The Xbox Series X (XSX) has finally arrived and we were fortunate to have one reserved through one of our local retailers prior to launch. We picked up our system on launch day without incident and while we were at the store, we also picked up an extra controller and a 4K television to go while we were there.
I’ve had the XSX for just under one week and I’ve played a handful of the enhanced titles available through Game Pass and I also purchased a copy of the much anticipated Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Gold Edition.
First, the good news.
The XSX delivers on the next gen experience. The system looks sharp (IMHO), it’s quiet, the controller feels good in your hand, and games load fast thanks to the SSD and AMD processor. The system cruises through screens filled with different characters and elements with little or no drop in frame rate (I haven’t witnessed it and I’ve worked in video for more the 15 years), and the in game audio is consistent. There have been some reports of the optical drives on some XSX units failing or malfunctioning, but the system we have seems to be fine.
The games themselves look beautiful, especially Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which is the most impressive looking game I have ever played on a console. The games that have been optimized for the XSX that I have played – Borderlands 3, No Man’s Sky, and Tetris Effect Connected, are also remarkable in their own right. There are several other games that have been optimized for the XSX as well, and I look forward to playing those in the near future.
Now for the bad news.
Unless you have a 4K TV/monitor, the only real reason to purchase an XSX, if you can find one, is for the speed, the bragging rights, or if you never purchased an Xbox One. The curb appeal of the XSX is to enjoy the visual horsepower of the system on an optimized 4K TV/monitor. If you don’t have one, your games will still be in 1080p/60fps or less depending on the TV you use. Fortunately, Black Friday is just around the corner and Christmas isn’t far behind, so the time to upgrade your television isn’t going to be better than right now.
We purchased a decent 4K TV with a 120hz refresh rate for about $550, so you should be able to find a good deal with very little effort. If you do decide to upgrade your TV, you will also want to upgrade your HDMI cables to HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1. Older HDMI cables will work but they may not be able to transmit the 120hz signal – I had to upgrade to new cables for my capture PC to enable 4K capture.
The Xbox Series X is a solid system, especially with backward compatibility, 1tb SSD, 16gb of memory, and 4K capabilities, but for all the fervor and flash, to enjoy the system to its fullest, you should be playing on a 4K TV/Monitor. I’m very happy with our new system, but I am certain my enjoyment of the system is tied to the fact I am playing on a calibrated 4K TV.
Regards,
Johncow
2cowsgaming.com 