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I feel like the Xbox Series S is a waste of time & I don't understand why Microsoft made such a console like the Series S.

PeteBull

Member
XSS is terrible value for any1 buying 5+full priced games/year, u get not only 3x weaker(or -66% in terms of teraflop performance) gpu, but on top much smaller ssd(usable 802GB xsx vs only 364GB xss), and 16 vs 10 so 6 gigs less memory, by proxy much lower memory bandwith, small cpu frequency difference is negligible compared to all the other cutbacks.

That 200$ u "saved" vs buying XSX is in reality overpaying for flawed product and over lifespawn of whole generation extremly tiny savings(if u count 60$ games its barely above 3 games, if u count 70$ games its not even 3 games of price difference).

On top its digital only so u cant sell/switch between friends use used games at all.

So if we speaking of digital only games usuable product, u can only compare it to 400$ ps5 :(

We already have games running below 1080p on it, and in time it will only be more, hell u get even now xsx running ac valhalla 1188p, xss already dropping to 720p and remember, thats ac valhalla, so think of it as ac black flag of current(nextgen), what will happen when we get ac unity of this gen?(and we for sure will:)?
 

DaGwaphics

Member
With that tag we all know you don’t want to have a respectful conversation lol. You want to bag Microsoft and Xbox.
:messenger_winking_tongue:

MS had a certain amount of parts ordered/available with the goal of manufacturing X number of units in the first few months. They obviously built more Series units than they did One units, but probably not too many more, they were never going to build as many units as Sony. Thus when you launch in more markets with this same number of units, you sell fewer units in each territory. This isn't rocket science.

They could have launched in the US/UK only and rivaled Sony's number there, just based on availability. But would that make the launch more successful? Not really.
 

I_D

Member
The "best effort" profile would need to exist anyway, as the PC space requires options. That's where this glass house falls down.

Basically, you're saying that Sony exclusives (the only games developed that don't already figure in hundreds of hardware combinations) will be hampered by the XSS, which doesn't appear realistic.

That profile is required to exist now, because of the weaker console, for the entire lifespan of that weaker console.

If there was only one SKU, the weaker profile would be phased out, as PC hardware is already more powerful than console hardware and will be significantly more powerful in a few years.
There would be exceptions, of course, as there will always be developers who develop low-spec games; but for the developers who want to push graphical boundaries; a weaker console hampers them.

Oh no, the developers have to change the config file to tell the game to run at 1080p resolution and might need to set ray tracing to false. Two whole lines of text, how will they ever manage.
And if you really think that's all it takes to streamline lower textures, anti-aliasing, framerates, resolution, and every other setting to get the maximum performance out of a weaker machine, you really have no idea what you're talking about.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
If there was only one SKU, the weaker profile would be phased out, as PC hardware is already more powerful than console hardware and will be significantly more powerful in a few years.
There would be exceptions, of course, as there will always be developers who develop low-spec games; but for the developers who want to push graphical boundaries; a weaker console hampers them.

But, then time will be spent optimizing for higher profiles. Point being that outside of Sony exclusives, devs have to spend time considering hardware variants to begin with.

AAA games are already exceeding the budgets available in man hours, etc. This is the real limiting factor, don't expect as much forward momentum graphically as in the past. Diminishing returns everywhere, more so now than ever before.
 
That profile is required to exist now, because of the weaker console, for the entire lifespan of that weaker console.

If there was only one SKU, the weaker profile would be phased out, as PC hardware is already more powerful than console hardware and will be significantly more powerful in a few years.
There would be exceptions, of course, as there will always be developers who develop low-spec games; but for the developers who want to push graphical boundaries; a weaker console hampers them.


And if you really think that's all it takes to streamline lower textures, anti-aliasing, framerates, resolution, and every other setting to get the maximum performance out of a weaker machine, you really have no idea what you're talking about.
I can literally do all of that in my pc game settings. Texture, anti-aliasing, resolution can be all controlled in settings which changes the config file and tells the game engine how to run the game. Lowering the resolution from 4k to 1080p alone will help the xbox series s a lot because 4k is over four times the size of 1080p and very expensive for the GPU to do.
 
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MrFunSocks

Banned
Not entirely true as people shit hard on the Switch too - it’s a combination of zealous brand loyalty, obsession with graphics and false consensus bias (« everyone cares about cutting edge graphics and frame rate because I do »).
You’ll find the same people that shit on Microsoft/Xbox constantly are the same people that shit on the switch constantly too. They also believed the vita would outsell the 3ds and kill Nintendo and that the switch would do less than wii u numbers.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
You’ll find the same people that shit on Microsoft/Xbox constantly are the same people that shit on the switch constantly too. They also believed the vita would outsell the 3ds and kill Nintendo and that the switch would do less than wii u numbers.

