This is a solid performance jump from the Xbox One, including the Xbox One
X. Games optimized for the Xbox Series X/S can have native 4K rendering as
the default (generally; dynamic scaling is always an option for performance),
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load times, especially for games optimized to take advantage of the speed. It
isn’t a mind-blowing jump in graphics like the 8- to 16-bit jump or the 2D to 3D
jump, but it’s a solid pump in processing power that feels like replacing your
gaming PC for a newer, faster one (at a fraction of the price, and without the PC
functions, of course).
WELCOME TO THE NEW GENERATION
The Xbox Series X is an impressive console, loaded with power and speed to run
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doesn’t quite make the case the PlayStation 5 does with its handful of PS5-only
titles, but that point will become moot as more Xbox games (Halo, Gears,
Forza) show up with far better graphics and performance than on their Xbox
One equivalents.
While the Xbox Series S is just over half the price of the X, it’s a worse value. To
save $200, you lose the optical drive and half the storage space (a particularly
big problem if you can’t use disc-based games), and it has much, much less
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expensive, it’s a much better buy for everything you get.
Ultimately, the Series X stands alongside the PlayStation 5 as an equal
contender, which means that, as always, you must examine the available games
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remarkable consoles, though the Xbox Series X has better backward
compatibility, while the PS5 has a few more haptic feedback tricks in its new
DualSense gamepad, as well as more exclusives to tempt you at launch. But if
you prefer the games you can play on the Series X, rest assured that it’s well
worthy of our Editors’ Choice award.
WILL GREENWALD
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION I SUBSCRIBE (^) I DECEMBER 2020