Xbox Series X rewrites the rules of console design and the power level should be extraordinary

The rules are changing, the nature of console design is radically evolving, the presumptions we have about the core design limitations in building a new games machine need to be re-evaluated. Microsoft has revealed Xbox Series X and its monolithic casing has almost twice the volume of an Xbox One X - and what this means for performance is tantalising.

[UltraNova]

Eurogamer sure likes their xbox content... maybe they're fishing for another exclusive xbox reveal (xb1X)?

[Neonridr]

no doubt Digital Foundry will get first dibs on all the hardware analysis.

[UltraNova]

They didn't with the PS4 Pro, nor the Switch or Switch Lite to my knowledge...

[Neonridr]

@UltraNova - no, just MS stuff. They did all the XB1X stuff too.

[Obscure_Observer]

@UltraNova

Microsoft invited Richard for an exclusive first look at Xbox One X and the technology behind it. Sony and Nintendo didn´t.

[darthv72]

DF likes technology, doesn't matter whose. They love seeing shiny new things.

And honestly.... so do I.

[Unspoken]

^This
They love tech, even if it's filtered through their lens, tech is their passion and I respect that.

[bouzebbal]

This is theory.. I like to let the games speak for themselves

[Larrysweet]

Df doesn't even have a mill subs

[UltraNova]

Obscure,

"Microsoft invited Richard for an exclusive first look at Xbox One X and the technology behind it. Sony and Nintendo didn´t."

Exactly ;-)

[bluefox755]

I think they have some sort of deal worked out with MS.

[Gazondaily]

Is this an attempt to get excuses in early to future proof against POSSIBLE lost arguments in Digital Foundry articles?

[IamTylerDurden1]

Septic

It's just true.

Didn't u guys all cry about The Game Awards being fixed for Death Stranding (and Sekiro won GotY) yet it's unacceptable to mention a possible deal between MS and DF?

Nice spin though. You certainly are a fortune teller..

[CaptainHenry916]

"Didn't u guys all cry about The Game Awards being fixed for Death Stranding (and Sekiro won GotY) yet it's unacceptable to mention a possible deal between MS and DF?"

Hilarious. I never listen to people like that

[Unspoken]

Now they have deal with MS, lol. Can't actually support it when they are not saying nice things about PlayStation. They are hugely critical of Microsoft and Xbox. Gamers these days...

[SyntheticForm]

You just sound paranoid.

As soon as we get PS5 details, Eurogamer will be all over them like flies on shit. They love new consoles and tech. They're going to cover PS5 really hard, don't worry.

I find it funny how people were all "We don't know shit about Xbox Scarlett" then overnight we knew way more about Scarlett than PS5. We know more about it's SSD (NVMe) and it's RAM (GDDR6) and now we know what it looks like and how it handles heat.

Look, there's no bias, and once Sony give us more details the internet will explode, and EG/DF will be there to analyze everything.

[Wontime1]

Lol why does there have to be an alterior motive, why can't they just be genuinely excited.

[gangsta_red]

This is what I would like to know. Every website or journalist seems to be on the MS Xbox payroll whenever they say anything complimentary about them.

[The Wood]

The rules are changing, the nature of console design is radically evolving, the presumptions we have about the core design limitations in building a new games machine need to be re-evaluated......

Says . . . .

Change can be very good but some can be very bad.. . MS tried to change the rules this gen... I understand excitement but this would of been easier to swallow if it was predicted. Nobody predicted this form factor which I feel is a little too large but I personally like the cleanness. I rate the surface team designers MS have and can only assume they had some input. Lets see what the other players do before claims of radical evolution are spoken as if i they're a matter of fact. Call them pioneers if anything but I'd still reserve that until we see if the unit works properly on both axis

[UltraNova]

@the wood,

The Surface design team is truly talented. I believe they have designed some of the best looking and functioning laptops around.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Because money talks, this isn't a charity.

[SyntheticForm]

@gangsta_red

You're on N4G - a site with a Sony bent. Intellectual honesty is thrown out the window in favor of anti-Microsoft/pro-Sony sentiment.

