Microsoft has been sending review units of the consoles out over the past few weeks and months, and now – finally – we can see what everyone thinks of the upcoming next-gen hardware. There are a few themes running through the reviews; there’s almost universal praise of the actual hardware itself. It’s fast, it’s quiet, it’s well-designed and it just works, straight out the box. But many critics have an issue with the lineup of titles available at launch. Our own Alex Donaldson puts it particularly well, noting that the machines are powerful, currently lacking in next-gen wows, and killer for backwards compatibility. And it’s an opinion seemingly shared by games media at large. Digital Foundry’s review looks towards the console’s future and suggests that even though the launch may be slightly underwhelming, Microsoft has established a solid foundation. Richard Leadbetter writes: The Verge’s Tom Warren shares a similar sentiment in his review, and after a lot of praise directed at the hardware and how Microsoft is harnessing the strengths of PC gaming for its latest console release, ends on the same note: that hardware isn’t the full picture. Unsurprisingly, CNET has a similar conclusion in its review, with Dan Ackerman writing that Microsoft’s multi-tiered approach in the Series S and Series X is a relief for gamers that may think the $500 investment in next-gen is a little hard to swallow right now, with so few games natively available for the Xbox Series X. Over at USGamer, Kat Bailey celebrates Microsoft’s impressive rebound. Once again, similar themes crop up: Microsoft’s strategy is sound, its hardware is effective… but there’s something central to the whole new-generation experience that seems to be missing. “I played the same handful of games on both the Series X and Series S, via a 65-inch LG OLED, and found very little practical difference in the experience. The Series S also lacks the optical drive, but I’m a well-known optical drive skeptic, preferring to skip complex mechanical parts that spin around and are more likely to break down.” Seth Barton at MVC concludes on the same note, acknowledging the evolution of Microsoft’s vision whilst criticising the lack of one true killer app. Keza McDonald of The Guardian lands on the same conclusion, noting that whilst the machine isn’t doing anything amazingly well, it’s not doing anything particularly wrong, either. “All the hardware really needs now is that one synonymous game – a Mario 64, a Breath of the Wild (a perfect example as it’s also a cross-gen title), a Halo: Combat Evolved – to really mark out its greatness.” Polygon’s Chris Plante goes in a bit harder with a skewering opener to what ends up being a positive review. “If I judged Microsoft’s new video game console, the Xbox Series X, purely as a piece of hardware, I’d only need one word: boring,” he says in the opening sting, circling back to the point in the closing paragraphs with a great summary of where Microsoft is at right now. The Xbox Series X and S consoles both launch on November 10. Everything you need to know about Microsoft’s brand new hardware can be found right here. “The Xbox Series X is boring. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
