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Can I be honest here...I don’t think the Xbox Series S is going to last very long into the generation.

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
you're right on that point.
if a said person does not have absolutely no budget, i cannot judge them. this, i also agree on.

i just hate the console in general, wish it didn't exist so all people were forced to buy a proper nextgen machine. a 400 dollar non disc version would be great.

or a 350 dollar 6 tflops series s... i would SUGGEST the shit out of that console. being 3 times weaker is simply HUGE. 2 times is more affordable in terms of rendering performance. it would be at least like the gtx 1060-1080 situation. instead, we got a 1050ti-1080ti situation :messenger_pouting:
TM6zBCa.gif
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
It wont hold anything back,
Game design wont be held back because the main changes this gen are from the CPU+SSD.
visual wont be held back because game engines are incredibly scalable these days.

To put the seriesS in perspective consider that its disparity compared to the seriesX and ps5 is smaller then the difference between the PS2 and original XBOX.

Another way to look at it, is look at the switch, the seriesS is like if the switch had the same 8 core jag as the X1, tripple the memory bandwidth it has now.
If the switch had those specs all last gen games would likely work on it.
 
I think its longevity will depend on how profitable it is for it to be worth kept in the market despite disappointing sales and failing to meet expectations (Phil Spencer said in an interview he expects the S to be the bestselling console of the new gen. I don't think that's happening).
 

Hezekiah

Banned
Xbox Series S issue is storage.

Good news, you can now save hard drive space with Edge and Stadia. All your open worlds will be running from the cloud...

If you don't have a lot of money to spend the alliance Stadia, Series S is great.
Storage is one of its biggest issues, but the much greater availability of it in comparison to the other consoles suggest the GPU and RAM are also issues, and disc-only might be for some.

A much much smaller proportion of Series S consoles should have been built.
 

T-Cake

Member
People who own a Series S by in large seem to really like the machine. I think that is a sign of a well designed product at an appropriate price point.

It definitely was not the machine for me so I went straight for an X.

I love mine. I've never seen an X for sale until the recent Halo Limited Edition but even then I chose not to buy one as the S does me absolutely fine. I'm going to keep using my PC instead, I was going to get an X and give up PC gaming but I know I'd miss it.

It is definitely a bit low on space but I'm saving up those Microsoft Reward points and will eventually get the SSD add-on for next to nothing.
 
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The S will be just fine. It's a great little product & fills a market need / niche quite well. I own the X and S, and appreciate both of them equally for their respective advantages. The S's inexpensive price point, small and portable form factor and efficient thermal/energy characteristics has earned itself a place in our household and on the go that sees it getting used as much if not more than our X. It's a great little system, especially at the $270 price I paid. Harsh critics are either console warriors or simply don't understand how well this little beast plays its role.
 

eNT1TY

Member
If and thats a big if the S doesn't last it wouldn't be from a gaming/performance short-coming but rather from a manufacturing cost one. I do not know the BoM for it but it can't be too far off from the retail price. There isn't a single other consumer product in the market at its retail price point approaching the performance of this very specialized piece of kit in such a tiny form factor, in the DIY space you would be spending twice as much to match it while being twice as big. That can't be cheap to churn out like Switches The cost to produce relative to its retail price could possibly be even more than the Series X to its. What is the incentive to keep producing if it is not selling and you can just make a Series X that do sell on the spot the second they land on shelves?
 

Genx3

Member
The Series S shouldn't have problems running any 4K 60 fps game on series X at 1080P 60 fps.

If the game is 1800P on X then it'll likely be 1080P or 900P on S. As long as devs optimize for the S hardware everything should be fine.
 

Shut0wen

Member
Tbh i aaint no grapgic whore and a game at stable 30 fps and above 720p is ok with me, i recently upgraded to a series s after playing on base xbox one for alot of years but the ssd performance on xbox one games is enough for me to keep me interested for a good few years
 

K' Dash

Member
I think the console was designed with the idea of a DLSS like solution coming some time in the future. I think it will be fine.
 

dem

Member
I have a Switch and a Series X

The other day I saw my 8 year old playing Fortnite on the switch instead of the Xbox. I told him it looks crappy on the Switch.. why don’t you play it on the Xbox?

I don’t think he even knew what I was talking about
 
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Sorcerer

Member
I found it impossible to get an X. But Microsoft is restocking the S every 48 hours on its own store it seems. They sell out and about 2 days later there back in stock. But its officially holiday season and these won't last long. I have 4k but can't do 120. So I don't feel too bad about it. I don't know any better anyway. LOL!!!
 
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Hoddi

Member
I just grabbed one a couple of days ago and it isn't a bad machine. I bought it to plug into an old 1080p plasma (that I don't want to throw out yet) and I'm mostly happy with it.