Look at Days Gone. Reviewers were crucified for stating how they felt, like Kallie Plagge and others, and the results were spun by the pro-Sony crowd as, of course, anti-Sony behavior. Kallie Plagge (the vilest woman on the internet) was a goddess when she rated Death Stranding a 9.5, so you know the deal.

I like both Xbox and PlayStation for different reasons, and that will probably always be the case, but these people hate Microsoft. If Microsoft ever starts to bring it with the games, they'll still hate Microsoft, even though some have stated they'd have a change of heart if Microsoft brought new, original, top-shelf AAA games.

We're on N4G.

[specialguest]

This is N4G. Everything Sony is the most amazing thing. They even found reasons why exclusive games like Knack was a great game lol. MS and even Nintendo are not allowed to have their time to shine in the media

[UltraNova]

Who said they're not? And why is it bad of they are indeed fishing for an xbox exclusive tech reveal? What stops Sony to do an exclusive with DF?

I really like seeing people revealing their true nature and attack their imaginary "adversaries" for no good reason. Yeah, this is indeed N4G.

[CaptainCook]

Phil Spencer did praise the article on twitter

[OB1Biker]

Yes he praised DF. 'DF does good work'
I'm not sure what the fuss is about 'design innovation' though.

[UltraNova]

OB1,

Geoff Keighley praised Kojima, that didn't stop people from crying foul about Death Stranding's nomination...

[King_Noctis]

@UltraNova

You’re seriously comparing an award show to an article on a website? Alright.

[UltraNova]

@king,

The point was, people are people...

Broaden your mind a little bit...

[Obscure_Observer]

Richard said years back that the Xbox One X could beat a GTX1070 and even give a GTX1080 a run for its money in a few cases.

He was right!

Stadia were supossed to destroy both PS5 and SX with its 10+TF. Couldn´t even beat the X! I mean, 6TF vs 10+TF?!

Impressive! Can only dream what both PS5 and SX will capable of.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

I've said this a month ago. Because it happened when Sony announced PS4 in 2013. When you announce your console before anyone else you instantly get the attention. Articles, YT vids, discussion threads etc overall awareness. This site alone was trafficking PS4 stuff 24/7 for 3 months straight. If you're Sony fan you were in paradise (if you're a fanboy you're in heaven) so whenever this happens publications want to write more about Sony, MS Nintendo whoever than any other console manufacture why? Because journalists, YTubers writers, blogs etc want to make money, they go where the money's at. That's why they always contact Phil for an interviews every day (Swear Ryan Mcaffrey has him on speed dial) they make money. Good content depends on the manufacturer and how they announce their console. MS had all the wrong press but journalists still need money so they report on it and spread it around, doesn't matter good or bad press they need to make a living. Meanwhile Sony had nothing but good things from their end. At that point journalists will sell you the console to buy.

No conspiracy its just The new Xbox is something to write about right now.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

Or just maybe they know what they're talking about.

[TK-66]

A next-gen system just got a big reveal and you want journalists to not talk about it?

[gangsta_red]

When Cerny was discussing PS5 specs this site was over run with the excitement of rumors, news and the speculation stories from every website and rightly so...

MS reveals their console and now it's too much news, websites are on the payroll, people are getting "over excited".

It's mind boggling some times.

[King_Noctis]

So any publication who cover the Xbox SX or MS in general are just fishing for “exclusive Xbox reveal”?

Jesus, this site. You can’t have any kind of Xbox article without delusional conspiracy theories like these.

[Gazondaily]

Lmao I know right! The insecurity over power is real!

[Jin_Sakai]

“With that in mind, Series X - and almost certainly PS5 - are built on a foundation of optimism and confidence this time around. There is no compromise in CPU performance in the next-gen design“

This is what I’m most excited for along with the new NVMe SSD. We’re really going to be in for a treat with next generation consoles.

“Microsoft has developed a console GPU that is more performant and more feature-rich than any Navi part AMD has shipped in 2019“

Xbox Series X GPU is based on the 2020 Navi with hardware RT so I’d expect that to be true.

[The_Sage]

I have never seen the word performant before.

[porkChop]

Yeah Richard and John both love using fancy words like that. I don't know why, but that's their style.

