Xbox Series X/S review: no Nintendo 64 but still a must-buy
Microsoft is going into the next gen console battle with not one but two weapons. At first glance, the Xbox Series X and S are unassuming, but the upgrade packs a punch.
The PS4 and Xbox One were more like a PC than any other console that's come before. They practically had the same hardware, constant updates and the introduction of graphics options. The Xbox Series X and S take this similarity even further. It now feels more like you've upgraded your PC than bought a revolutionised console that turns everything upside down. You're not going to be wowed anymore like you were by «Super Mario 64». At first, that sounds disappointing, but Microsoft's latest game stations are anything but boring.
What the new Xbox consoles can do
Compared with the Xbox One, the new generation delivers many improved features. It's the first time you get an SSD instead of the old-fashioned, mechanical HDD. The 1 TB NVMe SSD (of which 802 GB is available space) in Series X and 512 GB in Series S (of which 364 GB is available), are much faster than the hard drive in the Xbox One. Microsoft continues to rely on AMD for the processor and graphics card. The difference being the eight-core architecture or the new Navi graphics chip, respectively. 16 GB of RAM in the Series X and 10 GB of RAM in the Series S ensure more power reserves. This lets the Xbox Series X display games in UHD up to 120 fps. The Series S can also achieve 120 fps but only in 1440p, as its CPU and GPU are slightly weaker. Only the Series X has a drive for UHD Blu-rays. So if you still have games on disc, the Series S is useless.
You can add up to 1 TB to the Xbox consoles via a proprietary SSD slot at the back of the device. But at 250 francs for 1 TB, it's not exactly cheap. It's more cost-effective to connect an external USB hard drive. But you'd only be able to load games onto it that are compatible with Xbox One or older models.
Microsoft has positioned the Series X for people who have a UHD TV, and the Series S for players who still use full HD and want to stick with that. Which is just as my tests show.
One mini loudspeaker, one mini tower
There's no clearer sign that consoles are becoming like PCs than the design of the Series X. It looks like a black, inconspicuous mini PC. The large vents on the top have a splash of green, which you can unfortunately only see from the side. I had hoped Microsoft would build in a few LEDs. By contrast, the Series S reminds me of a loudspeaker or an old boombox. I like it. Both consoles can be placed upright or be laid flat.
As the Series X is considerably larger, I'd measure your TV cabinet beforehand. The tower just about fits in my Ikea Besta, the TV unit that appears to be in every other living room in Switzerland. I can't even push it all the way back as it'll get stuck.
Controllers: good grip
When you first look at it, the Xbox controller looks just like the previous generation. But as soon as you hold it, you can tell that Microsoft has made improvements here too. The reverse has raised dots for improved grip, and this rougher profile means it sits much better in your hand. In comparison, the predecessor seems like a cheap plastic toy. The Series X/S controller is also slightly smaller. I like it. What's more, the triggers and bumpers have more grip. Meanwhile, the digital D-pad is now a mixture of the traditional and round cross, which you can choose to add to the Elite controller.
There are other improvements beneath the surface, such as the reduced input delay to make the controls even more precise. Admittedly, mere mortals like me don't notice that, but then again, I'm not playing the likes of «Street Fighter» competitively. I still prefer the Elite 2, but I have to say the weight of the new Series controllers appeals to me more. Unlike the PS5, you can keep using your current controller to its full capacity.
Set-up
It's easy to set up the new Xbox using the Xbox mobile app. It worked for me at the first attempt, and a minute later, the console was ready-to-use. To make the most of its full performance, you should certainly take a look at the settings. I had to go in there and change the resolution manually from 1080p to UHD and the refresh rate to 120 Hz. Obviously, your TV has to support that to start off with. The same goes for Dolby Vision and VRR, the variable refresh rate, which you also have to activate manually. As well as that, I recommend configuring HDR properly. Microsoft has an HDR calibration app to go with the Xbox Series X/S.
As I have an LG OLED CX, I fear the worst. In the run-up to release, there were a lot of reports of potential image issues linked to HDMI 2.1 and 120 Hz. But even without special firmware, I couldn't detect any limitations in my test. UHD with 120 Hz and HDR works flawlessly. Nevertheless, I deactivated AMD Freesync because Dolby Vision doesn't work with it right now.
There are also potential problems on the receiver front. If you connect your consoles to the AV receiver, then it's tough luck. That is, if you don't want to miss out on the 120 Hz refresh rate. The few receivers that this HDMI 2.1 feature theoretically supports are still fraught with problems. So you better do what I did and connect the consoles to the TV directly. You can still send sound to your receiver via HMDI cable and the ARC feature (audio return channel). Having said that, for hi-res audio formats like Dolby TrueHD, your receiver has to support eARC.
