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• Electronics

Choosing the Right Xbox: Series X or Series S

By Arthur Gies

Arthur Gies is an editor for Wirecutter's tech coverage. He's written about video games since 2008 and covers drawing tablets, iPad styluses and more.

The current generation of Xbox consoles presents what might seem like a confusing choice: the $500 Xbox Series X and the $300 Xbox Series S . The two are based on a similar foundation, and they will play all of the same games for years to come. But the Series X and Series S each target a different level of graphics performance, and they take different approaches to physical media: The Series X supports discs while the Series S is digital only. With that in mind, we’re here to help you figure out which Xbox you should buy—or if you need to buy one at all.

Everything we recommend

Microsoft Xbox Series X

The best xbox.

The Xbox Series X has the most power of any current-gen console and has almost twice the storage as the Series S. Get the Series X if you’ll use it with a 4K TV (now or eventually), want the absolute best in graphics and performance, or want a disc drive for games and movies.

Buying Options

Microsoft Xbox Series S (512GB)

Less for less.

Games on the Series S are less likely to take advantage of TVs with 4K resolution, and it lacks a disc drive—a downside if you own a lot of physical games or movies or like to buy them used. But it’s smaller and lighter, capable of playing new-generation games, and a great value paired with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

Microsoft Xbox Series S (1TB)

A little more storage for a little more money.

The 1TB Series S has twice the storage, but otherwise, it's for the same audience as the original: gamers without 4K TVs or for people looking for a great, Game Pass-oriented value.

With better graphics, more storage, and a disc drive, the Microsoft Xbox Series X justifies its higher price—but whether those features are worth paying for depends on what kind of display you’re playing it on. If you have a 4K TV with high-end features such as Dolby Vision, 120 Hz, and variable refresh rate, or if you plan to get one, the Series X is likely worth choosing over the Series S. Both consoles offer impressively fast storage that improves boot-up and load times, but the Series X has more than 800 GB of storage available internally, nearly twice the available capacity of the Series S. Plus, if you have a collection of physical Xbox One, Xbox 360, or original-Xbox games that you want to keep playing, only the Series X has a disc drive.

On the other hand, if you don’t have a 4K TV (and won’t buy one soon), if space in your entertainment center is a concern, or if you don’t have or plan to buy many physical discs, the Microsoft Xbox Series S offers a lot of value and still gives you the chance to play the new generation of games to come. And anyone who mostly plays games from Xbox Game Pass —the monthly subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games, including new releases—probably won’t miss the disc drive. We also think that makes the Series S an especially budget-conscious choice for younger kids, since the less expensive console and monthly membership add up to more games than a kid can play, so you have no need to buy new ones all the time. The Series S might be a good option for some travelers and hosts, too: If you’re going somewhere for an extended stay, the Series S can easily fit in a carry-on piece of luggage, and if you have a guest room or vacation rental, a Series S adds a lot beyond a regular media streaming box.

The Xbox Series S comes in two variations: a white version with 512 GB of storage with an MSRP of $300, and a black version with 1 TB of storage, priced at $350. We recommend the cheaper configuration, though it’s sometimes difficult to find it new at online retailers.

The research

Xbox series x vs. xbox series s: what’s the difference, why should you get an xbox series x|s, the xbox series controller, xbox game pass, frequently asked questions.

The Xbox Series X and Series S offer a lot of the same experiences. But with a $200 price difference come some legitimate differences in their capabilities.

• Game selection and disc drive: The Series X and Series S can play the same new games, and both are backward compatible, which means they’re capable of playing virtually any game that you could play on an Xbox One (which, in turn, encompasses hundreds of Xbox 360 games and a handful of original-Xbox games). The Series S, however, doesn’t have a disc drive and therefore can’t play physical games.
• Resolution: Both the Series X and Series S can output a 4K video signal, so watching videos on a 4K TV should be the same on either machine. But if you plan to play games on a 4K display , you should choose the Series X. The Series X is designed for games with resolutions of up to 4K, while the Series S has less-powerful graphics hardware designed more for 1080p and sometimes 1440p visuals.
• Graphics-quality support: The Series X and Series S have the same basic graphics capabilities, including support for variable refresh rate, variable rate shading, and ray-traced visuals, though some games have already omitted ray tracing if you’re playing on a Series S .
• Base storage: While the Series X includes a 1 TB storage drive, which offers about 800 GB of usable space, the Series S has a 512 GB drive with about 360 GB of usable space.
• Expandable storage: Both the Series X and Series S include a slot that allows for expandable storage in the form of cards using the CFexpress connection standard. The only officially licensed memory cards (from Seagate) typically retail for $140 for 512 GB, $185 for 1 TB , and $360 for 2 TB . However, both the Series X and Series S still support external USB drives, as the Xbox One does, and any Xbox One–formatted drive will work right away on either new console.
• Size: The Xbox Series X is a tall block measuring about 12 inches tall and approximately 6 by 6 inches at the base. The Series S, meanwhile, is 11 by 5.9 by 2.6 inches—it’s the smallest Xbox ever, and it’s designed to be set vertically or horizontally.

