After months and months of slowly dragged out information bursts, game previews and a chaotic pre-order period which saw launch units sell out quickly, Microsoft today became the first console manufacturer to enter the newest generation of gaming through releasing the Xbox Series X|S. Although for the most part not yet willing to separate itself from the previous generation in terms of game library, early adopters of this console will be able to enjoy a range of improvements over the Xbox One including real-time ray tracing, SSD storage, modern hardware, improved speeds and much more.
The differences between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are substantial, justifying the price difference between the two. The most notable difference is that the pricier Series X comes with an Ultra HD Blu-ray optical drive while the Series S only supports digital content – locking its users to the Xbox Marketplace for all purchases. The Series X is also higher spec’d, with it having more memory, support for 4K, a better GPU – albeit with a greater size and weight over its digital-only sibling.
The Xbox Series X|S is backwards compatible with your game library from the original Xbox to the Xbox One, so you can take advantage of your old games with small performance benefits. It also comes with support for the Xbox Game Pass immediately. While you shouldn’t expect too many new games in the current library, you can enjoy a range of games from recent years – including Final Fantasy XV, Phantasy Star Online 2, No Man’s Sky and more.
While stock may be difficult to find until at least the holiday season, the Xbox Series X is retailing for $749.00 AUD or local equivalent, while the Xbox Series S is slightly chapter to buy outright at $499.00 AUD or local equivalent. You can also acquire the console through Microsoft’s Xbox All Access Program, which for a monthly fee for 24-months, gives you access to either an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscription for the period.
Deviating from the originally planned schedule, my first repressions review of the Xbox Series X is due to go live tomorrow evening. For now… I continue to binge-play Yakuza: Like a Dragon on it…
