We tested both consoles.
Well, the term “box” is perhaps an understatement given its build height of 30cm and sides of 15cm. It is a rather massive block weighing 4.4 pounds. But compared to the PS5 competitor, the Xbox Series X – XSX in short: definitely discreet.
His little sister is even more discreet Xbox S Series – XSS for short. Later we will have to talk about the “cheap Xbox”. According to the manufacturer, the “most powerful Xbox of all time” looks good to put it mildly, at least in an upright position. The XSX can also be placed in landscape format, but it is somewhat reminiscent of a black shoebox. In addition, the start button, which is allowed as an illuminated Xbox logo, is therefore on the side. Upright, however, the XSX has something of a mystery to it and overall it performs quite well in the home entertainment ensemble.
Downward compatible multimedia station
The XSX is also too well made to be a “box”. The inconspicuous disc slot fits in perfectly with the minimalist design. On the top there is an inward curved ventilation grille, behind which a large fan, which is barely audible during normal operation, spins its round. It just gets a little louder for a moment when playing games or video discs. Incidentally, our Blu-ray and UHD movies can be played smoothly after a software player has been downloaded for a short time.
4K movies, straight from disc: Series X can also be used as a Blu-ray player. Image: GAMES.CH
Thanks to apps that can be optionally installed from various services such as Spotify, Netflix or Disney +, Xbox has finally become the media station we’ve always wanted. Thanks to backward compatibility, we also have many Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, as well as a handful of Xbox Classic titles available. Essentially, they are the same titles they played on Xbox One.
Back to the future: games
Access to the archive is also extremely necessary. Because let’s say it as it is: initial training is, if you take the exclusive titles as a point of reference, more than scarce. The highlights consist solely of cross-gen titles such as “Yakuza: Like a Dragon” (Sega) or “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” (Ubisoft), which of course don’t push the new hardware to the limit. After all, these titles must also run on the previous generation of consoles.
The fact that both examples – whose playful value is undisputed – come from what appear to be infinite long-term series, reinforces the strange impression of continuity. It feels a bit like this is all just an update to the current console generation and not the launch of completely new hardware.
The new Xbox really has a lot to offer: 4K and a brilliant picture thanks to “High Dynamic Range” are now standard, games with a flexible frame rate now run from at least 60 and up to 120 FPS, DirectX ray tracing guarantees more dynamics and graphic brilliance and even SDR games shine in HDR without any additional input from the original developers. This may not cause open mouths in the rows, but the performance increase is already evident in a positive way. Especially since you can expect future titles where the XSX can utilize its full 12 teraflops computing power.
What do you really get from all the splendor?
It all sounds like a lot of future dreams. What do you actually get from advanced technology?
KO for loading times. The wait in front of the rotating logos does not end only with new titles like “Yakuza: Like a Dragon”. Image: NOW
On the one hand, loading times have been kept to a minimum. With “Yakuza: Like a Dragon”, for example, this means that you have no chance to read the suggestions displayed on the loading screen. Another strong point is the “quick resume” technology. It ensures that, with games that support it, you can continue playing where you left off last time at any time, with virtually no lag if you have several games running at the same time. If you just want to unwind after hours of grinding at “Monster Hunter World” (Capcom) to go for a wacky race or two against friends in “Forza Horizon”, the flying change is now only a matter of seconds.
It’s really cool, and we never, ever, ever want to go back to the time we stared at the loading screen for what felt like an eternity while restarting or switching games!
Rather weak on the chest: the XSS
Internal SSD storage is one of the factors responsible for the blazingly fast load times. With the XSX it’s a terabyte, with the XSS you have to be satisfied with 512 gigabytes (about 350 GB net). Since the little sister doesn’t even have an optical drive, that’s too little. Let’s stay on the “budget version” for a moment.
Xbox Series S next to the first Xbox. Image: GAMES.CH
We really like the look of the little white box. It is also perfectly suited as a receiver for streaming services. As a standalone console, however, it is definitely not recommended due to limited storage space. As with the big sister, you can buy an external memory. But then the savings effect would also vanish, which is basically the only argument for the cheaper option of 200 francs. Additionally, some developers are already complaining that XSS could prove to be a technical bottleneck if their games are to run on less powerful consoles. Maybe you want to afford it as a small media station for nighttime games in the bedroom.
Always tight: memory
But even with the XSS you’ll predictably have to save on storage – after all, current titles like to consume gigabytes in the three-digit range. Incidentally, this also applies to older titles installed from the disc. When you consider that, for example, a separate 1TB SSD has been recommended for the PC version of the “Microsoft Flight Simulator”, which will also be playable on XSX, the storage dilemma becomes clear.
Seagate’s Microsoft memory expansions provide a remedy, such as the optionally available memory card, which doubles the XSS storage space. However, around 250 francs are owed for this – quite steep. At least you can also use 3.21 drives from other manufacturers. It remains to be seen how this in turn affects loading times.
Chaos and continuity: software and controllers
Despite the lack of launch sensations, there is already a lot to do on the homepage, which is as always a bit chaotic. If you set up your new Xbox using the free mobile phone app for iOS and Android, you can directly transfer your old Xbox account, including all settings and games.
In addition to games, the store has several dozen apps that can be used to bring streaming services such as Spotify, DAZN or Amazon Prime, but also cool wallpapers to the console. And of course that Game-Pass, which Microsoft now also offers on multiple platforms, namely for Xbox and PC: with its interesting line-up, the internal subscription service is one of the most important strengths for Microsoft hardware.
Xbox Series X / S Dashboard. Image: GAMES.CH
The Controller it is available in matte black to match the console and, in addition to the two joysticks, it has an octagonal D-pad and grooved grip surfaces, which greatly increase the holding comfort. According to their own statement, the designers have adapted the input device to a larger number of hand sizes, particularly taking into account smaller hands. “By fitting in hands similar to those of an average 8-year-old,” they have improved accessibility for millions of people without negatively impacting handling for people with larger hands. We can confirm this from our experience.
In addition to the view and menu button, there is a share button directly below that you can use to send screenshots and video clips directly to the cloud, or more precisely to One Drive or social networks – a good idea! With the slightly revised design and new D-Pad, the new controller is something of a hybrid between the regular Xbox One and the Elite controller.
Controllers throughout the generation: Xbox 360 (top), Xbox One (bottom left), and Xbox Series X (bottom right) Image: GAMES.CH
Maybe one or the other likes the new controller so much that they want to use it on other platforms as well. Here Microsoft is following the path already taken in previous generations and allows us to use it on platforms on XSX, XSS, Xbox One, Windows 10, Android and iOS. In contrast, Microsoft consoles are open to third-party peripherals. These include high-end devices from Razer, which has already announced a “Designed for Xbox” product line.
The bottom line
Virtually nonexistent load times, graphically enhanced and classic inventory titles whet your appetite for the new Microsoft console. But if you’ve already made the switch to 4K with Xbox One X, you have no reason to change now.
But more than a dozen top-tier Microsoft studios with brands like “Halo” and “Forza” and last but not least, developer and publisher Bethesda, recently acquired by Microsoft, are expected to deliver. But they absolutely must do this if they want to be successful with the new hardware in the medium term. From our point of view, the XSS unfortunately isn’t much of a nice add-on device for those who can afford it, but it’s not a real alternative.
Representing the team: Mia the cat with friends.
PS: Mia obviously has her own Instagram account. image: games.ch
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