Topic: Worthwhile upgrade or not?

Currently have Xbox one x with 1tb. I hardly use it but kids love it. Don’t use discs really, only game pass, considering getting Xbox series x using the all access method. Is this console worth the upgrade if I am using games pass? Will I notice any difference or get a wider selection of games?

Just trying to work out if price tag justified. Spoke to guy in smyths toys yesterday and he said not worth it, but would like opinions from you guys here

Thanks

@Rjt_xbox It really depends on you and what you want/expect from a gaming console. It's probably true that you 'could' play Xbox first party games that will NOT get a native release on your XB1X via Game Pass Ultimate streaming, there will also be 3rd Party releases you can't play. You can play MSFS via streaming for example, and maybe could play Starfield this way too, but its not getting a 'last gen' version. Over the coming years, the last gen systems will get left behind on games - it was the same with the 360 to XB1 era where fewer releases were 'cross' gen until they stopped getting 'new' games completely.

The 'benefit' to upgrading is of course that you'll have hardware to play 'new' releases for the foreseeable future - all without sacrificing your 'Library' of games as they ALL play on Series X via Backwards Compatibility - even get 'free' upgrades to Series X versions of many games and of course, get 'better' performance too. All those games that drop frames, drop resolution dynamically etc on XB1, run better on Series X.

XB1 can play a handful of 360/OG BC games and XB1 era games
Series X can play everything the XB1 can, often better, as well as all the current gen games so the Library of games will continue to grow and already exceeds that of the XB1. Games like Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Avowed, Fable, Hellblade 2 etc as well as whatever 3rd Party games (like Suicide Squad, Gotham Knights, Scorn and all those UE5 games in development) won't be on XB1.

On top of the increased Library, you also benefit from more modern hardware with modern features. Everything is 'enhanced' - from Games looking and running better/faster, loading quicker etc to quick resume - like pausing several games indefinitely and able to 'jump' straight back in, there are numerous improvements to the overall experience of 'gaming' on Console.

I think the All Access option is well worth it. A 'small' monthly fee to get an 'expensive' console with GPU included over 2yrs is well worth it - considering you are already paying out on GP - its not a lot more a month - for a very noticeable difference in games and a 'library' that is already bigger than the XB1's due to the fact the Series X plays everything the XB1X does, as well as the increasing number of 'next-gen' only releases too.

Now I can't say its going to be 'worth' it for you and your family. The XB1X may well allow you to stream a game like MSFS (or Starfield when it releases) but neither game will be 'released' on XB1 as it can't run those natively. You, or your kids, could perhaps play Forza Motorsport together - one streaming on XB1X, the other on Series X, you won't be able to play Suicide Squad or Gotham Knights on an XB1X because they didn't release on that platform and not available to 'stream' via Game Pass so you'd 'need' a Series X for those (and others).

As I said, I cannot and will not tell you its 'worth it' for you and your family! I do not know you, your financial situation, whether or not the games you want to play in the future will be on XB1X (even if its just via Streaming) etc. All I can say is that the Library of games already exceeds XB1 and that will only get larger as more games release and that there is a 'noticeable' difference in the quality of life and the quality of experiences vs XB1X (I still have my XB1X hooked up to my Bedroom TV) but whether that's 'enough' for you to upgrade or not, that's up to you to decide.

Thanks! Just wondering if games on games pass are better knowing we would have series x or is it generic and doesn’t identify what Xbox we have?

I upgraded from my Xbox One I bought in 2014 to a Series X last year and the difference is night and day, especially if you have a 4K tv. I'm more of a PlayStation guy but this past year, for the first time since the end of the 360/PS3 gen, very early part of the X1/PS4 gen, I gamed more on Xbox, and MS didn't even really drop any noteworthy exclusives. It's just a very well designed console, imo, that I enjoy playing games on. Something I would've bought on PlayStation last gen, like King of Fighters XV or Sonic Frontiers, I went with the Xbox version this year. Then there's the fact I was a huge fan of the original Xbox and 360 and the Series X provides the best way to play some of those games thanks to 'X enhancements' and FPS boost. Could be a great way to introduce the younger generation to some classics.

series X allways use the better option when available (Smart delivery). I would say stick with the One X for a couple more years while most games are still suported natively on the system. Don't get me wrong I love the system but I did not own a Xbox prior so every game is new to me.

@Rjt_xbox You'll get the version native to your Console if you opt to download and play if one exists - otherwise you'll get the 'best' version available. Obviously, if there are XB1 games that had an XB1X version/upgrade, you'll only get access to that with a Series X, the Series S gets the XB1 versions of BC games. If you 'opt' to stick with the XB1X, you could still play some games (like MSFS, Starfield or Forza Motorsport) via streaming which will limit the resolution to 1080p at best, but you are playing on 'Virtual' Series X hardware built into servers.

Smart Delivery will always give you the 'best' version for your hardware so if you have the 'best' Console (which is currently the Series X), you'll always get the 'best' version of any game. So if you enjoy Gears 5, FH5 etc on XB1X, if you 'upgrade' to Series X, you'll be able to get the Series X versions of these. If there is only an OG Xbox/360/XB1 version, no Series X version, you'll get the best that exists and any boosts the Series X hardware offers to enhance those games...

