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  • An Xbox Series X with controller.
    An Xbox Series X with controller.
  • An Xbox Series S with controller.
    An Xbox Series S with controller.

History

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Development

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Building 92 in 2016 at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington.

Rumors of Project Scarlett began to surface in June of 2018, which predicted a console launch in 2020.[1] On December 12, 2019 the design for the Xbox Series X was revealed in a video which features recordings of philosopher Alan Watts.[2][3][4]

In September of 2020 just prior to launch, Microsoft purchases Zenimax Media which gives them ownership of a number of Bethesda and iD software game franchises including Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls.[5] This acquisition was done to bolster the Game Pass program.[6]

Early Reactions

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The name of the system lead to widespread confusion and a number of jokes, including by internal social media.[7][8] The English abbreviation and the Japanese pronunciation of the Xbox Series X both contained innuendos, leading to additional mockery.[9]

Many internet commentators noting the design of the Series X resembles a refrigerator.[10] In response, in late October 2020 a special edition six foot tall refrigerator themed after the Xbox Series X was revealed.[11][10]

Launch

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An Xbox Wireless controller in Shock Blue.

Two consoles were announced for launch on November 10th, 2020, the $299 digital only Series S, and the $499 Series X.[12] Within a day the Xbox Series X and Series X broke first day sales records for Xbox consoles.[13] Supply issues would continue to plague the console through January 2021.[14]

On January 22nd, 2021 Microsoft announced a price increase for Xbox Live for the first time in nearly a decade.[15] Facing a large backlash, Microsoft reversed their decision to increase the price by January 23rd, 2021, though they did continue to make free to play games not require a subscription for online play.[16][17]

In early 2021 Microsoft improved it's accessibility program for the Xbox Series, helping game developers confirm their games are playable by those with handicaps.[18]

From launch to the release of a March 2021 patch, controllers for the system had issues maintaining connections with the console.[19][20] An official wireless headset was also released in March 2021.[21][22]

In 2021 a promotion with Krispy Kreme in the UK and Ireland was announced, creating an Xbox themed doughnut for the 20th anniversary of Xbox.[23][24]

The Xbox Series line did notably better in Japan then the prior Xbox One line.[25][26]

Expansion

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“ Xbox has lost the console wars, and its rivals are positioned to continue to dominate, including by leveraging exclusive content. ”

—2023 Microsoft Document, The Verge[27]

Technology

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Series X

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Compute

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The Xbox Series X uses an 7 nanometer process 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at 3.8 gigahertz with simultaneous multithreading off or 3.6 gigahertz with simultaneous multithreading on.[28] The AMD RDNA based GPU has 52 compute units clocked at 1.825 gigahertz with a performance of 12 teraflops.[28]

The Series X has 16 gigabytes of GDDR6 RAM, with 10 gigabytes having a 560GB/s bandwidth and 6 gigabytes having a 336GB/s bandwidth.[28]

Hardware

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The Series X uses an internal custom 1 terabyte non-volatile memory express (NVMe) solid state drive.[28] Storage is expandable.[28] The Series X has a Ultra HD Blu Ray Drive for external storage,[28] as well as a storage expansion slot.

The Series X internals are very modular for a console, and have significant amounts of cooling.[29] A large 130 millimeter fan is used for cooling,[30] in conjunction with a copper vapor chamber.[31] Some have speculated the use of significant cooling by Microsoft is an attempt to not repeat the widespread reliability issues caused by inadequate cooling on previous consoles such as the Xbox 360.[32]

The system uses an HDMI 2.1 port.[33]

Series S

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Compute

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The Xbox Series S uses an 7 nanometer process 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at 3.6 gigahertz with simultaneous multithreading off or 3.4 gigahertz with simultaneous multithreading on.[34] The AMD RDNA based GPU has 20 compute units clocked at 1.565 gigahertz with a performance of 4 teraflops.[34]

The Series S has 10 gigabytes of GDDR6 RAM, with 8 gigabytes having a 224GB/s bandwidth and 2 gigabytes having a 56GB/s bandwidth.[34]

Hardware

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The Series S uses a custom internal 512 gigabyte non-volatile memory express (NVMe) solid state drive.[34] Internal storage is expandable through a slot,[34] though the console lacks a optical drive.

A small illustration of a Spartan helmet from the Halo series is located on the Series S internal power supply unit casing - A hardware easter egg.[35][36]

Dev Kit

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The official Xbox Series X developer kit casing is very similar to the project scorpio Dev Kit made in the lead up to the Xbox One X, though there are differences.[37] Prior to launch, developers of UWP apps were advised to simply use a Xbox One X and then validate on Xbox Series X or Series S hardware when they became available.[38] The Series X developer kit featured enhanced memory with a 320 bit bus capable of higher speeds at 560 gigabytes a second, and having a larger amount, sporting 40 gigabytes of GDDR6 VRAM.[39][40] This memory was contained in 20 Samsung K4ZAF325BM-HC14 chips containing 2 gigabytes of VRAM each.[41] The Series X dev kit also included a 10 gigabit Ethernet port, a built in display and extra buttons.[40][41][42]

Standard Xbox Series Consoles can be used for development through a development mode.[43][44] In January 2022 restrictions began being implemented to stop homebrew and emulation.[45][46]

Software

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The Xbox Series X and Series S both support universal windows platform (UWP) applications, with no significant changes from the proceeding Xbox One X console for backwards compatibility reasons.[38]

Notable games

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Halo Infinite

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On July 29th, 2021 a limited public beta of the multiplayer was launched.[47] As a result of an accidental inclusion, a number of plot details of the game were leaked early.[48]

Read more about Halo Infinite on Wikipedia.

