Feature: It’s A Big Birthday For The Xbox Series X, So Let’s Look Back At Our Review From 2020

Pure Xbox found itself in a unique situation back in 2020 – we had just relaunched the site in March that year after several years of inactivity, followed almost immediately by the COVID pandemic wreaking chaos across the globe.

While Microsoft was gearing up for the Xbox Series X release, there were numerous moments throughout that year when we feared the console might miss the 2020 timeline significantly. However, it did launch on November 10th (precisely five years ago), accompanied by the unexpected debut of the Xbox Series S.

At that time, the Xbox Series X remained our primary emphasis, and Microsoft kindly provided us with a pre-release unit to evaluate for two weeks leading up to its launch. I personally utilized every free moment to experience the console as thoroughly as possible (all from home, of course!), and our review ultimately published five days before the official release.

Shall we extract some quotes, then? Here are some statements we made, along with our current thoughts on them:

“One of the factors that allows the Xbox Series X to blend seamlessly into its environment is its remarkably low noise production, even when running games optimized for the next generation. It’s difficult to discern the massive fan’s operation unless you’re literally seated right next to it, and while it remains to be seen how silent the system will be in years to come as dust accumulation and gradual wear-and-tear become relevant issues, we can confidently assert that for now, this is an extremely quiet console.”

This observation has proven accurate as time has passed! Certainly, we’ve encountered increasing reports about dusty consoles requiring maintenance (I’ve cleaned mine several times as well), yet the Series X continues to be a predominantly quiet console. It has indeed followed in the Xbox One’s footsteps in this aspect!

“Earlier this year, there were numerous speculations that the Xbox Series X might generate an excessive level of heat, but based on our experiences thus far, this has not been the case. We’ve operated it daily for two weeks, sometimes for the entire day, and while it does emit a noticeable warmth from the fan’s upper section (which is warmer when playing more demanding games), it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s warm, yes – but we’ve never sensed that the system is struggling under the pressure of anything we’ve challenged it with.”

Once again, irrespective of what those speculations may have suggested, overheating never appeared to be a significant concern for the Xbox Series X. Certain games do lead to a warmer console than others, but the Series X generally manages most tasks effortlessly, and reports of it shutting down due to heat issues are infrequent.

“The new Xbox Series controller isn’t a substantial redesign compared to the traditional Xbox One model, but it introduces a multitude of enhancements that yield a more comfortable and enjoyable next-gen experience. For instance, the new Share button facilitates quick screenshot and video captures at the touch of a button, while the updated d-pad resembles the Elite Series 2 controller thanks to its curved design. We were particularly impressed by the new bumpers, which feel sturdier and more responsive compared to their Xbox One predecessors, along with textured grips applied to both the handles and the triggers, further improving comfort and ensuring your fingers don’t slip easily.”

Overall, it appears that the upgrade from the Xbox One controller to the Xbox Series controller has been well-received among users, and I personally try to avoid using last-generation versions when possible. It’s not that they are flawed by any means, but the textured grips, in particular, make the Xbox Series controller a more pleasant fit.

“Similar to the controller, the Xbox Series X user interface and dashboard closely resemble those of the Xbox One, incorporating some minor improvements specific to the next-gen. Navigation remains consistent, from installing games to adjusting your settings, but it’s worth mentioning that Microsoft recently rolled out a new Microsoft Store experience and dashboard update for the Xbox One – these were evidently designed with the next generation in mind, and function much quicker and more smoothly on the Xbox Series X.”

This is an intriguing point. Reflecting on how the dashboard was laid out in 2020, it clearly still bears resemblance to what we see now, but it has undergone quite a bit of modification in terms of the primary screen’s appearance. In certain aspects, I prefer it and find it appears more streamlined than what we have at the moment, yet I can’t say I’ve appreciated any of this generation’s interfaces all that much.

“It’s a certainty that we will witness an enhancement in visual quality on the Xbox Series X, but as emphasized by Xbox head Phil Spencer several times over the past year, it’s the experience of playing games and utilizing the Xbox Series X overall that may astonish you. The titles we’ve evaluated on it so far operate at exceptionally stable framerates and exhibit remarkably short loading times, resulting in a sensation that everything is more responsive. The level of immersion is enhanced, and you won’t find yourself reaching for your phone every time a loading screen appears.”

