Microsoft Xbox Series X

Xbox boom – I don't recommend this product i went in to the interface systems to make it be able to run GTA 6 when I booted up the game my Xbox crapped exploded, my house was lost in a fire due to this not recommended unless you are in the military Show details

Unleash awesome gaming with the Xbox Series X – I purchased the XBox Series X at Big W this week during the Black Friday sales - and got this impressive unit for $150 off the usual price of $799. It was well worth it. I've been gaming with the predecessor console XBox OneX for a few years and this upgrade was well worth it - particularly paying only $650. Powered by a custom-designed AMD… Read more

processor and RDNA 2 architecture, this console delivers unparalleled performance. With it's 12 teraflops of GPU power, it ensures smoother gameplay, faster loading times, and breathtaking visuals. The integration of high-speed SSD storage reduces load times drastically, keeping players immersed in their gaming worlds without interruptions. Game play is more seamless than the earlier model Xbox One X - and this new model doesn't lag at all.

The superior graphics card on this model delivers a much better gaming experience with the 4K resolution. The ray tracing technology delivers lifelike lighting, reflections, and shadows which creates a more immersive experience. Games like Forza Horizon 5 and Minecraft Legends are rendered beautifully on this unit via higher steadier framerates at up to 120 FPS in gameplay.

The Quick Resume feature means that you can easily switch between multiple games quickly, picking up right where you left off without lengthy load times. This means you can explore new games at your leisure. Also the 1 Terabyte drive means you have enough space to install games without having to play them on the cloud - if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber - as I am.

I noticed with some reviews that purchasers weren't happy with the lack of information and product manuals in the box - the unit just comes with a single card with product images and basic specs - that's it. No more details. Despite this, the console is very easy to set up with your existing Microsoft login details and gaming profile. You will however have to install the XBox app on your phone to do this. It's pretty easy to do though.

I am hoping this unit stands the test of time. Microsoft console developers may have understood the error of their ways in the earlier model the Xbox Series S (which has no disc slot) forcing you to subscribe to Game Pass or buy only digital titles.

The XBox Series X model does have a disc slot - thankfully - which doesn't tie you down to subscribing to XBox Game Pass - and the backward compatibility allows you to play selected Xbox 360, Original Xbox games and Xbox One games you already own on Xbox Series X|S.

Both video and audio are far superior than the Xbox One X - and Xbox Series X supports gaming in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, which enhances gameplay with both full-spectrum visuals and immersive audio. You will have to customise some of those features during set up. This unit has enough peripheral ports - one HDMI - (better than the confusing two on the Xbox One X) as well as three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports. It also has wireless and ethernet connectivity and a dedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio.

This fourth gen console is an excellent buy for gamers.

Can't live without it – Love this item highly recommend buying one if U have the chance Show details

Microsoft have excelled themselves – After many years of playing console games on PS4/PS4 Pro, I decided it was time to have a look at the new Xbox Series X, as opposed to Sony’s PS5. After looking at the design, I was sold. A monolith! It is a rectangular block, with vents on top. This helps dissipate the heat, well, heat rises. In standard black, it is an almost imposing console. … Read more

Setup was simple. Every cable you might need, supplied. Even a seriously high quality HDMI cable to take advantage of more expensive TV’s that support really fast HDMI speeds.

Impressed the button to start and was guided, step by step to connect the controller, setup the account and setup the Xbox Series X to the TV it was connected to.

OK, I use wired (ethernet) to connect my consoles, it just provides a more stable internet connection. The Xbox Series X does support WI-FI, I have heard both good and bad, so I won’t provide an opinion, as I have not tried it.

Next point? Ummm, I didn’t buy any games on disc. OK, the Xbox Series X does support playback of DVD, Blu-Ray and of course Xbox Series X game discs. This includes Series S, Xbox One and Xbox 360 discs. the bonus being that the Xbox Series X is backward compatible with most earlier Xbox One and Xbox 360. So, don’t throw out those discs kids, you can likely still play them. But alas, I did not have a disc, so I chose to download form the Xbox Game Pass Store.

Now, full disclosure, I purchased my Xbox Series X through a Telstra offer, which included 24 months of the Microsoft Xbox Store. Hence, over 100 games were immediately available to me to choose from. Of course the wait to download it. I have “NBN” FTTN, so not a super fast wait, but not too bad. While I waited, I also checked out the EA Play store, which is included in the Game Pass Ultimate bundle I signed up for. In addition to that a select and always growing Microsoft Store for apps and games there as well. A lot FREE!

A major part of the Xbox Series X experience, is the speed at which things load. OK, the download speed is a limit, but once past a specific point in a lot of game downloads, you can start playing, while it finishes downloading later levels. Excellent. But where the Xbox Series X really takes to the speed lanes is the proprietary SSD and CPU. From absolute cold start to in menu, about 8 seconds, into playing a game, from where you left off, a not too shabby 13 secs! Yes, you can boot, and continue playing a game in as little as 13 secs. I have done it! This is fast, as simple as that!

Graphics are the next thing to really hit you. With 120 T-Flops (the ability to process one trillion floating point operations per second) coupled with 120Hz refresh rate (your TV needs to support that, some do, but this makes it almost future-proof, for a few years. The depth of the environment, almost to individual blades of grass! It absorbs you into its world! True gaming in 4K glory. 8K HDR. This is a feast for the eyeballs!

Now your senses are sent into overdrive. The audio. OK, you need a decent sound bar and sub-woofer, if you really want to enjoy this. The other option is a good set of headphones ( I got me a set of Turtle Beach 600 Gen 2’s, but that will be another review). The 3D Spatial Surround sound is a delight to listen to. The thumps of gunshots, booms of explosions, right down to the finest tweet of a bird in the tree, a mosquito flying around you, footsteps of others . . . This is almost an armed assault on your senses.

Storage? well, I mentioned the SSD. This is a custom made SSD, with 1TB of storage, not 890 because of a system, 1Tb of space to put games. Alright, you can put apps on it, but come on it’s a the ultimate in gaming consoles, who is going to waste time watching Netflix on this? The Custom SSD is lightning fast, so games just load fast. It is almost disconcerting, having spent years waiting 2,3,5 minutes for a game to load. No, this is select game, get comfy, start playing.

But alas, you say, 1Tb would fill up fast wouldn’t it? Well Dorothy, yes, but do not despair, there are options.

Option A, grab thee a 1Tb (I expect these will maybe get larger but not for a year or so) custom SSD expansion slot. This will allow you to play all downloaded games from it, as fast as the inbuilt custom SSD. YAY! But these are ~$349 in Australia at present, so a tad pricey. This plugs into it’s own special slot.

Option B, grab thee a Seagate 2TB HDD or SSD or similar. Plug this into one of the three USB ports on the Xbox Series X. While I’m thinking of it, there is 1 USB on the front, two on the back. Now if you go this route, you can store AND run Xbox One and Xbox 360 downloaded games. You can also store Xbox Series X games, but need to re-install them on either the internal custom SSD or the custom SSD expansion card. The benefit here is often there are earlier games (Xbox One and Xbox 360), that gamers like, but putting them on the either of the custom SSD’s is to most almost a waste. So, you install the earlier games to the USB HDD/SSD (whichever you use) and keep the custom SSD’s for the latest Xbox Series X games, so they are assured of loading super fast.

The entire size is approx 12cmx12cmx35cm, as I said a rectangular monolith. It impresses to look at, amazes with it’s loading speeds, enthrals with the 4K quality graphics and lulls you into being a couch potato with full, surround sound that makes the experience whole.

As a person who has played consoles from the early 1978 Pong units, through the Sega, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft consoles and even taking more modern technology, Microsoft have gone above and beyond. The Xbox Series X is, as promised, an absolute beast that is the gaming console you don’t just want, you need.