Xbox Series X Year One Retrospective: How Has Microsoft's Console Fared So Far?

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 24 November 2021, 06:11 am

The Xbox Series X has been out for over a year now. It celebrated its first anniversary on the market last November 10 and has seemingly flown under the radar amidst the success of its competitor, the PlayStation 5.

(Photo : Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
A Microsoft Xbox Series X home video game console, taken on October 27, 2020.

But how has Microsoft's current-generation console fared, really? Here's a look back at the Xbox Series X's first year on the market.

Sales Numbers

As of late October, 8 million Xbox Series X/S units have already been sold, reports GameSpot. The figure comes from Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at the market research firm Niko Partners, who took a look at figures from a recent Microsoft earnings call.

Furthermore, it was also revealed that the apparent strong demand for Xbox hardware had seen Microsoft's earnings increase by 166% for the last three months.

Here is Ahmad's tweet detailing the sales figures:

In Summary:

- Xbox Series X|S sell in is now over 8m (Estimate)
- Xbox Game Pass subscriptions are over 20m (Estimate)
- Series X|S hardware still supply constrained overall
- Content & Services is the long term driver of growth + will grow this holiday thanks to Halo.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 27, 2021

Looking a bit closer, you can see that this number still pales in comparison to how many PlayStation 5 units Sony has already sold (13.4 million PS5s, to be specific).

But while the Xbox Series X still largely trails its biggest competitor, it did achieve a milestone in one market where it struggled mightily for decades: Japan.

Early in October, it was reported that the Xbox Series X (and Series S) had surpassed 100,000 units there. Japan has proven to be a difficult market for Microsoft to establish a foothold in ever since the brand started 20 years ago, which makes this a big deal.

The Xbox Series X still has to play catch-up, but it is already one of the best-selling Xbox consoles since the 360.

Still Hard To Find

While the Xbox Series X might trail the PS5 in terms of overall sales, it is equal in footing to Sony's console for the fact that it remains hard to get--and overpriced.

(Photo : Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
04 November 2021, Berlin: A controller of the Xbox Series X game console is on the table. Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X have been on the market for a year, but there are still supply problems.

A report by The Verge took a closer look at current eBay pricing for the console. As of this writing, you can only get the Xbox Series X for roughly $850, which is a 1.7x markup from its original MSRP of $499.

The only bright spot is that the Xbox Series S remains reachable for most people, with a more modest markup at $346 from its MSRP of $299. It's still a 1.16x increase, but far better than having to spend over $800 on its bigger brother.

Performance And Games

GamesRadar lauds the Xbox Series X for how easy it is to operate, with their review saying that everything just works without any fluff.

The console's Quick Resume feature is essential to the overall convenience of using it. Players can now move between multiple games without worrying about their progress--something that wasn't possible before.

Here is a demo for Quick Resume so you can see it in action:

There's also enough power for the console to run games at native (not checkerboard/upscaled) 4K resolution, 120 FPS support for specific games, ray tracing, and even Dolby Atmos audio--a direct answer to the PS5's Tempest 3D Audio.

As for games, the Xbox Series X's library has grown exponentially, courtesy of Microsoft's recent studio acquisitions. Legendary "Skyrim" developer Bethesda is now a first-party studio, with its highly-anticipated new IP "Starfield" and "Elder Scrolls 6" basically confirmed to be Xbox exclusives.

Furthermore, the growth of Xbox Game Pass can never be overstated. The subscription service's headcount grew 37.48% for the year, according to NME. While this is not what Microsoft expected (they wanted 47.79%), it is still significant growth.

Looking Forward

There's still a long road ahead for the Xbox Series X if it wants to recapture the glory days of the 360 and the OG Xbox. Either way, it all translates to a big win for gamers all over the world.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce