The Xbox Series X may stand out for its hardware, among the most powerful of the current generation of consoles, but it also offers useful features for different gaming habits. So, if you are interested in buying one, there are a few things you should know beyond the games it supports before investing in it instead of another console.
So, even though Microsoft’s Series X runs many games that you would also find available on the PS5, the experience on both consoles is still different. Sony’s console has features Xbox doesn’t offer, but it still has conveniences of its own. One is Quick Resume, which lets players quickly return to their games.
To understand which details deserve attention before buying, we gathered some points that players consider important about the Xbox Series X. Some are benefits that may go unnoticed by people who do not know much about it, while others are limitations that could become a problem in the long run but, depending on your expectations, may not interfere much with the experience.
The Quick Resume lets you resume games on the Xbox Series X
Quick Resume is probably one of the most interesting perks of an Xbox Series X. It lets you switch between games compatible with this technology and return to where you left off in another one, without going through the opening sequence or initial menus again. So, you can start one game, open another, and then return to the first at the point where you were, without needing to save or do anything similar.
This happens because the console stores the session state on the internal SSD, including what was happening at the time. So, if you need to stop playing for some reason or someone wants to try another game, you do not have to worry about losing your data or going back to an earlier point. Because the data stays on the SSD, it remains available even after you turn off the console or unplug it.
However, even though the feature works well for most players, it can still fail. Quick Resume can still have issues, especially with games that require a server connection. So, even though reliability has improved through some updates, it is still worth keeping save files to avoid losing progress.
Older games can get visual and performance improvements
Another strength of the Xbox Series X is its strong backward compatibility with games from previous console generations. So, you can run most Xbox One titles and a selection of Xbox 360 and original Xbox games on it. If you owned one of the previous-generation consoles and still have the games, you can still make use of those purchases. This includes classics like “Lost Odyssey” and “Blue Dragon,” which may have gone overlooked.
Some of these games also take advantage of the more powerful Xbox Series X hardware and receive some improvements. One is FPS Boost, which increases frame rates in selected games, while Auto HDR improves brightness in compatible titles. It also offers faster loading times and higher resolutions in certain games. “Fallout: New Vegas,” for example, is among the titles with FPS Boost.
Before buying older games, however, check the compatibility list and which discs the Series X accepts. The disc-drive version lets you use compatible physical media, while the original model relies on the account library, so even when a game is compatible, access is less broad.
You can share your library with other Xboxs
If you have more than one console, a few tricks let you use the same game library on two devices. One of them is setting another family member’s Xbox as the home console for the account that buys the games. That way, they can access the titles with their own profile, while you play on your console with your own account, as long as you’re connected to the internet. At the same time, both people can play the same game simultaneously without each person needing their own copy.
This is one way to get more out of the Series X, especially if you do not want to spend money buying the same game twice. To enable the feature, sign in with the account that owns the games on the other console, then go to Settings > General > Personalization> My Home Xbox. You can also share games from a Game Pass subscription this way, but some benefits remain exclusive to the account owner. You can change the home console up to five times per year.
USB hard drives and SSDs have limits for running newer games
You can also expand Xbox Series X storage with an external hard drive or SSD connected store current-gen games and run many backward-compatible titles from it, freeing up space on the internal storage. However, most games optimized for Series X|S need to be installed on it or a supported expansion card to run, even if the USB device is also an SSD
In practice, you can use the USB device to store games you are not currently playing and transfer them back to the internal SSD when you want to play them again. This avoids re-downloading files, which helps anyone with slow internet or a data cap. Expansion cards, on the other hand, let you run games directly and offer performance equivalent to the internal storage. The best choice depends on how much you plan to spend and how many games you want to keep available without having to transfer files.
Xbox Series X exclusivity varies depending on the game
If you plan to buy an Xbox Series X mainly to play console exclusives, you also need to consider that many of them are available on other platforms. For example, titles such as “Forza Horizon 5” and “Gears of War: Reloaded” are also available on PS5 and PC. This overlap is one of the disadvantages of buying an Xbox, especially if you already own another device that can run the games you want to play.
However, Microsoft seems to be partially reversing this strategy and returning to some exclusives, at least on consoles. “Gears of War: E-Day” and “Clockwork Revolution” were among the games confirmed only for Xbox Series X|S and PC. So, in the future, the console may once again have some major games that justify buying it specifically for its exclusives.
It also depends heavily on what you want. If you prioritize Nintendo franchises or certain PlayStation 5 exclusives, Xbox may not be the best option. It is also worth considering buying a gaming PC, since many Microsoft titles released for the Series X are also released on PC.
