After an extended period of rumors and teasers, Microsoft's next-gen console duo, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, are now in our hands.
The S Series is an all-digital console that comes at a relatively friendly price of $ 299. There's no disk drive, which means you'll download games.
The S Series, therefore, is like the perfect Xbox Game Pass machine.
At $ 499, the Xbox Series X has more hardware inside and a disc drive.
It runs the same games as the S Series, supports backward compatibility, and delivers a full 4K experience right from the console.
The S Series is a bit less powerful, but still delivers a next-gen experience that feels like the ideal choice for the masses - that is, anyone who doesn't play massive multiplayer competitions or care about the power inside. .
You still have access to many historical Xbox titles with a crisp 1440p visual experience.
The disadvantage?
There's still no major game for this next-gen family, there's no Spider-Man here, like there is on PS5, and it seems like Game Pass is almost a requirement.
A clean and strikingly small build
The S Series is small.
At just 4.25 pounds, you can easily move it.
You can stand it vertically or lay it flat.
It is the thickness of a long novel, so finding a place for it in your home will not be difficult.
Compared to the Xbox Series X, which looks like a compact gaming PC, the S Series feels just the right size.
And at its $ 299 price, Microsoft isn't skimping on what's in the box.
You get the S Series console, the Xbox Wireless Controller (with two AA batteries), a power cord, and an HDMI cable.
The S Series also has a solid number of ports.
At the rear, you'll find the power port, an Ethernet connector, two USB-A ports, an HDMI output, and a storage expansion slot.
The front features a single USB-A port and a pairing button for the remote hidden right next to it.
Not only does the Xbox logo on the front shine, it's also the S Series power button.
The vent is housed in a giant black circle with cutouts.
Sometimes we could hear the fan kick into action, but for the most part, it ran pretty quietly.
However, if a game crashed, we heard a buzz on it.
The best news is that we didn't feel any extreme heat, and the S Series performed quite well during our tests.
The configuration is also quite easy: you can configure it directly through the console itself or through the Xbox app on your Android or iOS device.
The latter is not a new feature with the S Series, but it is quite useful and ensures that your Xbox account is linked from the beginning.
Through the app, after powering up the console and connecting it to the TV via HDMI, it took us about 15 minutes to get everything ready.
A familiar controller that runs on AA batteries
The latest Xbox controller hasn't changed much.
It looks similar to the next generation that debuted with the Xbox One family.
The big change: there is a dedicated button for sharing content like screenshots and clips.
Our big qualm with him is that Xbox still uses AA batteries.
When the power runs out, you need more batteries.
There's a USB-C port on the top, but Xbox makes you buy the rechargeable battery for $ 24.99.
That port is meaningless unless you buy the accessory.
It's 2020 - just give us an easier way to get paid and a way to help the environment.
And, for transparency, the X Series does not come with this kit either;
that's even more annoying with a price tag of $ 499.
The controller still offers an engaging in-game experience.
In racing or driving-focused games like Forza Horizon 4, pressing down on the left trigger to go fast will have the controller vibrating as you shift gears.
You will also feel different levels of vibration depending on the terrain and the vehicle.
A fast interface with short loading times
The S Series doesn't change the Xbox experience that much.
There is a custom CPU within the S Series that has eight cores.
Microsoft pairs this with a dedicated 10GB RAM GPU and a four teraflop GPU (graphics processing unit).
Everything is really impressive at the price of US $ 299.
And all the data lives on a 512GB NVME Solid State Drive (SSD).
This means that stored data is faster to access and there are no physically moving parts inside.
But keep in mind: with a 512GB SSD inside, the storage space will run out fast.
To make matters worse, only 364GB of those 512GB will be user-accessible space for storing games and apps.
That's not as big as we'd like to see and it will leave you looking at expandable storage options.
You can still connect external drives to expand storage, but you will find that they are slower, resulting in longer load times to open titles stored on them.
The ideal way to expand storage on the S Series (or an X Series for that matter) is with an official storage expansion.
Seagate manufactures a 1TB expansion card that plugs directly into the back of the console.
And since it's the same type of storage as physical storage, it feels like part of the console, and load times are vastly improved.
And the S Series interface is a classic Xbox experience.
