Xbox Series X and Series S review - NO MORE GIMMICKS!

# The New Era of Gaming: A Deep Dive into Xbox Series X and S

## Introduction to Xbox Series X and S

The gaming world has witnessed a significant leap with the arrival of Microsoft's latest consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S. These new-gen consoles have set a new standard by simplifying features and focusing on what truly matters for an enhanced gaming experience.

## Reductive Evolution: Simplifying Features

Gone are the days when consoles were cluttered with unnecessary gimmicks. The Xbox Series X and S have embraced "reductive evolution," stripping away features that didn't add value. Notable among these is the removal of the Kinect, which was eventually dropped by Microsoft after being initially bundled with the Xbox One in 2013.

Additionally, the HDMI-in port, once a key feature for integrating the console as a cable box, has been eliminated. In today's digital age, streaming services like Sling TV and YouTube provide comprehensive solutions, rendering the HDMI functionality redundant.

## A Nod to AV Enthusiasts: The Loss of Optical Audio Out

While most users might not miss the optical audio out port, it was a cherished feature for audiophiles who appreciated its ability to separate video and audio signals. However, with modern consoles emphasizing streamlined design and functionality, this feature has been omitted.

## UI Enhancements and Loading Speeds

The user interface (UI) of the Xbox Series X and S has seen minimal changes from previous iterations, retaining a familiar layout. The introduction of SSD storage replaces the older spinning platter drives, significantly boosting game load times. This upgrade allows for seamless transitions between games, thanks to the quick resume feature.

## Game Optimizations: A Mixed Landscape

At launch, only a few titles were optimized for these consoles, with popular games like Gears of War 5 and Forza Horizon 4 showing impressive performance. Ray tracing effects on Series X delivered stunning 4K visuals, though they weren't revolutionary compared to the Xbox One X's capabilities.

Holiday 2020 releases such as Watchdogs and Assassin's Creed承诺 future optimizations, with automatic updates for those already owning the Xbox One versions.

## Design and Hardware: Comparing Series X and S

The Series S offers a sleek, retro design reminiscent of the '70s, contrasting with the more robust build of the Series X. Priced at $300, the Series S is a cost-effective choice for many, despite lacking an optical drive—a feature the reviewer is surprisingly indifferent about.

## Performance Differences

While both consoles utilize AMD hardware, their GPU capabilities differ vastly. The Series X can handle 4K gaming, whereas the Series S tops out at 1440p. Yet, both consoles manage ray tracing effectively, with the Series S delivering satisfactory visuals from a standard couch distance.

## Value and Longevity: A Wise Investment

The $500 price tag for the Series X is hefty, but considering the console's longevity—past generations lasting around seven years—it offers better value than annual smartphone upgrades. The Series S, at $300, provides exceptional value, making it a strong contender against PlayStation 5.

## Conclusion: Embracing the Next Gen

While native next-gen games may take time to arrive, the Xbox Series X and S are already formidable players. Whether opting for the powerful Series X or the budget-friendly Series S, both consoles promise years of gaming enjoyment, solidifying their place in the industry as reliable investments.