If you don’t own a new console and want to play major new releases, it’s time to upgrade. Support for the Xbox One console is ending, and some of the biggest games of the year, including the high-profile Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, skipped that machine. Even major Xbox exclusives such as Starfield (video)  and Forza Motorsport are Xbox Series X|S exclusives.

Booting up the Xbox Series X or the Xbox Series S for the first time makes it immediately apparent how much things have changed. New Xbox consoles allow you to handle most of the process via your Android phone or iPhone and the newest version of the Xbox app, and you can even restore the settings, preferences, and game files from your existing console and cloud storage. The process takes just a few minutes, start to finish.

The most immediately obvious improvements in the Series X and Series S are in speed, as they create a snappier, speedy experience from top to bottom. And these changes are evident even before you make it to the console dashboard: Both the Series X and Series S take approximately nine seconds to boot from an unpowered, unplugged state to the console home screen, and returning from standby mode is only a couple of seconds faster.

Because of those fast boot times, we recommend that you use either console’s enhanced power-saving settings, which allow the machine to draw a fraction of the power it would require on normal settings while on standby. The Xbox settings screen conveniently demonstrates the console’s changes in power usage depending on your settings.

We also recommend using the power-saving modes partly because of another Xbox Series X|S feature: Quick Resume. This feature creates saved states for the games you’re playing, allowing you to load back into supported games exactly where you last were, even if you’ve turned off (or unplugged) your console. Quick Resume has gotten better and better over the past year, and the only games it seems to cause issues in are always-online titles that rely on a server connection. I’ve occasionally been surprised to find games that I haven’t played in weeks or even months waiting to be quickly resumed, and I’ve been able to pop back into each game exactly where I left off.

Games and saves on an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S are stored on hardware based on NVMe storage. This tech contributes to some of the most obvious improvements to the overall user experience and gaming experience on this new console generation, helping to produce a night-and-day difference in console startup, game boot-ups, and in-game load times.

If you’re coming from a previous-generation console, the differences in responsiveness and speed will be immediately apparent. In addition to the impressively fast boot times, switching apps is notably fast, and they load almost instantly (depending in part on your internet connection). If you’ve been using an Xbox One for years, the difference is, to be blunt, shocking—think of it like buying your first new phone in seven years. It’s that level of improvement.

Software improvements

Though the interface in the Xbox Series X|S is much faster, it’s very similar to that of the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X|S consoles offer full external-storage support, game-level support and customization for features like Auto HDR and FPS Boost, and robust variable refresh rate support (using low frame-rate compensation , in the best console implementation of this feature that we’ve seen). We also appreciate features likes automatic night mode, which adjusts the interface colors depending on the time of day and even reduces the brightness output of the console and its status lights, as well as little things like bonus animated dashboard backgrounds, including a special Xbox 20th-anniversary theme that’s enabled when you connect a limited-edition 20th-anniversary controller to your console.

Better graphics on old games, great graphics on new games

The Series X and Series S are both more graphically powerful than previous consoles in a variety of ways. In most titles, you can expect higher resolutions, higher frame rates, and more detailed characters and environments compared with the same games on the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4, all with better image quality. Effects should also be more pronounced and sophisticated, as the graphics hardware in these consoles can pull off greater amounts of fancy tricks such as smoke and fog with physical properties and lighting that creates shadows and reflections more like you’d find in the real world.

The Series X and Series S (and the PlayStation 5 ) support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which allows for much more sophisticated visual effects and lighting . Note, however, that even though both consoles support ray tracing, those effects are absent in many games on the Series S. Forza Motorsport is a great example of both—it features ray traced reflections and shadows on the Xbox Series X, but these features aren’t available on the Xbox Series S.

