Xbox Series X Review by a Dad: Gaming, Escapism, and Worth the Investment

Who doesn’t need another Xbox review? This time, coming from a 42-year-old dad of three, and no less than two years after they originally released the system.

A Return to Gaming after a Decade

I can say that I haven’t owned or played a gaming system consistently since the original Xbox. My son has had a PlayStation 4 since it came out and I would play against him on NBA 2K but outside of that, I haven’t really played a game or gaming system for the better part of a decade. I was somewhat aware of the Xbox Series X’s original release, and its uphill competition with the PS5. Beyond that, my knowledge was pretty bare.

After the events of the last couple of years, I decided, almost spur of the moment, to get a new gaming system. My teenage son already has a PlayStation 5, so I opted to go with the Xbox Series X with the intention of it being an escape. I got it for escapism.

The Appeal of Xbox Series X

While I went with the Xbox because my son already had a PS5, the Xbox also drew me in with Game Pass – Microsoft’s subscription model for getting free games monthly. A bit of research showed that Game Pass was above and beyond anything the PlayStation offered (and still is). For someone who didn’t want to drop $60 a pop on games and being out of the gaming landscape for so long, not even knowing what games I would enjoy, Game Pass is a no-brainer and has proven worth it month after month.

A Refuge from the Online Gaming World

I’m not an online gamer, I like to play on my own and do my thing. I don’t want to deal with other people or have to worry about team interactions. So no, I don’t play Call of Duty or any of the games my son is obsessed with. I’ve tried Rocket League and Fortnite, but I’d rather play a solo game and not deal with people. I’m the Super Mario Bros. generation. I stayed up all night just to beat Super Mario Bros. 3. I’m old-school.

The Appeal of Xbox Series X: Game Pass and Backward Compatibility

If I sit down and get a few hours, I can play Assassin’s Creed, then turn around and play Madden, and try whatever game I want. I’m only limited by my download speeds or my younger son being awake. It’s been worth the investment for my escapism. It’s almost a lifesaver. I fully admit that I have spent one or two nights during the weekend playing Assassin’s Creed way into the night while my wife’s asleep in bed. That’s my escapism. I don’t have to worry about anything else. I can just mindlessly go along with a game and that’s my solitary focus.

Plus, the Series X being fully backward compatible, along with the number of classic Xbox games that are on Game Pass, I’m in my old-school zone of games! Nothing like combining a bit of escapism with some nostalgia!

The Power of Xbox Series X: Specs and Performance

As for the hardware, I used to know everything about computers and hardware, but my knowledge is not what it used to be. Ask me 15 years ago and I would have been the guy to talk to, but now I can’t tell you the specs. I can read online and see the reviews.

The Xbox Series X has an eight-core AMD Zen 2 processor (3.8GHz), a custom RDNA 2 AMD GPU (with 12 TFLOPs of processing power), 16GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 1TB Custom NVMe SSD for fast loading. Technically, it’s more powerful than the PS5.

Personally, while all that is great, I’m just worried about how the thing functions, and I have no complaints. It works flawlessly. The graphics are amazing, as they should be, being 4k at 60fps, and up to 120fps. (A bit of a change from my previous gaming days on the Xbox 360)

Bonus Feature

Another reason I went with the Xbox Series X, beyond Game Pass and its backward compatibility, is that it also doubles as a Blu-ray player.

I get it, everyone owns movies online and you can stream practically anything you want now, but to sit down, pop in a disk, and watch a movie in full 4K UHD is crazy, it’s beyond gorgeous to look at, and you never have to worry about buffering or being without if the internet goes down.

The Final Verdict

I can’t say anything negative about the Xbox. Even the design of the console itself, a black box that has an industrial feel to it, I prefer over the PS5. The Xbox just looks and feels like a machine that’s going to do what it’s meant to do.

The Xbox Series X 1TB Console will run you $499, and it’s worth the price tag.

I get it, if you’ve read this review you realize I’ve just kinda skimmed over things. I’ve not mentioned that while the system comes with a 1TB drive, it does have a port on the back for expanding the system’s memory. I’ve not mentioned how it works with Google Assistant or Cortana. I didn’t even talk about the controller.

Are ya curious why? Are ya? Because the reality is, you know if you’re going to get an Xbox before you get to this point in this review or any other. The point of this review isn’t to break down the tech and be wordy. The review is barely over 1,000 words because I don’t care about all that. I care if the system works as advertised and if I’ll enjoy owning it and if it’s worth the money. I can read the specs on any given website. I’m just wanting you to know, that, point blank, I’m a big fan of the Xbox Series X.

Sufficed to say, the Xbox Series X has been worth the investment for my escapism. Two years after its release, for me, was a great time to jump back on the bandwagon. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new gaming system that isn’t dedicated to Sony or looking to primarily play games that are PlayStation exclusives. The Game Pass is where the money is, and helps makes the Series X just not a great investment, but gives the console a bright future worth joining.