All last week we have been getting acquainted with new consoles from Microsoft (unpacking Xbox series x and Xbox series s from GameMAG.ru look at the links), and today we want to share with you our first impressions of them.
Monoliths that will make friends with any interior
During the creation Xbox one x command Phil Spencer was able to successfully combine a powerful filling with a strict laconic design, which will perfectly fit into any modern interior, and at the development stage Xbox series x the course did not change. The next generation flagship console is just as attractive and great looking on the shelf next to the TV.
The rectangular black “monolith” looks especially advantageous in a vertical position, while in a horizontal position it looks unusual.
When you first take the console in hand, you understand that they really tried very hard to design it. Various little things are made at the highest level – for example, the top perforation with an inner layer of light green plastic, which is visible only at an angle, or the inscription “Hello from Seattle” on the stand. A trifle, but nice.
The dimensions of the Xbox Series X are not at all like a refrigerator or even a compact vertical system unit, but much smaller. Its dimensions are 15x15x30 cm. Yes, it requires a separate space near the TV and is unlikely to fit into a thin shelf, but in any case, I would not put it in a confined space that would adversely affect the removal of hot air.
The Xbox Series X weighs 4.4 kg – 0.6 kg more than the Xbox One X. By analogy with the previous “most powerful console in the world”, the body of the new Xbox is made of high-quality matte plastic without any glossy inserts and other soiled or scratched plots. And this is good news, since the gloss after removing the factory film, as a rule, does not look good for very long.
In turn, Series S will appeal to those who like to put gaming devices in the shelf under the TV – the title of “the smallest console in the new generation” goes to it, and the “smallest Xbox” too. Thanks to the less powerful Xbox Series S hardware and the move away from the optical drive, Microsoft engineers have managed to squeeze the new technology into a very compact package for those who plan to use Xbox Game Pass, buy games digitally, and not pursue better graphics.
The dimensions of the Xbox Series S are 6.5x15x27.5 cm. The white and neat console looks great in a modern interior both vertically and horizontally and really looks a bit like a radio live, and the black perforated cover above the fan on the side adds some zest to this game brick. There are cooling perforations on five of the six sides of the console, so you don’t have to worry about getting enough cooling air.
Like the older model, the Series S is made of durable matte plastic, although a bit of gloss, if you look closely, can be seen in the embossed logo in the corner of the box on the side where the black grille is located. Compared to Series X “Esca” turned out to be very light – 1.9 kg.
Updated controller and accessory support
Unlike its competitor, Microsoft decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to take something that already works great and improve it slightly. This allowed the gamepad to stay at the same price point as before. The Xbox Series X comes with a joystick in charcoal black, which looks very strict, and the Xbox Series S comes with a white version (while the buttons on the front side, the sticks and the cross are used here not in the color of the case, and the black ones are a nice accent in color design). Our editors liked the white version of the controller as a whole.
During a week of testing, we did not have any problems with the controller, except perhaps the impossibility of using Chinese batteries with contact charging. This happened due to the fact that inside the battery compartment slightly changed the protrusion for which the cover is attached. In general, this is not critical – you can use rechargeable batteries or AA batteries, as well as purchase an official charger.
The controller’s grip is improved not only thanks to the slightly modified shape, but also thanks to the bumpy texture on the handles, triggers and bumpers. During the days of use, the skin on the palms did not get rough or calloused, so the gamepad did not pass the peach test.
The bumps on the bumpers are applied only next to the trigger and, as it were, hint at where your index fingers should lie in order to quickly respond to what is happening on the screen without having to move your finger from the trigger to the bumper and vice versa.
Among the innovations, it is worth mentioning the changed cross, which has received a solid shape and is clearly squeezed not only in four standard directions, but also along the diagonal, which helped to reduce the number of false alarms during active use. The second innovation is the Share button, which, when pressed, immediately takes a screenshot of the screen, and when held, records by default a 30-second clip in 4K or 1080p (depending on the resolution set in the screen settings).
The most subtle improvements are Dynamic Latency Input and Bluetooth Low Energy technologies. The former is designed to reduce input lag when using a wireless controller, allowing developers to make controls more responsive, while the latter is essentially a low power mode when using a Bluetooth connection.
