Xbox Series X/S | Price Increases for Series X and Game Pass

[Moonface]

So Microsoft have stated that the console can be both vertical and horizontal, and it will have backwards compatibility with all Xbox games and accessories.

I'm very happy about the BC just because it might encourage Sony to do the same if they weren't already going to actually do it.

[King Atem]

I'm a tad curious what the Xbox Series Tower Spongebob Edition X is going to cost.

[Karo]

Now that just an ugly name tbh Xbox One was kinda like alright, I really liked the project name, but Xbox Series X? What the hell were they thinking that the Xbox is a slasher villian?

[Dragon Lord]

I guess they wanted a name as terrible as the design? I mean, seriously. Even if you can set that thing on its side, it's hideous. The only good thing to come out of it so far are all the memes and people abbreviating it as "the Xbox SeX."

But, wait a second...

>Xbox Series X
>Xbox SeX
>Sex sells

.........

[Mr EliteL]

Yeah the name feels almost like Xbox One all over again. Then for that the upgrade version was Xbox One X, so they don't seem to be great at coming up with a new name.

Good thing the system can be laid both vertical and horizontal though. I'm not too bothered by the shape as we've already had GameCube, although GC definitely has the better design.

[Moonface]

So Microsoft have said the console name is actually just Xbox. Series X is just a subtitle or something, and not part of the actual name. They literally called their new console the exact same as the original one.

[queenzelda]

Na, it's really a brick.

[Dragon Lord]

So Microsoft have said the console name is actually just Xbox. Series X is just a subtitle or something, and not part of the actual name. They literally called their new console the exact same as the original one.

And here we were, thinking that Microsoft couldn't possibly come up with a naming scheme that sounded dumber than the Xbox Series X. Big oof. 

So is there going to be an Xbox Series Y and Xbox Series Z? What about A-W? If we don't get 26 different versions of this Xbox, I'm going to be disappointed at their lack of commitment.

[Mr EliteL]

Really? Worse than I thought. Let's recap a bit now. Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and now Xbox. Terribly confusing. Their second console having a 3 in the name, 3rd has 1 for some reason and in letter form, then the 4th has reverted back to the first name? Did they get muddled up after naming the 360 or something?

OK well, enough of that from me.

[Moonface]

Their names have always at least had reasoning, even in this instance. 360 was meant to be about a fully encompassing experience or something, One was because it was All in One, and this new one is just meant to be focusing on the brand alone, similar to a car or something I guess where everything will be say, a Hyundai, but then there's different models and such. If it wasn't for the original Xbox, the approach probably wouldn't be as bad because there'd be nothing to confuse it against. Although I do expect there to be a lot of less informed buyers asking for the new Xbox without knowing what model it should be and having a hard time figuring out what to do. It wasn't exactly easy with the One, but this seems to be doubling down on that problem of distinguishing systems within the singular generational series.

[queenzelda]

We all know this is going to give a huge headache to people who work in retail & soccer moms come in asking to buy little Timmy the newest Xbox. "Which one lady." XD

[ShiraNoMai]

Like Dragon Lord said, PlayStation, while having the most basic of names, has literally the best naming convention of all mainline console manufacturers. Easy and simple marketing. None of this convoluted "artistic" choice naming conventions that plague both Microsoft and Nintendo's legacies.

Regardless of the naming choices they've made, the console itself does seem like it's heading in the right direction in terms of what's in the box itself. Between this and their xCloud stuff they're working on alongside this, I'm more interested in Microsoft's offerings for this next gen than Sony at this point.

[Moonface]

Xbox Series X Specs and Features Detailed
Phil Spencer has shared some of the specifications and features that can be expected from the next generation of Xbox, with more details due to be released during E3 2020:

• 12 Teraflops of GPU performance - Offering double the power of the Xbox One X, and almost 2 TFLOPS more than Google Stadia.
  
• Variable Rate Shading (VRS) - Prioritizes individual effects on specific characters or objects, rather than using GPU cycles on every pixel on screen all the time. Will allow for more stable frame rates and higher resolutions.
  
• Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing - True-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time to deliver more dynamic and realistic environments.
  

• SSD Storage - Game worlds are larger, more dynamic and load in a flash.
  
• Multiple Quick Resume - Continue multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly, instead of the current generational approach of only one game being suspended at a time.
  
• Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) - A new feature which synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed, controls are even more precise and responsive.
  
• HDMI 2.1 Innovation - Enables features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). ALLM allows Xbox One and Xbox Series X to automatically set the connected display to its lowest latency mode. VRR synchronizes the display’s refresh rate to the game’s frame rate, maintaining smooth visuals without tearing. Ensuring minimal lag and the most responsive gaming experience.
  
• 120FPS Support - It's 120 frames per second and explains itself compared to 60FPS.
  

• Backwards Compatibility - Every backwards-compatible original Xbox and Xbox 360 game is playable, along with all existing Xbox One games and Xbox One accessories.
  
• Smart Delivery - Purchase a game once and use it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X, with the best version being delivered to you dependent on the console in use. This will be applied to all Microsoft Studio's titles that release on Xbox One first and is available to any third-party developers. Cyberpunk 2077 will support this feature and therefore you will not need to buy another copy to get the Xbox Series X version of the game.
  
• Xbox Game Pass - As you'd expect, Xbox Game Pass is supported on Xbox Series X.
  

[Dragon Lord]

It's kind of funny that I haven't seen much excitement over the specs of this. Mainly because everyone knows just because they have the power, doesn't mean they'll have the games. I know it's like a broken record at this point, but we cannot stress enough that unless Microsoft learned their lesson about focusing on power/features that no one wanted over quality exclusives, they're going to find themselves having a repeat of the previous console generation.

Microsoft especially has to be careful with how the Switch is doing. The popularity of the Switch shows that a lot of people don't care a whole lot about the power of the system and would rather have the games (and in the Switch's case, the added convenience of on-the -go). Everyone knows Sony is most likely going to come out of the gate with some kick-ass exclusives for the PS5, so Microsoft needs to prove to the gaming world that they can play with the big boys.

[Moonface]

While the specs are nice, I agree with you @Dragon Lord. Power alone won't matter if the exclusives on the system aren't frequently releasing and when they do, rarely manage to capture the same level of quality that earlier titles did. Halo seems to be at a point where Infinite will bring it back to greatness or bury it entirely, and Gears 5 was better than 4 from what I've heard but not on par to the original trilogy. Forza seems to be the only series Microsoft has that constantly delivers, but that's just one game.

I expect they may be throwing the specs out now so that their E3 conference is focused on the content offerings more than the hardware offerings.