[sampsonon]

Xbox Series X rewrites console design? it's a box lol

[UltraNova]

*taller box...

[rainslacker]

NEC PC-FX had a tower box before MS ever had any stake in the console market. That was during the Sega Saturn gen

It wasnt as sleek, but somewhat common of tower designs of the time

[darthv72]

Dont forget about the X68000. It too was a tall drink of water.

[rainslacker]

Yeah. Although it could also be a regular PC. It was a pretty capable game machine though compared to open PCs of the time

[isarai]

It's two gamecubes stacked together

[CaptainHenry916]

X BOX 😂

[SyntheticForm]

Well, I don't know that they've necessarily rewritten the rules of console design, but they've definitely deviated from the conventions of console design in a radical way.

Yes, the shape is a simple tall box, but it's decidedly tower-like resembling a PC tower, and not pressed like consoles usually are. Consoles have been flat since the earliest models like the early Atari models.

This is very different and nobody expected it.

[ScootaKuH]

But this time it's a vertical box. The innovation astound me! 😏

[Father__Merrin]

Eurogamer have always been Microsofts dogs. Everything about xbox can do no wrong, I simply can't wait to see how Ps5 vs xbox sx play out and to read eurogamers reaction if any

[ReadyPlayer22]

What?? They absolutely chastised Microsoft for delivering an underpowered Xbox One versus PS4. Hell, up until the Xbox One X release, they encouraged people to buy multiplatform games on PS4 since they performed better.

[Gazondaily]

That revisionist history eh?

You're absolutely right. People are getting their excuses in because of the perception that MS might outdo Sony in the next gen console battle in terms of power.

[THC CELL]

With or without power Sony won and its proven xbox is the most powerful out right now

Septic needs to get of the sinking ship he like the captain of the titanic

[rainslacker]

Eurogamer itself was never that bad. Digital foundary were pretty bad about it last gen, but since being purchased by eurogamer they've moved more towards the center.

[gangsta_red]

Digital Foundry were never "pretty bad" as they reported what was actually there with proof of their findings for all to see.

There was a time when this site waited on pins and needles to see what digital foundry had to say about the performance of a game and how it compared on different consoles.

[rainslacker]

@Gangsta

You mean obsessing about some blades of grass wasn't "pretty bad"? Sorry, but DF used to be one of the biggest Xbox fan boy sites on the internet. They got significantly better since EG brought them, and if I had to guess, it's likely due to having an editor that actually has a standard, and a modicum of journalistic integrity and ethics.

And the only people I ever saw waiting on pins and needles on this site were the Xbox guys, who were more than ready to claim the victory of the 360.

The whole thing is really a great show of why clickbait has become such a big thing nowadays. Since they've become more moderate, no one waits on pins and needles anymore. It's there, and sometimes it causes a ruckus, but it's been a long while since I've seen people say, "Lets wait for the DF analysis", and when I do, it's usually because of some crappy YouTube comparison, or gamingbolt article decides to make a click bait comparison.

[gangsta_red]

"Sorry, but DF used to be one of the biggest Xbox fan boy sites on the internet."

That revisionist history is at it again.

DF was never bias and just reported what they saw, it was just unfortunate that "sometimes" the 360 came out on top because of how hard it was to develope games on Sonys cell architecture but does that make them a Xbox fanboy site?

Let's not even talk about the beginning of this gen when they would report how the PS4 had better frame rates than the Xbox One or the 900p vs 1080p resolutiongatr they would constantly have on display.

But let me guess, this was around the time they got significantly better right? When the PS guys started to claim victory.

"...but it's been a long while since I've seen people say, "Lets wait for the DF analysis","

That's because developers have been doing a lot better job bringing parity to all versions of their game due to more experience with the hardware.

[rainslacker]

Revisionist history? So, blades of grass wasn't a meme last gen because people thought DF was being paid under the table by MS?

They reported what they saw, but they over obsessed on things that didn't matter, and never gave credit where it was due. Their comparisons seemed to nitpick over things, while ignoring other things to make sure that the 360 had the upper hand at every turn.

When EG brought them, it was like an immediate turn around on how they approached their articles, and this gen, they've been pretty good about keeping things moderate.