As far as backward compatibility with Xbox One accessories is concerned, there were no issues. Old original gamepads connected seamlessly to new consoles. We also quietly connected the STEELSERIES Arctis 9X gaming headset and the Logitech G920 steering wheel to them. And even the connection of a set of keyboard and mouse from the Chinese NONAME brand with its own radio adapter did not cause any hiccups. This is really good news for those who have decided to change their generation and would like to use their old equipment. Especially true for owners of specialized steering wheels or other expensive accessories.
First start-up and ease of data transfer
When you first start the console, you are greeted with an updated Xbox screensaver, which is the same on both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. First, you will need to connect the joystick using the appropriate buttons on it and the system itself, and then connect the console to the Internet by choosing a wired connection or by connecting via Wi-Fi to your home wireless network.
If you owned a previous generation Xbox and used the official Android or iOS mobile app, you can easily transfer your Microsoft account information using the 12-digit code that appears on the screen – just enter it in the app. You can also log into your profile the old fashioned way using your mail and password, or register a new account.
When you connect your old account, all settings from Xbox One, including created groups, achievements, subscriptions and other data, will immediately appear on the new console. When you turn it on for the first time, you will also have to download the update, as well as update the joystick. All in all, the initial setup for an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S with updates will take you about 20 minutes.
If you’ve backed up your games to an external hard drive, plug it in and you can play them right away without having to re-download them.
Backward compatible with all generations of Xbox and Auto HDR
Microsoft took backward compatibility seriously back in 2015 and in a few years was able to link over 600 games to the Xbox One from the first Xbox and Xbox 360.
On new consoles, the backward compatibility feature allows you to run not only games from the first two generations of Xbox, previously included in the program, but also almost all projects with Xbox One – the only exceptions are releases that require a Kinect sensor to work.
On Xbox Series X, you can play both digital copies of old games and discs. But you should understand that if you decide to use discs with Xbox 360 and Xbox, the system will have to download the games recorded on them from the digital store – and only then you will be allowed to start them.
At the same time, it is no longer possible to see which titles have been updated for the Xbox One X in the “My games and applications” section, since on the new data consoles the filter has been changed to “Optimized for Xbox Series X | S”. Now this information should be looked for on the game page in the Microsoft store.
To improve the graphics in older projects that run in the standard color range, the company was able to bring the automatic HDR technology to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S to transform the classics.
Forza Horizon 2 with Xbox One
Alan Wake from Xbox 360 to Xbox Series X
We tested a couple of dozen projects in total with Xbox One and Xbox 360, and they all started without problems, worked better and loaded much faster when installed on the console’s internal SSD.
The Witcher 3, for example, loads the White Garden location from the menu on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in about 22 seconds, and moving between the farthest points of quick transition takes about 2-2.5 seconds. Thanks to the Xbox One X patch, the game looks very sharp and runs extremely fast on Series X.
One of the most technologically advanced games of the past generation, Red Dead Redemption 2, took almost 30 seconds to cold start and reach the main menu with a profile loading through non-skippable Rockstar Games splash screens and other warning screens. The open world took almost 42 seconds to load.
The Xbox One X-optimized shooter Crackdown with Xbox 360 showed a fairly modest 50 seconds when loading the game to the menu, but this figure is taking into account the launch cutscenes. It took the new consoles about 9 seconds to launch the open world “Crackdown”.
For the last week leading up to the launch of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the Xbox team has apparently continued to put the finishing touches on the backward compatibility system. I found in my library Need for Speed: Payback with Xbox One, which initially did not want to install on a new console, hinting that it is not supported by it. It was marked with a crossed-out circle symbol – similar to Kinect exclusives. But after a couple of days, the situation resolved itself and the game started. She probably received an invisible patch.
SSD and Quick Resume
The new Xbox uses a custom NVME SSD with a net bandwidth of 2.4Gb / s and 4.8Gb / s compressed via an onboard decompression unit. On Xbox Series X from 1 terabyte, users have 802 gigabytes of free space, and on Series S – only 364 out of 512. At the same time, both consoles have a slot for expanding memory with a special 1 TB card – while only Seagate produces such, they are very expensive and there are no alternatives now.