What's the xBox X/S like in-game?
You'd think the latest consoles would surely be faster and better than the predecessors. But it's unfortunately not as simple as that. The Series S is geared towards a resolution of 2560 × 1440p and is designed with full HD TVs in mind. However, it can upscale to UHD and display normal native UHD for streaming services like Netflix. So in terms of resolution, the old Xbox One X has taken the lead as it delivers UHD in certain games.
In turn, the Series X and S offer more graphics details, such as more frames per second (fps) or ray tracing for optimised games such as «Gears 5». It usually depends on the game. That's because it's the developer who decides on the game's resolution, degree of details and fps.
Three game releases
There are three main types of games:
- non-optimised games
- optimised games
- games developed for Series X/S.
Non-optimised games include all backward-compatible games from the original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Most of them can make use of a special feature on the Series X and S called Auto HDR. Essentially, this upgrades loads of games by automatically adding HDR to those that didn't originally support it. I tried it out for the Xbox 360 with a number of games, including «Geometry Wars 2» and was surprised at how well it worked. It's definitely not a gimmick.
Non-optimised games don't necessarily run better on the new console. These games often have a fixed frame rate, which means extra performance disappears without a trace. What's more, they don't automatically display in a higher resolution. It always depends on the individual game. The Series X focusses on game releases that have been optimised for Xbox One X, while the Series S is designed with those optimised for Xbox One S in mind. In both cases, what's almost always noticeable is the loading time. More on that later.
In terms of optimised games, you can either buy them specifically for the Series X/S or get the next gen upgrade for free thanks to Smart Delivery. This is a feature that developers can offer on a voluntary basis. Optimised games usually possess more fps, feature ray tracing, provide more detail and support higher resolutions. For this review, I tested out «Forza Horizon 4», «Gears 5», «Gears Tactics», «Sea of Thieves» and «The Touryst». There should be about 30 games available at time of launch.
Although there aren't as yet any games that have been developed specially for Series X/S. «Halo Infinite» was originally meant to be released for the launch but that's been postponed indefinitely.
Game comparison
Looks-wise, the difference between the current and latest generation of games is most noticeable on the Series X. When you do a side-by-side comparison of the Xbox One and Xbox Series S, you have to look very closely in some respects to spot the graphics differences. That's because a lot of games play a lot more smoothly on the black and white console thanks to more fps, higher frame rate and variable refresh rate. Both new consoles are quicker than the XBox One X in the menus. The Series X is even a bit faster.
For this review, I connected all of the consoles to my 77-inch UHD TV simultaneously. I started the same game on all of them and then switched between them. This was the best way to spot and highlight the differences. Here are a few examples:
This was the first game I tested out on both consoles to get a comparison, and the difference was noticeable straightaway. The image is distinctly sharper on Series X – you can see more details, and there's less flickering at the edges than on the Series S.
It's even clearer on the racing game «Dirt 5». You can choose from three image modes: quality, frame rate and 120 Hz. «Quality» has dynamic UHD resolution and features the most detail, including nicer shadows. « Frame rate» focuses on dynamic UHD resolution at a stable 60 fps. And in 120 Hz mode, you get the whole thing in 120 images per second. This comes with significant optical losses. The resolution drops to dynamic 1440p, and no one will want to watch it anymore. The racecars make up for it with precise steering. For me, the difference between 60 fps is not as noticeable with one of the controllers as with a mouse and keyboard. However, Microsoft maintains that «Dirt 5» still isn't optimised for Xbox Series X and S.
I also used the Xbox One X as a comparison. The game looked by far the nicest and sharpest on the Series X. Although «Dirt 5» isn't a particularly impressive game graphics-wise. On the Series S, on the other hand, it's so washed out I initially thought I'd picked the wrong resolution. And there's not exactly much you can do from the console. The Xbox One X seems slightly sharper, but the downside is it can't do 120 fps.
«Gears 5» is one of the few games that was optimised for next gen at the time of this review. Some of the improvements include more fps, ray tracing, and according to Digital Foundry, a level of detail that's supposedly even higher than the ultra settings on a PC. I must admit, I couldn't spot most of this. On the Series X, everything looks as expected – the sharpest and therefore the nicest. There's not much between the Series S and One X in terms of optics, despite the different resolutions. But where you'll see a dramatic contrast is in the controls. This is where the higher frame rate really stands out. The lumbering muscle men suddenly act like young gazelles. Incredible!