Even with the more 'powerful' hardware in the XB1X, there are many games that have '60fps' modes but don't deliver 60fps consistently enough but do on Series X because you have a much more powerful CPU. the CPU in an XB1X is the same CPU in the XB1S - just given a 'small' speed boost so the much more capable and much faster CPU really powers through to give a noticeable boost to games to improve their stability - making games smoother and more consistent to play. DRS, Dynamic Resolution Scaling, was used to reduce GPU load to improve frame rate consistency - but if you have more GPU resources, then the DRS doesn't kick in so XB1X games that utilise DRS and/or drop frames run smoother and at higher resolutions on Series X so even if they haven't got a Series X version, they still look and play 'better'.

As I said, the Series X plays EVERY game the XB1X does, often with improved performance as its not dropping frames or resolution due to having a LOT more overheads to power through. Games load quicker, not as quick as 'native' Series X versions, but still quicker, may have FPS boosts and/or Auto HDR etc All things that 'enhance' the experience above and beyond what the XB1X can.

Quick Resume is Awesome too. In a Family situation, you could literally pause your game at any point, your kids could play their games, and then when you want to carry on playing, you jump straight in to your game where you paused it - no need to load up the game and the load up the save point and get to where you 'left', you just jump straight in as if you had 'unpaused' the game.

I can't think of anything that the XB1X does that the Series X doesn't do better. In terms of Game Libraries, the Series X is 'bigger' as it plays every game the XB1X does - and in quite a few cases, enhances the experience significantly and that gap will only grow as more and more games only release on 'next gen' hardware. You maybe able to play a few of those via streaming on GPU, but then you are limited to 1080p and playing over your internet connection where as Series X owners can download and play Locally - including access to different modes - the 4k 'Graphics' modes, 120fps modes etc as Streaming tends to offer 'Performance' only modes - pointless offering 30fps 4k graphics modes when the game is streamed at 1080p and 60fps is much better for reducing latency.

Chances are, whatever you or your Kids enjoy about gaming on an XB1X, the Series X is an upgrade and will enhance/improve your gaming experience. 2023 is looking like we will see fewer and fewer Cross-gen games meaning that the only way you'll be able to play is if they come to Game Pass Cloud Streaming. You will NOT be able to play without upgrading to a Series X. Its not just MS games either - although Starfield, Redfall and Forza, as well as Avowed, Fable, Perfect Dark, Hellblade 2 etc have only been announced as Series S/X/PC releases,, there are also numerous 3rd Party publishers who also won't be releasing XB1 versions of their 'new' games.

I know the XB1X isn't that 'old' having released just 5yrs ago, but its still locked to the XB1S, sharing the same architecture and a very weak CPU relative to GPU/RAM. It got a 'minor' bump up from the XB1S but its basically the same. You won't get games that can't run on an XB1S but run on a Series S with its 4TF GPU despite the XB1X having a 6TF GPU and more RAM - so if you want to keep playing 'new' releases for the foreseeable future, you'll need to upgrade sooner or later.

I cannot tell you its 'worth' doing now, worth doing in a year or two, not worth doing at all. All I can do is try and give you the information to make an informed decision to suit your needs and budget. What I can say for certain though is that its not like upgrading from 360 to XB1 and you 'lose' something by upgrading, when you upgrade from XB1X to Series X, everything transfers over and you get 'upgrades' on the things you already enjoy. Enjoy playing FH5 on XB1X, well its 'enhanced' on Series X - your Library is still playable so you don't 'lose' anything. If you have a USB external HDD on your XB1X, you can even plug that straight into your Series X and instantly have your installed games ready to play as soon as you have finished setting it up - no waiting to download and/or reinstall games - although you will want to 'move' or download Series X versions to the internal SSD to get the Series X versions to work/play.

Point is, if you do decide to upgrade, you will not 'lose' anything you enjoy about the XB1X and in many cases, will get an enhanced, smoother, more responsive and overall upgraded experience on the Series X and you'll also have the hardware in place to play ANY new releases in the foreseeable future, something that the 'last gen' consoles will not be able to offer.

I don't know how important (or not) any of this is to you, whether you are 'OK' with the XB1X and not too bothered about missing out on 'new' releases - its not as if there isn't a LOT of great 'older' games, so its really up to you to decide. If you think you'll still be gaming 2yrs from now, still subbing to Game Pass, then maybe paying out a 'small' bit more per month to get a Series X would make a LOT of sense as you'll get the 'best' versions of whatever games come to Game Pass in that time. Even if its an 'older' game, the newer hardware may offer tangible improvements to the experience. But if you don't think you'll be gaming in the next year (with Starfield, Redfall, Forza, Minecraft and all the other 2023 GP confirmed releases - many of which won't be playable natively on XB1X - then committing to 2yrs of monthly costs isn't worth it at the moment. So it really comes down to you. Its clear from DF video's, the XB1X isn't really getting much attention with not the best optimising from devs - too high resolution settings meaning poor frame rate consistency, same visual settings as XB1S but just higher output res etc. The XB1X sold fewer than the XB1 did so I wonder if now Devs aren't committing a lot of time/effort into these anymore...