We've seen plenty of coverage from various content creators with access to the Xbox Series X over the past few weeks, and today they've been publishing their final major previews ahead of the console's launch on November 10th.
On first glance, there's a lot of positivity flying around! Let's take a closer look:
IGN
I’ve been living with the Xbox Series X for a few weeks now, and let me bottom-line it for you before getting into details: everything about this console so far screams how serious Microsoft is about not repeating the mistakes of the Xbox One generation. It is definitively more powerful than its primary competitor on paper, it’s not force-bundled with an accessory the market is going to reject (and thus it’s priced competitively), and in practice its design is compact and quiet and it really does beat down game loading times with its SSD drive.
GameSpot
So far, we've seen measurable performance and graphical improvements with Series X-optimized games, even if they may not be the groundbreaking revelations that folks might expect from next-gen hardware. With backwards compatibility, the boosts we see now are genuinely exciting and will continue to be as more games get proper enhancements. Of course, fast load times keep on impressing, and although there were some hiccups that occurred, I'm still a fan of Quick Resume's functionality...
GamesRadar
From my time previewing the console, I believe the Xbox Series X is a great gaming console that lacks the games to show its full and true potential at launch. For those we will have to wait a little longer, but in the meantime, the Xbox Series X is shaping up to be one of the best consoles Microsoft has ever created.
EuroGamer
This is a console that, like the PS5, is coming roughly six to eighteen months earlier than its truly tentpole games, but a few days with the Series X tells me it doesn't really need them. It's the console itself I actually want.
The Verge
Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox comes the closest I’ve ever witnessed to re-creating the superior PC experience of playing games, thanks to SSD storage, a far more powerful CPU, 120Hz support, and impressive backward compatibility features that improve existing games. This is all inside a $499 box that’s quieter and far easier to use and maintain than the $3,000 gaming PC I built a few weeks ago.
Game Informer
While this can't be considered a review since the interface and software isn't final, I'm still very much impressed by the overall experience the Xbox Series X delivers. With my thoughts on Xbox's new console all but solidified to this point, I eagerly await getting my hands on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S to see just how it all stacks up to this powerhouse.
VentureBeat
A month from now, gamers will begin getting their hands on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. And after a few weeks with the Xbox Series X, I’m ready to move on from the current generation of consoles. I can talk about my full experience with the console now, but my original impressions story is still relevant. I don’t want to go back to Xbox One or PlayStation 4. The Xbox Series X is so much better.
ArsTechnica
From what I've tested so far, the company has good reason to be confident about this quiet, efficient hardware. Unless I'm missing something huge—even Red Rings needed longer than 22 days to manifest—my hardware experience has so far been quite smooth. As a computing device, Xbox Series X may go down in history as one of the most remarkable machines ever made—as compared to other products in its era, power level, and price.
Windows Central
The Xbox Series X is a meticulously crafted harmony of engineering that boasts the sort of polish and prowess that is rarely seen at the start of a console cycle. For now, I'm fully on board for the ride.
What are your thoughts on these previews? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 22
Hell yeah, Series X FTW
And yet, no one has yet seen a PS5 running anything. Unless Sony have a card up their sleeve, they could be in trouble with such a consensus of positivity surrounding the X.
You mean the carefully selected Japanese youtubers who are few and far between
@graysoncharles Let's wait until digital foundry can actually get their hands on a PS5 to put it through it's paces first. Then we can see how it performs. That is what I am waiting for. I plan on getting a PS5 when the next Persona game comes out haha.
Also can't wait for next gen!
@StylesT yea i have to agree, i AM curious as to why, a month from release, Sony are being so secretive, when Microsoft is handing out Series X's left and right lol. i want to make an informed decision, i'm not some fanboy who will just buy because Sony tells me to. i need some hands-on impressions, like Microsoft has done. Neither system has any really great launch games, btw, imo.
Comment 1 is "yay we win", comment 2 is "slag off PS5".
