Many of the best looking and playing games on the new-gen system system are Xbox One games optimized for Xbox Series X or releases that were previously optimized for One X I'm beginning to crave video games that will truly push the Series X, in the same way that Deathloop, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Returnal have already done for PS5.Īnd they are coming, albeit slowly. As Xbox continues to invest heavily in a digital-first philosophy with Game Pass and Cloud Gaming, I can't help but feel as if the Windows 10-inspired Fluent Design is in need of a Windows 11-level of total reinvention to more closely align the Xbox Series X's capabilities against Microsoft's shifting priorities.Īs transformative as Microsoft's commitment to backwards compatibility has been, it means I've spent most of this year replaying Xbox One classics improved by reduced load times, more consistent framerates, and improved fidelity thanks to featuresets like Auto-HDR. It took Microsoft 11 months to release a 4K dashboard to increase sharpness and text readability, introduce a night mode, and revise quick settings – welcome additions that simultaneously feel like too little too late. Updates have been slow to land and largely ineffectual.

While the PS5 UI has its issues, I appreciate the vision behind its design and the clear opportunities that are there for Sony to evolve its form and functionality over time.Ĭonversely, the Xbox Series X interface feels as if it's trapped in the past. 12 months later, the shared user experience is beginning to show its age – deflating my enthusiasm for the work that's being done to improve the wider ecosystem. I originally praised the Xbox Series X dashboard, guide, and user interface for how these elements had so clearly benefited from seven years of gradual iteration during the Xbox One lifecycle.

Xbox series x kinect