It’s been about three years since I purchased an Xbox Series S. There was much to like about Microsoft’s diminutive entry-level system. It provided a good level of performance for an accessible price, when next-gen consoles were getting very pricey. So how have I been enjoying my Series S? Well, it’s not even hooked up.
I’ve shifted most of my gaming back to PC over the last few years. The Steam Deck especially has made casual play a lot easier. Xbox has always seemed derivative compared to Microsoft’s other platform. The two have always had a shared library. That line has now completely vanished. The consoles have no exclusives, while PC ports don’t (usually) have the poor quality they once did.
The Series S was always intended to be a stop gap for me when new PC hardware was difficult to source. It was a cheap way to play next-gen games while I bided my time for sanity to return to the market. Now that I have a desktop that outperforms even the Series X, and a handheld that offers console convenience to my existing PC library, there’s little reason to revisit the system. Even Game Pass, which I wrote about a while back, has dubious benefits to the end user.
To me, the Series S ended up being a cheap system with expensive upkeep, and very little raison d’etre. So what exactly is wrong with it, beyond just my specific case?
A lot of ink has been spilled over the hardware limitations of this console. And I don’t think the hardware is the problem. It’s all most people need from a gaming system. Had this been a normal console generation, I would call it a brilliant move from Microsoft. If you can’t compete at the high end, sometimes it’s best to target the middle-range. If you only want to play the latest video games, the S will get you there with no frills and little fuss.
The thing is, this has been far from a normal console generation. Mainly because the PS4 and Xbox One refused to die. 3 plus years into a new gen, it’s not unusual for older hardware to still see new releases. However, those tend to be highly niche titles, alongside annualized dance and sports games targeted at emerging markets. For older consoles to still be getting new AAA games this late, that’s rare. For them to be getting 1:1 ports, that’s unprecedented.
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. People still seem satisfied with the last gen hardware. With the economy the way it is, giving people the option to play the latest games with the consoles they already have is certainly nice. Those consoles have a massive install base, so you’d be a fool not to target them.
Of course gamers want more performance, or at least they say they do. Despite complaints about the hardware, the Series S is a big jump over the base PS4 and Xbox One. It has over twice the graphics muscle and seven times the CPU power. That’s certainly nothing to chuff at. Yet it doesn’t feel like it’s that more powerful, because the games aren’t taking advantage of that hardware. Of those games, most have been fairly mediocre anyway. This is why everyone has been calling the 9th gen a complete wash. If you’re a millennial gamer like me, you’re probably sticking to older titles from the Xbox One and Xbox 360 era, or earlier. If you’re Gen Z or younger, you’re probably still playing Minecraft and Fortnite. None of those games justify a whole new system. If you already have a PS4 or Xbox One there’s little reason to upgrade.
But what if you don’t have any of those systems? The Series S is still the cheapest way to get you into current-gen gaming. It also has excellent backwards compatibility, provided you’re willing to (re-)buy digital copies. And at $299 US, it’s the same price as the vanilla Switch, while offering more power, and it’s certainly cheaper than any PC you can pick up. I’d honestly grab the Series S before the Series X or PlayStation 5, because I feel their high price is difficult to justify. That said, last-gen hardware is cheap right now on the used market. Microsoft’s big problem (one of many) is competing with their last-gen offerings, making the new budget console feel redundant. As for PCs, I was able to put one together that outperforms the Series S for under $550. This is a big leap price-wise, but offers a lot more flexibility, and doesn’t require an annual fee for online play.
Microsoft did at least recently address one of the biggest shortcomings of the S; its lack of storage. Of the 512GB available, only 364GB is accessible to the end user. Some games, like the recent Call of Duty titles, have started bumping against that limit. There’s been no attempt at optimising, made more ironic that Microsoft owns Activision now. However, this has caused them to upgrade the Series S to 1TB. However, this new black version has also seen a price increase to $379, which brings it much closer to that of the discless PS5; a console which offers 2.5x the graphics performance. Meanwhile, proprietary storage upgrades for the X/S are also still expensive.
So, should you get a Series S? Nah, man, save up for a PC, buy a Switch, or stick with your last gen console. You aren’t missing anything.
