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[ReBurn]

LOL. No one is too poor to afford a 500 dollar console if they have PATIENCE.

Well that's patently false. There are lots of people who can't justify $500 for a toy and for whom it doesn't make sense to spend that much money. Entertainment isn't a right to be earned and expecting people who want to play games to just "work harder and wait you dirty poor" is a horrible, douchebag take. Having an option that allows people to access the ecosystem is something that I'm glad companies like Microsoft and Nintendo are doing with lower cost hardware, even if it's a lower spec. I wish Sony would also do it.

 

[Neko Mimi Mode]

Oh no, not today's climate!

Tell me what these people would do if there was no 300 dollar option? Because there wasn't one last generation. Oh wait, you don't even need to save up, Microsoft literally offers MONTHLY PLANS for both consoles.

I love how you keep POSTING THINGS IN CAPS, it makes you seem like such an unhinged internet warrior.

First of all, Microsoft's monthly plan isn't available everywhere (my country included) and, second, it's pretty tight on credit score/history requirements - so many are unable to benefit.

Having options at affordable price points isn't a bad thing.

 

[ReBurn]

I'm very curious. Is anyone in this thread praising XSS actually getting one? or just here to defend the brand no matter what?

disclaimer: I did considered an S. did the research and rejected the idea. I don't buy into midgen console refreshes.

I'm planning to put one on a 1080p tv. This gen I regularly moved between a One X and a One S in different rooms depending on availability of the 4K TV. I'd like to keep that going.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Well that's patently false. There are lots of people who can't justify $500 for a toy and for whom it doesn't make sense to spend that much money. Entertainment isn't a right to be earned and expecting people who want to play games to just "work harder and wait you dirty poor" is a horrible, douchebag take. Having an option that allows people to access the ecosystem is something that I'm glad companies like Microsoft and Nintendo are doing with lower cost hardware, even if it's a lower spec. I wish Sony would also do it.

No one is too poor to spend an extra 200 if they can afford 300, especially when it's for a 7-10 year investment, especially when Microsoft offers monthly plans for paying for it. They're also terrible at math, most poor people tend to trade in games when they finish them, good luck saving money there on your digital console.

I love how you keep POSTING THINGS IN CAPS, it makes you seem like such an unhinged internet warrior.

First of all, Microsoft's monthly plan isn't available everywhere (my country included) and, second, it's pretty tight on credit score/history requirements - so many are unable to benefit.

Having options at affordable price points isn't a bad thing.

The caps are for emphasis, I need to make sure you actually read the important parts because you seem slow.

You didn't address the rest of my post but whatever. Like you can't answer for me what these people who can't afford the other version did in 2013, did they just sit the generation out? lol

 

[smallpotatosan]

I'm planning to put one on a 1080p tv. This gen I regularly moved between a One X and a One S in different rooms depending on availability of the 4K TV. I'd like to keep that going.

awesome. Good luck!

 

[NoMoChokeSJ]

The next Call of Duty, Fifa, Madden, Grand Theft Auto, [insert game that will sell bajillion copies] are not coming to gamepass when they launch or ever. Take a look at the top 10-20 games charted on NPD. Those are the games people want to play.

Not sure what your point is. You could still just buy the game like normal. As for Fifa and Madden.... This years may not be on gamepass but last years is on EA Play, which is coming to gamepass next month.

 

[smallpotatosan]

Also what does "midgen refreshes" have to do with the Series S?

because it is a box to lure people into buying midgen refreshes.

 

[MrFunSocks]

because it is a box to lure people into buying midgen refreshes.

How so?

 

[NoMoChokeSJ]

I'm very curious. Is anyone in this thread praising XSS actually getting one? or just here to defend the brand no matter what?

disclaimer: I did considered an S. did the research and rejected the idea. I don't buy into midgen console refreshes.

I preordered an S to replace our slow ass one S. Going to be played on a 1080P Plasma TV, so I thought why not, lol. I also have a One-X and a Gaming PC. It'll be interesting to see how things compare.

 

[Neko Mimi Mode]

You didn't address the rest of my post but whatever. Like you can't answer for me what these people who can't afford the other version did in 2013, did they just sit the generation out? lol

I'm sure there are people who sat the generation out, but that's irrelevant.

Budgets change, it's weird you can't seem to wrap your head around the idea that people's lives, presently, may not allow them to spend more than $300 on an entertainment box.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

I'm sure there are people who sat the generation out, but that's irrelevant.

