What Is The Latest Xbox

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Did you manage to grab an Xbox through All Access at Game today? Perhaps you bagged one of the handful of consoles we spotted at Game and Smyths stores this afternoon.

Or are you holding out for stock to arrive at other retailers soon? Despite it being another quiet day for online restocking, were still clinging to hope that series X stock will land in time for Christmas. Were signing off for now, but will be here again tomorrow morning to bring you all of the latest Xbox restocking news.

How Much Do Xbox Consoles Cost

Before we discuss specifics, it’s important to consider the price of each Xbox console. While there are other factors that go into deciding if an Xbox One is right for you, the value for money is one of the most practical.

The Xbox One S retails for $300, while the more powerful Xbox One X has a sticker price of $500. There’s also the All-Digital Xbox One S for $250, which lacks a disc drive.

As it turns out, these prices match the new Xbox Series S and Series X exactly. As a result, it doesn’t make much sense to pay for an Xbox One now if you think you might buy an Xbox Series X/S in a year.

If you do get an Xbox One, we’d recommend looking for a second-hand model to avoid paying full price. At the time of writing, it’s difficult to even find an Xbox One in stock.

Xbox Series X Review: Backwards Compatibility

In the run-up to the release of the Xbox Series X, backwards compatibility was touted a lot by Microsoft, as well as keen Xbox gamers. Such was the hype, I had steeled myself for disappointment. But I neednt have worried as backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series X is superb.

Simply put, getting an Xbox game from any generation to run on the Xbox Series X is just a case of getting the disc and popping it into the console. If the game is backwards compatible, and many should be, then itll begin an installation process. If you have access to Xbox Game Pass, then you can simply download any game thats listed on the service that dates back as far as the original Xbox.

These games wont immediately be able to put the graphical horsepower of the Series X to use, if ever. But the fact they can be installed directly to the consoles SSD means theyll load up in seconds. And any games that used to run badly on older hardware, should at least be a little smoothed out.

There are limits in that a game locked at 30 frames per second wont suddenly run at 60 fps or more unless it gets optimized. I found that to be the case with Red Dead Redemption, which runs at 4K/30 fps on the Series X, much like it did on the One X. Throwing Assassin’s Creed 2 in the Series X results in a game that loads a lot faster and feels smoother than it ever did on the Xbox 360.

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Xbox Series X Vs Xbox Series S Price

The Xbox Series X costs $499 / £449 / AU$749 and launched on November 10, 2020. The console is packed with cutting-edge technology, and goes head-to-head with the PS5, which also costs $499. The price point may be too expensive for some, but it puts the Xbox Series X in a strong position to compete with Sonys hardware.

The Xbox Series S price is just $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$499, which is lower than the majority of analysts and industry insiders predicted. With the Xbox Series X retails for $499, a $200 saving will be very appealing to the more cost-conscious consumer.

Is Xbox One X The Xbox 2

Normally, that wouldn’t even be a question, but in a post PS4 Pro world, we have to wonder if it’s truly a next generation console, or something iterative like the Pro, which Sony has explicitly stated is not the PS5.

Typically, we classify generational leaps as a jump in power that’s significant when compared to the last console. That’s why models like the Xbox One S don’t count, because they’re largely the same.

Now, Xbox One X offers things like native 4K which is something you would normally expect from only the most powerful PC rigs.

Another major component of a “new generation” is usually a new format, and in many cases, the inability to play older titles . This is where things get murky with Xbox One X, because Microsoft is trying to break down the walls between generations as we know them.

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Xbox App Link Sharing And Trending

“We want to make it as easy as possible to share your game captures with friends, wherever they happen to be. Link sharing is coming soon and lets you quickly get a link to your epic game moments and screen captures and share them anywhere across the internet.

“Another feature on the way is the ability to see the top trending content from Xbox gamers spotlighted in the Xbox app, where you can watch, like, comment, and share posts of other players game captures.”

You Can Play Xbox Games On Your Laptop

You dont actually need an Xbox series X to play Xbox series X games, just a fast enough internet connection and a compatible streaming device.

Xbox Cloud Gaming streams games from Microsofts servers to your console, laptop or phone, via your internet browser or the Xbox app. How does cloud gaming work? Well its basically like being on a Zoom call with a game that youre controlling, meaning you can jump into new games at the push of a button rather than waiting around for an installation.

Cloud gaming requires a membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate , which unlocks on-demand access to more than 100 games. Thankfully, decent laptops are much easier to find than the Xbox series X. If youre thinking of upgrading, check out our list of the best laptops in 2021.