"That's because developers have been doing a lot better job bringing parity to all versions of their game due to more experience with the hardware."

No, it's because for several years, MS didn't have the upper hand, so Xbox gamers stopped caring. They were the only ones that waited for those articles. All of a sudden, every criticism of DF from the past gen was thrown back at Sony gamers who called them biased. You know the spiel, and please spare me the ignorant reply acting like you don't know this constant back and forth.

Then of course, the X1X came around, but DF was being more fair, so nothing to look forward to really....until we get "soupy" textures of course. Then every Xbox fan boy and their mother found a new word for their 3rd grade vocabulary, and DF was good again...until they started being moderate again, then no one cares anymore.

So, not I'm not revising anything. You just want to avoid holding them, or yourself accountable.

[gangsta_red]

"Their comparisons seemed to nitpick over things, while ignoring other things to make sure that the 360 had the upper hand at every turn."

Proof Rainslacker, how about you provide proof that they ignored "OTHER THINGS" to make sure the 360 had the upper hand.

So resolution gate wasn't a thing at the beginning of this gen? How about crushed blacks and frame drops, should we also accuse DF of being one of the biggest Sony fan sites because of that?

Do you see how ridiculous that sounds?

It's always amazing to me to see how biased and paid off websites are when they're complimenting MS and Xbox but then become fair and honest when they're celebrating Sony and PlayStation.

[chiefJohn117]

You're so full of it

[Wontime1]

Wow, so what then, any optimism towards the console makes them "Microsoft dogs"?

[yomfweeee]

Well if they want to be impartial they shouldn't be writing articles like this. Don't call their upcoming system extraordinary when they don't know the details of it or the PS5.

They should stick to facts.

[King_Noctis]

@yomfwee

Wait a minute, there are facts lots of facts in this article. Have you actually read it at all?

[SyntheticForm]

@Father and Rain

Eurogamer have always been objective and they've always reported the facts. They've always supported their findings with actual tangible analysis, and they've broken down that analysis in a way that laymen could understand to the best of their ability. If one machine performs better than another, and you can't take it, that's your problem. I've seen the findings go both ways over the span of the two gens I've deferred to them.

Digital Foundry are the undisputed kings of software (and some would say hardware as well) analysis. They've always done a great job with their analyses, and I expect they'll continue to do so going forward.

[rainslacker]

I have no problem with EG. It was DF last gen that went above and beyond last gen to find things which were pointless to give the win to an xbox version of a game. My comment talked about their past, and their present, and they are like two different sites.

I never had a problem with how DF conducted their analysis, only their conclusions in the articles about it. Since EG brought them, they've been a lot better.

[King_Noctis]

We have another conspiracy theorist. Can’t wait for you to say the same thing once Eurogamer covers the PS5 after its official reveal.

[ReadyPlayer22]

The most encouraging thing about the design is that the hardware team were given the priority of most powerful first and foremost, and then fit that power into a form. Full reveal for both consoles can't come soon enough!

[Charlieboy333]

Didn't know that 'power' is shaped like a rectangular box ? Must have been the only way they could fit it in then...

[bluefox755]

Xbox has never rewrote the rules of anything, that won't be changing just because they're in last place...again.

[kayoss]

True, but I think they did rewrote online gaming for console. I don’t like microsoft, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

[cell989]

They did charging for online play

[timotim]

I can think of a few things...

1st to push broadband internet in a console as standard

1st to usher in the digital age with an online store...the bases which went on to be copied by everyone in the industry including Valve, Apple and others.

1st to do live based games like 1 vs 100

1st to have a HDD built into a console

1st to do online match making based off skill set

[Pancit_Canton]

What's next, Microsoft invented gaming?

[OB1Biker]

Dont give them ideas lol

[rainslacker]

No. Just console gaming. Don't give them more credit than is due. :)

[Nineball2112]

I actually don't mind the looks of the Series X at all. The problem comes into play of how it will fit with people's TV stands.

Personally, if I had one, it wouldn't bother me just to set it to the side of the TV stand if I needed to do so.

[Vipre77]

Same. That’s what I did with PS3 and PS4. I’d expect no different here.