Budgets change, it's weird you can't seem to wrap your head around the idea that people's lives, presently, may not allow them to spend more than $300 on an entertainment box.

I think people's lack of discipline and inability to plan ahead might stop them from spending more than 300 but I don't believe it can't fit into a budget, no. When's the last time an XBOX or PS console launched at 300... never? Again, unless we're talking first time gamers these people have managed to budget for more than 300 before so they can obviously do it again.

 

[smallpotatosan]

How so?

I will leave it to you to figure out once you start playing nextgen games on it. Experience gap is the main reason. Perhaps mark this post so we revisit after three years. Deal?

 

[Neko Mimi Mode]

I think people's lack of discipline and inability to plan ahead might stop them from spending more than 300 but I don't believe it can't fit into a budget, no. When's the last time an XBOX or PS console launched at 300... never? Again, unless we're talking first time gamers these people have managed to budget for more than 300 before so they can obviously do it again.

Situations change.

Since the Xbox One/PS4 released I went to college, got married, had three kids and got a mortgage to pay off. I don't have the disposable income I used to have and, even through saving, can't justify spending over a certain limit on entertainment.

I'm not saying everyone is like that, but people take pay cuts, save for holidays, get kids (the real money hole) or find themselves in a myriad of situations where they want or need the absolute cheapest option.

And there's the rub, it's an option. Maybe it's main audience is parents gifting little Johnny a next gen/game pass box - but that doesn't mean there is no market for it from regular gamers either.

 

[prinz_valium]

If Xbox Series X would've been $599 and not $499, I would've 100% went with the Series S
It's really a nice console. But with 500GB less storage and less power, I won't buy it day one.

I wait for the fire sales next year. Hope to snag one for $199 at some point

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Situations change.

Since the Xbox One/PS4 released I went to college, got married, had three kids and got a mortgage to pay off. I don't have the disposable income I used to have and, even through saving, can't justify spending over a certain limit on entertainment.

I'm not saying everyone is like that, but people take pay cuts, save for holidays, get kids (the real money hole) or find themselves in a myriad of situations where they want or need the absolute cheapest option.

And there's the rub, it's an option. Maybe it's main audience is parents gifting little Johnny a next gen/game pass box - but that doesn't mean there is no market for it from regular gamers either.

Are you saying you're getting a Series S? Can't tell. Feels more like you're throwing hypotheticals at me. I have trouble believing many serious gamers will buy that thing.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

I'll probably end up getting one in the short term (i.e. until PlayStation release a PS5 remake that's a bit more reasonably sized). As I haven't upgraded to 4K yet and it would be good to play some next-gen games, and Gamepass before going full upgrade to 4K down the track.

 

[MrFunSocks]

I will leave it to you to figure out once you start playing nextgen games on it. Experience gap is the main reason. Perhaps mark this post so we revisit after three years. Deal?

You're being far too cynical, just trying to find a way to bash MS. It's a low cost entry to next gen, and it is going to sell very well. It's not being made to upsell someone in 3 years lol.

I wait for the fire sales next year. Hope to snag one for $199 at some point

Precisely 0% chance of that lol.

 

[GiJoint]

Series S is a cool device for those on a budget, it's tough times out there now, so it's a nice option to have to get into the Xbox eco system.

 

[Ar¢tos]

I'm not sure thats complely fair, it has more horsepower than an xbox one x, plus the ssd.

Yet it can't run X1X optimized games...

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Series S is a cool device for those on a budget, it's tough times out there now, so it's a nice option to have to get into the Xbox eco system.

Why do you guys sound like advertisements all using the same buzz words as each other.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Yet it can't run X1X optimized games...

Because it can't do 4K, and it probably doesn't have enough power to brute force BC games that were made for 6TF of power. You don't seem to understand what you're talking about.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Because it can't do 4K, and it probably doesn't have enough power to brute force BC games that were made for 6TF of power. You don't seem to understand what you're talking about.

Sounds like a sensible purchasing choice.

 

[rofif]

But it has no disc drive... The ultimate cheap bc machine

 

[GiJoint]

Why do you guys sound like advertisements all using the same buzz words as each other.

I'm not going to shit on an alternative console that's cheaper, so I'll keep on buzzing.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Because it can't do 4K, and it probably doesn't have enough power to brute force BC games that were made for 6TF of power. You don't seem to understand what you're talking about.

So it is not more powerful.

 

[MrFunSocks]

So it is not more powerful.

lol yes, it is. Again showing that you literally have zero idea what you're talking about.