My biggest issue is how blurry 1080p + TAA becomes in games like FIFA. It's otherwise a good fit for 1080p screens.
 

Chukhopops

Member
I have the XSX, XSS and since recently a PS5. The Series S is a fantastic machine and will be completely fine for the entire generation.

There is barely any difference between the XSX on a 4K tv and the XSS on a 1440p monitor. I think I’ve seen only one game running noticeably worse on the XSS so far.
 

Vognerful

Member
Since we know that the PS4 will have support till 2024 probably, we can be safe to say that XSS is going to last this generation.

Whether this is a good or a bad thing is something to be seen
 

AmuroChan

Member
It doesn't necessarily need to last a whole gen. MS could also do a mid-gen refresh and upgrade the S. It could become an Xcloud machine, in which case the hardware specs doesn't matter.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
It will continue to sell like crazy once Christmas comes as the Gamepass machine.
It’s actually a great way to tap into Xbox ecosystem. I think Microsoft should push it much more via partner channels - in France you can for example get a subsidised TV with your Internet contract, no reason not to do the same and push Series S into more homes.
 
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Velius

Banned
They ported Doom Eternal to the Switch.
The fucking Switch. I think we'll be okay. And I mean look at GoWR-- I love it (mods if you fucking warn or card me over this you'll see some kicking and screaming like you won't believe) but let's face it, it doesn't look that much better than GoW 2018. Is that the XSS' fault too?

If you are really concerned about visual boundaries being exceeded seriously just get a 3080Ti or 3090.

In terms of business it's hard to say at the moment if the two distinct models was a good idea. But I mean these companies have armies of analysts so I'm assuming there is some angle of profit here.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
The few people I know who upgraded from a launch day Xbox One love their S.

I just hope it doesnt turn out to be a giant anchor on new gen only games in the future.
 
I get the idea of the Series S but honestly, why would people buy an inferior "next gen" console. It would have made sense to do what Sony did. A digital version of the Series X as well as the disc version.

You'd be glad to know that that console is the most undesirable and slowest selling console in history. It will be dropped soon enough.
 

ParaSeoul

Member
If it had a disc drive,it would be perfect. I think if most games aim for 1080p or 1440p when possible it will hold up. But I'm pretty sure we're not gonna see much ray tracing support for most games.
 
I get the idea of the Series S but honestly, why would people buy an inferior "next gen" console. It would have made sense to do what Sony did. A digital version of the Series X as well as the disc version.
How is the XSS an inferior next gen system when it has the exact same feature set as the XSX? I've always asked numerous times from the detractors what's missing and I've never gotten a serious answer. It still has more 120 fps titles than a console that is more expensive.

Storage is one of its biggest issues, but the much greater availability of it in comparison to the other consoles suggest the GPU and RAM are also issues, and disc-only might be for some.

A much much smaller proportion of Series S consoles should have been built.
Storage is not a big issue because the XSS has had both expandable storage and external cold storage since day one. That claim can't be made by other platforms. The RAM issue can be addressed if developers take advantage of the memory saving features like SFS. It will take effort but I'm certain MS is more than willing to assist any developer in tapping all the capabilities of their product. By the way how much RAM DO you need to render games at 1080p?

You also don't seem to realize that the XSS is actually cheaper to produce overall because the SOC is smaller and yields per wafer are higher. It remains the easiest way for MS to get people into their ecosystem. It exists for a reason but it isn't a product for everyone.

People who own a Series S by in large seem to really like the machine. I think that is a sign of a well designed product at an appropriate price point.

It definitely was not the machine for me so I went straight for an X.
Put me in this boat. I knew that the XSS wasn't a product for me but I'm glad it exists. It still remains the best value for current generation gaming. That will remain true for this entire generation.


It wont hold anything back,
Game design wont be held back because the main changes this gen are from the CPU+SSD.
visual wont be held back because game engines are incredibly scalable these days.

To put the seriesS in perspective consider that its disparity compared to the seriesX and ps5 is smaller then the difference between the PS2 and original XBOX.

Another way to look at it, is look at the switch, the seriesS is like if the switch had the same 8 core jag as the X1, tripple the memory bandwidth it has now.
If the switch had those specs all last gen games would likely work on it.
I wish everyone understood these basic points. The idea that the XSS would be holding back an entire generation of gaming because it doesn't have the most powerful GPU is so silly. I don't see people making that claim against nVidia when they make graphics cards less powerful than the RTX 3090. Obviously the CPU is far more important and news flash that CPU is just as powerful as the other current gen boxes. The one thing that is the most scalable is the GPU.
 

Somoza

Member
I get the idea of the Series S but honestly, why would people buy an inferior "next gen" console.

