08/22/2021
The arrival of the new Xbox Series X instantly transformed me into a 15-year-old. When it showed up at my home last week, I literally stopped everything I was doing to set it up. Could it really live up to Microsoft’s hype over the past year and deliver a gaming experience that we’ve never seen before? After a weekend of putting it through its paces, here are a few observations that might be helpful for anyone who’s considering an upgrade from their existing Xbox.
First things first: legacy console gamers who suffer from performance-heavy PC gaming envy will not be shortchanged with the new Xbox Series X. In my view, the Xbox Series X comes closer to recreating the gold standard of a top-performing PC experience than any other console in history. This is due in no small part to speedy SSD storage, an insanely powerful AMD CPU, 120Hz video support and (perhaps most importantly for legacy Xbox users) excellent backward compatibility with existing games. The latter is not surprising as the Xbox’s embedded operating system has a Windows heritage dating back to the original Xbox. And let’s face it: with an installed base of 1.4 billion Windows PCs, Microsoft knows a thing or two about backward compatibility.
Hardware runs silent and cool
Microsoft leveraged its engineering expertise to cram an impressive amount of components into the Xbox Series X’s admittedly boxy, tower-inspired form factor. Looking at it from a particular angle, positioned vertically, it brings to mind the iconic monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some may not be thrilled with the Xbox Series X’s overall design as it is no aesthetics breakthrough, but that’s almost beside the point. It’s essentially an unassuming black box that you’ll put under your TV in your entertainment center and forget about.