It takes a machine much more powerful than a PS1 to emulate a PS1. Do you not understand emulation?

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

I think it's a great machine with insane value if you care about the specs (software it an entirely different story, of course). Thinking about getting one myself just because I love the design and form factor.

 

[Ar¢tos]

lol yes, it is. Again showing that you literally have zero idea what you're talking about.

It takes a machine much more powerful than a PS1 to emulate a PS1. Do you not understand emulation?

Same architecture, manufacturer, OS and APIs, It shouldnt need emulation.

 

[GiJoint]

It's not hampered by the shocking Jag CPU, another solid win there.

 

[LeftThumbstick]

I'm not as much of a pompous asshat like the majority of privileged idiots on here, so here's my take.

I've got an X and S on pre-order. I only ordered the S as a contingency.

My friend doesn't exactly have the best income at all and he has two kids so Christmas is going to be a struggle for him, and he just wants the best for his kids. My partner is his sister for reference sake. Since I don't want the S, we're giving it to him and his son as a shared Christmas gift because barring that, they'll not have the best Christmas.

My point is though, that kids excitement will jump through the roof, he'll have an amazing Christmas to wake up to, a brand new console to play. That's all that matters.

Not the resolution, not the detail of HD textures and not the size of the SSD or the amount of RAM it has. Kids simply do not give a fuck about any of that, at all.

For me, it's less than a weeks wage, but for them it's at least 8 years of fun and enjoyment they otherwise wouldn't have had, and that's what matters here. They won't have to buy $70 games on a gamble because of BC and GP.

People on here are so ignorant and up themselves that they forget they aren't the centre of the earth and that there are BILLIONS of poor people who could never afford an S for leisure, never mind a fucking X or PS5. I grew up pretty poor and all my consoles up to the OG Xbox and PS2 were hand me downs, so I would've appreciated a console like this when I was young.

I'm thinking of the bigger picture here, and so is MS. If you're worried about NeXT GeN, get an X or PS5 or even shill out for a brand new GPU and build a PC.

Any developer who makes the excuse that they can't make a good game because of the existence of an S console can hardly call themselves a competent developer and their games are not worth buying.

 

[Haint]

A $300 box that requires $70 games isn't really cheap guys, you're not exactly targeting dumpster divers or people getting their food and clothes from a local church. I generally agree that the $200 price differential is an issue of desire, not necessity. Anyone who can afford to buy a Series S, games, and internet could afford a Series X if they really wanted to. Those who are genuinely that hard up shouldn't be spending $370+ at launch when there are no next-gen exclusive games on the immediate horizon. That's the polar opposite of being responsible or sensible with your money. Keep your old console and play the cheaper version of the same game that will discount twice as fast and twice as deep.

 

[Md Ray]

lol you mean removing RT, literally the biggest resource hog there is in gaming today? Everything else will just be resolution and LOD.

Lol then why did MS advertise Series S being exactly the same as Series X just doing lower resolution?

False advertisement then.

I expect more games to follow suit i.e. compromise more than just resolution. RT is very mem intensive.

It has RT hardware, but sadly the memory isn't there to support it, and not to mention two split mem banks with heavily reduced speeds as engine programmers, Axel Gneiting & Billy Khan at Id pointed out.

As expected the recent DmC 5 situation on Xbox proves they were right.

I also can't help but feel the scope of MS first-party team's games to get compromised due to Series S' limited hardware.

I imagine a situation where the devs can push a bit more on the Series X - visual effects that heavily tax mem and mem bandwidth. But due to Series S being limited on that front, they'd have to compromise the X version for parity and make the visuals look identical to what's capable on Series S and just bump up the render res.

 

[Michael Hawk]

1) The Series S, while neat in concept, could easily turn out to be a nightmare for any developer with ambitious gameplay ideas. People don't want compromises with next-gen games, and if one console is holding back a bunch of games then you can bet a cool dollar that the next-generation of games -- specifically games on Xbox -- will be an unimpressive affair.

2) It's not 'hating' to point out that the marketing around it is deliberately misleading. If the Series S can't even handle raytracing in remastered current-gen games then calling it a next-gen machine is a bold-faced lie. Stop making excuses for people who lie to people.

3) Confusing customers is not a Series S specific problem and is more to do with the overall naming convention of the upcoming Xbox consoles. I don't think I've seen anyone blame the Series S for the horrendous naming. Anyway, it's a genuine mindfuck how Microsoft thought that the S and X names were a great idea for both their current consoles and next line of consoles. There has to be a fascinating story behind the naming that would explain why it's so bad.

