A gaming console is on every gamer’s wish list. Simply insert the game disc or download the game, and you’re good to game. There are no annoying drivers or game launchers to worry about. The original Xbox was introduced in late 2001, nearly two decades ago where it joined the ranks of Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft’s Xbox has evolved over the years, and it has become a synonym for console gaming. This year, Microsoft has decided to take console gaming to an all-new level, by launching the Xbox Series X and Series S.
The Xbox Series X and Series S are very differently designed. The flagship Series X has a boxy-looking shape, and a matte black finish. It uses Microsoft’s new Parallel Cooling Architecture that promises to keep the console’s temperature low, even after prolonged gaming sessions.
The Xbox Series S is the smallest Xbox, Microsoft has ever made. It is roughly 60 per cent smaller than the previous Xbox, which means you can easily it carry it around like a laptop. The device is finished in a matte white colour, and it comes with a black circular ventilation grill.
The Series S is Microsoft’s first all-digital gaming console, so it doesn’t come with a disk reader like the flagship Xbox Series X. Microsoft has also made some minor tweaks to the new Xbox controller. It is now lighter, which should make it more comfortable to hold. Microsoft has also redesigned the texture on the buttons, to ensure a firmer grip. The D-Pad button now promises better feedback with its updated design. The Xbox Series X and Series S are also compatible with last year’s Xbox One accessories.
Both the Xbox Series X and Series S come with the nearly identical 8-Core AMD Zen 2 processor. The areas where the two consoles diverge are the GPU and the RAM. The Series X comes with a 12 TFLOPS GPU which is a significantly better number than the Xbox Series S 4 TFLOPS GPU. The Series X also ships with a total of 16GB of RAM in contrast to the 10GB of RAM on the Xbox Series S.
A large chunk of console gamers might not care about specifications. Newer gaming titles will be developed with respect to the new consoles hardware, so all the titles will run flawlessly. However, Microsoft made it clear in their keynote, the Xbox Series X is aimed at 4K gaming, so it requires more GPU power and RAM to render the high-quality assets and textures. The Series S aims for a maximum output resolution of 1440p, which lowers its GPU and RAM requirements. The Series S also supports next-generation gaming features such as real-time Ray Tracing. This means, it barely makes any compromises.
The Xbox S Series X and Series S support 120Hz gaming. That’s a huge improvement over the older Xbox One, which often struggled to deliver 60fps at full HD resolutions. Support for higher fresh rates means lesser motion blur and better graphic rendition, and a more fun gaming experience. This means you can now connect these consoles to gaming monitors or modern smart TVs that support higher refresh rates.
The Series X and Series S are the first consoles to use Xbox’s Velocity architecture. This is a custom SSD that Microsoft built together with Seagate. Microsoft claims, the new SSD is specially designed for consoles, and it is significantly faster than the SSDs on laptops or older gaming consoles. This means, both consoles should boot in no time, and you’ll spend less time sitting and waiting for games to load. The Series X comes with 1TB of storage while the Series S has 512GB of storage. Microsoft says, the game data on the Series S should be smaller than the Series X, because it doesn’t need to download the same 4K assets from the Xbox store.
Microsoft lets you expand the storage on both the consoles using Microsoft’s 1TB expansion card. You can also use cheaper external hard drives to play and store older games, but to play newer releases, the games need to be moved in the console’s internal SSD or the expansion card.
Console games are expensive, and that is where the Xbox Game Pass comes in. The Xbox Game Pass gives you access to more than a 100 games which include some popular gaming titles such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, and more. The service’s pricing starts from Rs. 489* a month, which we think is a pretty good deal. Microsoft also announced, EA Play is soon going to be part of the Xbox Game Pass, that should give access to another 100 and more games including AAA titles such as Battlefield V, NFS Heat and more. Both consoles also support backward compatibility, which means you can also play older Xbox games.
The Xbox Series X and Series S promises to be the next-generation gaming consoles. The Series S is a solid entry point for gamers, while the Series X is the ultimate gaming machine that offers a premium 4K gaming experience. Newer games will be specifically developed to run on these consoles, which means no matter which model you choose, you will have a flawless gaming experience. Both consoles can easily run all the new games, which are going to be released over the next 7 to 8 years.
The Xbox Series X and Series S are available for pre-order at www.reliancedigital.in and you can also book yours at your nearest Reliance Digital store.
