first impressions of the new Microsoft console

2020 was a complicated, intense and very challenging year, especially when it comes to the market games and, more specifically, the consoles. There have been months of talking a lot about PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and, amidst rumors and prophecies, the design, specifications and menu of the games have been revealed. So in this article, we just want to focus on Microsoft’s new video game console: Xbox Series X (yes, let’s not forget Xbox Series S). As mentioned, the new gaming machine launched on November 10th.

In Pplware we have had this console for some time, and for the hours clinging … we can already give an opinion. These are, for now, our first impressions. Let’s do it?

Microsoft Xbox Series X and Series S, consoles of the new generation of gamers
The X Series (XSX) truly represents the next generation console.  The hardware offers us new resources and computing power to provide players with a unique gaming experience, in custom designed titles.  In addition to DirectX-Raytracing (DXR), this console also includes a super-fast SSD, which should almost completely eliminate game load times.  Smooth 60 fps with Ultra HD resolution and spatial audio, aka 3D sound, are also part of this new console.
From the start, the promise told us that games of the ninth generation of consoles would be even more real and engaging, a kind of spell for gamers.  The S series (XSS) is still a state-of-the-art console, but compared to its big sister, the X series, the specs have been reduced slightly to get a lower price.
Many of the features mentioned above can be experienced in both, however, in the S series at lower resolutions.  Also, the S Series does not have an optical drive, it is a purely digital console, where you can only get games through the internal Xbox store or the additionally purchased Game Pass.



Do you want the powerful Microsoft console?  It costs 500 euros
As mentioned, the new Microsoft's next-generation consoles are priced at € 499 for the X series and € 299 for the S series..  Both machines are equipped with an AMD Ryzen chip with RDNA2 functionality and an extremely fast SSD that completes the experience.  Therefore, we have no doubt that these new home gaming machines represent a guaranteed technological leap over the previous generation.
At the same time, Microsoft has massively expanded their Game Pass subscription service, a Netflix of games if you prefer, where EA Play can be found.  Therefore, this will extend to offers for more subscription games in the future.  In addition, it will also be possible to play anywhere, because the Xcloud Project has also become part of the Game Pass ecosystem.

Evolution
When the current consoles were released seven years ago, the world looked different - maybe a little more "cheerful", maybe a little more innocent, however, it was also a little slower.  In fact, he was mostly less connected to the internet and gadgets.  In fact, at that time, the processes were more complex, even a login was more complicated.  Today everything works with surprising ease, almost foolproof.
Anyone who has ever played on Xbox or been a Game Pass Ultimate user on their computer you can easily connect and sync your Xbox Gamertag with the new console using the corresponding Xbox app on your smartphone and a 10-letter code.  You can also continue to use the new Xbox without the internet and smartphone.

All of this makes the transition to the new platform as smooth as possible and you don't even realize you're in the next generation.  For example, the well-known Xbox ecosystem interface that welcomes you.  It visually bridges what we already know from Xbox One X.
But there are other, many more "coincidences" and similarities that Microsoft probably wanted to make to make the transition as easy as possible, without neglecting the previous generation of consoles.

Is it still a console or is it already a mini PC?
With so much technology, anyone who understands what we're talking about asks: but wait, is it a console or is it a computer?
Well, as far as the chassis aspect is concerned, the two consoles now launched are quite different.  Of course, there are also a lot of differences in the interior.  However, both consoles use one file AMD Ryzen Octacore processor, which has Zen 2 architecture that allows multithreading simultaneously.  THE The X series has a clock 3.8 GHz.  If the 16 discussions used, the clock is less than 200 MHz. A total of 15.4 billion transistors are found in the 360.4 mm² SoC of Xbox Series X in an advanced 7nm manufacturing process.
In the case of the Xbox One X, there were 6.7 billion transistors in an area of ​​367mm² at 16nm.  In the younger sister, the Xbox Series S, the clock is slightly lower: here a frequency of 3.6 GHz is reached without multithreadingand when using 16 threads the clock drops to 200 MHz. The L2 cache of the CPUs is 512 KB and 4 MB in the L3 cache for CCX (with four CPU cores each), which are present as two separate CPU clusters which are connected by fabric Infinity.

