The Xbox Series X has been an integral part of my everyday life for a few months now. Actually, I had already turned my back on gaming, but Microsoft’s next-gen console has reignited my passion for gaming. But I will still not buy the new Xbox – and that has to do with a home-made problem. A long-term field report by Kaan Gürayer.
It happened between the 5th and 6th generation of consoles: At some point I just stopped holding the controller. Perhaps I had had enough playing, was more interested in other hobbies, or it was due to the time-consuming relationship stumbling blocks that every early 20-year-old steps into. Who knows.
The gaming world has completely changed
Around 2013 I wanted to start gambling again. Finally, with PlayStation 4 and Co., a new generation of consoles was just around the corner. To my own surprise, however, I was faced with a completely different gaming world. Everything had become complicated and annoying: Before every game there were sudden updates, you were forced into excruciatingly long tutorials, microtransactions stole your money and games were no longer games but turned into interactive films.
Nintendo was a laudable exception, but the Japanese have always done their own thing anyway.
I was correspondingly skeptical when the new console generation was presented. The trends that put me off gaming were still there – and in some cases even got worse, keyword: microtransactions. After a few months with the Xbox Series X, I’m pleasantly surprised. Microsoft’s next-gen console has reawakened the gamer in me, at least a little bit. This is not due to one outstanding feature, but to the combination of several. In fact, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Rapid game changes thanks to SSD and Quick Resume
I can Thanks to the fast SSD and Quick Resume, you can switch back and forth between several games – a godsend for someone like me who quickly loses interest in a game and often never spends more than 15 to 20 minutes playing a game.
Of course, that assumes going “all digital” and not buying games on physical media. I’ve always avoided this step so far because I was afraid of being left empty-handed at some point – after all, a service can always be shut down, providers are not charitable organizations. The fear is still there, but I think (okay, it’s more of a hope) that you at Microsoft is on the safest side of all three major console manufacturers. The Redmonders are among the most valuable companies in the world and have a long history of supporting their services.
Everything you need to know about the Xbox Series X/S:
Backward compatibility & Game Pass form a well-rounded package
Which brings us to the games: With the backward compatibilitydating back in part to the original Xbox of 2001, neither Sony nor Nintendo can keep up. Thanks to regular sales in the Xbox Store, I can also play games that passed me when they were released. In fact, most of the games I currently have on Xbox Series X are from the Xbox 360 and Xbox One generation. Another plus point: Microsoft has “prettied up” many older games with the FPS boost, completely free of charge.
The The icing on the cake is of course the Game Pass, which I also subscribed to. For little money (starts at €9.99 per month) you have access to over 100 games that you can download and play for free. The selection is colorful and ranges from current AAA titles to classics. All current first-party titles from Microsoft such as Halo Infinite or Forza 5 are also included. A pretty good deal that makes you more willing to experiment with games – after all, you don’t lose 60 or 70 euros if you don’t like it. For example, I tried Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Without Game Pass, I probably would never have spent money on it, because I haven’t really been interested in games like this before.
What else I noticed about the Xbox Series X:
- Chic design: Very understated and minimalistic, blends in well anywhere. The PlayStation 5, on the other hand, I find really ugly. I am not the only one in the editorial office with this opinion.
- Quietly: The Xbox Series X is barely audible. No comparison to the jet plane of my old PS4.
- controllers: Grippy, feels really good in the hand.
- graphic: The 4K graphics are impressive and really come into their own on my LG OLED TV. But that alone is not a reason for me to buy it.
- menu navigation: Overall, the menu on the Xbox Series X is structured logically and understandably. Every now and then you come to places that are unnecessarily complicated and require several steps – for example when calling up the reduced games in the Xbox Store. Microsoft should improve here.
- Blu-ray player: Microsoft should also improve the control of the Blu-Ray player – at least via the controller. It’s unnecessarily complicated and lacks labels on the on-screen buttons.
Xbox Series S in the long-term field report: My conclusion
“To buy or not to buy?” is the all-important question. The Xbox Series X is a beautiful piece of technology, with fast game switching, backwards compatibility and Game Pass made you want to gamble again. But since I put everything on the digital card, the best possible graphics is not particularly important to me and I (at least currently) rather play games of the last or penultimate generation, my decision is clear: it will be the Xbox Series S!
The “small” Microsoft console offers everything that is important to me, is now more than 200 euros cheaper in street price (see at Amazon) and above all it is also one thing: available. The Series X, on the other hand, is – unfortunately – still in short supply.
Nevertheless, I tip my hat to Microsoft: The Xbox Series X has become really great. If you value 4K graphics, especially if you play current AAA games (which take up a lot more storage space) and don’t want to give up the freedom of the disk drive completely, you’ll find an excellent next-gen console in the Series X.