It's similar in «Forza Horizon 4». The Series X draws on that and is followed optically by the One X, while the Series S brings up the rear. We're talking about resolution here, which is the first thing you notice on my 77-inch screen. 1440p just isn't enough. What makes the expensive, fast cars steer so precisely on the Series X and S is the 60 fps. The Xbox One X manages to do that with just 1080p, but it falls behind in UHD with 30 fps and isn't stable.
«Monster Hunter World» is ultimately a game that hasn't had any next gen optimisation. The same version runs on the Series S as on the Xbox One S, while the Series X reverts to the Xbox One X version. This means you can set the «Resolution» option permanently on the Series S. On the Series X, as on the One X, you can also choose «frame rate» or «Details». Of all the games I tested, «Monster Hunter World» looked the worst on the Series S. The image is so washed out you can hardly see it. In the same image mode, the game looks much crisper on the Series X and on the One X. The Series S makes up for it with a frame rate that's stable compared to the One X. But on the Series X, you get the best of all worlds.
Quick Resume
Although I initially mentioned that the consoles felt like a PC upgrade, there are a few distinctive features. There's «Quick Resume» for a start. Games that support this feature load in the cache so you can switch between them almost completely smoothly without having to restart the game. «Ori and the Will of the Wisps» and «Gears 5» loaded in about five seconds. This feature doesn't work yet on «Yakuza Like a Dragon» or «Dirt 5». But developers should be able to just upgrade it. You can store about five games in the cache, depending on each game's hardware requirements. Unfortunately, you can't choose which games you want to play with Quick Resume. The console does that itself.
The highlight: boot and load times
Another highlight, if not THE highlight, of the new consoles is without doubt the massively reduced load times, made possible by SSDs. It starts with the boot time, which is a mere five seconds in «Instant» mode, even if you completely unplug the console from the mains beforehand. My TV can hardly keep up. The cold start in «power saving mode» is 20 seconds. That's four times faster than the Xbox One X.
If you think that's good, wait till you see the load times in games. The results are most extreme in games that have already been optimised. But you notice it across the board. The difference is huge. Take «Dirt 5», for instance. To this day I'm still waiting for it to finish loading on the One X. Let's take a look at some figures.
Comparing start and load times
| Game | Series X | Series S | One X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien Isolation | 37s, 30s | 48s, 30s | 43s, 42s |
| Dirt 5 | 26s, 13s | 20s, 14s | 51s, 40s |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | 33s, 5s | 37s, 6s | 40s, 22s |
| Yakuza Like a Dragon | 31s, 6s | 31s, 7s | 50s, 52s |
| Gears 5 | 52s, 14s | 32s, 12s | 75s, 50s |
| Sea of Thieves | 20s, 25s | 20s, 25s | 86s, 119s |
Hiss, crackle: hello? Is this thing on?
The Xbox Series X is a fair beast, as far as size is concerned. But like the Series S, it barely makes a sound. Even during long gaming sessions, the consoles remained unflappable. Even when they're left out of the cabinet, they're ultra-silent. It's an absolute joy. The One X is admittedly also relatively quiet, but when I put all three consoles on my TV cabinet, I can hear the One X after a few minutes. But that's all harmless compared with the PS4 Pro, which sounds like it's about to take off when I play «Spider Man Miles Morales».
Verdict: Xbox X or S? It depends on your TV
While the new Microsoft consoles aren't a quantum leap like previous releases, the Series X and S are a worthy upgrade. They deliver new graphics features – such as ray tracing – more details in games, and frame rates up to 120 fps. UHD resolution might not be anything new, but it's now more constant and smooth. The interface isn't new either, but at least you know where everything is.
The highlight of the new consoles is the SSD. Load times haven't disappeared completely, but in certain games it's getting close to it. Gone are the days when you'd be able to leisurely pour a cup of coffee after starting up a game. And being able to switch between games within seconds using «Quick Resume» is something that PCs can't even manage on this scale. It's true, there aren't any games exclusive to Series X/S at time of launch. But on the plus side, this means you can play old games from all previous gen Xbox consoles. And thanks to Auto HDR and extra performance, the games will be even better than before.
But I can't recommend these two consoles without including a few provisos. For a start, the Series S hard drive is way too small, especially when you consider you have to install each game. There's also the issue of 1440p, which I don't think is enough for large UHD TVs. You can't have the previous model looking better. The Series S makes up for this significantly with a higher frame rate and improved graphics. That being said, I can only recommend the S if you still have a full HD TV. And even then, the Series X gives you more future-proofing.
In my opinion, the Xbox Series X is clearly the better option of the two, and the only one that's a real next gen console. The Series X costs more and it's a huge brick, but it delivers uncompromising quality. We might be yet to see UHD paired with 120 fps, but there's no denying that console gaming hasn't been this fun in a long time.
50 people like this article
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
