This is the Xbox Series X – the successor to the Xbox One X

8K-resolution, new controller and design, and ready for Christmas 2020

Text:
Daniel Haaf

Make an alert on Xbox Series X today and you will be ready for the launch. You’ll find the console on PriceSpy here.

New design

The Xbox Series X has a completely new and redesigned chassis which is a big improvement over the old design of the Xbox One X. With a rectangular form, Microsoft has improved the cooling system to make the performance better without additional noise or heat. Xbox Series X can be placed both standing up and laying down.

Much better performance compared to the Xbox One X & Playstation 4 Pro

The Xbox Series X has vastly improved performance compared to all current gaming consoles on the market, even compared to Xbox One X and Playstation 4 Pro. Up to four times the computational power in Xbox One X makes the Xbox Series X capable of running games in 8K-resolution, or 4K with 120 fps if that suits you better.

Improved controller

The Xbox Series X has a redesigned controller which is a tad smaller than the current official Xbox One-controllers. Microsoft says that all the buttons you are used to are there, but small adjustments in the design makes the controller comfortable to use for more people. The new controller is compatible with all Xbox One-consoles and also Windows 10.

Ultra HD Bluray & NVMe SSD

Xbox Series X are all about high resolution gaming and movies. And for that it needs super fast storage and Ultra HD Bluray support – which it has! With the Ultra HD Bluray-support you can buy all new games on disc instead of downloading hundreds of gigabytes over the internet, and NVMe SSD storage makes them load in seconds instead of minutes.

High performance hardware based on AMD Zen and Radeon RDNA 2
NVMe SSD with extremely high transfer speeds
8K-resolution and up to 120 frames per second
HDMI 2.1 with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)

Accelerated raytracing for image and sound
Supports Microsoft’s own variant of Variable Rate Shading (VRS)
Compatible with four generations of Xbox games
12 teraflops GPU performance (twice the capacity of Xbox One X)

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Photo: Microsoft

Xbox Series S: a cheaper alternative to the Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series S is a cheaper, and less powerful, alternative to the flagship model the Xbox Series X.

It’s a game console that has many of the benefits of the Xbox Series X, but with some differences. This is a slightly slower game console that can handle 1440p instead of 4K, the storage space is halved, and there is no Blu-ray reader.

Because the Xbox Series S is a stripped-down game console with lower performance, the model also costs less than the Xbox Series X. As much as 37 per cent less actually. See prices and launch dates further down in this article.

When will the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S be released?

Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will be released on 10th November, 2020. According to Microsoft, the game consoles can be pre-booked from 22nd September. You can buy the game consoles or subscribe to them via Xbox All Access.

Xbox All Access is a subscription service that combines either the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S with Game Pass Ultimate. For a fixed monthly cost, you’ll get one of the game consoles and a large amount of games to install at no extra cost.

With Xbox All Access, you commit for 24 months. Prices range from £28.99 per month for the Xbox Series X to £19.99 per month for the Xbox Series S. Notably, Game Pass Ultimate, which is included in Xbox Access, costs £10.99 per month if you buy the gaming service separately.

Xbox Series X is our fastest, most powerful console ever, designed for a console generation that has you at its centre. This means a high-fidelity gaming experience enclosed in a quiet and bold design, with the ability to discover thousands of games across four generations, all with more playing and less waiting.

Microsoft on the new Xbox Series X console

The new console has backwards compatibility with all older Xbox One games.

The only difference you will notice is that older games wont fully use the new and improved hardware in the Xbox Series X. Only a handful of games have been confirmed for the new console, amongst others Watch Dogs Legion, Senua's Saga: Hellblade Chronicles 2 and Halo: Infinite.

Watch Dogs Legion

Watch Dogs Legion is the third game in the Watch Dogs series where you play as a hacker in an open world environment. In Watch Dogs Legion you command a group of hackers instead of just one protagonist and, just as before, the main villain in the game is DedSec. Your goal is to bring down DedSec, once and for all, in a dystopian London.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade Chronicles 2

Senua's Saga: Hellblade Chronicles 2 is the next part in the series about Senua, an ancient warrior who, in the first game, fought against extra-terrestrial beings and her own mental health to save her boyfriend's soul from the goddess Hela. Not much is known about the new sequel, more than the fact that Senua is continuing her journey and that the game was developed specifically with Xbox Series X in mind.