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This article captures the essence of the transcription, offering a comprehensive exploration of the new Xbox consoles, their features, and their role in the evolving gaming landscape.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe xbox series x and series s are here and they've actually gotten better by removing some of the gimmicks and focusing on what really works now i've been playing with both the microsoft xbox series x and the series s and these are better consoles than a generation before because they've actually removed features and simplified things i call it reductive evolution really getting rid of the stuff that you don't need and focusing on the stuff that really works without trying to fix something that isn't broken now if you go back to the xbox one when that first launch way back in 2013 they made a big deal about packaging it with the connect camera and had a special port for it and eventually they dropped the kinect and that's one of the parts of the xbox ecosystem including the games that are not compatible with the new consoles really one of the only ones they also got rid of the hdmi in port remember the xbox one had hdmi in and hdmi out because it wanted to be basically your cable box as well now we have all these services whether it's sling tv or youtube with live tv that do a lot of that for you they basically act like uh digital cable services so you don't really need to go through that that hassle of doing the hdmi in and out with the throughput so they got rid of that uh one thing that i got rid of that i'm actually kind of sad about is the optical audio out it's not something everybody used i think i used it when i needed to split the video signal and the audio signal for something but you know av people want where they want and that's a very sort of cnety feature to want to have in a console now in a previous video jeff has already talked about the xbox ui and how familiar it looks compared to the older xbox menu system and about loading up games very quickly because this has got ssd storage versus an old spinning platter drive and how you can jump between games quickly uh using the the quick resume feature what we haven't talked a lot about is the actual xbox series x or series s native games and guess what we're still not going to talk a lot about that because at the time that we're we're doing this it's about a week before the consoles actually go on sale in stores and there's still very few uh games available that are optimized for the series x or series s i played a lot of gears of war uh five i played a lot of forza 4. these are both very nicely optimized you get some of the ray tracing effects here on the series x the output in 4k really look great it's not a it's not a revolutionary experience over what you've had before especially if you're playing on an xbox one x which is also a very advanced console that does 4k output there are a lot of holiday 2020 games watchdog assassin's creed uh that will have xbox series x optimizations at some point either the week the console comes out or very shortly thereafter and you'll automatically get those updates to the games if you've already downloaded the older kind of backwards compatible with xbox one versions now we've talked a lot about the series x there's also the series s it is less expensive 300 versus 500 it's smaller i think it has a cooler design frankly it's got a bit of a 70s space age stereo look to it the big things you're giving up with the series s over the series x's it doesn't have an optical drive but i'm an optical drive skeptic and i'm okay with that it's got half the storage you know a 512 gigabyte ssd versus a terabyte in the in the series x and uh even though the platforms are very similar they're all amd based uh the gpu is not nearly as powerful because it's built to output not at 4k but at up to 1440 which is a little better than full hd and probably in a lot of cases less than that but that means it can still do the ray tracing and the cool effects because it's optimized to do it at lower resolutions i mean frankly unless you have a gigantic tv and you're sitting up close to it i don't think at least at this stage you're going to notice the difference i switched back and forth between a series s and a series x playing gears of war playing forza and you know a little softer when you're not doing it at 4k but when you're sitting couch you know distance away i think you can definitely get away with it and if you think that uh spending 500 on a new console is no big deal you know maybe you haven't met my friend 2020. so if you want to get the 300 series s version i think it's a it's a fantastic value and you really get a lot out of it uh i i think it's probably the one a lot of people should consider getting whether you're spending 300 on the series s or 500 it's on an xbox series s or even a playstation 5 it's still a hefty investment but i think about the longevity of these devices the previous generation came out in 2013. so if sony or microsoft they're asking you to throw down 500 bucks every seven years or so to me that's a better long-term value than some of these phone companies that want you to spend a thousand dollars every 12 to 24 months for a fairly different new phone so that's my way of saying even if you're buying this new console in anticipation of the real native next-gen games that are probably going to come next year the year after i say go for itthe xbox series x and series s are here and they've actually gotten better by removing some of the gimmicks and focusing on what really works now i've been playing with both the microsoft xbox series x and the series s and these are better consoles than a generation before because they've actually removed features and simplified things i call it reductive evolution really getting rid of the stuff that you don't need and focusing on the stuff that really works without trying to fix something that isn't broken now if you go back to the xbox one when that first launch way back in 2013 they made a big deal about packaging it with the connect camera and had a special port for it and eventually they dropped the kinect and that's one of the parts of the xbox ecosystem including the games that are not compatible with the new consoles really one of the only ones they also got rid of the hdmi in port remember the xbox one had hdmi in and hdmi out because it wanted to be basically your cable box as well now we have all these services whether it's sling tv or youtube with live tv that do a lot of that for you they basically act like uh digital cable services so you don't really need to go through that that hassle of doing the hdmi in and out with the throughput so they got rid of that uh one thing that i got rid of that i'm actually kind of sad about is the optical audio out it's not something everybody used i think i used it when i needed to split the video signal and the audio signal for something but you know av people want where they want and that's a very sort of cnety feature to want to have in a console now in a previous video jeff has already talked about the xbox ui and how familiar it looks compared to the older xbox menu system and about loading up games very quickly because this has got ssd storage versus an old spinning platter drive and how you can jump between games quickly uh using the the quick resume feature what we haven't talked a lot about is the actual xbox series x or series s native games and guess what we're still not going to talk a lot about that because at the time that we're we're doing this it's about a week before the consoles actually go on sale in stores and there's still very few uh games available that are optimized for the series x or series s i played a lot of gears of war uh five i played a lot of forza 4. these are both very nicely optimized you get some of the ray tracing effects here on the series x the output in 4k really look great it's not a it's not a revolutionary experience over what you've had before especially if you're playing on an xbox one x which is also a very advanced console that does 4k output there are a lot of holiday 2020 games watchdog assassin's creed uh that will have xbox series x optimizations at some point either the week the console comes out or very shortly thereafter and you'll automatically get those updates to the games if you've already downloaded the older kind of backwards compatible with xbox one versions now we've talked a lot about the series x there's also the series s it is less expensive 300 versus 500 it's smaller i think it has a cooler design frankly it's got a bit of a 70s space age stereo look to it the big things you're giving up with the series s over the series x's it doesn't have an optical drive but i'm an optical drive skeptic and i'm okay with that it's got half the storage you know a 512 gigabyte ssd versus a terabyte in the in the series x and uh even though the platforms are very similar they're all amd based uh the gpu is not nearly as powerful because it's built to output not at 4k but at up to 1440 which is a little better than full hd and probably in a lot of cases less than that but that means it can still do the ray tracing and the cool effects because it's optimized to do it at lower resolutions i mean frankly unless you have a gigantic tv and you're sitting up close to it i don't think at least at this stage you're going to notice the difference i switched back and forth between a series s and a series x playing gears of war playing forza and you know a little softer when you're not doing it at 4k but when you're sitting couch you know distance away i think you can definitely get away with it and if you think that uh spending 500 on a new console is no big deal you know maybe you haven't met my friend 2020. so if you want to get the 300 series s version i think it's a it's a fantastic value and you really get a lot out of it uh i i think it's probably the one a lot of people should consider getting whether you're spending 300 on the series s or 500 it's on an xbox series s or even a playstation 5 it's still a hefty investment but i think about the longevity of these devices the previous generation came out in 2013. so if sony or microsoft they're asking you to throw down 500 bucks every seven years or so to me that's a better long-term value than some of these phone companies that want you to spend a thousand dollars every 12 to 24 months for a fairly different new phone so that's my way of saying even if you're buying this new console in anticipation of the real native next-gen games that are probably going to come next year the year after i say go for it\n"