Dont know if it will be useful but i can give you my reasons for why the series s is an attractive buy to me right now:

  • I dont have a 4k screen at home and i have no plans to get one soon. (3 tv that go up to 1080p 2 of them doubling as pc monitors)
  • I have tons of digital games already on my xbox account i got when i had 360 and the og vhs xbox one.
  • I want something small to have on the desk, not a towering brick.
  • Unnemployed right now, i want a taste of next gen but i dont care much about refresh rates or resolution.
  • Also i am sure there will be a midgen refresh of models with pro versions or slim ones way cheaper than launch models.
  • here in Spain it gets HOT really HOT and temps and long time durability concerns me a lot, and the series s runs quiet and cool af.
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
everyone used to say the CPU and SSD were the biggest next gen upgrades. And in those areas, the Series S hangs well with the big boys.

It’s telling that people who own the console seem to love it. And those who don’t own it are the ones wringing their hands over the resolution etc

I get the idea of the Series S but honestly, why would people buy an inferior "next gen" console. It would have made sense to do what Sony did. A digital version of the Series X as well as the disc version.

People are buying it because it’s cheaper.
 

FrankieSab

Member
I predict PS5's Demon's Souls visuals will not be matched by any Xbox first party game until the end of the gen, maybe 3-4 year

I predict PS5's Demon's Souls visuals will not be matched by any Xbox first party game until the end of the gen, maybe 3-4 years time.
It can play Flight simulator so it will be alright. You know Demon's souls is not really for me that special graphic wise, compared to a PS3 game sure, but it's still a new generation first game batch.
 
Thinking that because the Series S focuses on resolution rather than framerate, sales would go down is misunderstanding the Series S' target audience. The Series S is made for people who want to play video games and would also like to spend the least money. These people are usually non gamers or at most casual gamers, as well as younger kids who are dependent on parents on stuff like these. You wouldn't believe how little these people care about resolution and frame rate. As long as Microsoft keeps the series S cheap in a similiar ratio it is now to a "full console" and as long as games are being released on it, the console would do just fine until the end of this gen.
 

dcmk7

Banned
It might last the entire generation but its clearly is struggling.. and seemingly in sales too. Prominent developers have claimed the situation will get worse and worse, so be interesting to see what happens. MS aren't shy about dropping support for hardware that doesn't work.

It might be the cheapest but it's the worst value for money prospect out of all the consoles by a long way when measured against technical specifications.

Especially when factor in the very low amount of storage available. Let's see how it does around holidays.
 
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GametimeUK

Member
It’s telling that people who own the console seem to love it. And those who don’t own it are the ones wringing their hands over the resolution etc
It's because people can't wrap their heads around understanding another person's options, wants and needs. I'm a "core" gamer and I love the latest flashy gadgets with some of the best performance and graphics I can get etc and I don't mind paying more. The Series X is the console for me out of the two.

My friend likes a casual gaming session. A few F2P Battle Royales along with FIFA and he doesn't like spending a whole lot on game equipment to the point where every penny counts. The Series S is the console he bought and he loves it. I played it at his house and it was a cool little device for what it was.

Unfortunately some people think their opinion is right and is the only thing that makes sense logically. The reality is people don't all view the world in the same way and you fail to try and see it through their eyes.
 

Genx3

Member
The few people I know who upgraded from a launch day Xbox One love their S.

I just hope it doesnt turn out to be a giant anchor on new gen only games in the future.

You'll be glad to know that the CPU and GPU are from the same gen then.

That means that with settings toned down and developer optimization every single game running on either the XSX or PS5 can theoretically run on XSS.

The only question is if devs will put in the work.
 

Little Mac

Member
I bought a Series S and enjoyed the fuck out of it. Gamepass is awesome.

That said. I eventually returned it because whenever I was playing it I was always wondering what the graphics would be like on the Series X. The Series S storage wasn't a problem for me. I had like 8 to 9 games on it and couldn't possibly see the need for having more games available to me at one time.

I do wish there was an all digital version of the X kinda like the PS5 digital but it is what it is. Having said all that, I'm still waiting to find an Series X. Hopefully before Christmas? We'll see.
 

rkofan87

Gold Member
I bought a Series S and enjoyed the fuck out of it. Gamepass is awesome.

That said. I eventually returned it because whenever I was playing it I was always wondering what the graphics would be like on the Series X. The Series S storage wasn't a problem for me. I had like 8 to 9 games on it and couldn't possibly see the need for having more games available to me at one time.

I do wish there was an all digital version of the X kinda like the PS5 digital but it is what it is. Having said all that, I'm still waiting to find an Series X. Hopefully before Christmas? We'll see.
an all digital x is one i want come on ps make it real.
 
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