Examining Xbox Series X

Ars Has A Bit Of Fun With The New Console

There are two parts to the Ars Technica review of the almost ready for Prime Time Xbox Series X; the physical design which for the most part they approved of, and the software side that they expressed disappointment in.  Firstly you are going to want to break out the measuring tape, for while the dimensions of 11.6″ tall, 6″ long, and 6″ wide does not sound particularly large your entertainment centre may not have been designed to fit something of that size.

The good news is that the cooler is designed to work just as well lying down as it does standing up so you shouldn’t worry about lying it down in order to fit it in, as long as you have space for air flow.  The design also seems to be more effective at preventing dust build up in the interior when compared to the new PlayStation, though in general that will not be top of mind for people when choosing between the two systems.   The hardware lives up to expectations, as Gears of War 5 running in 4K at 120Hz on the Xbox is every bit as smooth and beautiful as when played on a PC powerful enough to handle those settings.

The software on the other hand is a bit of a different story unfortunately.  Ars tried a few of the other games which will be ready to launch along with the console and none could match the experience they had playing the recent Gears of War.  As well, in several cases Xbox Quick Resume didn’t work as expected on newer titles, though they did have great luck with older titles. 

Drop by for the longest preview of Microsoft’s new console we have yet seen.