{"id":1036,"date":"2020-11-11T00:59:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T00:59:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1327067"},"modified":"2020-11-11T00:59:43","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T00:59:43","slug":"xbox-series-x-review-give-this-beautiful-cinderblock-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=1036","title":{"rendered":"Xbox Series X review: Give this beautiful cinderblock games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Xbox Series X is a stunning console that will only get more useful the longer you own it. Its hardware and software are solid, and it will no doubt show off 2021\u2019s games in all their glory. But by the gods, it needs at least one game that properly shows it off, which it does not currently have.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Today we celebrate the power of play together.<\/p>\n

A message from @XboxP3<\/a> on Xbox Series X|S Launch Day: pic.twitter.com\/EtD8H5HAJq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Xbox (@Xbox) November 10, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I received an Xbox Series X from Microsoft and have been playing with it for a few weeks. I also received several game codes with which to test the console.<\/span> While I don\u2019t own an Xbox One at the moment, and so can\u2019t do a generation-over-generation comparison, I can say it was roughly the same distance over the PS4 as the PS5 was \u2014 in that, once I started playing on it, going back to the previous-generation console felt like a big, sluggish step backwards.<\/span><\/p>\n

I feel that, to fully understand the new Xbox, a history lesson is in order: when the Xbox One launched, it did so at a considerable disadvantage. It was more expensive than the PlayStation 4, for starters, and it came with some questionable gimmicks: an always-on internet connection, a built-in DRM that prevented gamers from using pre-owned games, and a useless appendix called the Kinect. It baffled consumers, who flocked to the PS4 in droves.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Series X (and by extension, the Series S) is an embodied attempt to avoid the same mistakes \u2014 where the Xbox One was gimmicky and out-of-touch, the Series X is simple, clean, and has hundreds of potential games to play on launch. That said \u2014 and I\u2019m not sure I can really blame Microsoft for this given the current state of the world \u2014 there\u2019s not one game that really takes advantage of what the XSX has under the hood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Black Brick<\/h2>\n

The Series X is a fantastic piece of hardware \u2014 and not a bad-looking one, in my opinion. While I\u2019ve often heard the comparison to a fridge, that implies a certain blas\u00e9-ness to the design that I didn\u2019t feel. Instead I found that, in spite of my documented disdain for black boxes, I appreciated the console\u2019s understated appeal, even if I did compare it to a cinderblock the first time I picked it up.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Xbox Series X comes with some powerful toys under the hood, including an upgraded CPU and GPU that boosts the graphics to 4k running at 60 FPS. I think the first moment I gasped was when, upon replaying the opening mission of Gears 5<\/i>, I saw the treetops swirling under the helicopter. It might not seem like a big deal, but that moment of 60FPS realness struck me in a way it hadn\u2019t when I\u2019d previously played the game on my PC.<\/span> Granted, you need a TV that can take advantage of these graphics, but if you do it\u2019s absolutely stunning.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

That said, the best part of the new hardware is the SSD, which makes every game run at blistering speeds. As with the PS5, it\u2019s something you don\u2019t quite know you want until you\u2019re in the game, and suddenly don\u2019t have to bother with loading screens. For such a powerful console, I also never had much of a problem with noise or overheating \u2014 the console remained cool and quiet even after a six-hour gaming binge (I know, the things I do for my job). It\u2019s perhaps not as striking as the PlayStation 5, but if you want something that doesn\u2019t stand out as much, this is your machine.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s perhaps one internal drawback, and that\u2019s there\u2019s not much space on the console. I installed less than 10 games total in my time testing the Series X, and the internal storage was half-full. If this were to be my primary gaming machine, it would definitely not be enough for me. And the only option for expansion is the expensive Seagate card, which will set you back $220. You can make do with the internal storage if you must, but it feels like, if you\u2019re installing games off Game Pass, you\u2019re going to run out of room very quickly and suddenly.<\/p>\n

Same but better, better but same<\/h2>\n

Setting up the Series X is a breeze, done mostly through the Xbox smartphone app. All you have to do is boot up both the console and the app, and the app will walk you through the whole process. It\u2019s very smooth and uncomplicated, which I appreciated.<\/p>\n

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Your face when you finally unbox your new console: \ud83d\udc41\ud83d\udc44\ud83d\udc41<\/p>\n

Let’s get you set up: https:\/\/t.co\/wEBJtjxCWa<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QppSyqk0ga<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) November 10, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One feature Microsoft was quick to tout before launch was Quick Resume, a stasis mode of sorts that lets you suspend a handful of your games and switch between them quickly. When it works, it\u2019s a great display of the power of the SSD, as the suspended games load like a snap. That said, I had a few problems with it. There are some games for which it just doesn\u2019t seem to want to work. One hopes that the plan is to roll it out to more games in the future.<\/p>\n

For the most part, the users interface is not difficult to navigate. If you\u2019ve seen the Xbox One interface sometime in the past year, you\u2019ve basically seen what the Series X looks and feels like. It\u2019s a little confusing to find some things, as there are multiple tabs you can open, but otherwise it\u2019s basically the same as it\u2019s always been. Not bad \u2014 but not showing any signs of significant improvement, either.<\/p>\n

Credit: Microsoft<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Another example of something that\u2019s not significantly improved from its previous iteration is the Xbox Series X\u2019s controller. It looks and feels almost exactly the same as any Xbox One controller, with the exception of a dedicated screenshot button. I don\u2019t want to directly compare the two next-gen consoles \u2014 not here, anyway \u2014 but this is one area where the XSX is a huge letdown compared with the PS5, which has the extraordinary DualSense.<\/p>\n

Getting a pass<\/h2>\n

Hardware and software is all well and good, but what of the games? The Xbox Series X is somehow both the richest and poorest console in the world in that respect. There are hundreds of games you could potentially play on it at launch, but none that really show what it\u2019s capable of.<\/p>\n

If you have Xbox Game Pass \u2014 and I do still highly recommend getting it \u2014 then you\u2019ll have a whole stable full of games at your disposal right away. The vaunted Xbox backwards compatibility, one of the line\u2019s advantages over its PlayStation cousins, is a huge comfort when you first boot up the console. I\u2019m not ashamed to say one of the first games I tested was my Xbox 360 disc copy of <\/span>Bayonetta<\/span><\/i> (because, if you have the chance to play <\/span>Bayonetta <\/span><\/i>on more than one console, you should take it).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

There\u2019s really nothing to sink your teeth into \u2014 the absence of <\/span>Halo: Infinite<\/span><\/i> is felt so keenly here. While the PS5 has few titles that allow you to really sample what the hardware is capable of, the XSX has none. There\u2019s not even an <\/span>Astro\u2019s Playroom<\/span><\/i> equivalent to get you used to the hardware. There\u2019s no game you absolutely must play when you boot up the console for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the likes of <\/span>Gears 5<\/span><\/i>, which would otherwise be a great app to have on a new Xbox console, feels outdated here. It\u2019s not just the lack of a killer app, it\u2019s the lack of a new one. I can only hope the Series X will improve next year, when all of the games that are supposed to really flex the console\u2019s muscles come out.<\/span><\/p>\n

In conclusion<\/h2>\n

Overall, the Series X feels a little <\/span>safe <\/span><\/i>for a next-gen console, but only in the sense that its upgrades are not flashy ones. It\u2019s still a powerful console that will serve you well once some actual next-gen games come out. So please, someone give this beautiful console some games.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on Twitter<\/a> and Flipboard<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n

Published November 11, 2020 \u2014 00:59 UTC <\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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