Curious about the Xbox Series X? Here’s everything we know about the new Xbox.
The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s most powerful next-generation console and will be released on November 10 2020 for $499 / £449 / AU$749. Xbox Series X pre-orders are live now, as are those for the cheaper and less powerful Xbox Series S, though stock of the flagship console has been much harder to find. After months of speculation, leaks and announcements, we now know pretty much everything about the Xbox Series X there is to know — and we’ve even had our hands on it. We’ve known about the next-gen Xbox’s tower-like design ever since its first reveal, and which Xbox Series X games we’ll be playing when the console launches in November – even though Halo Infinite, an intended launch title, has been delayed until 2021. We also understand how backwards compatibility works on Xbox Series X, including how cross-gen game ownership will function under the new Smart Delivery feature. Despite Halo being pushed back for the foreseeable, the Xbox Series X will still have a decent launch line up thanks to Xbox Game Pass and backwards compatibility. While that’ll mostly be existing games to begin with, Microsoft is also integrating EA Play into its Game Pass offering on November 10, as well as titles from its recent acquisition of Bethesda (Doom Eternal just hit the service). Every title published by Xbox Game Studios also arrives on Xbox Game Pass on the day of release, too, so you’ll never miss out on one of Microsoft’s big exclusives like Gears Tactics or Ori and the Will of the Wisps. It’s easy to conclude that getting players subscribed to Xbox Game Pass is just as important to Microsoft as selling hardware. The Xbox Series X price, as mentioned, is $499 / £449 / AU$749. Microsoft has also confirmed that its flagship console will launch alongside the cheaper, but less powerful, Xbox Series S, which will cost $299 / £249 / AU$499. So, is it worth buying an Xbox Series X now based on what we know? It really depends on what you want from a console. In terms of its design, the Xbox Series X is a big departure from previous Xbox consoles, making it look more like a small gaming PC — which is fitting considering it’s on par with one. Thanks to Microsoft giving us the Xbox Series X’s full specs, we can say for sure that the new Xbox is an absolute powerhouse. While we cover these in more detail down below, the short of it is that the new Xbox is rocking an eight-core AMD Zen 2 processor running at 3.8GHz and a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU that puts out 12 TFLOPs of processing power, as well as 16GB of GDDR6 memory. When it comes to other Xbox Series X features, the next-gen console will have ray-tracing, a super-fast SSD, and potential 8K capabilities, while also being backwards compatible with four generations of Xbox games. Want all the juicy details as you make your pre-order decision? Here’s everything we know about the Xbox Series X — including our own impressions of the new Xbox. TechRadar has had hands-on time with the Xbox Series X ahead of its release. You can check out our early impressions below, including our full hands-on preview. Looking to get your hands on an Xbox Series X pre-order? Check out our dedicated page that’s checking regularly for stock as the console is now available to buy or check out the best prices available right now, below. TechRadar has had some time with the Xbox Series X ahead of its release in just a few weeks. Make sure to check out our Xbox Series X hands-on preview, where we give our early impressions of the console. We also have impressions pieces on the Xbox Series X design, controller, backwards-compatibility feature, and the Quick Resume feature. Keep an eye on TechRadar for our full Xbox Series X impressions in the near future. Microsoft confirmed in an Xbox Wire post that both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S will release November 10,2020. Xbox Series X pre-orders are live now, having opened on September 22. Interestingly, Sony has pegged November 12,2020 as the release date for the PS5, just two days after the launch of Xbox Series X and Series S. That early lead could be a double-edged sword: it might give Xbox an early lead in sales, as some gamers might simply want the earliest next-gen console available, or it could swing the other way and gamers might not buy any console until both are available. November is historically when we’ve seen new Xbox consoles launch and a release at the start of the month gives consumers time to get those orders in before Christmas. Releasing in November also allows the Xbox Series X to launch ahead of upcoming AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War which are all due to release in mid-to-late November, while also avoiding the launch being lost in the shuffle of Black Friday — which falls two weeks later. After much speculation, Microsoft finally announced that the Xbox Series X price will be $499 / £449 / AU$749. A monthly finance plan of $35 per month is also available as part of Xbox All Access. Xbox Series X is considerably more powerful than either the Xbox One S or Xbox One X, and its higher price tag reflects that. Any bundles and Xbox Series X pre-orders will likely exceed the $499 RRP. So how does that stack up against Sony? Well, quite favorably, really. The PS5 is also targeting $499 / £449 / AU$749 for the regular PS5 and $399 / £359 / AU$599 for the PS5 Digital Edition. What you’ll notice there is that while both premium consoles cost the same, Microsoft has the edge in the digital console race by shaving $100 off the sticker price, giving it a slight leg up… well, at least on paper. We know what Xbox Series X looks like and what it’s packing under the hood, and it’s going to be an absolute beast of a console. The new Xbox’s gaming PC design is pretty apt, considering the next-gen console’s internal hardware is comparable to one — so make sure you check out our Xbox Series X spec analysis. Digital Foundry analysis The folks over at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry got a close look at the hardware and, alongside Microsoft, announced the hardware that will be powering the Xbox Series X. According to Digital Foundry, the specs confirm that the Xbox Series X will indeed be twice as powerful as the Xbox Once X… in practice. Digital Foundry saw an unoptimized version of Gears 5 running on the Xbox Series X running at the equivalent of ‘Ultra’ graphics settings on PC, and it comes with enhanced shadows and ray tracing.
