With the Xbox Series X and S now officially out, hopefully, if you had your eye on one, you were able to pick one up. After missing the early pre-order I was able to get an order into Walmart and pick it up a few days later. After playing some games this weekend, I wanted to share some first impressions. Head below to watch the video and see it in action.
Xbox Series X: Out of the box
Getting the Series X out of the box, you’re immediately met with the new console, and it’s hefty. It’s a dense block of high-performance gaming power. Also included are a power cable and the new controller. For more of the unboxing experience, check out our coverage from last week.
While feeling very familiar, the new controller has some great upgrades for the new Series X. On the back of the controller are some textured grips that make holding on to the controller much easier than the smooth back of the older model. Those grippy textures also carry on to the triggers and feel really nice. The thumbsticks have a little more of a dip in the middle that makes those easier to get a good grip on as well.
Xbox Series X First Impressions: Video
Go, speed racer
I’ve been gaming on an original Xbox One since I picked that up long ago. I never upgraded to the S or X variations, so I have been anxiously awaiting gaming on the Series X. And the biggest difference I’ve noticed playing a few games is how fast the Series X is. And not just in the high-resolution high frame rate meaning of fast, but load times are insanely quick. Or maybe they’re not, but the experience of going from my old Xbox One to this new Series X is very noticeable.
One of the biggest examples of this for me was loading in to the new Destiny 2 expansion, Beyond Light. I booted up and upgraded the old Xbox to compare load times and here is what I found. From powering on the Xbox One to setting foot in the tower, it took about 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Doing the same with the Series X, though, was an astonishingly snappy 1 minute and 34 seconds. This was a huge time saver and is much appreciated in games with long load times.
Series X: last-generation devices
I’ve also found all of my old Xbox devices to work great on the new Series X. The Beloved Arctis 9X paired easily when following the instructions from Steel Series’ website, and my first generation Elite Controller synced right up and my settings from the older Xbox were also on the Series X.
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