X-Box Series X in the Game Room

Something dark and ominous this way comes.

Things sure have been hectic here in my slowly disappearing Game Room. The PlayStation 5 finally made it here a little over 2 weeks ago and now that these current generation of consoles are starting to become more available, I have finally opened up a space for the X-Box Series X in my life. As I had explained to Microsoft prior to launch, I wanted to experience the impact that owning such a console have in the life of someone who already has access to a Personal Computer that is far superior to the Series X. I was surprised that they actually responded to my request back then - positively, even- because well, it's easy to misconstrue my statement as sarcasm about the necessity of Series X's existence even though I definitely didn't mean it that way. The availability was quite scarce during the initial launch, so I was not able to score myself a unit. Still, I have had ample opportunities to actually obtain a Series X soon after but after that initial failure to obtain one, I just wasn't feeling motivated enough to own the darn thing. I think having access to the PS5 now has tripped some kind of completionist switch in me that reignited my curiosity about the Series X.

Unboxing the PS5 was a bore. Opening the box for the Series X is an epic, special occasion.
The inner packing feels quite premium with lavish foam paddings and stylish compartments.

First impression-wise on a physical level, it's very interesting to note that the Series X is way smaller than the PS5, despite it being a lot more powerful. Like I have stated before, it's an ego issue on Sony's part. Modernizing appliances should mean that they need to get continuously smaller and more compact, so Sony has definitely taken the wrong path on their design philosophy. It's funny how something as boxy and generally uneventful as the Series X exudes such sleekness and sexiness. It's the little things like the concaved top surface with the green accented vents that really sold the overall look. The Series X is a tall, sturdy, masculine black box that doesn't give a flying f@ck and I like it. Meanwhile, I still flinch whenever I look over to the PS5 to this day, especially with its horrible prominently ugly default color choice - white just doesn't go well with anything on your entertainment center. Yes, I am ready to buy a new face plate for my PS5 - only if they are priced $20 or less that is!

Judging Judgment by its cover.

Setup was a breeze, and the whole phone app implementation, though misleading since you don't have to download the app, is clever because you get things done faster by customizing the console settings on the app while the console updates itself. Being a fan of the Metro interface first introduced by Microsoft on Windows 8, the Series X dashboard immediately felt like home: it is leagues better than PS5's and it runs much smoother too. I got plenty of digital games available for me to download from my past X-Box consoles and Windows Store acquisitions, all waiting for me conveniently in the library screen. Unlike what I did with digging up my already boxed up PlayStation 4 games, I will not be doing that to find backwards-compatible physical games for the Series X. That will have to wait until I am settled in my new home. I did pick up a new game for my newest console - Sega's Judgment. It's a game not slated for the Personal Computer at the moment, a fact that can still potentially change in the near future. Like a silly fool though, I picked up the physical copy of the game, but this ended up being a good thing. You see, the X-Box Series X game case is quite special. I am not sure if this is unique only to this game - I guess I have to pick up a couple of more for the purpose of research - but the disc holder is on the left side of the case, which truly delighted me to no end. Also the X-Box logo at the top of the case cover is actually embossed, complete with a cute little sticker specifying that this disc is for the Series X. Even though Sony has stopped doing it for a long while, apparently Microsoft is still securing the case with the certificate of authenticity seal. I am very impressed. All of these things reminded me of the good old days when picking up physical copies of games was exciting, despite missing a colorful game manual. The Series X is off to a pretty good start for me. I look forward to gaming on it!

Like you didn't know which game I was going to download first on my Series X...