 

[turtlepowa]

The S is not for me or the most people here on GAF, but i have no doubt that the casuals will buy it like crazy. Mainly because of the price and of course because it will most likely be the only next gen console available in stores.

 

[cireza]

Console looks perfectly fine and is a great offer overall.

 

[Chittagong]

Thanks to the tiny size, it is an excellent travel console to complement Switch.

I split my year between three countries - UK, Finland and Italy. While in UK I have my 85 inch TV and 7.1 setup, and will have a Series X. When I travel to Finland and Italy, I will hook up my Series S, allowing me to continue Cyberpunk 2077, Dark Souls and Cold War.

It's the perfect second console.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Thanks to the tiny size, it is an excellent travel console to complement Switch.

I split my year between three countries - UK, Finland and Italy. While in UK I have my 85 inch TV and 7.1 setup, and will have a Series X. When I travel to Finland and Italy, I will hook up my Series S, allowing me to continue Cyberpunk 2077, Dark Souls and Cold War.

It's the perfect second console.

You guys can stand that direct comparison? I did the cross-save feature on Destiny 2 so I could play on PC and PS4 Pro and going right from PC to the Pro version made me physically ill and I never made use of the feature again.

 

[ReBurn]

A $300 box that requires $70 games isn't really cheap guys, you're not exactly targeting dumpster divers or people getting their food and clothes from a local church. I generally agree that the $200 price differential is an issue of desire, not necessity. Anyone who can afford to buy a Series S, games, and internet could afford a Series X if they really wanted to. Those who are genuinely that hard up shouldn't be spending $370+ at launch when there are no next-gen exclusive games on the immediate horizon. That's the polar opposite of being responsible or sensible with your money. Keep your old console and play the cheaper version of the same game that will discount twice as fast and twice as deep.

It doesn't require $70 games. Nobody is ever required to pay $70 for a game. This box isn't targeted at people who buy all of their new games at full price. This box is targeted at people who would subscribe to gamepass and who buy during sales. Since all first party Xbox games will be released on gamepass it's a good deal for people who don't care about owning games. Not everyone considers themselves a hardcore gamer.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

It doesn't require $70 games. Nobody is ever required to pay $70 for a game. This box isn't targeted at people who buy all of their new games at full price. This box is targeted at people who would subscribe to gamepass and who buy during sales. Since all first party Xbox games will be released on gamepass it's a good deal for people who don't care about owning games. Not everyone considers themselves a hardcore gamer.

It's a weird argument, though, since most casuals care most about games like CoD which won't be appearing on Gamepass.

 

[MastaKiiLA]

It won't get much love on here, because this is an enthusiast forum. Most of us aren't interested in pricepoint, when it comes to the new generation of consoles. Just don't make it too expensive, and both XSX and PS5 fulfilled that wish, without compromising on performance. So the XSS stands out as the ugly duckling amongst the flock.

The question is, will the casuals want it? I don't really think so. At this point, it just looks like a replacement for the X1X. Hell, with some of the downgrades to game performance, some might say it replaces the X1S. If you concede that resolution can't hit even the targeted 1440p, with the next-gen features slapped on (like RT), then what will happen when gen2 XSX games land, with all the graphical flourish that experience brings? What happens when cheap 4k TVs have replaced 1080 sets at the bottom-end, in a few years? Is gaming at a lower resolution going to be worth the $300 paid today?

It feels like a system with an artificially short shelf life. Like it's just waiting to do, and it hasn't even been birthed yet. The inevitable digital XSX looms large on the horizon, and people expecting to get great gaming value now, might be getting stiffed with a lemon. It feels like it was intended to be a streaming box, and MS switched things up, and came up with the XSX instead. But they didn't want to lose the development cost of the XSS, so they kept it in their product lineup, as a fallback. The preorder allocations suggest that MS isn't betting on it to be a winner, so its value deserves to be questioned. Holiday sales will tell a much better story, as there might well be large stock ready for in-person shoppers...if COVID even allows such a thing. But I don't know which retailers will want large stocks of a device that doesn't appear to be that popular in pre-sales.

 

[Ozzie666]

Full experience or nothing. I'd would always feel like I am missing out and a second class citizen.

 

[Chittagong]

You guys can stand that direct comparison? I did the cross-save feature on Destiny 2 so I could play on PC and PS4 Pro and going right from PC to the Pro version made me physically ill and I never made use of the feature again.

