Xbox Series X Series X 4K/8k 1Tb SSD -Black

The Xbox Series X sneaks up on you. It’s a minimalist block with precisely one curve on the entire thing. And when you turn it on, the dashboard looks almost identical to the one that Xbox One gamers have been using for years. Even the power button makes the same beeps, and the packed-in controller is barely changed. It’s not until you fire up a game and are launched into smooth, native 4K amazingly quickly that the Series X justifies spending R12000 to upgrade. This console makes few compromises and, now that Xbox Game Studios has launched a couple of technically amazing showcase games in Microsoft and forza horizon 5 (both of which scored 10/10 on IGN), going back to even an xbox 1 would be agonizing.

From the moment you open the Xbox Series X box, it makes a great first impression with a presentation reminiscent of an Apple product. It’s clear that every aspect of that process has been carefully considered, including the console’s central, isolated placement in the box, making it feel like you’re opening a present. It’s befitting of a premium R12000 device

That customer-first thinking continues with an easy initial setup when you plug the Series X in and turn it on. You can even use your smartphone to log into your account and toggle your settings and prefs while the box itself downloads and installs a firmware update. Once you’re up and running, you’ve got multiple options for bringing your existing library to the Series X – the best of which don’t require you to redownload anything. For instance, if your current Xbox is still hooked up to your network when you bring home the Series X, simply plug in the Series X and transfer all of your games right over the network – which, provided your network is up to snuff, is pretty quick. It’s as painless as upgrading a smartphone.

 

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

Let’s talk about the console design itself. It’s minimalist, yes, but bold. To my eye, it’s easily the best in Xbox history – when it’s standing vertically at least. On its side, it looks like a giant misplaced LEGO piece, and you can’t remove the vertical stand on the left side, which is awkward. But when stood tall, it’s big enough to confidently tower in your entertainment center while compact and subtle enough that it doesn’t dominate it.

It's minimalist, yes, but bold.

The top of the Series X is something of an industrial designer’s magic trick; the concave ventilation screen gives an appealing look of both depth and premium quality when viewed at eye level or higher, and the green coloring on the inside half of those ventilation holes pops with a much-needed accent that makes the inside of the Series X appear to be illuminated even when it’s turned off.