Since the release of Xbox one in November 2013, gamers are eagerly waiting for the next generation cutting edge console.
Much awaited Microsoft offering of game consoles Xbox Series X and Series S are confirmed to launch on 10th November. Pre-orders have already opened on 22 September for both consoles. So, gamers are making the decision whether to save some bucks on Xbox Series S or go with the Xbox Series X. What are the catches with the lower-priced Xbox Series S? We will break this down to help you make an informed decision.
Price
First thing first, Xbox Series X and Series S are not for the same market consumers. Both target two different market sections. The more costly Xbox Series X is priced at £449 / $499 and the more affordable Xbox Series S is priced at a much lower price tag of £249 / $299.
Xbox Series X boasts better performance and a much stronger GPU. But Xbox Series S also have high-value offerings like speedy SSD, same CPU, and so on.
Specification
Simply put, Xbox Series X is the best offering in the business put by Microsoft. It is a beast of a game console in terms of specs. Here is the source of beat level power of Xbox Series X
- CPU: Eight-core 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT) custom AMD 7nm
- GPU: 12 teraflops 1.825GHz (locked)
- RAM: 16GB GDDR6
- Frame rate: Up to 120 fps
- Resolution: Up to 8K
- Optical: HD Blu-Ray disk drive
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
Its GPU is twice as powerful as the most recent flagship console Xbox One X. It has various next-gen features like ray tracing, variable-rate shading, and even support for 8K resolution.
Microsoft also hopes to make latency a thing of the past on Xbox Series X.
In comparison, Xbox Series S lags behind in performance. Here are the known specs of Xbox Series S:
- CPU: Eight-core 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT) custom AMD 7nm
- GPU: 4 teraflops at 1.550GHz
- RAM: 10GB GDDR6
- Frame rate: Up to 120 fps
- Resolution: 1440p with 4K upscaling
- Optical: No disk drive
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
It has a lot of power considering the size and price of it. Its main catch is lower resolution due to a less powerful GPU and 10GB ram instead of 16 GB in Series X. It has the same CPU as Xbox Series X.
Design
Xbox Series X adopts the most unconventional and boxy design aesthetics. It looks more like a traditional PC rather than a console. Its size can be a problem for some setup when the space is limited.
Xbox Series S has a much sleeker form factor. It takes 60% less space than Series X. Microsoft claim it will be the most compact Xbox of all time. The form factor with price range clearly differentiates between the two models. Given its asking price, the Xbox Series S will be a very tempting proposition for those who want to save some bucks.
Games Available
Xbox Series X and Series S both will play all the same games. Though Series X will play them with higher resolution and refresh rate. Both of them will have backward compatibility to play games of Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox.
Here’s a list of games that have been confirmed for Xbox Series X and, by default, Xbox Series S:
| v Halo Infinite | v Dying Light 2 | v The Medium |
| v Cyberpunk 2077 | v Gothic | v The Ascent |
| v Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 | v WRC 9 | v Bright Memory Infinite |
| v Outriders | v Far Cry 6 | v Hitman 3 |
| v Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla | v Resident Evil 8 | v Scarlet Nexus |
| v The Lord of the Rings: Gollum | v Chorus | v Second Extinction |
| v Immortals: Fenyx Rising | v Dirt 5 | v Call to the Sea |
| v Rainbow Six Quarantine | v FIFA 21 | v Watch Dogs: Legion |
| v Battlefield 6 | v Scorn | v Yakuza: Like a Dragon |
| v Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 |
All these games will be available at SHOPPEYBD as soon as they launch.
Verdict
This time Microsoft is going for a vastly different strategy than Sony. They are targeting two completely different markets with two different consoles with vastly different price points. If you are a new or casual gamer and don’t mind missing out on 4K resolution Xbox Series S will be a great value for your money. You can enjoy all the latest games at a very affordable price.
If you want to play all the games full of their potential or have an intention to use the console for a long time it will be wise to buy the more powerful console Xbox Series X.