Articles about Xbox Series X

Grand Theft Auto VI delayed and some gamers seem genuinely distraught

More bad news for the gaming community. Following the unfortunate Xbox price increases, Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will now launch on May 26, 2026. Yes, folks, that’s about a year later than many had hoped. The update came directly from the developer, which explained that the delay is necessary to ensure the game meets the quality standards fans expect. After more than a decade since GTA V, it’s a very tough pill to swallow.

Reactions online have been quite intense. Some gamers genuinely seem distraught, venting their disappointment across forums and social media platforms. It’s the kind of news that hits hard, especially when a title has been hyped for so long. One could almost imagine grown men screaming in agony from their moms’ basements -- figuratively, of course. At least I hope it’s figurative.

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Ho, ho, holy moly: Microsoft unveils new Xbox consoles for Christmas 2024

For the upcoming Christmas season, Microsoft is adding three new Xbox Series X|S options to its lineup, each with unique designs, storage capacities, and price points. Details regarding pre-orders and market availability will be announced in the coming months

The Xbox Series S 1TB in Robot White follows last year's Carbon Black version, offering gamers a sleek design with double the storage capacity to accommodate more games. It retains features like Quick Resume, fast load times, and gameplay up to 120 FPS. This new variant will be available at a retail price of $349.99, while the Carbon Black Series S 1TB will continue to be available until stock runs out.

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Microsoft is giving away a custom Bluey Xbox Series X and matching controller

To celebrate the launch of a new Bluey video game, Microsoft has unveiled a custom-themed Xbox Series X console which perfectly captures the energetic spirit and characters from the beloved children's show. Complementing the console is a specially designed controller (also featuring Bluey’s sister, Bingo), adding to the charm and appeal.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy this custom console as it's not for sale. Microsoft will instead be giving it away! To make the prize even more appealing, only one edition of this console is being offered for free. Yes, folks, there will be just one winner.

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Microsoft is rolling out an energy-saving software update to Xbox consoles

Xbox energy saving

Anyone with an Xbox Series X or S can expect to see a software update from Microsoft in the near future that will change the way their console uses energy-saving power modes.

The company has announced that it is rolling out an update that should dramatically reduce power consumption when an Xbox is not in use. The update will switch consoles to using Shutdown (energy saving) mode, which Microsoft says can cut power usage by up to 20 times.

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Microsoft's new online museum celebrates 20 years of Xbox

It’s been 20 years since Microsoft unveiled the original Xbox which, incidentally, is the only model of the company’s games console I’ve ever owned.

Although I’m a PlayStation gamer, I’m also interested in consoles of the past, and for that reason I’ve spent an enjoyable hour exploring Microsoft's new Xbox Museum. This site lets you discover the history of the brand and also the history of Halo, Microsoft's most famous gaming series.

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How to pre-order Microsoft's Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Halo Infinite Xbox Series X

If you are an Xbox fan, there's a good chance you already own one of Microsoft's newest game consoles. Whether it is Xbox Series S or X, both gaming systems play the same games, but the latter is more powerful than the former. With all of that said, the latest Xbox consoles can still be hard to buy due to low supply and high demand. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely contributed to this.

For those of you that still don't have one of the latest consoles, today, Microsoft unveils an insanely cool new variant of the Xbox Series X. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the much-respected Halo franchise, the Windows 11-maker announces a new Limited Edition Halo Infinite Xbox Series X ($549.99) will launch on November 15. It comes with a digital copy of the upcoming Halo Infinite game. In addition, the company is selling a Halo Infinite Limited Edition Elite Series 2 controller ($199.99). While pre-orders have largely sold out already, you can still score a Halo Infinite Xbox Series X pre-order today.

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Pre-order Xbox Series X and Series S consoles from the following retailers

If you’re interested in buying one of Microsoft’s new games consoles -- either the ultra-powerful Xbox Series X, or the diminutive, and more affordable Xbox Series S -- today is the day to get your pre-orders in to avoid disappointment.

There’s a lot of demand for both consoles right now, but persevere and you should be able to get one from the links below.

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Sony beats Microsoft yet again -- PlayStation 5 is priced $100 less than Xbox Series X!

Sony won the current generation of console wars, with PlayStation 4 far outselling Microsoft's Xbox One. And now, for the upcoming generation of gaming consoles, it looks like Sony will beat Microsoft once again -- in pricing at least. You see, today, we learned the PlayStation 5 starting price is $399 -- a shocking $100 less than Xbox Series X, which is $499. This is very significant, as parents doing Christmas shopping will be intrigued by the huge $100 savings.

