What you need to know
- As the Xbox Series X and Series S start to arrive in the first buyers' hands there are a couple of big apps that don't work at all.
- BBC iPlayer and EA Play are affected with no current workaround.
- Peacock also experiencing issues with its video quality.
As the first retail units of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S start to arrive with eager gamers around the world, there are a number of known launch day issues with the new consoles. Specifically, a couple of big name apps just straight up do not work, with Microsoft confirming issues affecting both BBC iPlayer and EA Play.
BBC iPlayer is the worst affected as there is no workaround at all to get access to its content, so if it's important to you you'll need to keep hold of your existing Xbox One console for the time being. Microsoft states its "working with our app partners to resolve this," and get the app working on the new consoles.
EA Play is similarly affected, the app just doesn't work and as such has been disabled. But the overall impact is minimal since you can get access to the games and trials offered by the service directly through the Store on the new Xbox Series X and Series S.
Go into the Store and search for the title you're looking for, for example, the FIFA 21 limited time trial, and you'll see an install button assuming you have a current EA Play subscription. Again, Microsoft states its "working with our app partners to find potential resolutions for the future."
Additionally, Peacock subscribers in the U.S. may experience issues with pixelated frames while viewing content through the app on the new consoles, and while there's no workaround at the moment the app is at least usable. Again, Microsoft is working with the developers on getting it fixed up.
Keep tabs on everything with our list of Xbox Series X, Series S known bugs and launch issues as Microsoft moves swiftly to iron out any early hiccups.
The full next-generation experience.
Xbox Series X is Microsoft's new flagship, as its most powerful console with over 12TF GPU performance and a custom SSD. It boasts up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS, full backward compatibility across four generations, and ray-tracing support.
Experience next-gen gaming for less.
Microsoft serves the next-generation for less with its budget-friendly Xbox Series S. The console packs the same high-performance CPU and SSD technology as Xbox Series X, while scaling back the GPU and removing the disc drive.
