Well, this is a big bummer.
Even though I was able to order a Series X from Walmart during yesterday's drop, after analyzing my current TV setup, I realized I had overlooked a major issue.
I simply don't enough HDMI 2.1 ports for both the PS5 and Series X! Even though my new Sony tv has 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, one of those is also the eARC port through which I'm connecting my soundbar. However, my soundbar does NOT support HDMI 2.1 passthrough, and it looks like no current soundbars do, either.
Looks like I could hook up my soundbar via optical, but then I'd be losing out on some of the integrated functionality between my soundbar and TV, which I like. Also, from what I understand, optical doesn't allow you to take full advantage of the audio quality or newer audio tech like eARC/ARC does.
I also looked at receivers with HDMI 2.1 passthrough. Seems like there are a few on the market now, but there also seems to be a bug with HDMI 2.1 where it won't allow the full bandwidth. And it seems to still be unresolved with the Series X. And it could be a hardware issue, so who knows if software updates will fix it. And even if the new receivers did work properly, that would mean spending an additional $400+ on the receiver, plus new speakers which have to be wired.
So, just from a practical point of view based on my current setup and technology, it looks like I am going to have to pass on the Series X for now. Waiting for the rest of the HDMI 2.1 tech to catch up is yet another reason for me to wait at least several more years.
However, even then, now I know that I will still need to buy new equipment in the future if I want to hook up multiple HDMI 2.1 devices to my tv, be it a new soundbar with HDMI 2.1 passthrough or even a new tv with more than 2 HDMI 2.1 ports. So, that would mean spending even more money in addition to the cost of the console. And that kind of changes the whole equation for me.
Even if Series X offers something that does interest me game-wise in a few years, I may just stick with one new gen console (PS5) until I am ready for my next big tv/tech upgrade.
Sigh..........guess this is one of the downsides to adopting new tech early.