Xbox One X games perform up to twice as well on Xbox Series X.

Several websites have posted practical experiences with the Xbox Series X. Only tests with existing games are shown via backward compatibility. Big differences can be seen in games that run with difficulty on the Xbox One X.

Among others, Eurogamer and The Verge have backward compatibility tested with the Xbox Series X. That was done with a prototype of the console, which is probably almost the same as the one that will be released next month.

The Xbox Series X can run current Xbox games and uses the extra GPU computing power, for example, to achieve higher frame rates. For games that have a dynamic resolution, the next-gen console will hold the maximum resolution longer. The console cannot increase the resolution or frame rate of a game, developers have to adjust the game for that. For example, if a game on the Xbox One X has a dynamic resolution of 4k, with a frame rate target of 30fps, then it’s the same on the Series X.

Due to the extra CPU and GPU computing power, the next-gen console is able to run games that do not run smoothly on the One X smoothly. Eurogamer shows this clearly with videos of Hitman and Hitman 2. That game runs in 4k on the Xbox One X, but the frame rate is usually between 30 and 40fps, while the Series X almost always achieves 60fps. Major differences can be seen in such demanding games.

Microsoft confirms to Eurogamer that the GPU of the Xbox Series X runs in a compatibility mode when playing Xbox games. In addition, the new features and enhancements of the RDNA 2 architecture are not available. The performance in compatibility mode does not say everything about the full capabilities of the GPU.

If games already run smoothly on the regular Xbox, or do not have a demanding 4k mode, then playing on the Xbox Series X does not offer much added value and you are waiting for a possible patch that adds options for higher resolutions and frame rates.

Microsoft said earlier that ‘selected’ games will also have the option to double the frame rate. Games that now have a target of 30fps or 60fps could run at 60fps or 120fps on the Series X. No tests have been released yet. There are no games that have been adapted for this yet.

The Auto HDR function is already active. The Xbox Series X provides games that do not support HDR with such effects through algorithms. According to Eurogamer, this works well in practice, but it is disabled in some games. Microsoft will turn off the feature if it appears to cause unwanted effects.

The Verge has also posted a video and focuses a lot on loading times. Thanks to the fast NVMe SSD in the Xbox Series X, games load significantly faster on the next-gen consoles, although the difference is not the same for all titles. The promise is that next-gen games will load faster, because they are designed specifically for the console and can take full advantage of what Microsoft calls the Velocity Architecture.