In addition, external HDDs and SSDs with USB 3.0 or higher and a volume of at least 128 gigabytes can be connected to the consoles. They offer to store both old games that are available for backward compatibility and new ones. However, you will not be able to play with them optimized for nextgen consoles due to the peculiarities of the hardware architecture and the lower speed of external drives and the USB interface…
Transferring data from an external hybrid HDD from Seagate, which I used on Xbox One X, happened at a speed of about 100-150 megabytes per second and, for example, Forza Motorsport 7 with a volume of almost 100 GB was transferred for about 30 minutes.
It’s worth noting that the weight of updated Series X and Series S games often differs due to the different number of assets. And sometimes it is essential:
- Dirt 5 – 72.5 GB (SeX), 44.2 GB (SeS);
- Forza Horizon 4 – 81.9 GB (SeX), 71.4 GB (SeS);
- Gears 5 – 71.9 GB (SeX), 55.1 GB (SeS)
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps – 5.7 GB (SeX), 5.7 GB (SeS);
- Sea of Thieves – 46.6 GB (SeX), 17 GB (SeS);
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon – 37.2 GB (SeX), 37.2 GB (SeS).
Thanks to the advent of a fast built-in SSD, engineers will implement a technology called Quick Resume, which offloads games directly from RAM to a reserved 100 gigabytes of solid-state drive and allows gamers to switch between several (up to 5-6 pieces) of games recorded in this cache on the fly. This feature will be especially useful for those who love not only single-coil projects, but also often spend time on multiplayer.
The simplest example – you are running, for example, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and then friends call you for just a couple of matches in Gears 5. Thanks to Quick Resume, your current game is simply saved in the above cache when you switch to the next one, and while you spend time in Gears 5, nothing will happen to your progress in Odyssey – at any time you can instantly return to it and continue the passage from exactly the same place where you stopped earlier.
But there is one “but”. During testing, we found out that not all releases currently work with this feature. Most Xbox One games support it, but new titles like Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered and Watch Dogs: Legion are not yet available. At the same time, Quick Resume proved to be the worst with projects from the time of the Xbox 360.
Out of 13 running games for the latest (Crysis, Assassin’s Creed, Bayonetta, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Mass Effect, Crysis 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Vanquish, Crackdown, The Cave, Alan Wake, The Orange Box ) Quick Resume only worked adequately in three (Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect and Crackdown).
When trying to resume Crysis, the shooter simply rebooted, and Alan Wake crashed altogether.
In addition, we also ran into problems when testing two exclusives already optimized for the new consoles Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. With Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4 running simultaneously, one could crash shortly after restarting.
And it also happened that upon returning the game did not start from the place where you left off, but completely loaded from the very beginning.
These are probably system bugs that are now trying to fix updates with the final touches.
Xbox Series X Optimized Games | S
Unfortunately, by the time we started to get acquainted with the new consoles, we did not have time to get a screen with HDMI 2.1, so we carried out all tests of the Xbox Series X and S either in 4K 60 Hz or 1080p 120 Hz on an LG OLED55B7 TV.
Together with the new consoles, we were sent several starter games, some of which support the Smart Delivery program. But at the time of this writing, not all were available for launch or received a patch with optimization for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Therefore, we were only able to get acquainted with Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, DiRT 5, Yakuza : Like a Dragon and Sea of Thieves. We were able to evaluate them only “by eye”.
The brutal action movie Gears 5 looked great on Xbox One X, but now the developers were able to achieve more stable 60FPS in 4K resolution on Xbox Series X (and 1440p on Series S) at high graphics settings, including improved lighting and draw distance. However, what we liked the most was the increase in the frame rate in the multiplayer component to 120, both on the younger and older consoles. The difference with 60 frames is really felt, and even the author of these lines managed to improve his CD in multiplayer, where he did not go for a long time.