The boxes with the games are highlighted, providing easy access.
The titles you use the most will live closer to the top of the list.
You can scroll vertically to access different tabs like the Windows Store, Game Pass, and even specific games.
You get quick access to your profile in the upper left and see three main statistics in the upper left: microphone status, controller battery level, and time.
Loading and starting a game like Forza takes 14.5 seconds.
With titles like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Star Wars: Squadrons, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the start time for a title was just 12 to 17 seconds.
The other impressive thing is that many titles support Quick Resume, so if you close Dirt 5 to navigate the interface a bit, reopening Dirt 5 takes about two seconds.
If you want to go back to another title like Madden NFL 2021, the change takes between 10 and 20 seconds.
That change is not instantaneous, as the console quickly saves your work.
The S Series is slightly faster than the original Xbox One, One S, and One X with load times.
You just need to make sure the titles support the new software experiences.
With most experiences, we found the S to be 2.5 times faster than the original, about 1.5 times faster than the One S, and slightly .5 times faster over the One X.
Better yet, the fastest experience happens when you turn on the console, too.
In most of our tests, either using the power button or a press on the controller, we managed to start the console in just 5.65 seconds.
You will also notice faster reboot times and a stronger connection when downloading titles.
For example, games that occupy around 40GB could be downloaded in about an hour and a half.
This also depends on your home internet connection, as you need to connect to the cloud.
The game is smooth and attractive even at 1440p
For the most part, the games in the S Series are fluid across the board.
It might not have a crazy amount of teraflops (a measure of graphics performance) inside, but unless you're a streamer or a professional gamer, the S Series is probably enough for you.
The big question mark surrounding the console, however, revolves around the great flagship games.
Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo are arriving post-launch after both received delays.
Halo is coming in 2021. Classics like the original Halos, along with newer titles like Gears 5 and Forza, have been refined to run smoother and faster on the S Series. That means better load times and visuals.
To play these games, you need a Game Pass subscription or have previously purchased the titles.
Keep in mind that the S Series is compatible with literally thousands of games, which is a huge plus.
If you're looking forward to playing flagship titles (when they finally arrive), the S Series is setting you up for success on day one.
Most titles, including Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4, ran smoothly with minimal latency and brilliant graphics on a large number of TVs.
The S Series maxes out at 1440p at 120 frames per second.
It gets tricky, since most games will probably go for 60 frames per second (or even less).
This is a game-by-game decision and is likely due to internal power restrictions.
While 1440p is in the middle of resolutions (better than 1080p HD, but just steps away from 4K), it's not all bad news, as many TVs will upscale content to a true 4K experience.
We tested the S Series with a multitude of TVs: Vizio M-Series, LG CX, Sony A8H, Sony X900H, TCL 6-Series and Samsung Sero.
In our tests, they were all scaled and delivered in more detail.
Many titles are optimized for the S Series, which means that they will take advantage of the improved hardware inside to deliver impressive graphics and faster experiences.
Those titles include Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Gears Tactics, Sea of Thieves, and The Toursyt.
Even if a game is not optimized for the S Series, it still performs well with strong graphics across the board.
A title like Watch Dogs: Legion, which was not optimized, was still smooth, although it crashed midway through our test.
With all of our testing, the S Series was pushing 1440p at different frame rates with a maximum of 120 frames per second.
But if you are dying for 4K quality, fear not, as your TV will probably improve the content.
The result is an experience closer to 4K.
Titles like Forza Horizon 4 looked impressive, especially when we were racing in the fall.
You can see a wide range of warm colors on the ground, with fancy cars zooming in on the screen.
All in all, however, the S Series offers an engaging, compelling, and downright fun experience.
If you're just here to have a good time, the S Series is perfect.
conclusion
At $ 299, if you're not worried about the absence of 4K and digital content, the S Series is probably the Xbox for you.
It offers a lot of value, and when you factor in the fast experience we've had (along with a TV that can upscale to 4K), you're getting a splendid gaming experience.
The Xbox Series S launches November 10 for $ 299.99.
Many retailers are taking pre-orders, but they know the stock is fluctuating and we recommend rechecking if the console is out of stock.
Note: The above prices reflect the price at the time of publication of the article.
