Xbox Series X/S reviews showcase hot new consoles, plus more tech news today

Your Tech News Digest via the DGiT Daily Tech Newsletter for Friday, November 6th, 2020

1. Xbox Series X / S reviews came out and pretty good

Just days before the November 10 release, the embargoes on next-generation Xbox reviews for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were in place.

I think there will be a lot of smiles in Microsoft HQ, but it’s not a perfect release. But don’t blame the hardware:

In terms of performance, design and power consumption, the X / S combo feels like you are bringing the superior quality of PC games to the console.
And it’s quiet, writes AnandTech with a typically technical deep dive: “To put that difference into perspective, the new Xbox Series X plays more quietly with Gears 5 than the Xbox One X when idle. The attention to detail on cooling and sound by the Xbox team is really a homerun here. ”
That’s partly because it’s so big and the heat coming from the top of the vent is warm to very warm, but not hot. Even so, you should make sure that the top is not covered.
And it’s made to stand. Most of the reviews commented that you can lay it horizontally, but it’s not really the aesthetics or the way the heater is set up: “If it’s placed horizontally, it’s fair to say it’s the Xbox Series X looks like it fell over with the permanently attached base, “writes The Verge.

With the cheaper, less powerful S Series, however, there are some concerns:

I will let Ars Technica take it over from here with a longer quote: “[The Series X] is a remarkable $ 499 machine. It’s sleek, powerful, and its high-end games are currently loading at faster speeds than my own test PC for over $ 1,000 can handle. The X’s little cousin / sibling / homeboy, the Xbox Series S, is remarkably efficient in terms of size, price, and power consumption. We have certainly not seen such a small and quiet next generation slot machine since the cartridge era, and in some ways the emphasis on next generation but lower resolution slot machines is an overwhelming success. ”
“But […] I can’t definitely confirm that the $ 299 Series S delivers on Microsoft’s inherent promise: the same gameplay as the Series X, with the kinds of downgrades you can’t experience on a 1080p TV. Sometimes this works exactly as advertised, especially with first-party software like Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves. But with one major outlier at press time and some concerns about its value compared to the Series X, I’ve gotten into the Series S half of this report more reluctantly than I would like.”
This performance issue occurred with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, where Series S was capped at 30 fps versus the 60 fps expected in Series X. That’s a big problem if it’s not a pre-release bug, and makes it harder to stamp the Series S as a success.

And the brings us to the problemsCurrently with both series X / S: There are still no real next-generation AAA hit games.

The good news is that the switch from 30 fps to 60 fps gets called day and night and older games that run smoother play great. Older consoles feel old very quickly.
But … the day 1 library cabinet is basically empty. Engadget noted “… There aren’t many compelling new games that make it a “must-have” item on a $ 500 system.“Thanks to the delays with Halo Infinite and no pre-installed games on the system like the PlayStation 5’s Astro Playroom that comes with every system.
That doesn’t mean the Series X won’t be showing off anytime soon, but Xbox One X owners won’t be missing out. There isn’t yet an overwhelming monster title that has to be seen to be believed.
The not-so-secret weapon for the Xbox is Game Pass or Microsoft’s “Netflix for video games”.
Game Pass is now available on PC and Xbox, of course, but it’s a major pillar for Microsoft now, and the X Series can play all of these games at maximum or near maximum performance.
Many reviews state that Game Pass is by no means required, but it is highly recommended.

Given that the verdict is so strongly positive, without some of the issues that can plague new releases, this feels like a relevant final word from The Verge:

“With Xbox Series X, I have one big question left: when will Microsoft’s 23 first-party studios deliver the next-generation games to really show what this console can do? Powerful hardware and a sleek user experience are only part of the mix. Microsoft is going to need the games to really make the X Series feel like something completely new.”

Will Sony get the upper hand on exclusive titles that are more readily available on PlayStation? Is the Dual Sense Controller really that good? What else will stand between them to make buying decisions easier? We will know more when this embargo falls, probably towards the end of next week.

2. WhatsApp is finally starting to introduce the payment service in India (Android Authority).

3. Amazon Fire Stick Review (2020 Edition): A solid upgrade for the budget, with the 4K option being better depending on your TV (Android Authority).

4. Checking the Samsung Wireless Charger Stand: The fan cooling offers a good home office option (Android Authority).

5. Sony Says “Stay Home, Be Safe, and Order Online” with all sales on PS5 launch day going online only. Nothing in the stores! (Android Authority).

6. Which storage options are supported and not supported by the PS5 at startup (Android Authority).

7. We’re finally seeing the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max, and size really matters with these (The Verge).

8. Impressive from AMD: The new Zen 3 CPUs are really good, with detailed reviews (Anandtech).

9. You know that $ 1 billion in Bitcoin that was mysteriously moved after years of dormant? It was the Feds who seized stolen Silk Road bitcoin. I still mourn 0.2 BTC that I lost (Wired) years ago.

10. Algorithm detects “Covid cough” which is inaudible to humans – imagine, this could work on smartphones (BBC).

11. San Francisco Voters Pass “Overpaid Executive Tax”: The new law puts a 0.1 percent tax on companies whose executives earn 100 times more than the average worker. The tax also increases depending on the ratio: if a CEO earns 200 times more than the average employee, the bonus increases to 0.2%; 300 times the surcharge of 0.3%, up to 0.6%. (NBC)

12. Tesla Tequila moves from April Fool’s Day to reality of $ 250 per bottle (Engadget).

13. Visitors banned from Yellowstone National Park after rangers catch him cooking chickens in hot springs (Newsweek).

14. SpaceX launches a next generation GPS satellite for the US Space Force and lands a rocket (Space).

15. “What has recently entered the public domain (copyright expired) that most people may not know about?” (r / askreddit). Helpful list from Wikipedia too.

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