Gears 5 – Xbox Series X
Gears 5 – Xbox Series S
Forza Horizon 4, one of Microsoft’s most benchmark games, harnesses the power of the Xbox One X hardware, offering two modes – 4K 30 FPS graphics and 1080p 60 FPS performance. With the new consoles, the developers at Playground Games managed to combine the two modes and now the game supports 4K @ 60 frames, and also loads very quickly thanks to the SSD. It seems to look just as good as it does at maximum settings on a PC. On Series S, the fourth Forza Horizon also runs at 60, but in Full HD resolution.
Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox Series X
Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox Series S
Since we didn’t have an HDMI 2.1 TV, we couldn’t enjoy the Ori sequel in 4K at 120fps, but we looked at it with the equally impressive 6K at 60fps. Thanks to supersampling, the picture quality in Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Series X was excellent. There is not even a hint of a lack of image smoothing on the screen – it was extremely pleasant to play. On the younger console, two modes are available – 4K at 60 frames and 1080p at 120 FPS. The first is for those who want a more beautiful picture, and the second is aimed at players who are more important about performance. Graphics modes, by the way, can be selected during gameplay – this allows you to immediately see the difference and focus on what you prefer.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Xbox Series X – 6K
Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Xbox Series S – 4K
The third game in which we were able to see 120 frames was DiRT 5. To achieve this parameter, we had to switch the screen settings to Full HD at 120 Hz in the console itself, since without this this mode simply would not be displayed with our “Oled”.
There are three modes available in DiRT 5 on the new Xbox consoles – graphics with a priority on picture quality at 60 frames, graphics with a priority on resolution and also with a lock at 60 and a performance mode at 120 FPS. The latter offers a smoother picture and a lower resolution, and this is very clearly visible. The picture looks cleaner in resolution mode, while the quality priority option will add more detail, but the picture will be slightly blurry.
You cannot make the settings right during the race, but the garage with your last car is rendered in the menu, and here, when you select the mode, the dynamic screensaver graphics changes, which allows you to choose what you like.
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series X – 120 FPS
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series X – 60 FPS – priority for picture quality
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series X – 60 FPS – Resolution Priority
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series S – 120 FPS
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series S – 60 FPS – priority for picture quality
DiRT 5 – Xbox Series S – 60 FPS – Resolution Priority
The multiplayer adventure Sea of Thieves used to look very good, but now it works even better. Виртуальные пираты могут отправиться на приключения не только в 4K, но и в 60 FPS на Xbox Series X. Владельцам Series S предлагают пуститься в опасные моря при 60 кадрах, но только в Full HD.
Sea of Thieves – Xbox Series X
Sea of Thieves – Xbox Series S
Серия Yakuza всегда славилась визуальной проработкой персонажей, но окружающему миру уделялось гораздо меньше внимания. С последнего моего визита в район Камуротё пару лет назад в Yakuza 6 он практически не изменился, разве что стал чуть чётче на Xbox Series X благодаря графическому режиму 4K при 30 кадрах. Для любителей плавного игрового процесса предусмотрен режим производительности, где игра работает при разрешении 1440p при 60 FPS, из-за чего на 4K-панелях появляются лесенки.
Владельцам 1080p-экранов, которые решили выбрать младшую модель новой линейки Xbox, повезло чуть больше, так как в графическом режиме игра работает при 1440p в 30 кадрах, и это даёт эффект суперсэмплинга. А вот любителей плавной картинки ждут компромиссы – при 60 кадрах Series S выдаёт в новейшей “Якудзе” разрешение 900p, так что лесенки будут в любом случае бросаться в глаза.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon – Xbox Series X – приоритет на разрешение
Yakuza: Like a Dragon – Xbox Series S – приоритет на разрешение
По протестированным нами играм отметим, что пока новые Xbox не демонстрируют слишком сильного скачка в графике, сравнимого с переходом на Xbox 360 и Xbox One. Вместо этого гвоздем программы являются улучшенная производительность и быстрые загрузки.
