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Xbox Series X Review: The Most Powerful Console

Microsoft's flagship delivers raw power and incredible value through Game Pass

Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen
Gaming Expert
10 min read
1/12/2024
4.7/ 5.0
Editor's Choice
Xbox Series X Review: The Most Powerful Console
Quick Summary

Microsoft's flagship console impresses with raw power, Game Pass value, and excellent backward compatibility.

What We Love

  • Most powerful console hardware available
  • Excellent Game Pass value proposition
  • Quick Resume feature is game-changing

Room for Improvement

  • Fewer exclusive games compared to PlayStation
  • Large, monolithic design
  • User interface hasn't evolved much

Raw Power and Performance

The Xbox Series X is undeniably the most powerful gaming console ever created. With 12 teraflops of GPU performance and a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, it delivers exceptional gaming performance across the board. Games run smoother, load faster, and look better than ever before.

The 1TB custom NVMe SSD provides excellent storage performance, though it fills up quickly with modern games. The Velocity Architecture ensures that games can take full advantage of the fast storage, resulting in near-instantaneous loading times.

Game Pass: The Ultimate Value

Xbox Game Pass is perhaps the best value in gaming today. With hundreds of games available for a monthly subscription, including day-one access to all Microsoft first-party titles, it's an incredible deal. The service works seamlessly across Xbox, PC, and mobile devices.

Quick Resume is a standout feature that lets you suspend multiple games and jump between them instantly. It's particularly useful for Game Pass subscribers who tend to play multiple games simultaneously.

Backward Compatibility Excellence

Microsoft's commitment to backward compatibility is unmatched. Not only can you play Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox games, but many receive significant performance improvements on Series X. Auto HDR and improved frame rates breathe new life into older titles.

Design and Build Quality

The Series X's monolithic design is polarizing but functional. The vertical tower design promotes excellent airflow, keeping the console remarkably quiet even under heavy load. Build quality is excellent throughout, feeling solid and premium.

The console's size might be an issue for some entertainment centers, but the vertical orientation helps it fit in most spaces. The matte black finish looks sleek and doesn't show fingerprints easily.

Detailed Analysis

Pros

  • Most powerful console hardware available
  • Excellent Game Pass value proposition
  • Quick Resume feature is game-changing
  • Superior backward compatibility
  • Quiet operation and good cooling
  • Smart Delivery ensures best game versions

Cons

  • Fewer exclusive games compared to PlayStation
  • Large, monolithic design
  • User interface hasn't evolved much
  • Limited SSD expansion options at launch
  • Some games don't fully utilize the hardware
Review Score
91
Overall Score
performance98/100
design88/100
features90/100
value95/100
games85/100
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Price and availability subject to change

Specifications
CPU:AMD Zen 2, 8 cores, 3.8GHz
GPU:AMD RDNA 2, 12 TFLOPs
Memory:16GB GDDR6
Storage:1TB Custom NVMe SSD
Optical Drive:4K UHD Blu-ray
Connectivity:Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Ethernet
Ports:3x USB-A, 1x HDMI 2.1
Dimensions:301 × 151 × 151 mm