How does microsoft’s entry level offering into the next gen realm stack up and is it worth it? Since I currently own all three of the xbox one x, series s and series x (seriously microsoft can you get any lazier with the naming?) I thought I would take a second to give my two cents on the series s console as it compares and relates to its xbox brethren.
So first off what exactly is the Xbox Series S and where does it fit into the rest of the Xbox family? The Series S is one of microsoft’s two new next gen (current gen by now?) consoles as it looks to phase out the older Xbox One models.
Its serves as the entry level next gen console sorta like the little brother to the much more powerful, flagship Series X console. Basically an all digital, disc free upgrade to the older Xbox One family.
It brings advancements such as ray tracing, 3d audio, nvme ssd and faster gpu at the cost of storage and performance. In all honesty, the little brother doesn’t really play in the same league as its bigger brother so its actually much more logical to compare it to the One X since both price and performance falls into a much closer spectrum to see if its worth upgrading for you.
PROS:- The new Xbox Series S brings a host of advancements over the previous console cycle. Primarily and most obviously noticeable is that it is faster. Like, much faster. In fact that is the first thing everyone that has used mine says within the first 5 minutes.
The new console clocks in with a GPU that is 393Mhz faster than a One X as well as a CPU that is roughly 1. 5x faster. Add to that advanced NVME SSD and load times are drastically cut down from older consoles, so much so that it is seriously hard to sit and stare at loading screens for more than 20 seconds anymore.
Beyond that the Series S also offers support for ray tracing along with twice the refresh rate at 120hz. Another under appreciated upgrade is support for 3D spatial audio, if you haven’t experienced Dolby Atmos yet you are missing out! You also get the newer version of the Xbox wireless controller and much improved app support for all your streaming needs.
All of this at price that is much more palatable than the Series X and about that of a new One X (if you can find one). Add to that full backwards compatibility for both gaming and hardware and you can see the many benefits to upgrading.
However, that price point does come at some compromises. CONS:- There are some trade offs to having a reasonable price point and smaller profile. Primarily the Series S is not a true 4k console. Output resolution is limited 1440p compared to 4k capabilities of the One X.
However don’t forget you have a much faster refresh rate which leads to far smoother gameplay and that is going to be much noticeable than the dip in resolution which really requires a higher end tv to make a difference.
Another big difference is the obvious lack of a disc drive. Given the push towards digital gaming this may or may not matter to you, but any older games you still have on disc are basically useless and forget about using it as your 4k blu ray player.
Although you can still access streaming services such as Netflix etc. Lastly for a system that is all digital you are definitely going to run into memory storage issues. With 512Gb of internal storage off the shelf there is going to be constant shuffling of what games you keep installed on your system.
Considering most games are now in the 50-75Gb range and can often be much higher this could be quite the issue. VERDICT:- In conclusion the Series S is definitely a step up and into the next console generation.
Although the resolution is actually lower than an older One X model this is not truly noticeable unless you have a very good newer TV. What is very noticeable is the processing speed and 120Hz refresh rate which any gamer will tell you makes a much bigger difference to the overall experience and the Series S shines here.
And until you actually experience it you can’t imagine the huge difference the loading times make, it is like old school dial up compared to 5g internet. Once you get used to it you really can’t go back.
So depending on what your budget and requirements are the Series S is totally and upgrade to the One X and unless you have spent $1000+ on a tv that is no more than year old and have another $600+ to spend on the flagship Series X this might very well be the console for you! A great way to experience the benefits of next gen gaming without breaking the bank.