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Xbox Series X And Series S Pre

Both the Series X and S sold out before hitting the shelves. More stock arrived on launch day 10th November 2020 and promptly sold out. Since then, we’ve seen plenty of retailers restock the Series S but the Series X has been incredibly hard to come by.

To solve the problem, Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently told the ‘Major Nelson’ podcast that he’s asked chipmaker AMD to speed up production: “I was on the phone last week with Lisa Su at AMD , how do we get more? So its something that were constantly working on.”

If Microsoft can get its hands on more chips, it could potentially churn out more Xbox Series X and S consoles. The play seems to be paying off as more Xbox stock is now hitting shelves on both sides of the pond.

In the UK, Currys is due Xbox Series X stock on 23rd January. GAME released a big batch of Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in mid-January. They’ve now sold but Game is tipped to get Series S stock on 31st January. The BT Shop also announced it would have inventory of the Series S, but that allocation has now sold out.

The Series S is also available at selected Amazon locales across Europe. had plenty of Xbox Series S here, for well over a week. Supply seems to have dried up now.

GameStop had a limited number of Xbox Series X and Series S bundles up for grabs but they’re now sold out. The Series X with an extra Carbon Black Wireless Controller, NBA 2K21, 3-month Game Pass and $20 Gamestop gift card would have set you back $694.

Xbox Series X Vs Series S Vs Ps5

The difference in power generally means early Series S and Series X games run at different resolutions but often perform similarly. For example, Watch Dogs: Legion targets 4K at 30fps on the Series X and 1080p 30fps on the Series S, and both support ray-tracing for better-looking reflections.

Similarly, Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon run at 60fps at 1080p on the Series S, compared to 4K 60fps on the Series X.

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Buying Guide For Best Xbox Consoles

When modern video game consoles first came out, it was typically on a one-at-a-time basis: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo would release one model per generation, and typically wait anywhere between five to ten years to release a new version. All that has changed, however, and now both Microsoft and Sony have begun releasing multiple versions of their current-generation consoles, each aimed at a specific segment of the gaming market.

While that may sound confusing, its actually great news, particularly for Xbox fans: it means that whether youre on a shoestring budget or youre looking for the best 4K gaming experience there is, theres an Xbox available in Microsofts lineup thats perfect for you. Heres everything you need to know about the current generation of Xboxes the available models, what the differences are, and how to score a good deal on your favorite.

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Xbox Series X Or Xbox Series S

Before you buy the first Xbox that becomes available, you should know that Microsofts two new consoles have some significant differences. The $499 Xbox Series X is the flagship powerhouse of the family, designed to deliver immersive 4K gaming complete with a Blu-ray disc player and 1TB of internal storage for housing your digital downloads. If you have a 4K TV and want to experience the highest performance available on a console, you should spring for the Series X.

The $299 Xbox Series S is the streamlined, entry-level machine, able to play games at up to 1440p resolution and has roughly half the internal storage at 512GB. The Series S lacks a disc drive, so youre limited to digital downloads only. Its also significantly smaller than the chunky Xbox Series X, if space is a concern. If youre still using a 1080p TV but want to enjoy many of the perks of next-gen gaming, this is the system for you.

Fortunately, these systems have a lot of key features in common. Both use a solid state drive , which allows games to load up within seconds. The Series X and Series S both feature Quick Resume, which lets you bounce between a handful of games at once without losing your progress in any of them. And theyre both capable of running games at up to 120 frames per second for super-smooth gameplay, complete with ray tracing technology that allows for ultra-realistic lighting and shadows.

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Xbox Series X Hardware And Design

The Xbox Series X casts a commanding silhouette. It’s a monolithic slab of matte black plastic that stands 11.8 inches tall, 5.9 inches deep, 5.9 inches wide, and weighs in at 9.8 pounds. On its face, you’ll find a pairing button that handily conceals an IR receiver, a 4K UHD Blu-ray optical drive, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, and an Xbox logo power button that lightly glows white while you play.

While the Xbox One was built to fade into the background of your home entertainment centre, the Xbox Series X is designed to quietly dominate it. If you can find a suitable place to stand it , it’ll soon feel like another fixture not unlike that of a PC tower. The Series X doesn’t draw attention to itself, like the provocatively designed PS5 an angular mass complete with pulsing strips of blue lighting that seems purpose-built to attract the eye.