[mark_parch]

it's going to fit perfectly with my current setup

[Wontime1]

Should have good cooling due to design

[Pancit_Canton]

More like a dust collector. That thing would be sucking dust from top to bottom. I would give that a F+ on a design standpoint.

[kayoss]

It’s a subwoofer that comes with your sound bar.

[Vipre77]

It’s got a power level over 9000?

[moriarty1889]

Hyped for the XSX. lets see how well it can do. Hopefully better than the XB1 did this gen.

[CrimsonWing69]

I mean it's a tower... that you can lay on its side...

Not sure what's revolutionary about the design.

[Veneno]

It's the simplicity that's revolutionary.

[rainslacker]

It's square.

Very contemporary what with angles and blandness becoming a big designer fad.

It should go well in everyone's eclectic living rooms with mismatched furniture, and stained carpets, with cheap Sauder's entertainment cabinet with one side that has a broken laminated fiberboard side, and for some reason, isn't deep enough to accommodate any receiver, so the back is cut out to handle people's cheap ass Atmos receiver which is highly under powered to run 5 speakers and a sub, much less 7 speakers, even though they got those cheap speakers that came with their last all-in one system.

I can see how this system will really fit in with the average consumers decor.

So....revolutionary.

[Goukira]

Its basically a pc this time around without any special architecture...same with ps5 but this isnt necessarily a bad thing. Without the need to handle a full blown os and different drivers for each hardware piece in it it can focus on playing games and stuff.

[zodiac909]

Will it's power level be over 9000 though???

[Lon3wolf]

And have giant enemy crabs?

[Ulf]

The series X exactly aligns with Microsoft's strategy of unifying the PC and console space, and leveraging Microsoft's command of the PC market to bring far greater value to consumers and games publishers.

I think they've knocked the ball outta the park this time, if only they can sell it to consumers -- the right price, the right marketing. Sony's closed ecosystem is like Apple's -- overpriced and underpowered. Sony should count their lucky stars that consumers chose them during the latter half of the PS3 gen and this gen -- they won't survive another PS3-launch-styled fiasco. You can almost smell the overconfidence. It oozes from them, like it does from Apple at their press conferences.

[moriarty1889]

very solid points. I agree.

[Pancit_Canton]

Tons of BS on that wall of text.

"overpriced and underpowered" Original Xbone says hi.

"Sony's closed ecosystem" Playstation crossplay to PC says hi.

"The series X exactly aligns with Microsoft's strategy of unifying the PC and console" Age of empires 4 says hi

[ShadowWolf712]

Your entire second paragraph is pure fiction, my guy. Do you often write fantasy?

[IamTylerDurden1]

The design is not attractive. It truly looks like a cheap tower or a speaker.

I honestly thought it was a stream box when I first saw it.

The power should be solid for both next gen consoles. The power to price ratio should be extraordinary, but I don't expect the actual jump to be as impressive as years past.

With increase in power comes diminished returns. Every generation we see a less spectacular jump. Even the XB1X was about 4x more powerful than the original XB1. The rule of thumb is that typically a new gen system is approximately 7x more powerful than the last. XB1X was nearly 60% of what a new console gen increase would be compared to XB1. Yet the results didn't look anywhere close to a typical next gen increase.

Honestly, the biggest jump will come from the implementation of the super powered SSD and the improvement to VR, at least until ray tracing really takes off. Until then it will be similar to what we get with the mud gen upgrades, but on a bigger scale. Native 4k will become the 1080p of this generation and 60 frames will become far more prevalent. But as far as massive, wholesale improvements, not until VR and Ray tracing start taking advantage of the power.

There will be many games early in the gen that ppl say could easily be PS4 or XB1 games. What I want to see is power used for gameplay improvements and drastically enhanced animation and physics technology. It's about time we see wholesale improvements to something meaningful, something that has been stagnant for years. Animations, combat infrastructure, and game design. The SSD will have THE largest impact on changing games for the better. That is truly exciting. Ray tracing has the potential to drastically enhance the visuals and perhaps surpass what HDR has meant this gen. However, I want devs to truly innovative and use this power for more than resolution.