The Series X and Series S also have similar, powerful CPUs—more than four times as powerful as the Xbox One and PS4. This opens the door to more sophisticated character and game behaviors, and just more stuff on screen at any given moment. The biggest improvements are most apparent in frame rates, which should hit 60 frames per second much more often than on the Xbox One or PS4, resulting in smoother-feeling and smoother-playing games. And when games can’t maintain consistent frame rates, support for variable refresh rates should help keep those games from feeling unresponsive. Examples in this regard include Dead Island 2 , Diablo 4 , and Elden Ring , all of which offer 60 fps modes on the Series X and Series S, something you can’t get on the Xbox One.

A number of titles originally released for the Xbox One have received frame-rate improvements on the Xbox Series X|S; Gears 5 , the entirety of Halo: The Master Chief Collection , and Ori and the Will of the Wisps have all received 120 fps updates for the two new consoles. Controls also feel more responsive, in part because the Xbox team has rewritten the software behind its controllers with a feature called Dynamic Latency Input .

You can still play your old games—and they’ll look better

For players with an existing library of Xbox software, the Series X and Series S both offer nearly blanket backward compatibility, so they can run almost the entire collection of Xbox One–compatible software, which in turn includes hundreds of Xbox 360 and original-Xbox games. (The exception is Kinect software and hardware. None of that will work on either new console.) What’s more, every Xbox One–compatible piece of software runs and looks better on the Series X and the Series S than it did on previous-generation consoles. The Auto HDR feature, which uses an algorithm to tweak a game’s picture to take advantage of modern televisions’ ability to show brighter images with better contrast, helps to produce a beautiful new sense of vibrance in games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 . In a few games, this feature results in image quality that looks a little funny, but you can disable it on a per-game basis.

Microsoft also offers, for selected titles, FPS Boost , which is a proprietary software technique that allows the Xbox Series X|S consoles to effectively double the targeted frame rate of backward-compatible games without the need for official patches from the original game developer. For some games, this means they’ll run at 60 fps (or thereabouts) for the first time on consoles. For others, it means 120 fps on supported televisions. Even a number of Xbox 360 games (a console that was released in 2005 and ended support in 2014!) have received improvements, including a 4K and 60 fps update for Fallout 3 .

Even when Microsoft isn’t delivering improvements at a system level, many game developers have continued to patch older titles with improvements for these new systems. And Xbox’s Smart Delivery feature seamlessly ensures that you’ll play the best version of a game available to you—which sounds obvious but unfortunately is not, as PlayStation multiplatform releases now routinely maintain separate installations of PS4 and PS5 versions.

The Xbox Series consoles come with a slightly reworked controller, which features a share button in the middle below the jewel icon, and textured grips and triggers. It’s an evolution of a great controller design, but if you have older Xbox One pads, don’t worry. Every Xbox One accessory released since 2013 (with the notable exception of the Kinect) works with both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Every first- and third-party controller, every fight stick, every driving wheel, every media remote, and every already formatted storage device is compatible with the newer consoles. Those controllers need a firmware update, however. After the update, previous-generation controllers also gain improved latency with the new consoles.

The internal storage of your Series X or Series S could fill up quickly if you download and play a lot of games and don’t want to delete and redownload them. The Series X’s drive, labeled as 1 TB, has 802 GB of available storage space at launch, accounting for both the actual formatted size of the drive and the system files and cache space allocated to the console’s operating system. The Series S, meanwhile, ships with 364 GB of available free space, and a modern Call of Duty could take up more than half of that .

The only add-on storage option that can run Series X|S–exclusive software directly is an officially licensed Western Digital or Seagate Storage Expansion Card . These are just as speedy as the consoles’ internal storage, but that performance comes at a cost: The 1 TB option currently has a retail price of $145; 512 GB and 2 TB options are also available. Unlike the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X|S consoles do not allow you to install a standard PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive, but these expansion cards slot easily into the back of your console with no tools required.

If you’re willing to park your less-played games so you don’t have to redownload them, we’d recommend external solid-state drives. You can’t play current-generation games from an external drive, but they can be quickly copied to or from an external SSD to your console. We like our portable SSD pick, the Samsung T7 Shield , but you could also use a plain SSD attached via a USB-to-SATA cable. Digital Foundry has reported that backward-compatible games load almost as fast on an external SSD. USB hard drives like the Toshiba Canvio Flex are the most affordable option, but load times on last-generation games will be only somewhat better than on the Xbox One, and you can’t play Series X|S software on them.

Any drives you’re already using with an Xbox One console will work on your Series X or Series S. Plug them in, and any Xbox One, Xbox 360, or original-Xbox games you have installed on them will appear automatically and be playable, barring any required updates.

Xbox Game Pass (and Xbox Live)

An Xbox Game Pass subscription provides access to a huge library of games, from indie titles to major, full-priced releases. It’s the best deal in video gaming, but it can be a little confusing to know which tier to subscribe to for the features you want.

