Xbox Series S/X: Thread 02

[dataDave]

From a console perspective I've got a One X and I've played it at 1080p and 4K on my TV (and 1440p on my monitor). There is a clear difference between 1080p and 4K... As in I can notice it, night and day.

That's on a 65" TV sat say 8ft away. For you that might be different but for me it's there.

The Series S might also look decent upscaling to 4K but for me I feel the Series X hitting native 4K is important enough to warrant the extra £ along with its other benefits.

I'm sat at around 14ft from a 55" TV with fresh glasses. I only really notice the difference if I pause a game and really study the edges and finer details, and then do a live comparison switch. I'm really not bothered about 4K output until we get a bigger screen.

[wakka]

Well I guess we will see in the real world when they're available in the real world.

You're right in that the internals of the Series S are very similar to the Series X but on paper the X is 3x more powerful but then it has to be to push to the resolution it's aiming for at the same frame rate.

It's like saying Doom Eternal is the same in the real world on two PC running on different GPU cards one at 1440p60 and one that can achieve 4K120... Yeah it's the same game, and on your TV upscaled the lower powered unit might be all you need... But there's a clear difference in power to hit the higher benchmark.

I guess for me, when I say a 'bit more powerful', I'm describing it the way I would to a mate IRL who asked me the differences. I wouldn't say 'it's three times more powerful'. That, to me, could be a bit misleading, because it makes it sound like it's going to be a totally different experience, which it doesn't seem like it will be.

I'm sure it's absolutely accurate in terms of the numbers, I just don't think those numbers are especially meaningful for most of us.

EDIT: In terms of the chat above as to whether 1080p is identifiably worse than 4K on a 'normal' size (~50 to 60 inch) TV set - I reckon you sit pretty far back Dave. 14 foot is a decent distance, I'm probably only about 7 feet away.

I mostly play on a One S so most stuff is probably rendering at 900p. It looks pretty nice to be honest, but soft. I am hoping for a decent uplift in sharpness when I get my PS5, although I'm not expecting it to be too earth shattering.

[nonny]

I think if you're playing 1080p (or 900p) right now and you don't mind going digital and 4K doesn't bother you then yep the Series S is a steal.

If you do plan to get a 4K TV in the near future though then I would say the extra £200 for the series X (or PS5 when we know the cost) is worth it as well.

[dataDave]

EDIT: In terms of the chat above as to whether 1080p is identifiably worse than 4K on a 'normal' size (~50 to 60 inch) TV set - I reckon you sit pretty far back Dave. 14 foot is a decent distance, I'm probably only about 7 feet away.

Indeed. If I was sat at 7ft with anything over 60" in front of me I'd be more interested in 8K, tbh.

Irrespective of the resolution frame rates must come first. I'd much rather play at 4K/120FPS than 8K/60FPS.

For most people there will be no going back to 60 after they've tasted 120. Especially on large screens playing fast games.

[wakka]

At 14 feet I'd be looking at projectors

[nonny]

At 14 feet I'd be looking at projectors

I came from using a projector but it had to go when I had kids. Went from a 120" HD screen to a 65" 4K one...

8K is years off being worthwhile and I agree with Dave, higher frame rates are more important...

[dataDave]

I had a DLP projector from 2005-2010. It was only native 720p, but it did the job.

No idea what the lag was like on it. Probably horrendous.

[nonny]

Yeah I had an InFocus X1, Panny AE700 and then an Epson 3500W. Great times.

We've got similar TV now Dave I've got an aging Sammy HU8500 which does 4K fine but no HDR10 support.

[Brad]

It’s simple. Getting the series S is like buying a new gpu, for more money than you paid for the last one but it’s slower and has less ram.

[CMcK]

It’s simple. Getting the series S is like buying a new gpu, for more money than you paid for the last one but it’s slower and has less ram.

Yes and no. The video Digital Foundry did a wee while simulated a 4tf RDNA GPU versus the 1X and it held its own no bother.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-in-theory-does-a-4tf-next-gen-console-make-sense

The S is really very cheap for that level of CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD.

[MartyG]

It’s simple. Getting the series S is like buying a new gpu, for more money than you paid for the last one but it’s slower and has less ram.

The series S is half the price of the One X - the equivalency you're suggesting would be upgrading from an GTX 1080Ti to RTX 2060. If you have a GTX1080Ti, you get the RTX 2080 Ti. If you have the Xbox One X, you get the Xbox Series X. The Series S is a significant upgrade over the Xbox One S.

[Dogg Thang]

Okay but, if you put aside resolution which I know is a core difference, is the Series S still a significant upgrade over the One X? I know it’s not in res but, if both were displayed on regular HD televisions, would it be an upgrade?

[dataDave]

Okay but, if you put aside resolution which I know is a core difference, is the Series S still a significant upgrade over the One X? I know it’s not in res but, if both were displayed on regular HD televisions, would it be an upgrade?

Yes. The Series S is going to play all of the next-gen games when they eventually arrive, with some at 120FPS.

The real test is going to be when the next-gen patch for Cyberpunk 2077 hits. The One X will trump it on the resolution, but likely not on anything else.

The One X and the Series X have one major bragging right between them, and that is "NATIVE 4K!!".

[nonny]

Okay but, if you put aside resolution which I know is a core difference, is the Series S still a significant upgrade over the One X? I know it’s not in res but, if both were displayed on regular HD televisions, would it be an upgrade?

You've got faster loading and quick resume of games etc... Plus I would imagine the dashboard is going to be far snappier as well.

[Dogg Thang]

Okay, thanks. That’s what I thought. I think I might be clear on it now.