The Xbox Series X Review: Ushering In The Next Generation of Game Consoles
by Brett Howse on November 5, 2020 9:00 AM ESTThe Xbox Series X Design
Now that we have gone over what is inside, let us chat about what is happening on the outside. This current next-gen console launches brought about designs which are quite different than those before. Microsoft’s Xbox Series S does offer a more traditional console look to it, but the Xbox Series X, in its all matte black finish, is decidedly untraditional.
First, the Xbox Series X is designed to ideally be placed upright, as in standing vertically. Now, to be sure, there are rubber feet which allow the console to sit horizontally, however there are small tells that this isn't Microsoft's preferred position, and as such the console looks a bit odd on its side. The Xbox icon on the power button would be rotated if placed on its side, much like the Xbox Series S power button is designed for a horizontal arrangement. The Series X dimensions feel a bit off when the console is laid horizontally, with it being quite tall, but very shallow looking. There is no one saying it won’t work on its side, and Microsoft including rubber feet on the console means that they also have no issues with it being kept horizontally, but from a pure aesthetics view, it looks a bit more proper when standing up.
That is a shame for anyone that wants to place the Xbox in a rack of electronics. The matte black finish works well in this scenario since it would match other AV equipment, but most AV shelves are not designed for the vertical Xbox, so you would have to put it on its side, and be forced to face the cringe-worthy look of the sideways power button for years to come.
The main reason for the square vertical design is of course heat. The Xbox Series X is the most powerful console built to date. It's also one of the most power-hungry. Despite the use of 7 nm TSMC transistors, packing 12 TFLOPS of GPU along with 16 GB of GDDR6 and an 8-core Zen 2 processor means that there is a significant amount of thermals to deal with. We will go into how well it handles the thermal requirements shortly, but clearly the design team wanted a console that was first and foremost cool and quiet, so they've designed around that.
The aesthetics are very subdued, with not a lot of defining features of the design when looking from the front, other than the slot-loading UHD Blu-Ray drive. The power button is on the left, and lights up in use, but there are no flashy lights otherwise.
As much as it may seem silly to RGB all the things, it might have been nice to see some Xbox green LEDs to give a soft glow out of the top of the unit, with the option to disable them, because otherwise there is not a lot to see. The top of the unit does feature a wide grille for hot air to escape, and it does feature some subtle green coloring, but that coloring can not be seen in a dark room.
The matte finish looks great, but be warned: it is a fingerprint magnet.
The sides of the Series X are completely devoid of anything. The rear does have a bit more venting for air intake, along with the bottom which also features a podium to raise the unit slightly, and of course on the back are the main AV connectors, Ethernet, USB Type-A, and the storage expansion slot.
Xbox Series X Controller – Subtly updated
For this generation, Sony has significantly updated their controller, but Microsoft took the safer approach. Microsoft’s Xbox team seems very serious about blurring the generational lines, and introducing a new controller, especially when the existing one was so well received, may have alienated some fans. Also, it means all Xbox One controllers will work with the new system, which is great as people may have purchased custom controllers, or one of the Elite controllers.
The new controller features the standard Xbox Wi-Fi Direct connection that has been around since Xbox One, although with Dynamic Latency Input, which polls the controller more often for reduced lag. Microsoft added Bluetooth support to the Xbox One controller as a mid-cycle refresh, and for the new generation they are expanding that to include Bluetooth Low Energy, meaning it will be compatible with more devices, and be easier to pair.
Physically, all the changes to the controller are very subtle. The most noticeable change is that there is now a new share button located right in the middle of the controller. When Xbox One launched, sharing was expected to be done via Kinect, but as that system died a painful death, it was replaced by being able to share by pressing the Xbox button, then sharing. It was a somewhat painful process. The new share button allows for screenshots by tapping the button, or video clips by holding the button.