Sure, why not add that they are also perverts and people who believe the Earth is flat, etc... ? Ad long as we can make things up and blow things out of proportion sky is the limit :D.
 
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MicTyson

Neo Member
It would be the greatest thing ever if it was from Sony.

Xbox 360 era "I can't believe Xbot idiots pay to pay online" PS4 era comes around and they all eat up paying to play their games online.

PS4 launch they counted every pixel to declare a winner now the teraflops don't matter.

Now it's "Game pass is terrible for the industry" when Sony finally plays catch up, it will be the greatest thing ever.

The list goes on and on of embarrassment from console fan boys.
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
And if you really think that's all it takes to streamline lower textures, anti-aliasing, framerates, resolution, and every other setting to get the maximum performance out of a weaker machine, you really have no idea what you're talking about.
If the only difference is GPU and VRAM, yes, it is.

CPU + IO is the same and RAM is enough for the target resolution so yes, it's only a matter of reducing graphic expenses and 4K resolution alone is expensive enough to release enough GPU resources most of the times.

It's not like porting the game to One X (last gen) that couldn't handle all non-graphic logic the same way since CPU + IO is too outdated.
 

Riky

$MSFT
If the only difference is GPU and VRAM, yes, it is.

CPU + IO is the same and RAM is enough for the target resolution so yes, it's only a matter of reducing graphic expenses and 4K resolution alone is expensive enough to release enough GPU resources most of the times.

It's not like porting the game to One X (last gen) that couldn't handle all non-graphic logic the same way since CPU + IO is too outdated.

Exactly.

What was holding back the likes of the Xbox One X was the outdated CPU that wasn't very good back in 2013. The Series S has the CPU and SSD speed to be around for the full generation. The Ori Dev in his interview with DF talks about this extensively.
 

Auronite76

Neo Member
No One who doesn't have an Xbox is going to pick up a new console to play old xbox games from 12 years ago.
The casual gamer will pick up a Nintendo Switch before an XSS. Sony and Nintendo have far more desired IPs.
You buy a new console to play New games, the mythical customer thats NOT already in MS ecosystem and drooling to buy an XSS to play Halo 3 ODST don't exist. Those customers are buying Nintendo Switches.
Well, I don't think I belong to that casual gamer group (I usually play 4-6 hours/day) and I bought Series S just for those games that are not available for any other system (not even PC) so yes at least one person bought it because of that (but I don't believe I'm the only one). Series S is my first Xbox console so now I can finally play few games I've always wanted to play, like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and many others. I considered buying Xbox 1X 6 months a go when it was available for 299€ but decided to wait and see what kind of backwards compatibility the new Xbox will have and of course there were strong rumors already about the cheaper system. Series X is better for backwards compatibility (similar to 1x), however I can't justify paying 200€ more for just those few games I've missed in the past. I already bought and played most PS4/Xbox one gen games I want for my PS4 Pro/PC so I don't care it only runs One S games in backwards compatibility mode, I'm not playing those games on my Series S. 1X runs 360 games at a higher resolution, but Series S is good enough for me and it also has advantages like auto-hdr.

I'm glad I decided to wait and didn't buy 1X. Series S is now my backup machine for next gen games that's easy to take with me if I decide to leave home for a few days (happens rarely). I was already subbed to PC game pass when I bought the Series S and now that they raised the subscription fee to 9,99€ the Game Pass Ultimate costs only 4€ more/month. There is no way Series S will be my main gaming machine (PC and PS5 when I buy one will be), but it is good for families like mine where the whole family likes to play games (my wife absolutely loves Tetris Effect Connected and some of the other older 360 gen puzzle games available on game pass). And if MS at some point for some reason decides to make a console only game (almost zero chance), I have a backup for that purpose. Forza Horizon 4, MCC games, Gears of War games that are available for PC will be PC games for me. Same for most of the game pass games, if some games are available only for console pass (like Control) I'll probably buy it for PC for better experience.

I play a lot and almost always go for the best possible experience available (PC usually because I like mods a lot), however I can't justify paying 200€ extra for Series X just because of few Xbox/Xbox 360 gen games. Emulators do exist I know, but emulators are always my last option to use. I only use them when the game is not available otherwise. No disc drive is the most annoying thing for me, but it's not end of the world as those games that I'm after are not much cheaper outside the store (some are more expensive). I think there are also 360 exclusive games that are only available on disc, but all games I'm interested in are available digitally.

I will always be mainly a Sony, PC and Nintendo gamer, but this IMO was such a good way to play those games I've missed I decided to buy the system. Not many bought the system for the reason I bought it for, but not all that bought Series S are casual gamers.

