Power, graphics, games: what is the Xbox Series X, the new console from Microsoft, worth?

The "war of consoles" starts again!

Seven years after the PS4 and Xbox One, the ninth generation of video game consoles is coming to Christmas.

In fact, in all cases, it will take you to the next level.

The, or rather, babies since there are two models: the Xbox Series X, classic version (500 euros), and the Xbox Series S, version without disk drive and with less power (300 euros).

Europe 1 was able to preview the Series X. We tell you everything about this highly anticipated console.

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Design: Microsoft plays the card of sobriety

Let's start with the first thing that is obvious once the box is unpacked: the design of the Xbox Series X. No more flat rectangles, Microsoft has opted this time for a kind of rectangular tower that can be placed horizontally and sideways. vertical.

You still need a little room to store the beast, which measures all the same 30 centimeters long and 15 wide.

That being said, it is rather pleasing to the eye, both understated and elegant.

But we prefer the design of the S Series, white, flatter and which stands out with its black and round ventilation grille at the front.

Regarding the controller, Microsoft has bet on continuity.

Very popular with gamers, the Xbox controller is very similar to that of the previous generation and has simply been refined at the level of the handles.

It also has grips on the back and on the triggers.

Appreciable alterations since they improve grip, like the directional cross, also reworked.

Please note: Xbox One controllers are compatible with the Xbox Series.

This is how it works.

Or a home screen a little messy at first but fully customizable.

Once the fold is taken, we can therefore classify our games and especially transform our Xbox into a complete entertainment center thanks to a multitude of applications: Netflix, Youtube, Disney + ...

Performance: stronger, more beautiful, faster

Inside, we find the ultimate in technology.

The Xbox Series X is a powerhouse.

Everything has been improved, from the processor to the graphics card through the RAM.

More "intelligent", the console is able, for example, to perfectly model a house located in front of the camera and, when the player turns around, to drop it a little to focus on another house now visible.

A clever way to make the most of your abilities while avoiding constantly running at full speed.

As a result, she never looks in pain.

In the vertical position, the ventilation, which takes place from the top and the rear, is not heard at all.

Another novelty induced by the boosted processor: loading times, a plague of current consoles, are drastically reduced.

Depending on the game, they are divided by two, five or even ten!

A real happiness since it only takes a few seconds to start a game.

The Xbox Series X also offers an interesting feature: the "Quick Resume", which allows you to launch and keep open at the same time five to ten games.

We can thus start a hacking mission in 

, stop it to start a match on 

 with a friend, then return to the first game at the exact place where we left it, all in a few seconds.

In addition, the Xbox Series X incorporates "ray tracing", a technology that makes lights and reflections even more realistic.

Without being able to enjoy it because of the confinement, it is therefore possible to admire magnificent sunsets more real than life on the fjords of Norway in 

.

It is truly sublime and the difference with the Xbox One is very real.

Especially since on this new console, everything is now displayed in 4K, an ultra high definition image, provided you have a compatible television.

All of this literally boosts the games by allowing you to explore bigger, fuller, more detailed worlds.

Games: backward compatibility rather than exclusives

In terms of games, the Xbox Series launch catalog includes most of the blockbusters of the end of the year: 

.

For these games already released, the publishers have planned upgrades to take advantage of the power of the new consoles.

At launch, however, there is only one real exclusive: 

, a Japanese RPG of good quality but which will not convince Playstation fans to switch.

But more than the novelties, the strength of the Xbox Series is the backward compatibility with all the games released on previous consoles, since 2000. It reads any game CD and finds the titles purchased in a dematerialized way on the Store.

It is therefore possible to easily dive back into any game!

A real plus, especially since the console automatically applies a graphic improvement to them.

Finally, the Xbox Game Pass, subscription at 10 euros per month, gives access to a catalog of a hundred more or less recent games, regularly renewed.

A triple layer that makes the Xbox Series a very complete console in terms of content.

To finish, let us specify that to store all this, it embeds an internal hard drive SSD of one terabyte.

That's a lot, but we already know that games will blithely exceed the 100 gigabytes of space required.

Inflation that will worsen over the years and therefore risks bringing the console to saturation.

To complete, it is therefore possible to insert a memory extension of one terabyte or to use an external hard drive to store your games.