As for the one totally new button, it's dedicated to more easily sharing content, nabbing a clip or screenshot. These can be accessed or shared from the console similar to how the Xbox One supported sharing, but it can also be accessed from the Xbox mobile app and shared via any of your social media applications.

This next-gen controller uses the same Xbox Wireless Radio as Xbox One controllers so is cross-compatible with the Xbox One family of devices, but with reduced latency. It can also be used on PC and mobile (Android and iOS) and since it's built with Bluetooth Low Energy, it's easier and quicker to pair with other devices (that it will remember for switching between them). The Xbox Series X controller also makes the upgrade to a. USB-C port to use modern cables.

Xbox Series X Usability & Accessibility

Setting up the Xbox Series X is rather painless and quick, and it can also be done by pairing with a mobile device using the updated Xbox app. Since the console downloads so efficiently, the first update only takes a minute and updating the controller's firmware is done wirelessly and quickly.

The layout and aesthetic of the Xbox Series X's home screen will be intimately familiar to Xbox One users, just more vibrant and speedy. The Xbox Series X also features an Auto-HDR function which is turned on by default and helps improve the visuals of SDR games if you have an HDR screen to play on.

The Xbox Assist app is listed on the home screen when starting up, providing quick tips on how to use the console, from payment notifications to capturing and sharing. Here, players can instantly check the status of the Xbox Live service as well. The tiles can be customized, from including certain games or even other players from your friends list.


Like the Xbox One, the Games & Apps button (accessed from a tile on home screen or from anywhere by pressing the Xbox button on the controller) is likely where you’ll go first. The library is better organized, with games categorized into what titles are owned on the account, which were acquired through Gold, and what games are available to install from Game Pass.

Given the hard disk space limitations on next-gen consoles, the Manage tab will be handy. Here, storage devices and updates will be listed, alongside a button to free up space - where players can see leftover add-ons to remove and games that can be shrunken down to conserve precious space. It's also here where users can plug in a USB drive to access other media (requires a Media Player app download to play the files).

Xbox also stays true to adding accessibility options. Holding down the Xbox button brings up Magnifier and Narrator options for the menus, and when arranging the home tiles there’s an Ease of Access high-contrast option as well to make on-screen features more readily visible. They even went the extra mile of adding tactile indicators for visually impaired users over the rear ports of the console. The Xbox Series X, since it supports all Xbox One peripherals, also supports Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Xbox Series X Is The Most Backward Compatible Console


With a lack of next-gen exclusive experiences, the Xbox Series S and X will rely on what came before and what many users already own from previous Xbox generations. And so much of this is well-supported, much like controllers and accessories from the Xbox One are. This consumer-friendly approach is a key selling point for players embedded in the Xbox ecosystem.

Going forward, that cross-generation support will be bolstered by the Smart Delivery system that ensures that any Xbox Game Studios game purchased for Xbox One or Xbox Series X will be available for both, with the upgraded version available on the Series X with no additional cost. All developers can and should take advantage of this.

It may seem obvious, but in testing multiple Xbox One versions of game, there is a noticeable improvement in performance and substantially improved load times. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Call of Duty: Warzone are great examples of games that were pushing it on last-gen systems but benefit greatly from the power of the Xbox Series X.

Should You Buy An Xbox Series X?

The concept of thousands of games from four generations of Xbox being available and playable on the Xbox Series X at launch is mind-bending, and this is one of the key selling points of joining or sticking with the Xbox ecosystem. The Series X supports nearly all games a long-time Xbox player may have (keep those old discs!) and makes this access a normal part of the experience. A place to have everything “Xbox” in one compact system, to play the most Xbox games ever in the best possible way, is a big part of the Series X appeal.


The Series X is familiar and superior, but it currently serves essentially as another iteration of the Xbox One versus something totally new and different, for better or worse. It’s an adequate starting point for Xbox to build on for years to come, but its long-term prospects depend on Xbox Game Studios supporting it in a way they failed to support the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X needs legitimate top-notch exclusive content to go with its highly impressive speed and power.

At the moment the Series X is held back by its limited storage and constraints of the 7-year-old Xbox One and because of it, modern multi-platform games on the next-gen Xbox still don't offer some the basics of what PC users should expect in terms of visual and graphics options. Until the games catch up to the console, users can at least benefit from everything the console does so well on its own in terms of improving the general experience and being consumer-friendly on older hardware and game support.

The Xbox Series X offers all the standard must-haves for a home entertainment unit, from all the streaming apps to being able to play 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs, and your own media via storage, but some of the features are more marketing buzzwords than widely usable features (120 FPS).

The Xbox Series X may be the most powerful console ever made but there's nothing that demonstrates this yet and all of its games can be played on older hardware. It’s the best way to play what you already have and what's coming up, but it's even more of an investment for the future where games can be built from the ground up to take advantage of what only next-gen consoles can offer.

The Xbox Series X releases worldwide on November 10, 2020.