Hi-Fi Rush

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Read more about Hi-Fi Rush on Wikipedia.

Redfall

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Read more about Redfall on Wikipedia.

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  • The Xbox Series X viewed diagonally from the top.
    The Xbox Series X viewed diagonally from the top.
  • Series X with controller.
    Series X with controller.
  • Xbox Series logotype with color.
    Xbox Series logotype with color.
  • Monochrome Xbox Series logotype.
    Monochrome Xbox Series logotype.

External Resources

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Wikipedia has related information at Xbox Series X and Series S

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Xbox Series X and Series S

  • Xbox - Official website.

References

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 Parts of this page are based on materials from:
 Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia.
  1. ↑ Warren, Tom (12 June 2018). "Microsoft's next-generation Xbox reportedly arriving in 2020". The Verge. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "Xbox Series X - World Premiere - 4K Trailer". Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Next Xbox is named Xbox Series X, launches holiday 2020". New Atlas. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "We Know The Name Of The Next Xbox And It's Series-ous". Gizmodo Australia. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Browning, Kellen; Lohr, Steve (21 September 2020). "Microsoft Grabs Some of World's Biggest Games in $7.5 Billion Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Warren, Tom (11 March 2021). "Xbox boss says Microsoft’s Bethesda deal was all about exclusive games for Game Pass" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22325757/microsoft-xbox-bethesda-acquisition-game-pass-exclusive-games-phil-spencer-comment. 
  7. ↑ Warren, Tom (12 August 2021). "Even Microsoft is mocking its Xbox Series X name" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/8/12/22621589/microsoft-xbox-series-x-name-meme-mock-video. 
  8. ↑ "Xbox Series X Name Is So Goofy Even Microsoft Pokes Fun At It". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-series-x-name-is-so-goofy-even-microsoft-pokes-fun-at-it/1100-6495102/. 
  9. ↑ "The Xbox Series X Has Nicknames Like "Sex" And "Butt X"" (in en-us). Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/the-xbox-series-x-has-nicknames-like-sex-and-butt-x-1840409429. 
  10. ↑ a b Piper, Daniel. "Microsoft embraces mocking memes with hilarious new Xbox product". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Xbox and Snoop Dogg Unveil the Xbox Series X Fridge". Xbox Wire. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Spencer, Phil (9 September 2020). "Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Launch November 10, Starting at $24.99 a Month with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play". Xbox Wire. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/09/09/xbox-series-x-and-xbox-series-s-launching-november-10/. Retrieved 24 October 2020. 
  13. ↑ Kerr, Chris. "Xbox Series X and S deliver Microsoft's biggest ever console launch". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Browning, Kellen (29 January 2021). "Still Looking for a New Gaming Console? Here’s Why". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/29/business/ps5-xbox-console-shortage.html. 
  15. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (22 January 2021). "The price of Xbox Live Gold is going up" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2021/1/22/22244203/xbox-live-gold-price-increase-subscription. 
  16. ↑ Byford, Sam (23 January 2021). "Microsoft backtracks on Xbox Live Gold price hike" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/23/22245630/microsoft-xbox-live-gold-price-increase-reversed-f2p. 
  17. ↑ "No Changes to Xbox Live Gold Pricing, Free-to-Play Games to be Unlocked [Update"]. Xbox Wire. 22 January 2021. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/22/update-on-xbox-live-gold-pricing/. 
  18. ↑ Sanchez, Kait (16 February 2021). "Microsoft starts new program to help make more accessible games" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/16/22286216/microsoft-xbox-games-tested-accessibility-guidelines. 
  19. ↑ Peters, Jay (11 March 2021). "Microsoft says the latest Xbox Series X update fixes controller disconnect issues" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22326224/microsoft-xbox-series-x-controller-disconnect-issues-march-update. 
  20. ↑ "The March Xbox Update also fixes controller connection issues". Windows Central. 12 March 2021. https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-fixes-xbox-controller-connection-issues-march-update. 
  21. ↑ "Xbox Wireless Headset review: Microsoft delivers a high-value option". Windows Central. 15 March 2021. https://www.windowscentral.com/official-xbox-wireless-headset-review. 
  22. ↑ Faulkner, Cameron (15 March 2021). "Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Headset is a mic-drop moment" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/22325883/microsoft-xbox-wireless-headset-gaming-series-x-s-pc-windows-10-review. 
