Xbox Series X | S

[Mr Do 71]

1 hour ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I'm betting all in on everything: Microsoft buys Kojima AND Konami, Metal Gear Next coming exclusive to Xbox, Blinx and Silent Hills crossover game confirmed.

I would love that to happen, just to see the nuclear mushroom cloud from Resetera. 

[deerokus]

Sometimes Mmssed in all the takeover speculation is that Shinji Mikami is a first party Microsoft guy now. Add Kojima to that and get the pair of them to make Evil Within 3 or something. 

[Mr. Gerbik]

20 minutes ago, deerokus said:

Sometimes Mmssed in all the takeover speculation is that Shinji Mikami is a first party Microsoft guy now. Add Kojima to that and get the pair of them to make Evil Within 3 or something. 

Evil Hills

[carlospie]

Mgs4 remake.

[JPL]

PT Part 2.

[Transient Curse]

It'll definitely be that the composer is launching a patreon or has written an album, or is launching his own sample library.

[bear]

 

 

 

 

 

[Yiggy]

Yeah $499 is an impressive price but it’s a niche product that only a few people with more money than sense will probably buy so it’s all cool. 
 

 

[Mr. Gerbik]

I managed to get my hands on one of those new Xbox Wireless Headsets and I'm extremely happy and impressed with/by it. I can't imagine that Olufsen headset being much Bang for your buck at five times the price. I can't imagine it sounds five times better and even if it did - fucking hell. More power to those who go for it though, I have a few friends who are definitely the target audience for this. 

 

[TehStu]

9 hours ago, Parksey said:

Ah okay. 

 

Wish they'd let you override that, as surely the Series S can handle the One X version? Obviously going to be a reason why that's the case though. Not so bothered about the resolution differences but the increased frame rate benefits the feel of a game a lot more, and makes flitting between other games (specifically those buffed for the next-gen consoles) less jarring. 

 

That's essentially what FPS Boost for BC is, but it needs to be done manually by Microsoft. It sounds like absolute voodoo, as you'd expect from the BC folks, but presumably hand-picked stuff as they have time.

[TehStu]

22 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I managed to get my hands on one of those new Xbox Wireless Headsets and I'm extremely happy and impressed with/by it. I can't imagine that Olufsen headset being much Bang for your buck at five times the price. I can't imagine it sounds five times better and even if it did - fucking hell. More power to those who go for it though, I have a few friends who are definitely the target audience for this. 

 

Can I ask a stupid question - I chiefly use a set of 9.99 Sony ear buds, because they're the only brand I can still find that don't go right down the ear canal, which I hate. So, there's the low bar for my sound quality. How do these Xbox ones sound? I assume, for me, they're going to be superb. I've got no frame of reference, though. I'll never justify $499, but $99 seems reasonable.

 

I've got the Atmos app paid for and ready, for what it's worth.

[esar]

I've just managed to get a Series X!

 

Sorry for what is probably a very common question but what games should I be checking out? I'm a One X owner so fully up to date with Gamepass etc.

[TehStu]

4 minutes ago, esar said:

I've just managed to get a Series X!

 

Sorry for what is probably a very common question but what games should I be checking out? I'm a One X owner so fully up to date with Gamepass etc.

It's killing my Pi because it's laden with videos, but @djbhammer is doing an ace job of keeping the first post up to date with information for new and prospective Series owners.

[Mr. Gerbik]

11 minutes ago, TehStu said:

Can I ask a stupid question - I chiefly use a set of 9.99 Sony ear buds, because they're the only brand I can still find that don't go right down the ear canal, which I hate. So, there's the low bar for my sound quality. How do these Xbox ones sound? I assume, for me, they're going to be superb. I've got no frame of reference, though. I'll never justify $499, but $99 seems reasonable.

 

I've got the Atmos app paid for and ready, for what it's worth.

I also used cheap earbuds before and this new headset in combination with the Atmos app is a MASSIVE difference. Fired up AC Valhalla and could hear way more atmospheric sounds that simply weren't there before. I'm not a sound dude but these sound excellent to me, especially at that price. Very comfy too.

[Hitcher]

9 hours ago, Parksey said:

surely the Series S can handle the One X version?

You have to remember it's not running natively but under emulation. If it was possible to run at 60fps I'm pretty sure it would.

[esar]

4 minutes ago, TehStu said:

It's killing my Pi because it's laden with videos, but @djbhammer is doing an ace job of keeping the first post up to date with information for new and prospective Series owners.

