No one expected a console reveal during The Game Awards 2019, and yet Microsoft thought it's a good time to reveal their newest console. It turned out to be a great idea, as now everyone's talking about the Xbox Series X. With how silent Sony has been with the PS5, it feels natural that Microsoft would go the opposite route. Microsoft's been vocal so far about their plans for what used to be known as Project Scarlett. Here are the important details about Xbox Series X.
Xbox Series X Design
We haven't had the opportunity to hold the console or even see it in person yet, but Microsoft hasn't been shy in showing off their new console. It's unapologetically blocky, a 12x6 inch tower—the boxiest design for all Xbox designs so far. With a lot of room to play around with, we could expect better thermal regulation. Also, since Microsoft doesn't seem too concerned with the size of the product, we could expect them to fit in whatever's necessary to achieve the specs that they're peddling.
It's not that the Xbox Series X is ugly-looking, it just subverts expectations on how a console's supposed to look like. It's a big black slab, but it looks elegant at the same time. Still, it's good to know that Microsoft isn't afraid to prioritize power and performance over aesthetics.
Xbox Series X Specs
Speaking of performance, the Xbox Series X won't be holding any punches anymore. It will feature a custom processor that will use AMD's Zen 2 CPU architecture and also the next-gen RDNA graphics architecture. Microsoft's proprietary Variable Rate Shading will also be used to reach the console's full graphical potential. It will also have a 16GB GDDR6 RAM.
To help boost loading times, the Xbox Series X will also make use of what Microsoft calls a "next-gen SSD," which should "virtually eliminate load times and bring players into their gaming worlds faster than ever before."
Xbox Series X Graphics
Thanks to the high firepower of the console's chipsets, the new console will be able to support up to 8K resolution at 120 fps. For many of us, our monitors and TV screens can only go as far as 4K resolution at 60 fps, so this improvement in graphics is mostly future-proofing in Microsoft's part.
Xbox Series X New Controller
The console will have a matching controller shipped with it, called the "new Xbox Wireless Controller" by Microsoft. However, aside from a new share button, nothing much changed from the previous design. It seems like Microsoft is confident that they've achieved the optimal design for the basic Xbox Wireless Controller, which could explain why they're sticking to the same idea.
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Xbox Series X Launch Titles, Release Date, and Price
We don't have an exact release date yet for Microsoft's Xbox Series X, but we know it's coming during the Holidays of 2020. We also don't know yet which titles will be released alongside the product, but we do know that 343 Industries is working on Halo: Infinite, which will likely be a launch title for Xbox Series X while also being launched for the Xbox One.
Thankfully, launch titles shouldn't be much of a problem for Xbox fans. Microsoft says that Xbox Series X will be backwards compatible, allowing fans to play their favorite Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles on the new device. In addition to that, although there might be overlaps in the release of games for both the Xbox One and the Series X moving forward, Microsoft says that the development of games for Series X will have a "booster-version" of the game compared to the one releasing for the older console.
In terms of price, we don't have an actual figure yet. But based on their competition, Xbox Series X might release somewhere around the $550 mark.
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