  23. ↑ "Krispy Kreme has created official Xbox-branded doughnuts". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/krispy-kreme-xbox-doughnuts-122614458.html. 
  24. ↑ Warren, Tom (28 July 2021). "Krispy Kreme is selling Xbox doughnuts" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/7/28/22597592/krispy-kreme-xbox-doughnut-donut-uk. 
  25. ↑ "Xbox Series X|S sells 100,000 units in Japan" (in en). GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-10-15-xbox-series-x-s-sells-100-000-units-in-japan. 
  26. ↑ "【ソフト＆ハード週間販売数】『メトロイド ドレッド』が8.6万本で首位。新型Switch（有機ELモデル）は13.8万台のセールスを記録【10/4～10/10】". https://www.famitsu.com/news/202110/14237319.html. 
  27. ↑ Warren, Tom (22 June 2023). "Microsoft says Xbox has ‘lost the console wars.’". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/22/23769761/microsoft-says-xbox-has-lost-the-console-wars. 
  28. ↑ a b c d e f Tuttle, Will (16 March 2020). "Xbox Series X: A Closer Look at the Technology Powering the Next Generation". Xbox Wire. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/03/16/xbox-series-x-tech/. Retrieved 24 October 2020. 
  29. ↑ "Xbox Series X Teardown". iFixit. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  30. ↑ "Xbox Series X stays cool with frosty 49C temps while playing in 120FPS". TweakTown. 15 October 2020. https://www.tweaktown.com/news/75710/xbox-series-stays-cool-with-frosty-49c-temps-while-playing-in-120fps/index.html. 
  31. ↑ "Xbox Series X teardown reveals the massive cooling system". SlashGear. 11 November 2020. https://www.slashgear.com/xbox-series-x-teardown-reveals-the-massive-cooling-system-11646902/. 
  32. ↑ "Does Xbox Series X get really hot? We ran thermal tests to find out.". Windows Central. 15 October 2020. https://www.windowscentral.com/how-hot-does-xbox-series-x-get. 
  33. ↑ "What’s the Deal with HDMI 2.1?" (in en-AU). Kotaku Australia. 16 February 2021. https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/02/what-is-hdmi-2-1-and-why-is-it-important/. 
  34. ↑ a b c d e "The all-new Xbox Series S Xbox". Xbox.com. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  35. ↑ "Xbox Series S Console Hides Small Halo Easter Egg". Game Rant. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  36. ↑ Zell-Breier, Sam (10 November 2020). "The Xbox Series S Easter egg you probably missed". SVG.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  37. ↑ "This Is What The Xbox Series X Devkit Looks Like". Pure Xbox. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  38. ↑ a b Blog, Windows Developer (17 September 2020). "App Compatibility for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Consoles". Windows Developer Blog. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  39. ↑ "Xbox Series X Devkit Teardown Reveals A Whopping 40GB Of RAM". Pure Xbox. 25 April 2022. https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/04/xbox-series-x-devkit-teardown-reveals-a-whopping-40gb-of-ram. 
  40. ↑ a b Alderson, Alex. "The Xbox Series X developer kit shows up in teardown with a display and 40 GB of GDDR6 VRAM" (in en). Notebookcheck. https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Xbox-Series-X-developer-kit-shows-up-in-teardown-with-a-display-and-40-GB-of-GDDR6-VRAM.615816.0.html. 
  41. ↑ a b Tyson, Mark (23 April 2022). "Xbox Series X Dev Kit Teardown Reveals 40GB GDDR6 RAM" (in en). Tom's Hardware. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/xbox-series-x-dev-kit-teardown-reveals-40gb-gddr6-ram. 
  42. ↑ Mujtaba, Hassan (23 April 2022). "Xbox Series X Developer Kit Teardown Unveils 40 GB GDDR6 Memory, Features 20 Samsung Dies Running at 14 Gbps". Wccftech. https://wccftech.com/xbox-series-x-developer-kit-teardown-unveils-40-gb-gddr6-memory-features-20-samsung-dies-running-at-14-gbps/. 
  43. ↑ "Xbox One UWP apps and games will be supported on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S". MSPoweruser. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  44. ↑ Orland, Kyle (24 November 2020). "How to turn your Xbox Series X/S into an emulation powerhouse". Ars Technica. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  45. ↑ "Xbox Begins Disabling Dev Mode Accounts, Removing Access To Emulators". Pure Xbox. 5 January 2022. https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/01/xbox-begins-disabling-dev-mode-accounts-removing-access-to-emulators. 
  46. ↑ "Microsoft Is Disabling Dev Mode Access on Xbox... | MVG". Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  47. ↑ Warren, Tom (28 July 2021). "Halo Infinite’s first multiplayer beta begins on July 29th" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/28/22597498/halo-infinite-multiplayer-technical-preview-beta-july-29th. 
  48. ↑ Hollister, Sean (30 July 2021). "PSA: You might want to avoid the gobs of Halo Infinite spoilers Microsoft just leaked" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/30/22602811/halo-infinite-story-spoiler-leak-cortana-technical-preview. 


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