Xbox Series X

Source

The Verge

Key Takeaways

• Still painfully lacks generation-defining, system-selling exclusive AAA masterpieces; almost all first-party titles launch day-one on PC.
• Storage expansion is locked to proprietary Seagate/WD expansion cards, demanding nearly double the price of standard M.2 NVMe SSDs.
• The home dashboard UI is choked with aggressive Game Pass promotions, movie rentals, and commercial banner ads.
• Monolithic vertical black tower is whisper quiet, but its chunky 15cm footprint is difficult to tuck into low TV console shelves.

✅ Pros

• Quick Resume lets you suspend and bounce between multiple games instantaneously
• Raw 12 TFLOPS compute guarantees reliable 4K 60fps performance
• Whisper-quiet massive top axial cooling fan

❌ Cons

• Glaring shortage of must-play first-party system sellers
• Overpriced proprietary storage expansion card tax
• Cluttered dashboard filled with commercial promotion tiles
• Chunky blocky footprint difficult to fit in TV units

📝 Verdict

"Xbox Series X is an engineering powerhouse compromised by a chronic exclusive software drought and proprietary storage tax."

Source

• Video: Xbox Series X - Long-term Review
• Channel: Max Dendy | Type: Long-term review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Used for nearly two years: zero quality issues, with no overheating, fan noise or stick drift
• He fell in love with Game Pass Ultimate, playing many games he wouldn't otherwise have tried, often added on release day; he also likes backward compatibility, FPS Boost and Quick Resume
• He bought a Series S first and upgraded to the Series X because he liked it; the Series X has a disc drive, more storage and 12 TFLOPS (4 for the Series S), and some new games run at a stable 60fps on Series X but only 30fps on Series S
• Xbox has regional pricing and lets you switch regions; Developer Mode can emulate other consoles, and you can connect a keyboard and mouse and use the browser for office work
• US$500 can't buy a PC with equivalent performance, and you don't have to fiddle with drivers and settings

✅ Pros

• Zero quality issues
• Game Pass is great value
• Backward compatibility and Quick Resume
• Good PC integration

❌ Cons

• Not enough exclusives
• Not upgradeable

📝 Verdict

This generation of Xbox offers enormous value and is friendlier than other consoles; he plays almost every day and calls it an amazing console.

Source

• Video: Xbox Series X Unboxing & Review!
• Channel: Austin Evans | Type: Unboxing review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He spent a lot of time with this console this year and admits it's essentially an "Xbox One.5," but that's not necessarily a bad thing
• The box includes a high-speed HDMI 2.1 cable, which you should use for high frame rates; it's designed to stand upright but can also lie flat (it has four rubber feet); the 4K Blu-ray drive reads original Xbox, 360 and One discs
• There's just one big fan on top, and his separate testing showed no overheating issues; the back has HDMI, an Ethernet port, three USB-A ports in total and an expansion storage slot
• Load times are dramatically shorter: Gears 5 takes about 10–11 seconds on Series X/S versus 52 seconds to 1 minute on the last generation; Dirt 5 takes 12 seconds versus 40-plus
• More games run at 60fps, 4K 60 is very smooth and controls feel more responsive; performance is roughly equivalent to a current high-end gaming PC

✅ Pros

• Dramatically faster loading
• Smooth 4K 60fps
• No overheating
• Supports previous-generation discs

❌ Cons

• Feels like a sped-up Xbox One
• Less eye-catching than the PS5
• No new controller features

📝 Verdict

It may not be as flashy as the PS5, lacks a new controller like the PS5's, and isn't as cheap as the Series S, but if you want a console for serious gaming, it's hard to go wrong with the Series X.

Source

• Video: Xbox Series X Review
• Channel: IGN | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• A minimalist box shape, a dashboard almost identical to the Xbox One's and a controller that's barely changed; but once you're in a game, smooth native 4K and ultra-fast loading make the US$500 upgrade worth it
• The unboxing is as meticulous as an Apple product's; you can sign in and set up with your phone, and games from your old console can be transferred directly over the network, as easy as upgrading a phone
• Standing upright it's the best-looking design in Xbox history, while lying flat it looks like a misplaced Lego brick; it has a 4K Blu-ray drive, HDMI 2.1 and an expansion storage slot, and drops HDMI input and the optical port
• 12.1 TFLOPS, on paper twice the Xbox One X and about 20% more than the PS5; Quick Resume lets you instantly pick up several recently played games, and he says he doesn't know how he lived without it
• The roughly 30 launch games are almost all cross-generation, with no killer title you "must see on Series X"

✅ Pros

• Native 4K and loading speed
• Quick Resume
• Quiet and compact
• More performance for the same price

❌ Cons

• No next-gen killer games yet
• Little UI change
• Some settings are hard to find

📝 Verdict

This boldly designed, quiet, relatively compact and conveniently featured console offers more performance than the PS5 for the same price, and he looks forward to what developers do next.