Xbox Sequence X evaluation (2024): Unfulfilled potential

The Xbox Sequence X was the proper alternative for Microsoft to run far-off from its tumultuous Xbox One years and in direction of an period of real 4K gaming, ray tracing and Recreation Cross abundance. However it was not meant to be. The PlayStation 5 has outsold Microsoft’s new consoles by two to at least one, based on a VGChartz sales comparison, a replay of the battle between the PS4 and Xbox One. Now, Microsoft merely appears to be working down the clock of this console era.

When I initially reviewed the Xbox Series X, I discovered it to be a strong console that surpassed the PlayStation 5 in some methods. However it was clear that Microsoft had a serious drawback at launch: Video games. 4 years later, not a lot has modified, regardless of spending nearly $69 billion acquiring Activision Blizzard. Whereas Sony and Nintendo persistently delivered unique system-selling video games — even on the growing older Swap! — Microsoft has stumbled.

It is no marvel Microsoft desires to call so many other devices Xboxes. If you happen to look too exhausting at its flagship console, you may’t assist however be upset.

Must you purchase an Xbox Sequence X?

Usually, I might deal with the query of shopping for a tool in direction of the tip of a evaluation, however this can be a re-evaluation so it is price asking up entrance: Who’s the Xbox Sequence X for? It has been round for 4 years, and, except for the $450 model with no disc drive, there have not been any main {hardware} adjustments. Past the Xbox devoted, I might wager most players could be higher off placing $500 in direction of anything.

For anybody dipping their toes into fashionable console gaming for the primary time — a guardian grabbing one thing for his or her child, or a former gamer making an attempt to reclaim their pastime — it makes extra sense to go for a PlayStation 5 as a substitute of the Xbox Sequence X. Sony’s console has a wider array of noteworthy exclusives, extra revolutionary haptics with its DualSense controller and its digital version is usually cheaper than the disc-less Sequence X.

After all, when you’re a Halo fan the Xbox Sequence X is just about your solely alternative for a premium console (although the $300 Sequence S is a strong possibility for secondary TVs, particularly when it is on sale). Microsoft additionally launched a particular $600 2TB “Galaxy Black” mannequin this 12 months, however I am nonetheless half-convinced that is some form of sick Tim Robinson-esque joke. It has to be when the extra highly effective and fascinating PlayStation 5 Professional is simply $100 extra, proper?

{Hardware}: The head of 2020

The Xbox Sequence X remains to be powered by an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and an RDNA 2 GPU, just like what’s contained in the PlayStation 5. It additionally has 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, 10GB of which runs at the next bandwidth than the PS5’s reminiscence. The Sequence X’s bigger GPU gave it a slight edge over Sony’s console early on, however in apply that did not quantity to a lot. Sometimes some third-party titles would run a bit extra easily on the Xbox, however each consoles nonetheless had hassle balancing the calls for of visible constancy and efficiency.

As a substitute of being the era of no-compromise consoles, the Xbox Sequence X and PS5 ceaselessly compelled players to decide on between enjoying video games with ray tracing and graphical upgrades at 30fps, or forgoing them to achieve a clean PC-like 60fps. That is the primary cause Sony threw a extra highly effective GPU into the PlayStation 5 Professional — the usual PS5 {hardware} simply could not minimize it.

The Xbox gross sales hunch made it clear why Microsoft did not attempt to compete with its personal mid-cycle refresh, however it’s nonetheless unhappy to see the corporate draw back from any form of innovation, just like the leaked hardware that never arrived. The redesigned 2TB all-digital “Brooklin” Sequence X would have been a helpful substitute for the bottom mannequin. It additionally would have included a revamped controller, codenamed “Sebile,” with improved haptics (possible just like Sony’s DualSense) and a direct cloud connection for taking part in streamed video games. Microsoft even floated the thought of bringing 1TB of storage to the $300 Sequence S.

As a substitute of these purposeful upgrades, although, we obtained a barely cheaper all-digital $450 Sequence X, that overpriced 2TB mannequin no person will purchase and a $350 1TB model of the Sequence S. These costs are all a minimum of $50 too excessive if Microsoft genuinely wished to maneuver consoles. I might argue the corporate would profit from going even cheaper to undercut Sony, however that might additionally dig into the corporate’s already slim revenue margin. I am certain Microsoft is not desperate to lose extra money on Xbox.

In use: A adequate console

Even with its growing older {hardware}, the Xbox Sequence X can nonetheless make fashionable video games look nice. Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle, for instance, appears to be like strong on the Sequence X, with clean 60fps gameplay and ray tracing options. Whereas it is working at round 1800p as a substitute of 4K, it is nonetheless fairly sharp on each my 4K OLED and 4K Formovie ultra short throw projector. Certain, the sport performs noticeably higher on my RTX 4090-powered PC, however I am unable to simply play that in my residence theater. (In accordance with Digital Foundry, even the Xbox Sequence S can run The Nice Circle at 60fps, albeit at simply 1080p with variable-rate shading.)

It is nonetheless disappointing that Microsoft caught with its traditional Xbox controller design for the Sequence X, although. After I reviewed the PlayStation 5, its DualSense haptics felt transformative. It made enjoying Astro Bot or Returnal really feel in contrast to any console gaming expertise I had earlier than. Controller-wise, enjoying something on the Xbox Sequence X does not really feel a lot totally different from the Xbox One and even the Xbox 360.

Microsoft poured all of its innovation expertise into delivering a barely sooner machine than the PS5, however it seems that did not matter a lot in the long term. Along with having extra noteworthy video games, Sony’s console seems like a real improve from the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation VR 2, flawed because it was, additionally demonstrated that Sony wasn’t afraid to take some dangers this era.

The place are the unique video games?

After hanging out with middling exclusives like Redfall and Starfield, the brand new Indiana Jones sport is a uncommon feather in Microsoft’s dusty fedora. However even that benefit will disappear finally — the corporate already plans to bring it to the PlayStation 5 subsequent spring, alongside different former Xbox exclusives like Hello-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves.

Given the sheer quantity of improvement expertise at Microsoft from its many acquisitions (and regardless of an obscene number of layoffs), the corporate has now turn out to be probably the most necessary publishers within the gaming world. However proudly owning a well-liked multi-platform collection like Name of Obligation hasn’t translated instantly into Xbox gross sales.

Past exclusives, Microsoft’s Recreation Cross subscription is the strongest argument for proudly owning an Xbox. However even that has gone via its personal type of enshittification this 12 months. The corporate increased the monthly price of the “Ultimate” plan to $20, which incorporates day-one entry to new titles and a big library of video games for Xbox and PC. The brand new $15 a month “Commonplace” plan does not get day-one entry, however does embrace a library of tons of of video games, whereas the $10 a month “Core” possibility presents a restricted library of 25 titles alongside multiplayer help.

The Recreation Cross Final plan additionally feels much less, properly, final today due to opportunistic early-access pricing for brand new titles. For instance, subscribers might have paid an extra $35 for the “Digital Premium” version of Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle to play it three days early. That timing included the weekend earlier than the sport’s December 9 launch, so I am certain many impatient Recreation Cross subscribers upgraded simply to clock some uninterrupted playtime. It seems like a backhanded approach for Microsoft to deal with its most loyal gamers, regardless of not being overtly evil.

Sony’s competing PlayStation Plus subscription is not as strong as Recreation Cross (there aren’t any launch day titles), however it nonetheless presents a big array of older video games and cloud streaming help. Whereas I wasn’t an enormous fan of the PlayStation Portal handheld initially, it is definitely a compelling accessory for PS Plus customers now that it may possibly entry cloud titles.

Oddly sufficient, Microsoft hasn’t promoted Recreation Cross cloud streaming a lot over the previous few years. It just lately began testing the flexibility to stream a handful of games that you own, exterior of the Recreation Cross library, but that is additionally a characteristic that ought to have been carried out years in the past. The cringey “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign is a uncommon try at making mainstream gamers conscious of Xbox cloud streaming, however even that feels prefer it’s coming approach too late.

The place does Microsoft go subsequent?

It isn’t as if Microsoft has an empty gaming plate forward. The corporate confirmed off a little bit of its Good Darkish and Fable reboots this summer time, alongside a tease of a brand new Gears of Struggle. We simply noticed a trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 at The Recreation Awards, the Dishonored fan in me is hyped for Arkane Lyon’s Blade, and I am desperate to study extra about Hideo Kojima’s OD. However all of these video games will possible be out there on Home windows PCs, and plenty of may also head to different consoles.

There is not any doubt 2025 goes to be a busy 12 months for Xbox — it is only a disgrace that it possible will not assist Microsoft catch as much as the PS5’s gross sales lead. However who cares, proper? All the pieces could be an Xbox when you consider exhausting sufficient (or have a browser to entry Recreation Cross cloud streaming).

Again in February, when Microsoft confirmed it could be bringing Xbox titles to different consoles, Engadget Govt Editor Aaron Souppouris argued that the company should exit the console business entirely. Whereas that makes a certain quantity of sense for Microsoft, a software program firm that has typically struggled with {hardware} exterior of the Xbox 360 (and even that had its points), I am not satisfied the corporate must go that far.

For one, it could depart Sony and Nintendo as the one remaining console makers. Sony would additionally successfully have a monopoly on highly effective console {hardware} and graphically intense video games, a minimum of based mostly on what we’re hearing about the Switch 2. Much less competitors doubtlessly additionally means much less innovation down the road — Sony might simply coast if it was the one highly effective console maker round.

Very similar to it did with the unique Xbox, Microsoft might doubtlessly minimize its losses and attempt to jump-start the following console era sooner than Sony. If Microsoft might produce {hardware} that is extra highly effective than a PS5 Professional and ship it at a comparatively inexpensive worth, it has an opportunity at peeling away Sony loyalists. That is significantly true if it may possibly guarantee fascinating exclusives are literally out there for launch.

Microsoft also needs to work in direction of making its current Xbox advertising marketing campaign extra of a actuality, as a substitute of inserting its bets totally on costly consoles. Make cloud streaming sooner, sharper and simpler to entry. Make folks conscious that they will sport on their telephones, tablets and nearly any laptop. Revive the streaming dongle accessory and make it low cost so you may flip any TV into an Xbox, and likewise preserve engaged on bringing Recreation Cross apps to all TVs.

Hell, produce that genuine Xbox portable system and make certain Home windows is healthier optimized for third-party portables. It is best to be capable of spin up your Xbox video games from virtually wherever you’re sitting, irrespective of the machine in entrance of you. (And whereas I am on this cleaning soap field, why not let folks flip the Xbox Sequence X and S into Home windows PCs? These methods are all principally PCs already, and they’d make pretty mini desktops or servers down the road.)

The console wars of the longer term received’t be fought like these of the previous. Microsoft ought to plan accordingly.

Wrap-up

If you have already got an Xbox Sequence X, or discover one obscenely low cost someplace, it’s nonetheless a strong technique to play Microsoft’s titles, standard third-party video games and every little thing Microsoft has out there on Recreation Cross. However when you had to decide on between shopping for the Sequence X or PlayStation 5, it’s exhausting to disclaim that Sony’s console is a wiser buy.

Maybe the following console era could possibly be an Xbox 360-esque revival for Microsoft, however the firm must look intently at what Sony and Nintendo are doing proper. And actually, it simply comes right down to having extra video games folks need to play. Now that it’s flush with so many notable builders, Microsoft might lastly be capable of clear up that drawback. There’s little doubt that staying within the console enterprise could be dangerous and costly, but when there’s one firm that may justify sticking round, it’s the one printing money from the cloud.