I also don't have anything against Xbox as a brand, but I've always felt it was not worth it to buy Xbox for a few exclusive games I wanted to play because many were available for PC (like Star Wars: Kotor, Mass Effect and Jade Empire). PC versions usually came a bit later, but I rarely buy full priced games so waiting is/was normal to me.
 
The Xbox One will stop getting new games in a few years though, Series S will be supported the entire generation presumably.
So why buy NOW, instead of playing on your Xbox One and waiting a few more years and get Series S at a discount with a bundle of free games?

See, that's the interesting thing with all the Series S supporters; they all seem to assume the customer are willing to waste money buying Series S when it is at full price, and then wait a few more years until new games start to run on it that justifies the purchase. That does not sound like the kind of customer who is tight with their money at all.
 

Nezzeroth

Member
So why buy NOW, instead of playing on your Xbox One and waiting a few more years and get Series S at a discount with a bundle of free games?

See, that's the interesting thing with all the Series S supporters; they all seem to assume the customer are willing to waste money buying Series S when it is at full price, and then wait a few more years until new games start to run on it that justifies the purchase. That does not sound like the kind of customer who is tight with their money at all.
That applies to the Series X too, it has zero exclusives atm.
 

evanft

Member
The Series S is basically taking the place that would traditionally be occupied by a cheaper version of the last-gen console that is usually put out there when the new console comes out. In this case, however, MS has decided to go a bit higher in price in order to bring at least some of the hardware into alignment with what's available in the Series X. I imagine this was done to give the system more life moving forward, but I wouldn't be surprised if it holds back some games moving forward.

In other words, dumb move. PS5 Digital is more than $100 better.
 

FireFly

Member
So why buy NOW, instead of playing on your Xbox One and waiting a few more years and get Series S at a discount with a bundle of free games?

See, that's the interesting thing with all the Series S supporters; they all seem to assume the customer are willing to waste money buying Series S when it is at full price, and then wait a few more years until new games start to run on it that justifies the purchase. That does not sound like the kind of customer who is tight with their money at all.
It completely depends on the game. You're not going to have a nice experience playing Cyberpunk on an Xbox One S.
 

Riky

$MSFT
It completely depends on the game. You're not going to have a nice experience playing Cyberpunk on an Xbox One S.

Spot on.

I've played it on both and there is a massive difference, the Series S version is solid with upgraded visuals and the One S version is borderline unplayable.
 

FireFly

Member
And? I thought we established that the target customer only play Fortnite and CoD? That they don't care about graphics? Who is suppose to be the customer here?
Well, I don't agree with the poster you quoted, since those games are designed to run even on the base consoles at 60 FPS. I mean Fortnite will run on a phone.

The audience is people looking to play cross gen games at playable frame rates (i.e not dropping into the 20s all the time like in WD:L or Cyberpunk), at resolutions greater than 720p.
 

Magog.

Banned
It's a really bad deal even for casual gamers. The storage is awful and it's already rendering games in sub-HD resolutions before next gen has even really begun.
 
If you have $300 + tax, but not $500 + tax, the Series S is awesome.

Does that help any?
It dosent mater if its, $300 or $500, who is going buy this, if u a xbox fan ur going to save up for xsx or wait till it gets cheaper, if ur a nornal gamer ur going to get the ps5 as it is a much better deal at $400, most people buy a console every 5 years or so, no ones gonna waste money on the xss. Mark my words , it will be discontued after a few years.
 
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THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
It dosent mater if its, $300 or $500, who is going buy this, if u a xbox fan ur going to save up for xsx or wait till it gets cheaper, if ur a nornal gamer ur going to get the ps5 as it is a much better deal at $400, most people buy a console every 5 years or so, no ones gonna waste money on the xss. Mark my words , it will be discontued after a few years.

I dont understand why people on this board keep comparing the series S to a $400 machine that you 100% cannot buy.
So Joe casual gamer decides he has come into a bit of cash goes to a store, maybe, just maybe he spots a $499 series X, and a $499 ps5 with disc. He has $349 to spend.
Your "advice" is to buy the $400 machine that Sony made next to none of that he can't buy? Great.
 

Riky

$MSFT
Didn't MS say 40% of the Series sales were the S model? Doesn't sound like nobody would buy it.
 

tkscz

Member
I keep seeing people say this about the Series S, but the fact of the matter is, most people don't give a fuck about playing video games at the highest fidelity and technical prowess, most people just want to play the game.

The series S is brilliant, for those who don't give a fuck and just want to play next gen (I guess current now) games without spending more than what they think is worth it.

