Stuff - UK (2020-12)

T

The Xbox Series S is much slimmer

than the Series X, and it’s inevitably

much less powerful as a result.

While the cheaper console has

some of the same key perks within,

including the speedy SSD, Quick

Resume and upgrades to older

Xbox games, the GPU maxes out

at 4 teraflops – a third what the

Series X can manage.

Given that, the Xbox Series S

is positioned as a ‘2K’ or 1440p

console instead – still capable of

playing the same games but with

less crispness and flash. It also

lacks a disc drive and has half

the storage space, but the £200

discount makes this the better

option for a budget-savvy gamer

who isn’t fussed about 4K. Paired

with a Game Pass subscription, it

could be the best deal in next-gen

gaming if you can live with the less

powerful hardware.

XBOX SERIES X

XBOX SERIES S

ake a look at this hulking

block of a games console.

Microsoft has abandoned

the flatter footprint of past

Xbox machines in favour

of something more akin

to a minimal PC tower, standing

about 30cm tall and 15cm wide, and

weighing in at 4.5kg. The PS5 is taller,

but also curvier; the Xbox Series X

looks like a dense brick.

But there’s no doubt Microsoft

has packed every inch of that brick

with top-tier components to deliver

gaming experiences you’ve never

seen outside of a scary-expensive

PC rig. The Series X uses a custom

8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2

GPU with up to 12 teraflops of raw

graphics-processing power available.

That’s double the total graphical

output of the Xbox One X and about

1.7 teraflops more than the PS5.

The need for even more speed

What does that really mean, though?

Microsoft is promising gaming at a

native (not upscaled) 4K resolution

and up to 120 frames per second, with

the potential for 8K gameplay as well.

So games will look crisper and more

detailed than ever before, and with

smoother motion to boot. Support for

a 120Hz refresh rate also lends itself

well to faster reaction times, ideal for

twitchy online shooters.

While enhanced resolution and

detail are expected upgrades with

any new console, both Microsoft

and Sony are also putting a major

focus on improving speed this time

around. Between the Xbox Velocity

Architecture and custom 1TB SSD

inside, the Series X will dramatically

cut down on loading times, delays and

framerate hitches.

Quick Resume is the big new feature

that benefits from that hardware focus.

You’ll be able to swap between active

games in a matter of seconds, rather

than quitting one and waiting for the

other to load up from scratch. In the

middle of a lengthy Assassin’s Creed

Valhalla session and want to pop into

FIFA 21 for a breather? You’ll be on

the pitch within moments, and can

then swap back at any time. Even

older games will benefit from

drastically reduced loading times

and stabilised framerates.

Big game hunting

That’s especially good news because

the Xbox Series X launch line-up

is a bit sparse. You’ll get enhanced

versions of the Christmas season’s

biggest multi-platform games, such

as Cyberpunk 2077 and Call of Duty:

Black Ops – Cold War, along with

upgrades to Forza Horizon 4 and

others... but with Halo out of it for

now, Microsoft is stuck with making

promises on future exclusives.

Still, the Xbox Series X is packed

with potential and there’s no shortage

of greatness to play on Xbox Game

Pass in the meantime. Could this be

the Xbox’s generation to shine?

Large and in charge, the new flagship Xbox

hits higher graphical peaks than the PS5.

But of course, raw power isn’t everything.

Can it match up on must-play games too?

£450 / xbox.com

£250 / xbox.com

Key specs

O Native 4K @ 120fps O 12 teraflops

O 16GB RAM O 1TB SSD O 4K Blu-ray

drive O Xbox Wireless Controller

O 301x151x151mm, 4.5kg

Key specs

O 1440p @ 120fps O 4 teraflops

O 10GB RAM O 512GB SSD

O No disc drive O Xbox Wireless

Controller O 275x151x65mm, 1.9kg