 

Excellent, I'll check them out, thanks.

[TehStu]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I also used cheap earbuds before and this new headset in combination with the Atmos app is a MASSIVE difference. Fired up AC Valhalla and could hear way more atmospheric sounds that simply weren't there before. I'm not a sound dude but these sound excellent to me, especially at that price. Very comfy too.

That's awesome to hear. I'm halfway to buying a set on points, assuming I cave and gamble on the SSD expansion eventually being cheaper. Be good to hear your long term thoughts, once the inevitable quirks start to manifest. 

[Eighthours]

36 minutes ago, esar said:

I've just managed to get a Series X!

 

Sorry for what is probably a very common question but what games should I be checking out? I'm a One X owner so fully up to date with Gamepass etc.

 

Some Game Pass games have excellent Series X enhancements. I would definitely play Wreckfest at 4K/60fps and any of the Bethesda games that have had FPS Boost added (Dishonored and Prey, etc).

 

If you want a new game and have a friend or partner to play it with, It Takes Two is the best co-op game in years, possibly ever, and looks amazing on the Series X.

[esar]

6 minutes ago, Eighthours said:

 

Some Game Pass games have excellent Series X enhancements. I would definitely play Wreckfest at 4K/60fps and any of the Bethesda games that have had FPS Boost added (Dishonored and Prey, etc).

 

If you want a new game and have a friend or partner to play it with, It Takes Two is the best co-op game in years, possibly ever, and looks amazing on the Series X.

 

I love Wreckfest so very excited to try that. I'm mostly looking forward to the fast load times, Forza Horizon takes absolutely ages on the old consoles.

[ulala]

Fast load times and quick resume will change your life 

[esar]

My body is ready

[Eighthours]

37 minutes ago, esar said:

 

I love Wreckfest so very excited to try that. I'm mostly looking forward to the fast load times, Forza Horizon takes absolutely ages on the old consoles.

 

I said before the console launched that I thought faster loading would be the most important thing to come out of the new consoles. So far it's definitely been that for me, although I'll give a special mention too to being able to quick resume multiple games. It doesn't sound like it would amount to that much but it really does. The Series X is a joy to use, and who knows what'll come down the OS pipe in future years!

 

EDIT: Snap, @ulala!

[Transient Curse]

2 hours ago, Yiggy said:

Yeah $499 is an impressive price but it’s a niche product that only a few people with more money than sense will probably buy so it’s all cool. 
 

 

 

2 hours ago, bear said:

I read on another forum that these are identical to some B&O headphones, just with the xbox codec added. Same price. I imagine these are for the same pseudo audiophiles who'll buy Apple's big headphones. I imagine most people buying these will be pretty happy though, I can't imagine they'll sound bad. 

[Majora]

2 hours ago, TehStu said:

Can I ask a stupid question - I chiefly use a set of 9.99 Sony ear buds, because they're the only brand I can still find that don't go right down the ear canal, which I hate. So, there's the low bar for my sound quality. How do these Xbox ones sound? I assume, for me, they're going to be superb. I've got no frame of reference, though. I'll never justify $499, but $99 seems reasonable.

 

I've got the Atmos app paid for and ready, for what it's worth.

 

They'll definitely be a nice step up but I would strongly advise adjusting the EQ on them if you buy them. General consensus is they are way too boomy and 'heavy' sounding out of the box but if you change the EQ (should be pretty easy to Google to find some recommended settings) they're pretty decent.

[JPL]

21 minutes ago, Wahwah* said:

same pseudo audiophiles who'll buy Apple's big headphones.

What do you mean by this? I know it’s an area you’re an expert in!

 

From what I’ve read the Apple ones are on a par or better than anything else in their price range.

 

They seem to have a problem making people believe they know their stuff in the audio arena. The same thing happened with HomePod and that’s been discontinued now, which is a shame as it’s an amazing speaker for the size and price.

 

Anyway, apologies everyone for veering a bit off topic.

[bignige]

2 hours ago, TehStu said:

Can I ask a stupid question - I chiefly use a set of 9.99 Sony ear buds, because they're the only brand I can still find that don't go right down the ear canal, which I hate. So, there's the low bar for my sound quality. How do these Xbox ones sound? I assume, for me, they're going to be superb. I've got no frame of reference, though. I'll never justify $499, but $99 seems reasonable.

 

I've got the Atmos app paid for and ready, for what it's worth.