[Thundercat77]

Is just an uninspiring tower. I don't see anything revolutionary or "wow". I don't get the vibe of the article

[Silly gameAr]

It's called PR. It's everywhere.

[Mister_G]

Adverts have started early for next gen. Trying to make it go viral much?

[ScootaKuH]

Does it really? 🤔

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Ever since Microsoft flew them out for the X1X exclusive look it's been nonstop pandering. Lol money truly talks.

[mike32UK]

Twice the volume? Funny, I just watched an IGM video who created a mock up and said it had less volume than xb1x

[Wasabi]

IGM (Whoever they are) clearly got it wrong.

***"Using stills from the Xbox Series X announcement trailer, the console is an estimated 31cm tall, with 16cm width and depth, give or take a couple of millimeters for margin of error. That compares to the 30cm x 24cm x 6cm dimensions of Xbox One X, Microsoft's currently most powerful and smallest console on the market. Those dimensions provide an estimated volume of 7936 cubic centimeters for Xbox Series X, almost double of the Xbox One X's 4320"***

[mike32UK]

It would seem so.

I mean I dont really care either way I like the design alot and this is the first xBox I intend on purchasing.

[Wasabi]

@Mike

***"This is the first xBox I intend on purchasing"***

I'll see you on Xbox Live then mate!

[battlegrog]

About time

[2pacalypsenow]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo already did that with the Gamecube, and even the Xbox 360.

[contra157]

Boring flashy graphics are lame whatever happened to gameplay?? Xbox is lame noob gaming

[quenomamen]

Nothing says Christmas like these “Journalists” cashing those MS checks.

[Goozex]

You can see ms slowly moving back into the pc business with this design

[MetroidFREAK21]

I really hope it's not as big as they say it is/what IGN thinks... That thing is massive and I do not want a console that big. I understand that the amount of power and everything inside is beefy and probably essential, but man... I don't need that taking all the room I have

[_LarZen_]

Can you imagine the chaos if Xbox will again hold the power advantage. Going to be really fun to see what the PS5 will be like in design and specs.

[ShadowWolf712]

Considering that did squat for them these last few years... not much?

[_LarZen_]

I’m a gamer so I care about what it does for me. And for me these last few years it meant I got to play better looking and performing games.

I played most games on the better console this gen and it’s going to be interesting to see where I’ll end up playing most my games next-gen.

[Nodoze]

Sorry but not digging the design at ALL.

[timotim]

Yet more people who like the design of the console...I think its fair to say that it looks good to its fair share.

[Babadook7]

Will be almost as powerful as it’s main rival according to devs who have first hand knowledge.

[ShadowWolf712]

And other devs who supposedly had first-hand knowledge said this thing was both weaker in certain key aspects and harder to develop for.

We shall have to wait and see.

[Traecy]

Ok.

[CaptainObvious878]

Sure has been a lot of overly positive xbox news lately. Just gushing praises as soon as any little detail is released.

[xXMessiah23Xx]

As Bart Scott would say "Can't Wait"

[Wulfer]

These comments, just lol its going to be a fun year next year!

[TheOtherMoon]

Let me just say, as an Xbox user, that this article defines 'click-bait'

[mamotte]

Maybe IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAAND

[kryteris]

hopefully it is much smaller than it looks.

[Xavi4K]

well, let's say Ps5 is as big or even bigger yet smaller than midsize Pc tower...would that stop gamers from buying consoles?

[Xaevi]

The GameCube would like a word with you

[Vetalka83]

what do you mean rewrites??It always looked like crap since day one.

[THC CELL]

https://youtu.be/mgyjPS_uJT...
😏

[DJStotty]

"Let's see what Digital Foundry say about the hellblade 2 trailer and the Xbox Series X before we jump the gun"

...few days later...

"Clearly Microsoft have made a deal with Digital Foundry, because the next xbox can not possibly be good"

[HighPlayer28]

Love the unique console design Microsoft revealed its different and looks next gen imo. The new Xbox team are tech wizards so I know this console will have serious power and performance.

[terstomp]

The main games I like are on the PlayStation. Also the PlayStation controller has a gyro which Xbox controllers do not have. So Xbox power is useless to me.