The Xbox Series X Review: Ushering In The Next Generation of Game Consoles
by Brett Howse on November 5, 2020 9:00 AM ESTGameplay Analysis: Gears 5
As one of the few titles available pre-launch that is “Optimized for X|S” platform, Gears 5 is a great chance to see what some of the optimizations might bring about for the Xbox Series X. With the Xbox Series X offering about double the GPU performance, and far more CPU power on tap compared to the Xbox One X, we should be easily able to see games that ran at 4K 30 FPS jump up to 60 FPS, and 4K60 jump up to 4K120.
Gears 5 Cutscenes
The first optimization that is instantly noticeable moving between the Xbox Series X and the Xbox One X is how much smoother the cutscenes were. With the additional hardware the newly optimized game jumps from 30 FPS on the Xbox One X to 60 FPS on the new console.
Xbox One X Texture Sample
Xbox Series X Texture Sample
Zooming in on individual frames, the Xbox Series X is also able to leverage more detailed textures as well, as everything in the scene is much sharper than it was on the Xbox One X.
Gears 5 Gameplay
Gameplay was a different story, as both the Xbox One X and Xbox Series X both allow for 60 FPS gameplay, although the Xbox Series X will offer 120 FPS multiplayer, at the expense of visual quality. The Unreal Engine 4 used in Gears 5 uses dynamic resolution to keep the framerates at or close to 60 FPS on both consoles, but with the more powerful hardware on the new console it is able to keep the average resolution higher and with a higher framerate.
Gears 5 was first released over a year ago on PC and console, so it is interesting to see Microsoft choose it as a launch title for the Series X. The move to 120 FPS multiplayer should be a boon for smoothness and latency, although it will almost certainly require a new television to get the most out of, and with variable refresh rate available as well. Still, this is a nice update for the Gears 5 game. The optimizations have been around both visual quality, as well as framerate and latency, and show off what tweaking existing titles can do with the new hardware.
Here's a clip of Gears 5, showing the new 60 FPS cutscenes with the high-detail textures on the Series X.
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marees - Saturday, November 7, 2020 - link
I would need 3 things to buy this console:1. Releasing Flight Simulator for console
2. Allowing to install xcloud app on console
3. A more universal release of All Access plans (for all countries)
Basically I would like to play the Flight Simulator without having to install it (or a huge download)
cmdrdredd - Monday, November 9, 2020 - link
Sony is doing a pretty terrible job with the PS5 so I don't know where you get that idea from. They botched the pre-order launch, hid a lot of details about backwards compatibility, don't support VRR at launch, and have a weaker system overall. It'll sell out because of the popularity of the brand alone but the Series X is the top console this time around.FunBunny2 - Thursday, November 5, 2020 - link
sure looks like a Mac Trashcan. I expect MS hopes this thing works out better.vailr - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
How difficult will it be to install an alternative operating system on the X-Box Series X? It seems to be compatible with running either macOS or Windows, if the bios firmware can be altered sufficiently to allow booting into another O.S.. Interesting to see what happens.tkSteveFOX - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
I really don't see the point of having an 8/16 CPU in the S. Why didn't they cut it to 6/12 to save some space/thermals?That GPU in there is totally a bottleneck for the CPU.
I'm sure fans would have wanted a slightly better GPU in favour of the 8 core CPU with 16 threads.
I just find it illogical as a choice.
Brett Howse - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
If they drop that too far, games that have the same visual elements (think a busy city street with a lot of NPCs) might not be possible on the Series S which would mean that the developer would just target the lowest common denominator. It makes a lot of sense why they have kept the CPU similar.jabber - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
Also might be some 'currently locked' potential they can free up at a later date as a bonus.eastcoast_pete - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
Also, I would be amazed if MS doesn't use the Series S to "reduce, reuse, recycle" the APUs that didn't make the cut for the Series X, but work okay at lower speed. There are several "bins" before the one labeled "garbage".eastcoast_pete - Friday, November 6, 2020 - link
Looking again at the specs, that "recycle" might also apply to the GDDR6 in the series S. That memory bandwidth really gimps the S; I think that was a mistake, with a slightly wider bus and even half the bandwidth of the Series X, it could have been a contender (yes, that old Rocky quote).FunBunny2 - Saturday, November 7, 2020 - link
"yes, that old Rocky quote"young-un!!!
"I coulda' had class. I coulda' been a contender. I coulda' been somebody. Instead of a bum, which is what I am."
-- Terry Malloy/Marlon Brando 'On The Waterfront' 1954