I’d suggest grabbing a pair of these (last week they were £99) and a VModa Boom Pro (mic) for £30. 
Philips Fidelio X2HR/00 Over-Ear Headphones, High-Resolution https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N5VHLUG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_MKRTC5RJPNRM8Q008PMC

 

I have these and the new Xbox headset and it really doesn’t come close to the sound quality of Philips Fidelios. 

The Xbox headset is going back to Amazon this week. 

[Transient Curse]

38 minutes ago, JPL said:

What do you mean by this? I know it’s an area you’re an expert in!

 

From what I’ve read the Apple ones are on a par or better than anything else in their price range.

 

Just that they're mainstream consumer products, for people who want to spend a bit more to get something a bit better. I'm not sneering at anything (well it sounds a bit like I am, but I didn't mean to) when I say pseudo audiophile, I mean that with these and Apple's headphones, you'll be getting the best experience that the majority of people will experience. Like, these will be the best that you can buy in Curry's, and amongst the best at John Lewis. 

 

If it was a car, you might think that a BMW was the best car in the world, if you'd never heard of Ferrari or whatever.

 

Some people will treat these as being over priced, but they're just aimed at a different part of the market, they're not some uber elite product. 

 

For the record, I've never spent more than £300 on a pair of headphones, and don't think it's worth it to me to spend more, The one thing that I would be interested in with these is that I think the signal from my pad, via my turtle beach adapter is terrible, if the wireless connection didn't have any low level static or interference, I'd consider that a big step up! I'm not up for buying a new set of headphones though. If I lost mine, I'd consider getting these.

[TehStu]

15 minutes ago, bignige said:

I’d suggest grabbing a pair of these (last week they were £99) and a VModa Boom Pro (mic) for £30. 
Philips Fidelio X2HR/00 Over-Ear Headphones, High-Resolution https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N5VHLUG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_MKRTC5RJPNRM8Q008PMC

 

I have these and the new Xbox headset and it really doesn’t come close to the sound quality of Philips Fidelios. 

The Xbox headset is going back to Amazon this week. 

Wowzers, that's into serious money. These new Xbox ones are just $99, and I can rewards points them.

[JPL]

38 minutes ago, Wahwah* said:

Just that they're mainstream consumer products, for people who want to spend a bit more to get something a bit better. I'm not sneering at anything (well it sounds a bit like I am, but I didn't mean to) when I say pseudo audiophile, I mean that with these and Apple's headphones, you'll be getting the best experience that the majority of people will experience. Like, these will be the best that you can buy in Curry's, and amongst the best at John Lewis. 

 

If it was a car, you might think that a BMW was the best car in the world, if you'd never heard of Ferrari or whatever.

 

Some people will treat these as being over priced, but they're just aimed at a different part of the market, they're not some uber elite product. 

 

For the record, I've never spent more than £300 on a pair of headphones, and don't think it's worth it to me to spend more, The one thing that I would be interested in with these is that I think the signal from my pad, via my turtle beach adapter is terrible, if the wireless connection didn't have any low level static or interference, I'd consider that a big step up! I'm not up for buying a new set of headphones though. If I lost mine, I'd consider getting these.

Ah yeah, I get you. I thought you were slating them a bit.

 

I’ve considered getting the Apple ones, but I don’t think I’d really get that much use out of them, so it seems a bit of an extravagance.

[Transient Curse]

1 hour ago, JPL said:

Ah yeah, I get you. I thought you were slating them a bit.

 

I’ve considered getting the Apple ones, but I don’t think I’d really get that much use out of them, so it seems a bit of an extravagance.

 

I think they're probably really good, but I find it hard to believe they'll be objectively much better than the Sony or Sennheiser ones at around half the price. The big thing that would put me off the Apple ones (and maybe these B+O ones) is that as I type this, I'm wearing a pair of Sennheiser headphones that are over 15 years old, I replaced the pads when the vinyl started cracking a couple of years ago and they look pretty much the same as they did when I got them, and they work just fine. I see no reason why they couldn't be used in another 15 years time, since I don't see professional equipment going wireless any time soon, if ever.

 

When the battery in those Apple headphones won't hold a charge anymore, Apple's policy on old hardware, proprietary components and unauthorised repairs may have kicked in. Since you can't connect them with a cable - no battery, no sound. I guess it depends on how long you expect stuff to last, but I'd be cautious about buying something that expensive with what is likely built in obsolescence that will arrive far earlier than the product could last for.  I've no idea what B+O's policy on repairs is, could be the same.