Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X: Your next gaming console

At the annual Game Awards last week, Microsoft formally unveiled the new Xbox console with the new Xbox Series X. The new console isn’t a totally kept secret from Microsoft as it already announced it long before as Project Scarlett.

Now, Microsoft’s big shot at consoles is something that’s never been done in gaming consoles but you’ve most likely had already seen something similar to it as the new Xbox Series X is looking exactly like your vertically oriented desktop box.

You’ll see a minimalist approach around the new design with nothing but the Xbox logo on the front which doubles as the unit’s power button. There’s also a slot for discs which enable the console to play you Xbox game collections even from the first generation Xbox.

Designed to blend-in and ultimately integrate into anyone’s living space, the new Xbox Series X uses a single fan at the bottom that pushes the air up on top to cool the entire unit. Xbox chief Phil Spencer claims that this design makes it a lot quieter and less louder than an Xbox One X.

For its size, the Xbox Series X is just a wide as its controller and about as high as three controllers stack-up together. While the unit is meant to be standing up, it can still sit horizontally with no problem as well.

The new Xbox Series X is also said to be four time more powerful than its predecessor with support for 4K visuals at 60fps and even up to 120fps, it also has 8K capabilities just in case games runs that way. It offers hardware-accelerated ray tracing and variable refresh rates. That’s made possible with the Xbox Series X custom processor and GPU with the next-gen SSD inside that virtually eliminate loading times.

Like we’ve mentioned earlier, the Xbox Series X supports games even those released for the first-gen Xbox and not only that, it also supports all accessories from previous generation Xbox models and your Xbox Game Pass should work without a hitch. With that said, all your game achievements and game saves are all accessible as it is shared across devices.

Along with the new Xbox Series X, Microsoft also announced a new Xbox Wireless Controller that’s refined for more people. It has a share button and an upgraded D-pad based on the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller. As expected, the new wireless controller doesn’t just work with Xbox but also in Windows 10 so gaming experience from both Xbox and Windows platform should be on par.

Release date and the price for the new Xbox Series X is still undisclosed but given with the new titles to take advantage of the new hardware, We’d expect it to hit shelves early next year.