Even with all of these system-intensive features in play, I have been pleasantly surprised to find that the console runs quietly and efficiently, even after lengthy sessions with games optimised for Xbox Series X. The console also runs considerably cooler than the Xbox One X, although there is clearly some expectation that owners will think carefully about where they place the Xbox Series X so that air is able to flow unimpeded from behind the console and up through the curved venting array that sits at the north end of the console.

Xbox Series X And Series S Controller

The fourth generation Xbox Controller doesn’t change much from the Xbox One controller, but the new wireless Xbox Controller does add a capture and share button, a hybrid d-pad, and better gripping on the bumpers and triggers. The controller is also promised to be cross compatible with certain PC’s and mobile devices.

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Fps Boost On Xbox Series X

Microsoft has added a new feature to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S post-launch called FPS Boost, which has the potential to quadruple the framerates of older titles. It means that games that were previously locked to 30 frames per second can now hit 60fps – some games can even hit 120fps.

At present, FPS Boost only applies to Xbox One games, and to a specific selection of games. But the list is fairly extensive and were likely to see this feature rolled out to Xbox 360 and original Xbox games in the future. FPS Boost is a fantastic upgrade, particularly for those with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, as it allows Xbox One games to utilize the power of the Xbox Series X. So, for compatible games, it feels less of a technological step back when you decide to revisit some of your favorite Xbox One games.

If, for some reason, you don’t want to play these games at a higher framerate, you can also turn it off on a per-game basis. However, we’d recommend leaving it on as it makes games look visually smoother and feel far more responsive.

We’ve included some of the games which benefit from FPS Boost below, but you can also check out the full list here.

• Far Cry 4 – 60fps
• The Elder Scrolls V: Special Edition – 60fps

New Games No Hardware

Say you dont own an Xbox or a gaming PC, but you do have an Android phone. Does Microsoft have any next-gen gaming options for you? Thanks to game streaming, it does. On September 15th, Microsoft added game streaming to Xbox Games Pass Ultimate, which costs $14.99 a month. The feature, which was known previously as xCloud, could give you a way to play many of the biggest Xbox Series X games without having to own any gaming hardware at all. You can stream them to a device as simple as an Android phone, for example .

Game streaming isnt an entirely new idea Sony launched its PlayStation Now service way back in 2014 to a muted response but Microsoft is taking a much more interesting approach. Rather than focusing on older titles, as Sony did with PlayStation Now, Microsoft says its new games will be available to stream the day they release and lists recent first-party titles like Forza Horizon 4, Gears of War 5, Tell Me Why, The Outer Worlds, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps as being among the 150-plus games available to stream at launch.

Microsoft promises to let you stream major Xbox games straight to your phone.Game streamings future on iPhones is uncertain

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Present: Acquisitions Xbox Series X/s Windows 11

In April 2021, Microsoft said that it will buy for about $16 billion in cash. In 2021, in part due to the strong quarterly earnings spurred by the , Microsoft’s valuation came to near $2 trillion. The increased necessity for and drove up the demand for and grew the company’s gaming sales.

On June 24, 2021, Microsoft announced during a livestream. The announcement came with confusion after Microsoft announced Windows 10 would be the last version of the operating system. It is set to be released in Fall 2021.

Xbox Series X Vs Ps: Price Comparison

The Xbox Series X price and PS5 price are identical.

Microsoft’s disc-based Xbox Series X console retails for $499 / £449 / AU$749, while the standard PS5 is also $499 / £449 / AU$749. It makes choosing between an Xbox Series X pre-order or a PS5 pre-order bundles a tough choice.

One of the reasons the PS4 proved the more popular console during the last generation was the fact that it launched at a more attractive price point of $399.99 / £349.99. That was a relative steal compared to the $499 / £429 Xbox One, which at launch had to factor in the cost of its ill-fated Kinect motion tracker. The Kinect was initially hailed as one of the key differentiators between the consoles, but proved unpopular with both developers and gamers, leading to Microsoft slowly phasing it out in an effort to drive the price of the overall package down with later console revisions.

Neither has made that mistake with their new consoles making the top-tier versions identically matched. It’s the digital-only versions then where the real differences become visible.

The digital-only Xbox Series S lands at $299 / £249 / AU$499 while the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition comes in at $399.99 / £359.99 / AU$599.95.

But it’s not a like-for-like comparison. Microsoft’s digital console is weaker than the others it focuses on 1440p resolution instead of 4K, and targets 60/120 fps. With the PS5 Digital Edition, however, it’s exactly the same spec as the standard edition just minus that physical disc tray.

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