Seriously would be nice if comments sections weren't just 90% comments rubbishing the 'other' console and instead celebrating all the positive! Seriously most of the comments come in since I've started writing this is about the PS5 when this article is about how amazing the Xbox X is.
I'll be getting both and I come here to get hyped only to read why each purchase I'll be buying is rubbish. What gives!!
Eurogamer:
"My experience with Series X over the last few days, above all, has felt like an experience of Game Pass' potential - not just to be a nice bargain or player-friendly add-on, but to genuinely change how we think about games. It is whisper quiet - mid game, with TV on mute, I genuinely couldn't hear it. It didn't once get hot, or even beyond slightly warm (...).
In plain English, the console is super fast, which means you boot, load in and get playing games in a matter of seconds, and can toggle between them, suspended in place, at a whim. This is the Series X at its absolute best, and also its most impactful: jumping in and out of your library is very different to how it feels right now on any other console or PC and suddenly the experience of working through a backlog is transformed (...). It's door-opening, on an intuitive UI I found settings quickly, and features immediately easy to understand and the result is a shattering of the barriers to playing what you already own (...).
How genuinely forward thinking its vision is too: a step away from forcing you forwards - from the idea that you must need a new console to play its exclusive games, to the idea you might want one, to make your old games better, to make your vast and dusty pile of shame new again, to actually be on display in your home. This is a console that, like the PS5, is coming roughly six to eighteen months earlier than its truly tentpole games but a few days with the Series X tells me it doesn't really need them. It's the console itself I actually want".
@BlueOcean Nice! I've put a link to this above.
@FraserG No problem 😊.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-10-15-living-with-the-xbox-series-x
Very excited for both consoles at the moment. The only criticism I really have for Xbox is that at launch, it feels like more of an iterative improvement, with "tweaked" games rather than full-on next-gen experiences. But there's plenty of titles on the way that will make that up, like Fable and Hellblade. PS5 is still mostly in that camp too but my most anticipated game is Demon's Souls which looks incredible and makes up for that somewhat.
Hardware wise MS has knocked it out of the park though, at the very, very least I'll be picking up a Series S with that Shock Blue controller. Gorgeous.
@BlueOcean man after reading that my eyes kind of a bit watery and i want Series X NOW 😭
@endlessleep Ha ha 😂.
❤ Microsoft ❤
💚 XBOX 💚
They really have done everything right this time around.
Transparent to consumers.
Amazing value (console & ecosystem).
More than just basic BC support.
The only shame is that we won't get to play halo at launch.
However even there, with all the new studio's MS stands stronger than ever.
Thanks to game pass no new/remake games at 80 euros.
@FraserG Thanks for the article ! Was curious, thought : did you receive yourself one of these prototype consoles ?
And if not, how come ? I mean : you're an Xbox-centered website, and a damn good one, if you want my opinion !
I'm asking this cause I'm eager to get your opinion about the console itself !
Thanks !
Nice to hear all these positive comments. What will be interesting - in a couple of years when all the novelty of fast loading and quick resume has worn off (their handiness won't wear off I know!)
Then when the new releases, built for next gen, come out in 18 months time we will be able to see what difference teraflops and faster SSD etc make to head to head comparisons.
Until then I'm sure no matter what console you get, we'll all have a great fun
@Bobobiwan Thanks for the kind words!
These preview consoles were only sent out to a very select group of journalists and influencers I believe.
We're certainly hoping to provide our opinions on the Xbox Series X as soon as possible though
@armondo36
@Ridwaano while definitely a very pretty and fun game (i loved it in '09), soulslikes are far too niche to sell systems. it'll be good, but not that many people are busting the door down to buy it day one. the pool of games at launch is shallow.
@armondo36
I am bias so are you!
I truly believe this game is a launch seller!
I know its a remake. But lord that gameplay!
@Ridwaano a system-seller is something like Mario 64, something that anyone can play with no real barrier to play. Soulsborne games, by their nature, are niche. they're great, but they're not selling that many PlayStations.
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