Halo: Infinite

Halo: Infinite is the follow-up to Halo 5: Guardians, released in October 2015. Halo: Infinite is the next instalment in the acclaimed game series on Master Chief and is released at the same time as the Xbox Series X during the latter part of 2020. According to game developer 343 Industries who develops Halo: Infinite, the game is a fresh start for the entire Halo series, but exactly what that means remains to be seen.

Switch quickly between multiple games

A new feature of the Xbox Series X is that you can have several games running at once and switch freely between them whenever you want. In fact, you can even restart your Xbox and still jump right into the latest game without having to restart everything, according to famous Xbox profile Larry Hryb.

Today's Xbox One consoles can only resume the latest run game without having to reload everything. The powerful hardware of the Xbox Series X allows multiple games instead of just one to be running simultaneously in the background.

Jason Ronald from Team Xbox tells the Gamespot website about the new feature:

– Today we have the opportunity to immediately resume the last game you played. Why couldn't we do it with multiple games? Many players choose to play several games at the same time and if I have the opportunity to jump between them, it makes the experience better. There will be less waiting and more time for gaming.

How much do the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S cost?

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S go on sale on 10nd November. This is how much the game consoles will cost at launch:

Xbox Series X: £449.99
Xbox Series S: £249.99

Prices can be compared to Playstation 5 and Playstation 5 Digital Edition which cost £449.99 and £359.99 respectively.

Frequently asked questions and answers about Xbox Series X

Smart Delivery

With the Xbox Series X, Microsoft introduces the new feature, Smart Delivery. With Smart Delivery you always get the best possible version of a game for your Xbox console, from the first Xbox One to the new Xbox Series X.

Example: If you buy the Gears 5 for your Xbox One S today, all necessary graphics files for the game console will be installed as usual. If you then upgrade to the Xbox Series X other graphics files specific to that model will automatically download instead.

Microsoft says their goal is for all Xbox Game Studios titles to support Smart Delivery in the future. Other game developers also have access to the feature and it is up to them if their new and old games should include the same support.

Can I play my old Xbox games on the Xbox Series X?

The Xbox Series X is fully backwards compatible with all old Xbox games, provided they are customisable for the Xbox One. This means that you can run the first and second generation Xbox and Xbox 360 games just like the existing Xbox consoles. Keep in mind that while old games can run on the Xbox Series X, they probably won't benefit from the game's much more powerful hardware.

Is the Xbox Series X better than the Playstation 5?

Both yes and no. It all depends on how you are as a player and what you feel is best for you. Today, many point out the fact that the two game consoles have equal performance, or at least sufficiently so that most players won’t care about the difference. This means that when you choose a game console you can focus more on the price, the feeling of the hand controls, VR needs and if there are console-specific games you want to run.

Does the Xbox Game Pass work with the Xbox Series X?

The Xbox Series X will work with the Xbox Game Pass when the game console is released. This means you can move your already started games from an existing Xbox console and transfer everything to the new model - without losing any saved files or having to buy the games again. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Xbox Game Pass, it’s worth mentioning that it’s a subscription service where the user pays an annual or monthly fee for access to a wide variety of games for Xbox and PC.

Can the Xbox Series X be placed on its side or does the console have to stand upright?

The Xbox Series X works just as well on its side as in an upright position. This makes it easier to place the game console in, for example, a TV bench if you don’t want it to be visible. The new gaming console has a brand new, reworked design whose rectangular shape is said to be much better for cooling the internal components compared to the existing Xbox One consoles.

Does Xbox Series X support ray tracing?

Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X comes with ray tracing. Ray tracing is an advanced method of displaying graphics that can produce incredibly realistic lighting effects. With ray tracing, the games get a near natural display of how light interacts with different objects, providing shadows, reflections and light effects that are much better than in games that do not support ray tracing.

"With the introduction of hardware accelerated ray tracing in the Xbox Series X, completely new scenarios are possible. Everything from more realistic lighting to better reflections and also for spatial and ray-traced audio," says Xbox profile Jason Ronald in a podcast with Larry Hryb.

Does VR work with the Xbox Series X?

There is no indication that Microsoft intends to include VR support for the Xbox Series X. Microsoft has long said that VR is not the right path for the Xbox series and that does not appear to be changing with the Xbox Series X. If you want to play VR games, Playstation 4 Pro, the upcoming Playstation 5 and PC are your best choices.