The Xbox Series X Review: Ushering In The Next Generation of Game Consoles
by Brett Howse on November 5, 2020 9:00 AM ESTBackwards Compatibility
Microsoft made a big deal about backwards compatibility when they first brought it about for the Xbox One, and their stance has most certainly remained unchanged. For owners of the Xbox, it is a large benefit to be able to play games from the previous generation Xbox consoles, and the Xbox Series X|S has kept that promise. All Xbox One games, apart from those that require Kinect, will be compatible with the new Xbox Series X|S consoles. If you have a large library of discs from the Xbox One you want to bring forward, it should be noted that the Xbox Series S has no disc drive, so keep that in mind, but in digital form, both consoles will be able to play every non-Kinect game.
Which console you go with will determine which version of the game you will get. While all Xbox One games work on the new consoles, those that have been Enhanced for Xbox One X – meaning 4K support, and/or higher-framerate versions of the game – will not have their enhanced mode available on the Xbox Series S, as it does not match most of the Xbox One X specifications. To get the best version of these games, you would need the Xbox Series X. Microsoft has let us know that they are working on expanding the capabilities of the backwards compatible library for Series S, as the Series S is still significantly more powerful than the One S, but as with everything on consoles, it will likely require some developer buy-in.
Backwards compatibility is a defining characteristic of the console, and one that Microsoft is betting on quite heavily. This is especially the case at the start of the consoles' lifecycles, as there won't be any exclusive titles that only play on the Xbox Series X|S at launch.
All Xbox games will also be available for Xbox One, and several will offer Optimized for X|S options of the games which Microsoft will handle through a system they are calling Smart Delivery. The Smart part is you don’t need to care about what version you need, as the Xbox will always download the correct version, but it also means you won’t have to re-buy a game if it becomes optimized for the X|S console. This of course requires developer buy-in, but Microsoft-owned studios will be offering Smart Delivery on all games.
This is a marked departure from past console launches, where the launch lineup of games was incredibly important. Microsoft clearly does not feel that is the case this time and are ensuring all games for the next while from their own studios will be available on both Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. Whether that is a winning strategy is something time and wallets will decide. It does mean though that there are plenty of games you can play on the Xbox Series consoles on day 1, and unless you love Kinect, it can be a perfect swap for the old Xbox.
If you do have an Xbox One and/or Xbox One X, and you are upgrading, you may be wondering if it is possible to transfer the games over. The easy answer is yes, and the more complicated answer is maybe. Xbox added a network transfer option a few years ago, and that network transfer is still available even when going from Xbox One to Xbox Series X|S, but the network transfer interface is smart enough to only show the compatible games. If a game is optimized for Series X|S, and you want to transfer it to an older Xbox, you will have to download the game again, or in the opposite scenario, if you own a game that is also optimized for Series, you can’t transfer it over the network, as the files are not the same. But, if the game is going to be purely run in backwards compatibility, the files will be the same and the network transfer option, or even USB transfer if you would prefer that, makes for a much quicker way to move games around, especially if you don’t have the fastest internet.
It does have to be noted though that with consoles, there is no free lunch. Consoles frequently utilize 30 FPS framerate caps because the game does not (often) dip below that, delivering a smoother experience overall. However this also means a game with such a cap can't go over 30 FPS; so without developers specifically targetting the Xbox One title to optimize it for Series X|S, you will be getting more or less the same performance experience as you would on the Xbox One X|S.
Xbox Game Pass and All Access
While not new to the Xbox Series X|S lineup, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is a key part of their strategy for the new consoles. For this latest launch, it has been expanded from just games to also include the consoles themselves, if you want to go that route. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $14.99/month USD, and includes over 100 console and PC games, with new games rotated in and older games rotated out from time to time. Major titles from Microsoft-owned studios tend to be available on launch day via the subscription service, but even if you just want to have a wide-variety of game choices, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes the games and Xbox Live Gold into one price.
New for the Xbox Series console launch is a new combo called Xbox All Access, where you can have your choice of the Xbox Series X or Series S console, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one monthly price. The Series X All Access is $34.99/month for 24 months, and the Series S is $24.99 per month for 24 months. That combo actually ends up costing slightly less than buying the console outright and paying for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which makes it a very enticing option.
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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.