Xbox Series X – Three Weeks Later

It was just before the holiday that Xbox Canada was able to send over an Xbox Series X for us to try out, review, and use for Xbox content going forward. And we did a ton of early impressions, and a complete review as well. News flash – all of our staff currently playing on Xbox Series X are loving the experience the console provides, and although it lacks brand new, built from the ground up on Xbox Series X games, what we do have is pretty impressive.

As a video game journalist, reviewing games is part of the gig, and generally we are not too fussy about where we do our reviews. Since Xbox Canada was nice enough to set us up with an Xbox One X when it launched, we prioritized third party titles on the Xbox platform because we wanted to thank Microsoft for their kind generosity to keep us going as an outlet, but also wanted to provide the best experience for our readers. Since we didn’t have a PS4 Pro at that time, we opted for Xbox. Now, most of our staff have access to an Xbox Series X / S or the PlayStation 5, so we’ve begun to prioritize games based on how soon we can get them. Sometimes PS codes become available before Xbox, and vice versa.

That being said, we still prioritize Xbox when possible. When all things are equal, and codes drop at the same time, we go the Microsoft route. And that’s not a stab at the PlayStation 5, which is a fabulous console as well. It’s just what I’m familiar with. But there are other reasons we look to prioritize the Xbox.

Quick Resume

I cannot stat how much I enjoy the quick resume feature on the Xbox Series X. When I’m juggling a few review games at once, I rarely do one start-to-finish before starting the next. To avoid game fatigue, I love to jump around, between review titles and personal play titles like ARK: Survival Evolved. Being able to quickly swap between my games is outstanding, and has come into use way more than I initially thought it would. Stuck on a particularly hard boss and getting frustrated? Let’s hop out of this, and jump into a game of NHL to clear my mind. It’s simple, it works 90%+ of the time, and it’s something I wish was available on the PS5.

It’s Where my Friend and Family Are & Familiarity

As much as I praise the PlayStation 5 to my friends and family, none of them are likely to plop another $800+ on another next generation gaming console. My family has, for as long as I can remember, been an Xbox family. In fact, we were part of the initial beta testing for Xbox Live back in the day, and got a ton of outstanding goodies that are still around today (somewhere…my parent’s attic maybe?). It’s where we’ve gamed for almost two decades, and it’s where we are likely to continue to game for the foreseeable future. To that end, the familiarity of the Xbox ecosystem from the Xbox One to the Series X / S is phenomenal, and while it might not feel like a visual next generation leap to some (me included), sometimes going with what works is the best way to go.

Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are fabulous consoles, and if you can get both you should. Sony is known for releasing fantastic, epic single player experiences you don’t want to miss out on, while Xbox is currently the most economical choice for gamers when you factor in GamePass. At the end of the day, though, we prioritize our Series X with cross platform games.