![]() ![]() This thing has exemplary airflow tech, designed to vacuum cool air from underneath and around the device and expel it through the top exhaust. Looping back to heat generation, I noted that NVME storage gets pretty hot, but thankfully, the Xbox Series X itself is anything but. A standard NVME m2 drive will still be cheaper, however, but the fact you can hot-swap the Xbox Series X|S cards and take them to other consoles or go portable with them without grabbing a screwdriver is a pretty cool thing sometimes.įrom a hardware perspective, the Xbox Series X is the best console Microsoft has ever built. Microsoft has been criticized in recent years for how expensive Xbox Series X|S storage cards are, and they have worked pretty tirelessly to get the prices down. The cards have a thick plastic handle for removal, so you don't fry your fingers while removing them, but most of the time, you can just leave them plugged in in perpetuity. The speed differences between the internal device and any external card you get are negligible, if they exist at all. ![]() Here's a breakdown of the speed improvements for the NVME setup Microsoft has for the Xbox Series X. The cards plug straight into the motherboard essentially, and the Xbox interprets it as being part of the standard storage pool. NVME storage gets warm in your PC or laptop as well. The WD_Black Xbox Series X|S expansion card and Seagate Xbox Series X|S expansion cards work very well, although they do get warm while in use - that's largely to be expected. These are quite pricy options, although they have seen their price points tumble nearly by half since launch. Microsoft opted for CFExpress memory cards, reminiscent of the old PlayStation 1 memory cards, as an expandable storage option. However, the downside is that a standard USB external HDD is no longer suitable for streaming game information through the console. ![]() The Xbox Series X sports an NVME SSD on the inside, which comes with massive speed increases over its mechanical HDD predecessors. On the topic of ports, Microsoft opted for a novel solution method for expandable storage this time around. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy) The Xbox Series X uses CFExpress expansion storage cards, made by WD_Black and Seagate. We'll discuss some of the OS features in the next section, in more depth. Additionally, if you're using a setup that requires SPDIF optical audio, you're similarly left out. Microsoft has essentially killed off Kinect, meaning that anyone still rocking the peripheral on Xbox One will be left out in the cold. There are also a couple of glaring omissions on this console generation, namely the lack of SPDIF optical audio and Kinect. However, given how tightly packed they are, those engravings quickly become useless, since you can't feel them out when there are a bunch of taut cables plugged in. It can make it hard to figure out without looking what you're trying to reach, despite efforts made by Microsoft to provide accessibility grooves and engravings. The ports on the Series X are haphazardly stacked on top of each other rather than neatly lined up. I will say that the port layout is a little more irritating than the Xbox One generation. We'll discuss that a little more in a minute, though. We tested the thermals with a FLIR heat imaging camera in both horizontal and vertical configurations, and found that the heat dissipation remained largely the same in both configs. This is the best Xbox Microsoft has ever built, and the best way to experience the Microsoft gaming ecosystem. Existing games like Halo Infinite have vastly improved in recent years, and tons of upcoming Xbox games from exclusive studios like Clockwork Revolution, South of Midnight, and Marvel's Blade look set to change perceptions of Xbox's game line up.īut how has the hardware held up over the past few years? The answer to that is extremely well. Sony has done a far better job of moving its console base from PS4 to PS5 with the promise of high-quality exclusives, an area that Microsoft has notoriously struggled with. Yet, with mountains of price cuts throughout the year, and the promise of current-gen exclusives like GTA 6, many will likely be looking to upgrade for the first time. This suggests that many Xbox fans continue to use their Xbox One and even Xbox 360 consoles, which remain supported to varying degrees. It's no secret that the Xbox Series X|S line up has lagged behind the PlayStation 5 in terms of sales success, yet Microsoft continues to tout console engagement as increasing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |