The Xbox Series X is out now, offering a big power upgrade and some remarkable new features; but should it be your top-choice new console to see you through this generation?
What we love — it’s very powerful and innovative
If sheer power is your top concern, then the Xbox Series X is the most powerful home console right now, overshadowing the PS5 in this regard – and best of all, you really notice this in your day-to-day experience.
It’s not just faster load times or graphical improvements we’re talking about; there are innovations such as Quick Resume that took our breath away. Thanks to this new feature, you can toggle between six games at once, and jump back into the action straight away, without having to suffer through tedious loading screens – and it even works after being unplugged overnight.
- Read our PS5 review
Smart Delivery and Game Pass are also well worth checking out, and so overall it’s fair to say that the step-up in power is really brought to bear to greatly improve the gaming experience.
On top of that, we like the design. Though now starting to resemble a PC rather than a traditional console, it looks sharp and smart, and the addition of extra memory via SSD drive is a seamless switch. The controller has received some modest improvements too, such as ergonomic grips and a share button for social media sharing.
What we didn’t like — lacks tempting exclusives
While backwards compatibility is a real strength of the Xbox Series X, most gamers will care more about the future than the past, and unfortunately, Microsoft has lost ground to Sony in the war for exclusives on launch day.
The slate of games available now on the Xbox (and doubtless to come over the course of the generation) should still keep you well entertained, and as always there are plenty of blockbuster games available on both the major platforms, but be sure just to check out the range of titles available to each console to see if they suit your tastes.
- Read our iPhone 12 review
Verdict
The Xbox One X is a great console that gets so much right. It offers all the power you need – notably more than a PS5 – and puts it to work for useful new features such as Quick Resume, that will improve your gaming experience. One of the few weakness is its lack of exclusives compared to its counterpart, but unless your heart is set on a particular Sony exclusive then you can’t go wrong with the Xbox Series X.
Our Recombu reviews are created using data collected by Trusted Reviews Labs, utilising their testing expertise to bring you an easy-to-read, short-form review.
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