Xbox Series X vs Series S

Xbox Series X vs. Series S

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re pitting two upcoming Xbox consoles against each other to help you decide which one you should buy - it’s the Xbox Series X vs. the Series S! Will the smallest Xbox in history come out on top, or should you get the superior powerhouse? Let us know which one you plan on getting in the comments below.

Round 1: Price

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It’s no secret that 2020 has been a rocky year for most of the world, and that is putting it gently. So, many folks may not be ready to throw a few hundred dollars down for a high end console like the Xbox Series X. With a price of $499 USD, one can think of many ways to better their life with that much money. For some, that’s a good few cart loads of groceries. For others, that covers a good chunk of rent or bills. Thankfully, customers do have the option of making payments on a monthly basis at $34.99 USD per month with zero APR. As enticing as this sounds, this only strengthens the Series S as it comes at a cheaper price - $299 USD or monthly payments of $24.99 USD with no APR. Yeah, we’re keeping this round short. The clear winner is Xbox Series S as it’s the most financially friendly to those on a tight budget. Sure, the Series X is higher end (as we’ll see later on), but if you can’t fork over that amount of money or don’t do enough gaming to care about high tech, you’re better off getting the Series S. You’ll save money and still get enough value out of it. WINNER: Series X 0 / Series S 1

Backwards compatibility may not be on the radar of some companies, but there are still plenty of players who want to revisit older titles. And they want to do so at the highest quality possible. Luckily, Xbox is looking to satisfy those players through their own “Smart Delivery” feature! If a game is supported by this feature, you’ll be able to play the best version of the game possible. So, if you bought an Xbox One game before buying a Series X or S, you’ll have access to that game on your new console and at the highest fidelity. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/06/15/what-is-smart-delivery-xbox-series-x/ Unfortunately, this feature comes with two caveats with the new Xbox consoles, specifically the Series S. See, the Series X will be able to play your games at their full potential. The Series S, on the other hand, will only be able to output these games at the same quality as an Xbox One S. Granted, that isn’t that big of a downgrade, but knowing that you aren’t getting the best quality possible is somewhat disappointing. Sorry, Series S, but your bigger brother is taking this one. WINNER: Series X 1 / Series S 1

We aren’t necessarily judging these consoles based on their appearances. After all, it doesn’t matter how they look so long as they run amazing games, right? Sure, some may be a little more concerned about a console’s visual appeal, but that’s not what we’re getting at here. We don’t want just a pretty face - we want something that’s going to be efficient as well. We all joke about the Series X looking like a mini-fridge or a PC tower that looks slightly off, but our concern lies elsewhere. The console’s air vents are located on the top which raises an alarm for us. Isn’t that going to attract a good amount of dust? Won’t that make the inside of our consoles susceptible to dirt? And hopefully the holes aren’t big enough for bugs to crawl inside. (Seriously, this has been a more common problem than you might think…) https://kotaku.com/console-repairmen-explain-why-cockroaches-love-ps4s-1794393470 The Series S seems a little more manageable as its vents are located on the side of the console where the dark circle is placed. It might be a pain in the butt to get the dust out of each individual hole, but the smallest Xbox ever shouldn’t have much of a problem keeping filth out of the system. And the best part? Doesn’t look like any bugs will have an easy time getting in there! Series S steals the win here. WINNER: Series X 1 / Series S 2

Of course, this is arguably one of the most important factors when buying a brand new console. You want something that’s going to run games at their best quality, and you want it to do so without having a meltdown, crashing, or catching fire. Both Series X and Series S have significant upgrades to load games faster, but it’s pretty obvious who’s taking this round. The Series S boasts some moderate upgrades for a $300 price tag. Ten gigabytes of RAM, a five hundred and twelve gig solid state drive, and four teraflops give you enough power to experience games in next-gen fashion. On top of that it has the potential to run games at one hundred and twenty frames per second! Although, this isn’t much compared to the Series X. While it does come at a hefty cost, you’re getting a machine that wields a lot of horsepower! Users will be given a terabyte of storage, sixteen gigabytes of RAM, and twelve teraflops to optimize your game at its utmost potential. It can also run games at up to a hundred and twenty frames per second, and you even get a Blu-Ray disc drive. So, those of you who like physical copies of games aren’t being left out! We’re obviously giving this round to the Series X as it boasts more power than the Series S. When it comes to AAA games, you’re going to want the best performance possible, especially considering how big they’re getting. WINNER: Series X 2 / Series S 2

Notice how we left out resolution in the previous round? Well, we did it because this factor extends a bit farther than just “what’s going to look prettier on my TV”. Let’s cut to the chase - the Series S only displays at 1440p while still retaining the 120FPS potential. As for the Series X, users can expect support for not just 4K resolution, but 8K as well! This is where customers need to think long and hard about which console to purchase. If you’re someone who doesn’t care much for the latest in graphics, you’re probably going to lean more towards the Series S. In which case, you do you. 4K resolution still isn’t the standard (at least, not at the time of this video’s release) as many people and their TVs have gone so far as ultra-HD. There’s still plenty of time to wait and see where things go. This is where the Series X takes on a somewhat different identity. This isn’t just a brand new console you’re buying. Like a new computer or laptop, this is an investment. With 4K AND 8K support, this is where customers should ask themselves if and when they might get a 4K TV. You could easily drop the money on a Series X and just save up for a 4K TV. The best part in that situation is that when you get the 4K TV, your games will look as if you bought a brand new console. With that in mind, Series X has taken the crown. Series S may be good for those looking to get a new console at a cheaper price, but the Series X is something that could easily pay off whenever customers feel the need to jump to 4K. WINNER: Series X 3 / Series S 2