A the graphics unit in the SoC is based on the RDNA-2 architecture with DXR-Tier-1.1, which can also be found on AMD's upcoming Navi GPUs.  The Xbox Series X has 56 processing units (CUs) installed, 52 of which are active and have a 5MB L2 cache.  So, in total, the console can use 3,328 shaders at 1,825 GHz, so the APU can deliver 12.16 TFLOP computing power.

Xbox Series S less powerful, but just as tempting
The same architecture is used on the Xbox Series S, but with significantly fewer processing units and a lower clock rate.  In this more modest, there are only 20 CUs calculating at 1,565 GHz and hence the the computing power of this console is less than 55% in the face of the older sister.

Thanks to AMD's new GPU architecture, both consoles can also use the extension Ray tracing (accelerated ray tracing) from hardware occurring in texture units.  In the X series, a CU can participate in four texture operations or perform four ray tracing operations.  As such, the performance of Ray tracing is 380 gigarays per second.
Both Microsoft consoles also have permanently installed NVME SSDs, in the S series it has a The capacity of 512GB, in the X series is 1TB.  In both devices, the internal SSDs are connected via two PCI-E-4.0 connections, allowing for memory expansion via a plug-in card.  Two PCI-E-4.0s are also available.

In total, the consoles are capable of transferring 4GB / s, which results in very fast console load times.  In terms of memory, the The X series comes with 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, which is connected by a 320-bit BUS.  10 GB have a transfer speed of 560 GB / s, the remaining 336 GB per second.

Speed, storage and performance ...
The S Series, on the other hand, has a total of just 10GB, of which 8GB can be used for games with a bandwidth of 224GB / s - the rest only manage one. scope 56 GB / s.  The lower performance of the S Series is certainly noticeable in the size, because the small console with a volume of 2.7 liters is about 60% narrower than the 6.9-liter X Series.
The desired output from the large console is actually 4K at 60fps, with the S-series the lens being 1,440p and 60fps equally smooth.  From a technical point of view, the new Xbox Series X represents a significant technological leap, especially because new architectures are used at the CPU and GPU level and because 4K and WQHD games are entering the world of consoles at a minimal price.

Old games, new games - it doesn't matter!
In addition to true cutting-edge titles, the X |  S brings optimized video games to new consoles.  These have been prepared with visual improvements and take advantage of new hardware functions.
The most popular titles have been optimized, as in the case of Gears 5. So now these games have a greater level of detail in the dark areas.  Additionally, new features such as the "Variable Rate Shading" rendering technique find their way into older game titles thanks to this update.  This, of course, also includes an increase of frames per second, so that optimized titles now run continuously at smooth 60fps, with some X series titles reaching 120fps.

Conclusion: all well done on the XBOX Series X
For just under 500 euros, the X Series is a decent tech package that offers technical delights in all areas.  Especially the extremely fast SSDs, with which the loading times have been minimized, are like a balm for the soul.
We were surprised at the speed in games in 4K or 1,440p with mainly 60 fps, as titles can be played much more smoothly.  Gone are the days when console gamers could only enjoy 60fps with some less demanding games.

The evolution of the temperature remains within the limits, so much so that the X Series at the top, where the heat and air exchange takes place, reaches a temperature of around 44 ° C.

It was surprising that the user interface of the new Xbox is identical to that of the previous generation and, therefore, there is no break with the past.  Microsoft has more quality and performance within its ecosystem.  Yes, this also includes the much-announced Game Pass.
So the new Xbox Series X and Series S are convincing on paper and can also score in practice with Next Gen features. Smooth gameplay, great graphics in 4K or 1,440p and new techniques such as Ray tracing that make the new consoles attractive to PC appeal. gamer, given that the price of 500 and 300 euros is almost unbeatable for the performance offered.

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