True, Microsoft will also be selling a neutered console called Xbox Series S for $299, but that game system has lower specifications -- it cannot even do 4K gaming! By comparison, the $399 and $499 PlayStation 5 consoles are almost identical, with the only difference being the pricier model has a 4K Blu-ray disc drive. Both versions of Sony's console can handle 4K gaming. Clearly, Sony's approach will be much preferable to consumers.

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Microsoft is bringing the DirectStorage API to Windows 10 to speed up gaming

Game controller

Microsoft is taking steps to improve game performance in Windows 10 by implementing some of the Velocity Architecture used by the Xbox Series X.

Specifically, Microsoft is bringing the DirectStorage API to Windows 10 to help overcome NVMe bandwidth bottlenecks. With compatible hardware, the change will not only mean that games load faster, but also that graphics can be even more detailed.

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Microsoft hopes old video games will get people to buy Xbox Series X instead of possibly superior Sony PlayStation 5

It is never fun to buy the same game over and over again as it gets repeatedly re-released for newer and newer consoles. So naturally, backwards compatibility is a good thing. Microsoft seems to be hoping the ability to play old games will make the terribly named Xbox Series X attractive to consumers.

In fact, the company isn't just promising backwards compatibility, but the ability to make some old games look and run better on the newer hardware. You will even be able to use Quick Resume -- the ability to start playing exactly where you left off -- with these previous-gen games. While this is all undoubtedly cool, it is not the way to advertise a next-generation console. If Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 ends up being superior for next-gen titles -- absolutely a  possibility -- the Xbox Series X's enhanced backwards compatibility won't really matter.

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Microsoft announces DirectX 12 Ultimate with improved raytracing

DirectX 12 Ultimate

Proclaiming that "it is time for DirectX to evolve once again", Microsoft has revealed DirectX 12 Ultimate which unifies the graphics technology for Xbox Series X and PC gaming.

There are a number of graphic hardware features for developers to take advantage of, including DirectX Raytracing 1.1, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shaders and Sampler Feedback. But Microsoft stresses that the new API will not reduce compatibility. DirectX 12 Ultimate is described as an "additive initiative"; hardware that does not support it will still be able to run next-generation games, but without some of the visual enhancements.

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Seagate announces Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X

Earlier today, Microsoft revealed a ton of new information about its upcoming new game console -- the terribly named Xbox Series X. This is just three months after the game system was first unveiled to the world. Despite its terrible name, the Xbox Series X is looking to be an incredibly powerful console. The AMD-powered system features 12 Teraflops of power, 4K gaming, and an insane 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

The Xbox Series X will come with a super-fast 1TB SSD too, which sounds like a lot of capacity, but it really isn't. Look, with more and more people downloading games and forgoing optical disks, a terabyte of storage will fill up very quickly. Thankfully, Xbox Series X has a special storage expansion port on the rear that will allow owners to easily increase capacity without opening up the device. Best of all, this port will apparently allow the same speed as the internal drive. Unfortunately, however, Microsoft has opted for a proprietary port -- one that will only work with this console.

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Power, speed and compatibility: Microsoft reveals full specs for the upcoming Xbox Series X

Xbox Series X

We always knew that the Xbox Series X was going to be an impressive, powerful device, and now Microsoft has confirmed this. The company has revealed the full specifications for the upcoming game console... and it's a beast!

The console is more like a high-end gaming PC (it's not without good reason that Microsoft bills it as its fastest, most powerful console ever) and it offers hardware-accelerated raytracing, 4K output at 60 fps, and support for up to 120fps. All of this is driven by an 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU and an RDNA 2-class GPU -- and you'll be able to buy it this year.

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Microsoft's Xbox Series X has a terrible name, but it looks incredibly cool

Microsoft has never been very good at naming things. Windows 10, for instance, isn't even the tenth version of Windows. The company plans to eventually release an operating system called Windows 10X -- since X is the Roman numeral for ten, is it technically "Windows 10 10" then? Sigh. The original Xbox was followed by the Xbox 360, which was then followed by Xbox One. In other words, the third Xbox is named "One" -- what kind of craziness is that? The company confused things even further by releasing Xbox One variants dubbed "S" and "X."

And now, Microsoft has unveiled its next generation Xbox, and following tradition, it has a terrible name! What has the company named it? Xbox Series X. Yup, that's the real name. Its name is way too close to "Xbox One X," and shows Microsoft is apparently devoid of any creativity in the branding department. Name aside, however, it does look really cool -- it is a vertical tower that can be positioned horizontally if you prefer. Thankfully, it appears to have an optical drive, so physical games disks will live on for at least one more generation of game console.

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