Xbox Series X – One Month On Review

There are plenty of first impression reviews (which in all honesty this started off as, but time waits for no man), so I thought that now was a good time to see if, now the launch hype has subsided, we’re still as impressed with the console as we were in those early days.

It’s been just over a month since the Big Black Box arrived in our hands, and in that time I’ve rarely been less than amazed at the difference it has made to my gaming life. Aside from it’s larger than average size (meaning I had to custom build a shelf for it to go on) it’s been nothing but a major improvement across the board.

Sure, there were bugs and crashes early on which threatened to ruin the fun, and booting up a £450 machine to have the interface look identical to that which we’d usually leave behind was a little deflating, but it didn’t take long to get over that feeling.

If anything, this actually made it easier to appreciate the improved hardware as I was able to clearly see the sheer speed and visual bump between direct comparisons. Going from playing Far Cry 5 on the OG Xbox One to the Series X the next day was truly an incredible experience. The same for Fortnite, Rocket League, and many others too.

It might not have been the most stunning launch line-up ever, but at the same time the fact that we could simply pick up where we left of on games we were already playing, but to do so in much higher fidelity, was a genius bit of engineering. Too many times when a new console arrives there’s that several week period where both machines need to stay connected to let us finish off titles we were half way through, while also wanting to start on the new, shiny games. Now, we have the best of both worlds. Even now, I’m still finding myself playing titles across generations, going back to the old console when the kids steal my X for the afternoon to play Minecraft, so pretty much daily I’m reminded just how much slower the last gen machine is!

And this is just titles that just work across both devices; those that have Series-specific enhancements manage to look and play even better. I recently dipped back into the Master Chief Collection with a friend and seeing it run at 4K, while skipping most of those long loads of yore has been excellent.

Hi, Daniel here and I thought I’d add my opinions on the Series X. This was the first console launch that I wasn’t off work for… I won’t be making that mistake again!
The Presentation of the box it came in and the way it was laid out was beautiful. No more Styrofoam edges to pack the console in the box – thank god. The system and UI itself in my opinion is flawless; yes we don’t have a new shiny UI to use, but if it works why would we want it changed?
OK, the console does look different. We as console gamers aren’t use to a tower style console, but I’m lucky enough to play in a gaming room and it’s not on show so I’m fine with that.
The only problems I have found with my Series X is when I power it down via the controller, it turns itself back on, and my backwards Compatible accessories (Elite Series 2 controller and Steelseries Artic 9X) keep dropping connection with the console and I can’t re-pair, meaning I have to hard power things down. This has happened less than half a dozen times though.

ChocolateBear’s thought’s on his first week or so with the console.

Easily my favourite part though has to be Quick Resume. It’s a shame that it doesn’t quite work as standard yet, but when it does (as it does for a large portion of games) it’s simply game-changing (pun mildly intended). Going between Far Cry 5, Cyberpunk 2077, Halo, Tetris with barely a load between them is endlessly impressive, even more so when it pops us right back where we were – as if we never loaded up another game. The load times are much faster now anyway thanks to the SSD, but not having to worry (too much) about finding a save point before loading up something else has eased up my gaming immensely. Prime example; I like to play with friends of an evening, and as soon as that invite drops I can accept it without even thinking about where I am in my current game. I did this just the other night, going from mid cut scene in Cyberpunk 2077 to Fortnite for a few hours, before returning to the former and picking up exactly where I left off. That it can hold several games at a time is a marvellous thing, though it would be good to have some sort of idea what is currently suspended, or be able to prioritise what we’d preferred was fully closed first when the need arises. But for now that’s nit-picking what is an excellent, and exclusive, feature of the console.

So it’s faster, prettier, and ultra convenient. But, despite its size, it’s also a great bit of industrial design. Sure, there will always be detractors of any design, but for my money it looks great. The simple lines and sleek black look mean even on it’s own shelf above the TV I rarely notice it (even if the wife initially described it as the Eye of Sauron thanks to the ridiculously bright Xbox logo on the front). And it’s quiet too. Maddeningly so. Even with my ear pressed up against it (like a madman) I can barely hear it running, while the green-accented top vent only ever gets lukewarm. There’s no denying it’s heavy too, though not overly so, and unless you’re in the business of moving your console all the time it is pretty much a non-issue.

It’s not all been smooth sailing though. There have been more than a few occasions where my console has randomly crashed, or somewhat bafflingly, refused to turn off, sparking back to life every time I power it down. Others I’ve spoken to have also had different issues, from controllers not syncing to games not updating. It’s still early days, and even though these issues are not ideal they also haven’t really done any lasting damage. And it’s getting better all the time thanks to the work Microsoft are constantly doing on updating and upgrading the firmware.

Of course, the console isn’t the only thing in the box; that new Series X controller is just as much the star of the show. Having used an original Elite for a few years now, that has easily become my favourite controller of all time. However, the Series slightly refined controller gets pretty damn close. It’s more a case of mild improvements than a sweeping change ala the Duel Sense, but in almost every aspect it has been changed for the better. The textured grips and triggers, the tighter feeling sticks, the smoother front face, and that wonderful capture button (that really should have been on the One versions) all add up to a fantastic controller, so much so that my Elite only comes out when it comes to titles such as Rainbow Six: Siege as the extra paddles and fidelity are a must there.

My only bug bear with the new pad is… why the hell does the Jewel have to be so damn bright? Trying to play The Observer – a game for which a dark room and headphones are a must – I was constantly blinded by the light form the controller shining up at me like I was getting ready to tell scary stories in the woods. Perhaps I’ve been spoilt by the Elite on which the Jewel can be dimmed, but it’s obnoxiously bright and short of opening up the controller and taking the bulb out, I’ve taken to a bit more of a bodge-job to dull it for now; a sharpie. It looks horrendous but I’d rather that than be blinded when I’m playing late at night.

Conclusion

A lack of killer titles and a handful of bugs aside, the launch of the Series X has been absolutely brilliant from where I stand. That bulbous frame houses a ultra fast, quiet, powerful, and convenient machine that takes what we loved about the One, removes a lot of the friction, and delivers what feels like the full promise that Microsoft have clearly been building towards since Phil Spencer took charge. Adding this excellent hardware to the stellar Game Pass service – as well as the bulked out First Party studio line up that’ll make sure that service is essential pretty much indefinitely – and it’s hard to argue that Xbox has gotten off to anything less than an explosive start to this gen. Regardless of where you play it is a fantastic time to enjoy videogames, but it really feels that if a Series console isn’t in your setup, you will be missing something special. Here’s hoping the next year – and beyond – keep up the energy and pace of this first month. If it can, well, we might just be in for a much closer race this time round.

Conclusion

Hardware purchased for review.