Xbox Series S/X: Thread 02

[Neon Ignition]

I can't imagine there's a sea of PC only subscribers so the hit shouldn't be too hard to absorb for those who cancel off

[Ghost]

Dave Lee has a pretty interesting video on YouTube talking about the Series S and why that could end up being the better option, basically loading speeds, frame-rates, HDR and ray tracing are much more important than native 4K resolutions and the difference between 1440p and native 4K are so slim that most people wont even notice the difference playing on flat screen TVs. In all of those areas the series s matches the series x and at almost half the price.

To be honest I may end up going with the S myself instead of the X as all of my Xbox library is digital anyway and I’ll also be getting a PS5 which will have the UHD drive. Ill be playing on a 55” screen so the resolution difference wont be major, certainty not worth $200 at least. I just hope its easy enough to take apart so I can spray paint that god awful fan vent.

[Brad]

It’s not for everyone but I use my Xbox as my disc player so that adds extra value. The cheapest Dolby Vision UHD player is £180.

Don’t get too excited. The xbone still can’t play uhd discs without stuttering so I’d have no reason to believe these new ones will either.

Good price for the S. Not next gen though. My one x was doing native 4K years ago.

I can’t tell the difference between 4K and upscaled 2k games though and actually play on a 2k monitor these days so personally I guess the S is ideal for me. The ssd is the next gen part really; it just doesn’t feel like it because PCs had ssds before the start of the current gen.

[dataDave]

Dave Lee has a pretty interesting video on YouTube talking about the Series S and why that could end up being the better option, basically loading speeds, frame-rates, HDR and ray tracing are much more important than native 4K resolutions and the difference between 1440p and native 4K are so slim that most people wont even notice the difference playing on flat screen TVs. In all of those areas the series s matches the series x and at almost half the price.

There should also be a little more breathing room, too. That could help with the temps and long-term reliability.

I personally can't wait. It just needs some exclusive games to seal the deal. After reflection I'm still better off just bringing my PC into the living room at weekends.

I'm also still sore that I forgot to pick up Outrun 2 XBLA way back. I've even tried having words with friends within the Xbox division and there's nothing that can be done.

[BearBoy]

Wait, will the XBLA version of Outrun run of the Series S/X, assuming you bought it back in the day?

I’ve not really kept up with the backwards compatibility but thought it was only for Xbox One games?

[nonny]

Which sounds like a great push for Series S. Really, really poor for selling Series X though, makes it look like a useless paperweight by comparison now which is exactly what it didn't need after the Infinite debacle. An extra £250 for native 4K and a disc drive? Because that's the pitch now...

I get the feeling its always going to be a paperweight in your mind but calling it useless is a bit silly.

It's 4K native, it's got a 1TB SSD and it's got the UHD drive. Games will look better on it and it has other functionality the S model lacks. So it is the premium version that some users will want.

Basically if you're playing on a large 4K TV get the X. If you're not then maybe the S is enough. Either way they all play nice together.

Tell me, is the PS5 useless because the digital version exists? That's the same exact machine minus the drive.

[fishbowlhead]

There should also be a little more breathing room, too. That could help with the temps and long-term reliability.

I personally can't wait. It just needs some exclusive games to seal the deal. After reflection I'm still better off just bringing my PC into the living room at weekends.

I'm also still sore that I forgot to pick up Outrun 2 XBLA way back. I've even tried having words with friends within the Xbox division and there's nothing that can be done.

Your really barking up the wrong tree for exclusives to seal the deal Dave .

MS have just taken a shotgun to SeriesX face and pulled the trigger with this focus on SeriesS and the fact that its basically the same, just 1440p upscaled, which most people wont even know what that is anyway or care, they see the price tag and it plays the same games.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I still simply cannot believe that price.

[CMcK]

Don’t get too excited. The xbone still can’t play uhd discs without stuttering so I’d have no reason to believe these new ones will either.

I‘ve used the One S and Xmas my Blu-ray and UHD player and never had that problem. Although the time when an app update killed Blu-ray playback was bl**dy annoying.

[endo]

Wait, will the XBLA version of Outrun run of the Series S/X, assuming you bought it back in the day?

I’ve not really kept up with the backwards compatibility but thought it was only for Xbox One games?

Doubt it. It doesn't run on Xbone, as far as I know - at least you can't download it to your Xbone. When I play it, I have to play it on my 360. The two disc-based Out Run 2 releases will play on Xbone via backwards compatibility though, I think. Although I haven't tried them, as I can't find the ****ing discs.

[Atticus]

The two disc-based Out Run 2 releases will play on Xbone via backwards compatibility though, I think.

I didn't know this ... will try it out later today.

[BearBoy]

Doubt it. It doesn't run on Xbone, as far as I know - at least you can't download it to your Xbone. When I play it, I have to play it on my 360. The two disc-based Out Run 2 releases will play on Xbone via backwards compatibility though, I think. Although I haven't tried them, as I can't find the ****ing discs.

Oh well. Would have seriously considered picking up a Series S if it was. Love that game and I fear my 360s won't last for ever...

[fishbowlhead]

Oh well. Would have seriously considered picking up a Series S if it was. Love that game and I fear my 360s won't last for ever...

Worst case scenario its an OG xbox and crt to play it. Or emu via an nvidia shield. Good old licensing issues.

[Colin]

So just to clarify, the S will do everything the X can do game wise, just to a lower resolution? And the difference in resolution between the two systems is almost imperceptible? I can’t be doing with this two model launch stuff, MS and Sony should just be giving you the best they can, no matter what they both say one of the versions will end up being catered to more.

[Neon Ignition]

I get the feeling its always going to be a paperweight in your mind but calling it useless is a bit silly.

It's 4K native, it's got a 1TB SSD and it's got the UHD drive. Games will look better on it and it has other functionality the S model lacks. So it is the premium version that some users will want.

Basically if you're playing on a large 4K TV get the X. If you're not then maybe the S is enough. Either way they all play nice together.

Tell me, is the PS5 useless because the digital version exists? That's the same exact machine minus the drive.

If you took the disc drive out of the Series X then you'd have the same as the PS5 options. Otherwise we'd be expecting the digi PS5 to come in at a similar price.

The thing ultimately is that for almost all the buyers cases if they have a TV capable of 1440p it's because they have a 4K TV meaning the system is underpowered for the display. If they're still on 1080p then the existing Xbox options already cover the need. The only remaining element is to show truly next gen games that are beyond the XBO level running on the S to demonstrate its value which is exactly what Series X's issue is because MS hasn't made any.

Trust me, despite how down my posts are its genuinely not for wanting Xbox to fail or for god forbid Sony to monopolise things but I don't think a £249.99 price point for a system (that I still for one second don't believe won't struggle for performance in a few years time) is a cure all for the many big issues MS has allowed into another system launch.