@onnextflix5
It dosent mater if its, $300 or $500, who is going buy this, if u a xbox fan ur going to save up for xsx or wait till it gets cheaper, if ur a nornal gamer ur going to get the ps5 as it is a much better deal at $400, most people buy a console every 5 years or so, no ones gonna waste money on the xss. Mark my words , it will be discontued after a few years.

As Riky Riky already said, it's 40% of Series sales, so it being discontinue ain't happening.

Again, the idea of "WHY BUY THE WEAKER HARDWARE" is purely a gamer mindset that you see on forums like these. While the average person looking to play game X will buy a series S just to play it, regardless of hardware.

It's why mid-tire GPUs sell better than high-tire. Why Switch ports are still made. You have got to drop this idea that the average video game player thinks like us.
 
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The series S is brilliant, for those who don't give a fuck and just want to play next gen (I guess current now) games without spending more than what they think is worth it.
And that would be zero dollars, because Xbox One runs current gen games as of now.
 
It dosent mater if its, $300 or $500, who is going buy this, if u a xbox fan ur going to save up for xsx or wait till it gets cheaper, if ur a nornal gamer ur going to get the ps5 as it is a much better deal at $400, most people buy a console every 5 years or so, no ones gonna waste money on the xss. Mark my words , it will be discontued after a few years.
“Who is going to buy this?” Well, so far, they have sold every S they have made. So, lots of people?
 

Turnstyle

Member
Despite the 360 being my main console that gen, I skipped the Xbone after Microsoft's terrible reveal, and went PS4 last gen.

I wanted a next gen console at launch this November, and the cheap entry price of the Series S, plus game pass, pushed me over the edge.

I haven't actually purchased a single game on Xbox yet, but I've finished 8 game pass games already, and am currently playing my way through all the Gears series campaigns online with pals. I am having a blast. No regrets here.

I also have the bonus of a lot of the 360 games I bought digitally back in the day available in my library.

I'll pick up a ps5 down the line when they get a price cut, but right now I couldn't be happier with the Series S. The console plus game pass is just such great value.
 

tkscz

Member
Maybe in US. Outside of it? NO! In EU is at stock basically everywhere. World exists outside US, you know
And neither is selling very well in Japan, I guess they should just stop selling the Xbox then.

Dude that argument is weak, 40% of all Xbox series sells came from the series S, that's still people buying it. Just because one region buys it less doesn't mean no one is buying it.
 
And neither is selling very well in Japan, I guess they should just stop selling the Xbox then.

Dude that argument is weak, 40% of all Xbox series sells came from the series S, that's still people buying it. Just because one region buys it less doesn't mean no one is buying it.

It's not weak. If people buying it, XSS would be out of stock, but it's not ( XSX is because people buy that ). And EU territory isn't small.
 
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DESTROYA

Member
It has it’s place but should of had a DD to be more of a media center that can also play games.
Im fine with it being underpowered compared to its big brother but I believe its a wasted opportunity.
 

ItsTheNew

I believe any game made before 1997 is "essentially cave man art."
It's for the broke folks around the world who can't save an additional 100-200 dollars even though they know the price and release a year ahead of time. They'll also chime in the DF threads when their version is the ugliest and worst performing to defend their purchase, "XSS doing WORK! best $299 I spent!"
 

Derktron

Banned
And? I thought we established that the target customer only play Fortnite and CoD? That they don't care about graphics? Who is suppose to be the customer here?
This is wrong I really wish people weren’t this ignorant, yes the general consumer does care about graphics just like they care about the games that are exclusives to that certain platform. I don’t understand why people like you continue to use this argument when that’s wrong.
 
Fair enough.

First price cut at otto.de


288.54 euro

Yeah. The lowest one. First one was at the beginning of Dec last year widely at Saturn :

MqVuhRn.jpg
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Looks like no one is buying PS5 systems either, eek!

n0gyi8w43py51.jpg


Or maybe random pictures don't tell much other than that there was a restock at some point. :messenger_winking_tongue:
 

Tmack

Member
Looks like no one is buying PS5 systems either, eek!

n0gyi8w43py51.jpg


Or maybe random pictures don't tell much other than that there was a restock at some point. :messenger_winking_tongue:

Absolutely right BUT one can safely assume by now that the demand for S if much weaker than from S.

By now the S despite having lower production numbers, is much easier to buy.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Absolutely right BUT one can safely assume by now that the demand for S if much weaker than from S.

By now the S despite having lower production numbers, is much easier to buy.

I expect the S will start to get easy to acquire within the next month or two even in the US, with the X not too far behind. PS5 might stay sold out through the early part of the summer.
 
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