Before you play games on your new Xbox Series X, reset your expectations. The value of the next-generation consoles is not in the graphics — at least not this year. The real benefits at launch will be the invisible but appreciable quality-of-life improvements. The upgrades aren’t so glamorous, but I suspect you’ll love them once you notice them.
Over the past week, I had the opportunity to finally play next-gen video games on my Xbox Series X. I sunk hours into the arcade racing game Dirt 5 and the turn-based role-playing game Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Both of these games look good — certainly better than their Xbox One and PlayStation 4 counterparts. They have higher resolutions and better frame rates. Little things like the reflective puddles in Dirt 5 and the detailed faces of Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s characters would occasionally remind me I was playing on newer, more…