The initial batch of games accessible to us on the Xbox Series X were primarily upgraded versions of first-party titles from the Xbox One period, like Forza Horizon 4 and Gears 5. Those games ran (and continue to run) exceptionally well on the system, though we inevitably encountered some challenges with more recent titles where “exceptionally stable framerates” and even brief loading times were not always achievable.

We also noted that the target for Xbox Series X games was 4K at 60FPS (and 1440p…

at 60FPS on Xbox Series S), which clearly hasn’t consistently been the scenario. Overall though, the majority of titles have operated quite well on the Xbox Series X over the previous five years, and have at the very least achieved equivalence with the PS5 during their tough moments.

“That’s not to refer to the new Quick Resume functionality, which enables you to transition between different games almost instantaneously without having to reload them anew. This can conserve considerable amounts of time in the long haul if you find yourself frequently switching between the same three or four games, and it even endures the console being powered off for days on end, which is truly remarkable. The sole drawback (at least for the moment) is that it doesn’t offer any indicators regarding which games are currently employing the feature, and we’ve also encountered a few problems with some titles due to a pre-launch glitch that Microsoft had notified us about.”

Quick Resume has unquestionably shown to be a beneficial resource since its introduction five years back, and these days it does offer indicators for which games are presently utilizing the feature. Something we hadn’t foreseen during the review was how some games would falter with it, either crashing or failing to reconnect to online services, but that is also something we’ve observed somewhat rectified over the past five years.

“We’ve tested numerous older games that now perform significantly better on Xbox Series X, including some notoriously glitchy titles that struggled even on Xbox One X, which years later are finally achieving a steady framerate on console. There are restrictions with these older titles concerning framerate limits and visual fidelity, but you can be assured that the Xbox Series X extracts as much potential from them as possible. Microsoft has even gone the extra mile to enhance older games with techniques such as Auto HDR. This is a feature that applies HDR to games that didn’t receive it the first time around, making them appear more vibrant.”

It was wonderful to see Team Xbox championing the whole backwards compatibility initiative so vigorously back in 2020. Along with adding more titles to the program, they also executed the previously mentioned Auto HDR to enhance the visual quality of games on Xbox Series X and S, and elevated the performance of many older games through FPS Boost. It’s just a real pity they couldn’t maintain this momentum – it all tapered off a couple of years later.

“Microsoft has genuinely generated excitement and made numerous promises surrounding this system over the previous year, and based on our experiences with it thus far, it certainly seems to have been a worthwhile wait. It’s evidently powerful, remarkably responsive, virtually silent at all times, and most crucially, makes playing games across all four generations of Xbox more immersive and enjoyable than ever before. For us, the Xbox Series X is satisfying all the right criteria. We’re truly impressed with the design and usability of the system, and eagerly anticipate seeing how developers exploit its potential in the weeks, months, and years to come.”

As you can observe, we had very favorable remarks about the Xbox Series X upon its launch in 2020, and it indeed felt like an exceptionally promising period for the brand in terms of its hardware offerings. There was a sentiment that the failures of the 2013 Xbox One launch could be addressed with the Series X and S, and from a hardware perspective the team delivered two remarkable consoles that are still performing admirably in 2025.

There’s no denying that sales have declined in recent years, and Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” strategy has placed lesser emphasis on the Series X and Series S since then. These remain fantastic machines that we’d wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interested in them, but we can comprehend why some may be cautious at this point.

And of course, there’s much speculation regarding the next Xbox console already, with rumors suggesting it could be announced in 2026 and launch in 2027. The Xbox Series X and S will persist well beyond that timeframe, but if the next Xbox console incorporates PC integration as speculated, it could evolve into a vastly different entity compared to this generation’s two systems.

For the moment though, let’s celebrate five years of the Xbox Series X and S! You’ll discover some further coverage on the Xbox Series S’s fifth anniversary elsewhere on Pure Xbox, and we’ll conclude with a poll about the Series X below.

What are your views on the Xbox Series X five years later? Share your thoughts in the comments section.