Test driving the new Xbox Series X
New console delivers on Microsoft’s promises.
The irony of next-generation gaming is that one of the first things most gamers do when they get a new console is use it to play old games, hoping that the older game will look and load faster than ever before.
It is new console time, with both Microsoft Xbox Series X and S, and Sony’s PlayStation 5, arriving in consumer hands and on store shelves next week. It’s been a years-long arms race of hype-building, touting technical specs and gearing up for the next round of the console wars.
The new Xboxes arrive Nov.10 and, while they will likely be scarce unless you snagged a preorder, there is one drawback that both consoles share, in that there are few new exclusive games out for them, which is especially true for the new Xbox.
So while plenty of gamers will experience some FOMO (fear of missing out) there aren’t a lot of concrete reasons you need to get these consoles right now.
In fact, the truth is consoles just get better with time as the gaming library gets more robust, developers figure out how to maximize the hardware and, eventually, they get cheaper.
All that said, after spending a few weeks with the new Xbox Series X, here’s what I love about Microsoft’s take on next gen and a few things I have some issues with.
> Microsoft’s grand plan: For context, the knock on Microsoft over the past few years is that the company hasn’t delivered enough exclusives to keep gamer interest high in their consoles.
The company knows it and, in the past few years, has bought several developers and studios, including Bethesda, the maker of the “Elder Scrolls” and many more blockbuster games, this past September.
Game development is a slow process, but it’s only a matter of time before those moves bear fruit. The company’s grand vision is a long game that incorporates new products and tech that are a lot more next gen than just a faster machine, like cloud gaming. Like Apple, Microsoft has an ecosystem and these devices are an important piece of it.
> Boxier, faster, stronger: Microsoft is launching two versions of its new consoles, the Xbox Series X and S, with the latter being a cheaper, less powerful, disc-less version of the console, which means it can only download and run digital games.
It’s designed to be a less pricey way for gamers to get into nextgen gaming. I was sent the Xbox Series X model (which costs $599; the S costs $379) and it is the top end, premium model with a disc drive. It boasts it is the most powerful console ever released, with incredible computing power and solid-state drive.
It’s that combination of tech that has everything loading incredibly fast, letting new and old games get up and running quickly and looking as glorious as ever.
Certain titles like “Forza Horizon 4,” “Gears 5” and “Marvel’s Avengers” are or will be optimized at launch for 4K TVs that can support all the latest tech, like ray tracing and gaming at 120 frames-per-second. Some of these game updates were pending, so it’s hard to say how much greater they will look.
As well, a lot of the optimization in games only affects things like lighting, so in some cases, it’s hard to see that much of a difference. I used the X on several TVs, and newer and older games all looked awesome. I am admittedly not as big a graphics nut as some gamers, but one thing I am is impatient.
The biggest improvement people will notice is how quickly games load and get running. Long loading times drive gamers nuts. YouTube videos of older games loading are already showing up. Xbox has also added a “Quick Resume” button on its dashboard so you can jump into your last game even quicker, but it only works for select games at this point.
> New and old games: Although there are 30 games “optimized” at launch for the Xbox Series X, including the new “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” and the recently launched “Watch
Dogs: Legion,” every gamer who has an old Xbox game disc library will be throwing in old games and seeing how they perform.
Xbox has committed to backwards compatibility for almost all of its older games, but it’s a work in progress with an ever expanding list. I tried older games I love like “Split/Second,” “Grand Theft Auto 4” and “Vanquish,” and they ran great and felt like they loaded faster. These older games usually needed a 7GB update to run, but once that downloaded they worked great
I also renewed Xbox Game Pass Service — the company’s subscription gaming service, which with access to over 100 games is great and one of the best deals in gaming. I checked out games I’ve been meaning to play like “Nier: Automata,” and played older favourites like “Dead Cells” and “Batman: Arkham Knight.” Xbox’s backwards compatibility works great and you have to admire the commitment to keeping older game libraries relevant.
> Not quite next gen enough: I really like a lot about Xbox Series X, but on first glance the UI and the controller looked and felt like Xbox of old. The big difference is the Xbox’s design, which no longer looks like a Borg cube, and I’m not fan of it. It also doesn’t fit into my TV stand, but most people will likely want it in the open so that it gets airflow.
On the other hand, after that first glance and using it, there were subtle improvements to the Xbox controller and it feels even better to play with.
> The naming thing and a glitch: I hate the branding because it is confusing. The last gen consoles are the Xbox One and Xbox One S, which will likely be going on big clearance sales soon. The new ones are the Xbox Series X and Series S. I hate to invoke the hoary cliché of the clueless parent walking into a store and buying the wrong thing, but I also know it’s going to happen to people this holiday season.
As well — with a caveat that I was reviewing a pre-release console that will be getting a day one software patch — twice I hit a glitch that downshifted my HD TVs resolution to 600 x 400, so it appeared as a smaller boxed screen on my much larger TV.
I couldn’t fix it in the settings and had to restart, but it seemed random and was not a persistent issue, as the console ran very smoothly the rest of the time. á The bottom line and the best deal: The Xbox Series X is a great new console that delivers on Microsoft’s promises and intentions. Gamers will love the load times and access to all their Xbox games. If you have a topof-the-line TV and have older games on disc, the Xbox Series Xis a good buy that will only get better with time as newer games arrive.
It’s also worth noting that while I didn’t try out the Xbox Series S model, buying one of those along with an annual subscription to Xbox Game Pass costs around what the Series X model does and is likely the least expensive way to get into gaming’s next generation.