January 20, 2024October 31, 2026

The Ultimate Guide to Xbox Series X: Pros and Cons

Speed, Game Pass, and 4K against price, size, and noise

The Xbox Series X is built for speed and high-end graphics, and its price makes plenty of people think twice. Below we look at what it does well and where it falls short, so you can judge whether it fits the way you play.

Most of its strengths come from the hardware and the services around it. The weaknesses are more down to earth: cost, a modest set of exclusives, and practical matters like size, storage, and noise.

Pros

Speed and graphics are the obvious selling points, but a few features matter just as much in daily use.

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Sharp visuals
The Series X supports 4K and HDR. On a television that can handle both, game worlds look detailed and close to lifelike, which makes it easier to get absorbed in them. How much of that you actually see depends on your screen, so it pays to check what yours supports.
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Quick Resume
Quick Resume lets you switch between several games without losing your progress. You put one aside, start another, and later return to the first exactly where you left off. It sounds minor. For anyone who plays a few games at the same time, it is one of the most convenient things about the console.
Strong performance
Powerful hardware is the main reason to buy this console. In practice that means smooth gameplay and very short load times, so you spend more of your evening playing and less of it watching a loading screen. On raw performance, it is hard to match.
Backward compatibility
This is one of its strongest features. A large library of games from earlier Xbox generations runs on the console, so you have plenty to play from day one. Longtime Xbox owners can keep enjoying what they already have, and newcomers get a big back catalogue to work through.
Game Pass library
Game Pass gives you access to a wide range of games for a monthly subscription. Instead of buying each title separately, you can try a varied selection, including games you would probably never have paid for on their own. For people who play a lot, that usually works out as good value, although it depends on how many of the included games you actually want to play.
Built for streaming
The console is optimized for game streaming. If you like broadcasting your gameplay, the Series X makes it fairly easy to get a good-quality stream running and share what you are playing with others. For many players that turns gaming into something more social and interactive than sitting alone on the couch.

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Cons

How heavily these weigh depends on your budget, your room, and what you like to play.

High price
The Series X is expensive. Once you add accessories, the upfront cost climbs further, and for gamers on a tight budget that may put it out of reach. For a lot of buyers, the price is the first hurdle, and often the one that decides the matter before any other point comes into play.
Large size
This is a big box. If your TV cabinet or entertainment setup is already short on space, finding a spot where the console fits, and where its shape works with the furniture you have, may take some effort. Measuring before you buy is a sensible step if room is limited.
No VR support
The Series X has no native virtual reality support. Workarounds exist, but they are no substitute for VR that is built into the console itself. If VR is a big part of why you play, this is a real drawback. If you have never been interested in it, you probably won't miss it.
Limited storage
Storage fills up quickly. Modern games have large file sizes, and the built-in capacity won't hold many of them at once. That leaves you regularly deleting and reinstalling games or paying extra for expandable storage. Neither is a dealbreaker, but both are a nuisance on a console that otherwise performs so well.
Fan noise
Some users report noticeable fan noise during demanding gaming sessions. In a quiet room that can be distracting, especially during calmer moments in a game. If a silent setup matters to you, this is worth keeping in mind, though not every owner seems to be bothered by it.
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Few exclusives
The overall game library is large, but the number of exclusive titles is fairly small compared with other platforms. If you want games you can only play on one particular system, that counts against it. For some gamers this alone is reason enough to choose a different console.

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Conclusion

If you already pay for Game Pass or own a stack of older Xbox games, the Series X builds on what you have, and its speed is easy to appreciate from the first session. If exclusives or VR matter most to you, or you are working with a tight budget or a small room, compare it carefully with the alternatives before you buy.