Xbox Series X and S review: Newest Microsoft consoles won't disappoint dedicated gamers but feel safe and boring compared to the PS5
- Serious gamers will not be let down by the high-end Series X console
- Casual gamers and Netflix-lovers will enjoy the new 'Quick Resume' feature
- £249 for the Series S, a fully-fledged game console, is excellent value
Microsoft has recently launched the Xbox Series X, the latest high-end iteration of its famed gaming console, and the Series S, its digital-only baby brother.
On the surface, there are some obvious and simple differences between the two, the X is more expensive, black, and has twice as much internal memory.
But they both pack a punch for gamers and offer a smattering of new features. MailOnline got hold of both consoles and put them to the test.
The X costs £449, the same as the comparative version of the PS5, whereas the S costs an astoundingly reasonable £249, £100 less than its PS5 equivalent.
In a coronavirus-ravaged 2020, consoles have to be able to offer enough to satisfy hardcore gamers while also being a do-it-all entertainment hub for the family.
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Cuboid in shape, the X (left) is Microsoft's most powerful ever console ever made while the cut-price Series S (right) is a digital-only console which is the smallest ever Xbox
Aesthetics
Two consoles, two different looks. The Series X is a monolithic beast, a black cuboid best suited to being plonked upright and shoved in a corner.
Its 12 inches tall and won't win any beauty pageants for its unimaginative appearance - a plain block with a grill on the top with neon green embellishments.
The Series S, as the smallest Xbox ever made, is a more traditional set-top box shape with a circular black vent on the top.
Compared to the enormous and futuristic Playstation 5, they're not ugly ducklings, but they are, effectively, boring.
The story is much the same for the controllers.
In the 90s, a variety of console controllers were being tested out, and both Sony and Microsoft struck gold with the eventual designs of the Playstation and Xbox.
And since then, they've scarcely changed in two decades. They've got upgrades, incousing improved haptic feedback, but they're almost identical to look at.
When unboxing both the S and the X, the lone controller that comes with each is from the exact same mould, but with the addition of a share button and a hybrid D-pad.
And this is, essentially, fine. But it feels safe and easy, especially compared to the space-age appearance of the new controller of the PS5.
Considering it has been more than 20 years since Microsoft started developing consoles, it is high time it started investing more in the visuals.
After all, it will sit on the TV table, stand on the carpet or live in the lounge cabinet for several years, it may as well look the part.
Gaming
Nobody with any common sense is paying hundreds of pounds for a games console if they don't intend to use it for gaming, to some degree.
While the console tribalism runs deeper now than it ever has between Playstation and Xbox, there is no such predetermined bias between the S or the X.
The numbers reveal the X is clearly superior on paper. The S has four teraflops of processing power – which is similar to a PlayStation 4 Pro. Series X has 12 teraflops.
Gaming resolution for the X is True 4K, whereas the S reaches 1440p, known as Quad HD.
Unless you are a hardened gamer with a trained eye it is unlikely you will tell the difference as both handle the demands of high resolution gaming very well.
For people who can discern the difference, they probably weren't even debating buying the S anyway.
But both consoles come with key improvements, notably Xbox Velocity Architecture and DirectX Raytracing.
The latter improves the lighting of gameplay and makes for a more realistic visual experience compared to previous models.
Xbox Velocity Architecture is a big win for Xbox fans and allows for rapid loading of games.
The delay in opening a game and being able to play it was frustrating on previous models, whereas now it is much slicker, and far less irritating.
Games load up rapidly and Velocity also powers 'Quick Resume', a feature that allows more than half a dozen games to be paused and users can then flit between them and instantly pick up where they left off.
The Series X is a monolithic beast, a black cuboid best suited to being plonked upright and shoved in a corner. Its 12 inches tall and won't win any beauty pageants for its unimaginative appearance - a plain block with a grill on the top with neon green embellishments
Now, for online gaming, Microsoft will still charge £72 a year. But, Game Pass Ultimate costs £11 a month and this gives access to online gaming as well as the ability to download a number of games from an impressive library.
For anyone who likes access to a variety of different games who would pay for Game Pass already, the extra £50 a year is worth every penny.
This includes games from classic franchises like Halo, Gears and Forza.
However, the ability to download this many games will soon eat up the storage available on the console.
People who are prone to downloading games on whim will find the S soon fills up, with the X and its 1Tb of storage more suited to this type of gamer.
Experience
Both the S and the X are much quieter than their predecessors. This, admittedly, is not something to particularly brag about considering the racket from old machines.
The One and the 360 made such an egregious whirring sound when booting up that it often sounded like a hair dryer was trying to make the console levitate.
But for the latest generation Xbox switched from a traditional hard-drive to a solid-state form of storage.
This, as well as Velocity, make both consoles spookily fast and quiet, which is a nice, and overdue, improvement.
This however, is where the memory restrictions of the S come into play. The standard 512GB of storage sounds a lot, but soon wittles away when installing today's enormous games.
For example, the installation of just four games (Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Gears 5, Madden 21 and Marvel's Avengers) as well as just one app (Netflix) takes up 58.5 per cent of the available storage.
This does not leave much in the way of extra space, with one game and maybe a handful of apps squeezing in before it reaches capacity.
The issue is compounded by the lack of a disc drive because although Xbox brought in backwards compatibility through four generations, they will have to be digital versions.
People wanting more memory can opt to buy an official 1Tb storage-expansion card for £220 which fits into either the X or S.
But the price difference between the S and the X is only £200, so if expanded storage is something you may need on the S, you might as well stump up more originally and buy the X.
Verdict
The numbers reveal the X is clearly superior on paper. The S has four teraflops of processing power – which is similar to a PlayStation 4 Pro. Series X has 12 teraflops
The Series S, as the smallest Xbox ever made, is a more traditional set-top box shape with a circular black vent on the top. Compared to the enormous and futuristic Playstation 5, the X and S are not ugly ducklings, but they are, effectively, boring
There is not a great deal between the two games when it comes to performance, with only the very high end improvements going to be noticed by people who consider gaming to be their principle hobby.
If that's you, the X is your only option, as much due to the 1Tb storage as the 4K visuals and disc drive.
For people who think more than half a dozen games is a likely scenario on their console, considering the enormous size of games and the likelihood they, and their updates, will continue to bloat in the coming years, the X is probably the best option.
However, the Series S is exceptional value, packed with elite technology. It is fast, powerful, quiet and smart and perfect for casual gamers who want their console to be more of a jack-of-all trades that doesn't hit the wallet as hard.
Microsoft have avoided rocking the boat and both consoles feel like a slicker version of the familiar Xbox experience.
The US firm has kept costs for both the X and S reasonable and have delivered two well-rounded consoles that will not disappoint well-established Xboxers.
It is clear the priority of Microsoft was to enhance and consolidate all aspects of the Xbox experience that already were popular with consumers, and it has done an excellent job for that.
But, they do lack an element of wow-factor despite delivering on all aspects of performance, with it feeling like Microsoft has avoided pushing the envelope.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9zY2llbmNldGVjaC9hcnRpY2xlLTg5NDkwMDcvWGJveC1TZXJpZXMtWC1TLXJldmlldy1EZWxpdmVyLXByb21pc2VzLWxhY2staW1hZ2luYXRpb24uaHRtbNIBeWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9zY2llbmNldGVjaC9hcnRpY2xlLTg5NDkwMDcvYW1wL1hib3gtU2VyaWVzLVgtUy1yZXZpZXctRGVsaXZlci1wcm9taXNlcy1sYWNrLWltYWdpbmF0aW9uLmh0bWw?oc=5
2020-11-16 05:00:00Z
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