The controller continues to utilize AA batteries, and Microsoft is all-too-happy to sell a rechargeable kit as an optional accessory. The controller now can charge via USB Type-C, which is great to see, as most phones have made the switch as well, so having a Type-C charger handy is not that unlikely. If you were someone who purchased the Chatpad, it is also still possible to use on the new controller, which like the previous generation, also has a 3.5 mm audio jack on the bottom for a headset connection.
The controller finish has also been tweaked, with a slight texture on the controller arms now, providing less of a chance of the controller slipping when hands get sweaty. The same texture is also on the triggers.
The D-pad has also been overhauled, moving from having just the cross, to now being a full circle with a raised cross, which should help tremendously on games that expect you to press in the midpoints.
The new controller feels great with the new textures, but most definitely is not a departure from the Xbox One controller in most respects. This was not an accident, since the Xbox One controller was quite good, and with the heavy emphasis on backwards compatibility, keeping the same basic controller design makes a lot of sense. That being said, it does not feel next gen because it is more or less the same as the previous design.
If you were a fan of the Xbox Design lab, where you could design a custom controller, it is currently not available as they ramp up for the new controller, so look for it to be back in 2021.
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Kangal - Saturday, November 7, 2020 - link
I haven't seen any TV, Radio, or Billboard ads. Even the buzz online has been quite mute.Despite that, 2020 is a bad time for console release. Not only is the pandemic risk a real problem, but the component supply issues are tough, the people having a lot less spending money is massive, and on top of that software and game developers have also been hit.
Now every disadvantage has it's advantage!
1) I think this was the perfect opportunity for MS to one-up and beat the console race, by pulling a "pro move". And what I mean about that is that MS should have trolled Sony, by developing a next-gen console that is launching in December, priced much higher, have worse specs, be much hotter, be much louder, look uglier, have a confusing name, and have gimmicky launch titles. So it's basically a 4K-checkerboard console with NO RayTracing. Yep, even going as far as sending lots of units to game publishers to work on, some individual units to online reviewers, and even limited supply to retailers. This would've meant Sony develops a PS5 that's even worse than now in terms of features (No RayTracing) and specs (20%-60% slower), and at a higher $600 price, to help the company profit-margin.
2) Then at the last minute, bam, MS apologises and cancels the product just before launch. Then cite the covid restrictions, supply issues, etc etc as the culprit. But promise to release the system very soon when they are ready. A slimy business move indeed. It will have the half-baked PS5 competing with itself, which doesn't matter, as PS4 had won the current-gen console race.
3) Then "re-develop" the next-gen console to actually release a year later, in Oct 2021. By this period, they would have stopped Xbox One/S/X production and ended stock. And released the "Xbox Two" as a better named, beautiful console, that runs cold, runs silent, ships with the Elite2 controller, and has a couple awesome exclusive games. It would run all enhanced "XB1X" games, and it supports next-gen games with an output of 4K-HDR-RayTracing with 120fps, but all games are actually rendered in 1080p. So because of the questionable 4TF RDNA +2 GPU its only a slight upgrade (modest upgrade to Base Xbox One), and priced equal to the discounted Xbox OneX at $300. Even worse it lacks a Disc tray, so it is Digital Only which gives a monopoly to MS for game sales and streaming. However, thanks to the much faster 4.0GHz Zen3 CPU, 16GB GDDR6 memory, and the Soldered 512GB nVme SSD, it does support all next-gen titles. So this rounds out the Xbox One era, with no reviewers sent any units, with all retailers having full stock already, it is ready for sale right away, shocks the industry and defeats the 1 year old $600 PS5 on a strict value proposition.
4) But wait, there's more!
Upon release of the Xbox Two, one week later MS holds a press release/announcement. This is their true fifth-gen console aptly named "The Xbox V". It's even better named, more beautiful design, runs silent, runs cool, released cheaper and better than expected. The next day and following, there are ads for it everywhere on TV, Radio, Billboards, and everywhere online. Whilst pre-orders start the next week, for a sweet $500 price, with heaps of stock in MS's warehouses boxed and ready. They would also have a new 5th-gen controller dubbed "XP5" for Xbox Pad 5 with an updated design. It also uses upgraded parts like 4.0GHz Zen3 CPU, a more modern 12TF RDNA2+ GPU, ample 32GB GDDR6 memory, and a 1TB nVme SSD that is user replaceable. Not to mention a much more polished API, Software, and launch titles/exclusives (not gimmicky). Overall there's a huge and noticeable (30%-90%) performance difference between the "half-baked PS5" versus the "enhanced Xbox V". This means PS5 suffers immensely with all third-party releases for the entire generation (not enough RAM, worse APIs, and slower CPU and GPU), and this new console package with such an instant reveal and launch puts Sony at a difficult position. Hence, having an early victory in 2020 for Sony proves useless in terms of profit and market share, and the console race really heats up.
PS: ....with all this hypothetical yet possible scenario laid out, I should note Nintendo lost a similar opportunity with the Switch console. Which could have retailed more/less price, and launched same/earlier period, YET using the new technologies it could have been much more advanced and even more powerful than the PS4, thus supporting all third-party games from the current-gen consoles. It would've extended its effective lifetime, not be obsolete so quickly. Perhaps remain relevant in the next-gen console era as well, instead of relying on gimmicks, fans, and nostalgia.
persondb - Saturday, November 7, 2020 - link
That would require Microsoft to know ahead about the current situation. Because you know, hardware takes a long time to develop and it was likely finalized just before the start of this pandemic. Same for playstation really.Tams80 - Sunday, November 8, 2020 - link
This is what an uninhibited stream of fanboi fantasy looks like.Utterly clueless, impractical, unrealistic, and silly. Move along; nothing to see here.
TesseractOrion - Sunday, November 8, 2020 - link
Total drivel.Kangal - Sunday, November 8, 2020 - link
I concur.Still fun thought exercise. Besides fact is stranger than fiction.
cmdrdredd - Monday, November 9, 2020 - link
People without disposable income have made the PS4 Pro and Nintendo switch disappear from retail supply though. Seems people have more money than you thinkFloridaMan - Friday, November 20, 2020 - link
Sir,Corporate espionage is a real thing. Nearly all tech companies engage in an array of both soft and hard spying to know what the competition is bringing to the table.
AMD would be point entropy in this situation. Not only is a third party designing for both Sony and MS, but their using the same architecture as well. One has less room to differentiate their product within those lines. However, this is beneficial to the consumer as developers are working between a framework rather than having to code for separate entities.
Gone are the days where one might wait a year for game to port. (At least for consoles. The PCMASTERACE still locked behind this constraint on many titles, but we are patient, and mighty! What cannot be unlocked will be emulated, modded or synthesized!)
Yojimbo - Thursday, November 5, 2020 - link
I don't know if that's true or not, as I don't watch any TV. But maybe they feel it would be counterproductive in this environment. Hyping something up that will be in short supply for a while might make people frustrated. And by short supply I don't mean the supply will be low, I mean that demand will already outstrip supply without any advertising.The console market as a whole is probably pretty stable without any advertising, but Sony and Microsoft would want to gain an edge against each other in enthusiasm. So I would expect campaigns to try to influence people. Perhaps at first they will be a bit more subtle? (such as to get their product talked about on gamer youtuber channels, etc...) Then it's out there in people's minds without the direct, implicit promises of availability that come with direct advertising.
MonkeyPaw - Thursday, November 5, 2020 - link
Maybe they know they're facing supply shortages and there's no point in paying for advertising to sell a product that might already be sold out through the end of the year. I think enough gamers knew about PS5 and XSX that a tv commercial wouldn't move the needle.HarryVoyager - Saturday, November 7, 2020 - link
That would be my suspicion. As I understand it, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have all, already, completely sold out in most markets, and it will be a while until they've got enough hardware on hand to make more.At that point a big ad blitz is just going to cost you money.