Things About The Xbox Series X Fans Can't Stand
Following a series of leaks involving the Xbox Series S, Microsoft finally decided to reveal both the price point and the release date for its new Xbox consoles. The Xbox Series X and Series S will be released on Nov. 10, 2020. Ahead of the console's release, however, there have been a few concerns raised regarding the new systems. To put it bluntly, there are some things about the Xbox Series X that fans can't stand.
One of the issues that fans have had with the Xbox Series X is that there are no plans to drastically overhaul the user interface seen on the Xbox One. According to Tom Warren of The Verge, the dashboard of the Series X will remain mostly the same. There may be some minor tweaks to incorporate some of the new console features, such as Quick Resume, but there are no immediate plans to make things significantly different. This has been seen as a disappointment to some fans who feel that the next-gen launch should bring a different look and feel to the overall Xbox experience.
On the positive side, the lack of major changes to the UI does not mean that there won't be some solid upgrades. Instead of trying to fix what isn't broken, Xbox is working to strengthen the interface that fans are already familiar with. As part of what the company refers to as "the new Xbox Experience," Xbox is focusing on improving the speed and performance, as well as simplifying and streamlining certain aspects of the UI, including notifications. While some fans may be worried that the UI will feel outdated in the new console generation, it's good to know that there will be fixes and tweaks to improve it in noticeable ways.
Some fans are also frustrated with how confusing the upgrade path is for some upcoming games. This is actually an issue that plagues both the Xbox and the PlayStation 5, but one of the main things that Xbox has been pushing going into this new console generation is the concept of cross-generational play. In particular, the Xbox Smart Delivery system is intended to make it easy for gamers to upgrade many of their Xbox One games to the Series X version.
Luckily, Xbox is working to make sure that most cross-gen upgrades are free to customers, if not all of them. The company is also going the extra mile to package some games with both versions of the game. For instance, the physical Xbox Series X release of Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War will be shipping with both the Series X disc and the Xbox One disc, just to make that transition between consoles a bit smoother.
However, there is still some confusion regarding which games are meant to be cross-gen and which ones are timed exclusives for the Series X. Earlier in 2020, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said that he found the concept of console exclusives to be antithetical to gaming culture. Furthermore, Spencer told BBC News that he didn't want people to feel pressured into buying an Xbox Series X just to play the latest games. However, the Xbox Games Showcase announced several new titles as Xbox Series X exclusives. This made it seem like Xbox had broken a promise, leaving many fans to wonder if they really did need to make the console upgrade in order to play the latest titles. This kind of mixed messaging has been an issue with the Series X for quite a while, which has led to quite a bit of frustration and confusion going into the next console generation.
Another of the biggest issues people have with upgrading to the Series X right away is the fact that the console's biggest launch title has been delayed until sometime next year. Halo Infinite was the subject of some harsh reactions after its big gameplay reveal at July's Xbox Series X Games Showcase. To put it quite simply, the game didn't look anywhere close to finished. It was even revealed that the footage shown to fans was captured on a gaming PC, not a Series X, which didn't inspire much confidence in how the game would run on the system it was supposed to be promoting. It turns out that it was indeed far from being completed, which led to 343 Industries announcing plans to push the game back until next year.
While the Xbox Series X still has quite an impressive lineup of games, it does seem to have far fewer exclusives than one would expect, which may give some fans reason to pause. Without a heavy hitter like Halo Infinite releasing alongside the console, many gamers may end up waiting until later to pick up the new console.
It remains to be seen how these issues will impact the sales of the Xbox Series X. However, between a recent IGN poll and research from market analysts, it would seem that the Xbox Series X may have a bit of an uphill climb in the next console generation.