Xbox Series X: Games, specs, price, and how it compares to PS5

Microsoft’s eagerly awaited newXbox video game console is almost here, and in theory you’ll be able to shell out an as-yet-unspecified amount of money for the Xbox Series X by the end of this year. As of now, we’re in the portion of the prerelease cycle in which Microsoft and Sony — also slated to release its own PlayStation 5 console this year — leapfrog each other with feature and spec reveals. 

Microsoft held the first of its Xbox 20/20 livestreams in early May to highlight upcoming games as well as its xCloud cloud-gaming platform and other related services. Subsequently, the company clarified what we already sort of knew, namely that part of backward compatibility with older games includes its OS-level HDR reconstruction technology, which used Microsoft’s machine-learning technology to create high-dynamic range tone maps for games designed in standard dynamic range.

We have a clearer picture of what to expect from the Xbox Series X, short of the types of answers we can only get by actually booting one up and using it (such as how well backward compatibility works), including specifics like the configurations, storage capacity and so on.  

The new series logo also appeared, thanks to a new “Optimized for Xbox Series X” badge that some games will bear.

The Xbox Series X enters a game that looks very different than when its predecessor, the Xbox One X arrived three years ago. Though technically it’s competing with other living room consoles (i.e., the PlayStation), in practice it’s now challenged by hugely popular phone-based mobile gaming and the Nintendo Switch handheld console, as well as nascent cloud-gaming options, for your entertainment time and money.

What’s the Xbox Series X release date, and how much will it cost?

Microsoft says it will ship this year, we think likely around the same time as the PS5. In 2013, the Xbox One launched a week after the PlayStation 4, which came out in mid-November. The company has already put up a page for notifications, which will turn into the preorder page once pricing is available.

As for price, that’s also still unknown. The Xbox 360 cost $399 when it launched in the US in 2005 and the Xbox One cost $499 when it launched in 2013, as did the subsequent flagship Xbox One X in 2017. But supply constraints for popular components such as memory and storage were already reportedly impacting the PS5 even before Sony was forced to change its promotion plans due to COVID-19, and shortages invariably drive prices up. Microsoft continues to say that the Xbox Series X launch won’t be affected. Current best guesses peg it at about $500 — a little less than its predecessors when you factor in inflation.

In a podcast with IGN on April 1, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he’s feeling “good” about the new system’s price. “I feel good about the price we’re going to be able to get to,” Spencer said. “I feel good about the price and the performance capabilities that we have for Series X. I feel incredibly strong about the overall package.”

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What are the Xbox Series X’s specs?

The console’s based around AMD’s current-generation Zen 2 processor architecture plus a graphics processor using AMD’s forthcoming RDNA 2 microarchitecture, so presumably built on the Navi 7-nanometer process. 

The system’s CPU is an eight-core custom Zen 2 processor running at 3.8GHz (3.66GHz with simultaneous mutlithreading). Its GPU is a custom RDNA 2 processor at 1.825GHz with 52 CUs that will create 12 teraflops. This puts Microsoft’s new console among some of the higher-end gaming PCs. 

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Other hardware includes 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, a 1TB SSD, an HDMI 2.1 connection carried over from the previous model and an optical drive for game discs. The SSD will incorporate a new feature called Xbox Velocity Architecture, which will let developers make use of up to 100GB of game assets instantaneously. There’s also a 1TB expansion drive for the system that will provide even more storage for games and have the same functionality as the internal SSD. 

A proprietary 1TB Seagate expansion drive will be able to plug into the back of the Xbox Series X providing extra storage for games. It’s designed to have the same architecture as the internal SSD, allowing for the same performance. External drives can still work with the Xbox Series X, but they can only store game data and will need to transfer games to the console’s SSD or expansion drive in order to play.   

Unsurprisingly, it incorporates Microsoft’s DirectX 12 Ultimate, the latest version of the company’s graphics programming interface (which is in Windows 10), notably its GPU support for DirectX ray tracing and Variable Rate Shading (DXR 1.1). In combination, these all will allow the Xbox to drive higher frame rates — 4K resolution at 120 frames per second — with variable rate refresh support when connected to compatible TVs or monitors (i.e., they have an HDMI 2.1 connection). 

As for the actual size of the new console, it will measure 151mm by 151mm by 301mm (approximately 6 by 6 by 12 inches).