The new Xbox series X first impressions reveal a small 1 TB USB-like NVME stick. The Series X hands-on feature was done by Richard and John from Digital Foundry.
They revealed quite a few surprising details related to the size, components, first-party accessories and controller of the new generation Xbox console, the Series X.
As it turned out, the new Xbox Series X had a few similar design elements from previous generations of the console. Here’s the full rundown from the first Xbox Series X video.
Xbox Serie X Complete Specs
| Xbox Series X Specs | |
| Dimensions | 15.1 x 15.1 x 30.1 cm |
| Weight | 9.8 lbs |
| CPU |
8x cores @3.8 GHz Custom Zen2 CPU
|
| GPU |
12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @1.825 GHz, Custom RDNA 2 GPU
|
| SOC Die Size | 360.45 mm2 |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth |
10 GB @560 GB/s, 6GB @336 GB/s
|
| Internal Storage |
1 TB Custom NVME SSD
|
| I/O Throughput |
2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed)
|
| Expandable Storage | 1 TB Expansion Card |
| External Storage | USB 3.2 External HDD |
| External Disc Drive | 4K HD Blu Ray |
As is visible, the Xbox Series X is quite powerful even by the standard of a modern-day gaming PC. One of the most defining features of the Xbox Series X is the Auto-HDR function.
It uses machine-learning algorithms to automatically enhance the HDR in any game, at least in theory.
Here’s a comparison of the Xbox Series X with the Xbox One X and the One S.
You can watch the entire specs run down here:
Xbox Series X Hands-On Reveal New Components
First up is the packaging of the internal components of the Xbox Series X gaming console. The motherboard, vapor chamber cooler, and disc drive are all stacked on top of each other inside the console.
From the inside, the next-gen Xbox Series X is tightly packed with very little room. The main aim of this design is to cool the internal components that are running at a higher clock speed out of the box.
The air flows from the bottom and upwards through the vents by passing through each and every component, especially the motherboard which houses the next-gen CPU and GPU.
Richard explained how the new components influenced the tower-like design of the Xbox Series X. In the previous generation Xbox One X, the GPU is running at a very tame clock speed, which is lower than a similar desktop GPU. Meanwhile, in the Xbox Series X, the GPU runs at 1825 MHz which is equivalent to the high clock speed of an AMD 5700 XT desktop graphics card.
The Xbox Series X will focus on active cooling in order to maintain the high clock speed at which the CPU and GPU will be running all the time.
Xbox New Portable NVME Drive
Another new feature of the Xbox Series X is a brand new one of a kind portable NVME storage. It sticks on the back of the Xbox Series X in a dedicated slot and can offer blazing fast speed similar to the internal SSD memory of the console.
From the looks of it, the Xbox NVME portable drive looks like a flat USB drive. It will be a first-party component of Microsoft Xbox and it will be made by Seagate.
According to Richard, the price of such a drive will be quite expensive.
However, Xbox fans can still use the USB-slots to connect a portable HDD and play their older Xbox titles. The Xbox Series X will support backward-compatibility with Xbox One and 360 games.
Xbox Series X New Controller
The new Xbox Series X controller is an evolution instead of a revolution. It features a new share button, a redesigned D-pad, textured padding on the trigger buttons and grips, along with a very small size shrink.
The new “Share Button” on the Xbox Series X Controller takes direct inspiration from the PS4 Dual Shock controller. It will allow users to share in-game content like images and clips to their social media accounts.
The redesigned D-Pad feels sharper than ever and features a very defined design language. The button presses are sharp and accurate on the new D-pad.
The textured grip will make holding the controller quite easy for an extended period of time. They’re also provided in crucial areas like on the triggers and bumpers.
It also features better latency. However, Richard confirmed that the latency feature is due for a firmware update. Meaning older Xbox One controllers can also make use of it.
According to Richard, all this is merely the tip of the iceberg. We’ve yet to see or hear anything from Sony about the PlayStation 5.
And if the specs of the Xbox Series X are anything to go by, Sony needs a really good ace up their sleeve, if they want to replicate the success of PS4 for the PS5.