И самое – обе консоли вообще ни разу не было слышно в комнате во время тестов. Небольшой гул реально расслышать, только если прислониться ухом к самому корпусу. Обе модели по ощущениям нагреваются примерно так же, как Xbox One X в свое время, то есть совсем не сильно.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Одним из главных козырей экосистемы Microsoft несомненно является подписка Xbox Game Pass, которая предлагает за достаточно демократичный ценник получить доступ сразу к сотням игр.
Еще есть Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, открывающая доступ не только к каталогу игр на Xbox, но и на PC. Кроме того, Ultimate также включает подписку Xbox Live Gold, которая гарантирует доступ к мультиплееру и получению дополнительных четырех игр в месяц (две из которых остаются с вами навсегда, даже если у вас закончится членство и вы не захотите его продлевать).
Также Ultimate-версия “Геймпасса” включает в себя доступ к облачному геймингу через сервис xCloud, но пока данная функция официально не добралась до России. Сейчас мы разве что можем свободно стримить Xbox-игры со своих консолей на ПК или мобильные устройства через приложение Xbox.
С подпиской Game Pass Microsoft решила побороться за звание “Netflix от мира видеоигр”, и у неё это явно получается, так как количество пользователей данного сервиса быстро растёт, а перспективы – огромны.
Подписчикам Game Pass гарантирован доступ ко всем играм Microsoft прямо в день их релиза (то есть покупать игры не нужно) – от небольших проектов до ААА-блокбастеров, и они остаются там навсегда. Halo: Infinite сразу попадет в каталог, и даже долгожданная The Elder Scrolls VI от Bethesda там окажется сразу на старте.
Свои хиты в каталог также добавляют партнеры Microsoft, хоть и не навсегда, но времени на прохождение дается предостаточно. Сейчас у самой корпорации 23 студии, все создают игры для Game Pass, и список команд будет только расти.
“Геймпасс” – ключевое оружие Microsoft в борьбе за внимание геймеров, особенно в эпоху, когда стоимость игр увеличивается до 80 евро, и самый большой фактор, выделяющий ее на фоне основного конкурента в лице Sony.
На момент завершения этого текста в каталоге Game Pass уже стало доступно 10 проектов, оптимизированных для нового поколения.
Главный мультимедийный комбайн в вашем доме
Несмотря на то, что в последние годы Microsoft перестала акцентировать внимание на том, что ее консоли являются мультимедийными комбайнами (как это было во времена старта прошлого поколения), на Xbox продолжают выходить различные полезные приложения благодаря использованию UWP или универсальной платформы Windows. Xbox Series X и Xbox Series S можно использовать для просмотра развлекательного контента на YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll, Okko и Wakanim, а также прослушивания музыки через “Яндекс. Музыку” и появившийся летом у нас Spotify.
Кроме того, Xbox Series X является еще и полноценным плеером 4K UHD Blu-ray.
Итог
2020 год сильно подкосил всех, и игровая индустрия не осталась в стороне. Стартовая линейка Xbox Series X и Xbox Series S состоит преимущественно из кроссген-игр и обновленных проектов прошлого, а это говорит нам о том, что пандемия и переход на удалённую работу серьезно ударили по графикам разработки. Наверное, было бы лучше, если бы запуск некстгена перенесли на год, но в условиях жесткой конкуренции за кошельки геймеров между крупными компаниями задержка новых систем могла бы ударить по Microsoft, и именно поэтому новое поколение начнется уже 10 ноября 2023 года.
При первом подключении Xbox Series X и Xbox Series S ощущается определенная эйфория от соприкосновения с некстгеном, но если вы владели предыдущей консолью от Microsoft, сразу большого скачка не заметите. Однако проведя за новым железом больше времени, начинаешь осознавать, что новые технологии уже дают свои плюсы – наконец-то старые игры работают хорошо, да и раздражающие загрузки практически пропали.
Xbox Series X – очень мощная консоль, которой еще только предстоит показать себя во всей красе перед жаждущими максимума от нового поколения с технической точки зрения. В свою очередь Series S подойдёт тем, кто хочет ворваться в новое поколение без лишних затрат. Какую из консолей приобрести, в конечном итоге решать лишь вам и вашему кошельку.
Автор (и фото): Сергей Дьяконенко (Madnfs)
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