You mean that stepping down to the lower spec will be jarring?

Yeah I guess that could be true. I guess it will help that it is a different location and smaller TVs for the S. Maybe I need to do some circuit breaking Switch gaming between the X and S, so then the S will look mighty high res.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

You mean that stepping down to the lower spec will be jarring?

Yeah I guess that could be true. I guess it will help that it is a different location and smaller TVs for the S. Maybe I need to do some circuit breaking Switch gaming between the X and S, so then the S will look mighty high res.

It's more jarring if it's a framerate drop for me, not sure if that'll be an issue or not.

 

[Hudo]

All of the next gen consoles are currently a bad deal, IMHO.

 

[Haint]

It doesn't require $70 games. Nobody is ever required to pay $70 for a game. This box isn't targeted at people who buy all of their new games at full price. This box is targeted at people who would subscribe to gamepass and who buy during sales. Since all first party Xbox games will be released on gamepass it's a good deal for people who don't care about owning games. Not everyone considers themselves a hardcore gamer.

Gamepass does not have (and will never have) the AAA third party games people buy annually. If you just want last year's also-rans and select B-tier indies (which comprise 95% of the Gamepass catalog) I would again argue you have no reason to buy a new console. Those types of games will not have any meaningful graphical enhancements (if any), and MS has no first party games launching anytime soon. Casual gamers have no reason to ditch their Xbone.

 

[MrFunSocks]

Same architecture, manufacturer, OS and APIs, It shouldnt need emulation.

lol it's not the same. Was the XB1 Zen 2, RDNA2, GDDR6, and DX12U?

They're not just straight running natively.

 

[THE DUCK]

Lot of good points being made here.

Its a tricky proposition. Let's pretend for a second that in 95% of games, the performance is 1440p with rt (with the odd title at 1080p). On the older tv's, and the smaller ones, the image should look almost identical to what the x is putting out - regardless of if its more or less powerfull than the one x, and the series x.
And we haven't even factored in any upscaling.

We really need some hands on testing of more games, hopefully it hits before launch.

To those saying you can save 500 if you can save 300 - maybe, but who's to say you want to? Maybe you want to eat out more instead, or buy a new TV, or go on a trip, or buy a new phone. Its not just about affordability - even though that as well could play a part.

 

[THE DUCK]

Gamepass does not have (and will never have) the AAA third party games people buy annually. If you just want last year's also-rans and select B-tier indies (which comprise 95% of the Gamepass catalog) I would again argue you have no reason to buy a new console. Those types of games will not have any meaningful graphical enhancements (if any), and MS has no first party games launching anytime soon. Casual gamers have no reason to ditch their Xbone.

That's not true at all with every xbox studio (what is it , 23 now?) coming out release date.
There has also been many aaa games from other publishers on it. The casual gamers who also enjoy gamepass are typically a year or more behind too, which means they have even more choices that they haven't played. Adding ea for these people along with Bethesda is important.

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Lot of good points being made here.

Its a tricky proposition. Let's pretend for a second that in 95% of games, the performance is 1440p with rt (with the odd title at 1080p). On the older tv's, and the smaller ones, the image should look almost identical to what the x is putting out - regardless of if its more or less powerfull than the one x, and the series x.
And we haven't even factored in any upscaling.

We really need some hands on testing of more games, hopefully it hits before launch.

To those saying you can save 500 if you can save 300 - maybe, but who's to say you want to? Maybe you want to eat out more instead, or buy a new TV, or go on a trip, or buy a new phone. Its not just about affordability - even though that as well could play a part.

That doesn't sound sensible, though. If you're going to save 200 to go eat somewhere or go on a trip then you're not being SENSIBLE like one person said because this console will last 7-10 years. And the idea that games will look exactly the same is horseshit, we've dealt with a whole year of people claiming PS5 will have a PERCEIVABLE graphical deficit compared to Series X because of TWO teraflops and now we're pretending this thing will look just the same? Again, absolute horseshit.

 

[Haint]

That's not true at all with every xbox studio (what is it , 23 now?) coming out release date.
There has also been many aaa games from other publishers on it. The casual gamers who also enjoy gamepass are typically a year or more behind too, which means they have even more choices that they haven't played. Adding ea for these people along with Bethesda is important.

Then those people (who are allegedly very poor) should wait to buy their Series S until one year after the first next-gen exclusive game releases (which would probably mean Fall of 2022). It'll probably be $199 or less by then.