In September 2023, Xbox Live Gold, which was required for multiplayer access on Xbox, became Xbox Game Pass Core . In addition to online multiplayer, for $10 a month you’ll also receive access to a collection of 25 games, which occasionally sees removals and additions.

Xbox Game Pass (non-Core), doesn’t include access to online multiplayer, but the $11-per-month subscription gets you unlimited access to Xbox’s first-party titles and a huge number of third party and independent games as well.

Then there’s PC Game Pass, which doesn’t include multiplayer, because PC gamers don’t pay for that privilege. Otherwise, it’s all the great stuff about Game Pass, and it includes access to the EA Play library, all for $10 a month.

Then, finally, there’s Game Pass Ultimate, which for $17 a month includes online multiplayer access, Xbox and PC Game Pass, and also EA Play, which adds dozens of games from Electronic Arts, including additional recent titles. This is all extremely confusing, but we recommend Game Pass Ultimate unless you plan on buying dozens of new games every year (and maybe even if you are). Game Pass is a trove of hidden gems, providing access to many higher-profile, well-received indies, and has seen a number of bigger-budget day one releases in 2023, including Exoprimal , Lies of P , and many more. But all of Microsoft’s first-party games—that is, games paid for or owned by Xbox—arrive on Game Pass the same day they launch. This means membership gives you immediate access to every Forza title, every Gears of War game, every Halo title, and more. It also includes games from Bethesda Studios, the owners of The Elder Scrolls , Fallout , Doom , and dozens of other games and franchises, which Xbox acquired in 2021. We’re not sure whether this same policy will apply to games from the recently acquired Activision-Blizzard , the publisher of games like World of Warcraft , Diablo 4 , Call of Duty , and more. We expect to learn more in 2024.

Game Pass also includes a streaming component, which allows subscribers to stream any game on the service to Android and iOS devices and through browsers like Chrome and Safari. And current Xbox One owners can play the Series X versions of games like Halo Infinite and Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) via cloud streaming.

However, it’s important to keep an eye on the games that are coming to Game Pass while you’re subscribed, as there have been periods where fewer high-profile games come to or debut on the service. Numerous high-profile Game Pass titles, including Redfall and Starfield , were delayed from 2022 to 2023. Game Pass is a great deal as long as there are things coming that you’re interested in playing—if nothing intriguing is on the horizon, and you haven’t paid for months in advance, it makes sense to cancel your subscription until you see games you’d like to play.

This article was edited by Caitlin McGarry and Signe Brewster.

How much do the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S cost?

The Xbox Series X is $500, and can often be found with an included game like Diablo 4 . That price has fluctuated depending on various deals available at online retailers. The Xbox Series S, meanwhile, starts at $300 for the 512 GB version of the console and $350 for the black 1 TB version, though we often see the 512 GB model for much less.

Are the Xbox Series X and S backwards-compatible?

Other than Xbox One Kinect-based titles, the Xbox Series X and S are compatible with every Xbox One title, and hundreds of Xbox 360 titles are also available. Every Xbox One and 360 title features enhancements on Xbox Series X and S, though many have more pronounced improvements to frame rate and resolution.

Do the Xbox Series X and Series S support 4K? What about 4K/UHD Blu-ray?

Both the Series X and Series S support 4K resolutions, and video apps such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix can play back 4K titles (with HDR). However, the Series S is not designed to play games at 4K.

The Series X has a UHD Blu-ray drive, which can play both standard Blu-rays and UHD discs. It supports Dolby Vision in video apps such as Netflix and Vudu, but it does not support Dolby Vision for UHD discs. The Series S does not have a disc drive, so it can’t play Blu-ray discs.

Do the Xbox Series X and S support variable refresh rate?

Xbox Series X and Series S offer fully HDMI 2.1 compliant variable refresh rate support with low frame rate compensation , or LFC, which allows support of refresh rates below 48Hz.

Do I need a new HDMI cable?

The Xbox Series X comes with an HDMI 2.1 cable, and you should use it. HDMI 2.1 is required for features such as 4K 120 Hz visuals along with HDR. If you attempt to use a non–HDMI 2.1 certified cable with either console, you might experience problems such as a blinking black screen or even no signal at all.

Will my old Xbox accessories work?

Every officially licensed Xbox One controller will work with the Xbox Series X and S, and most accessories have also been updated to support the newer consoles. We recommend Google searching for specific devices and their supported status on the Series X|S, however.

Do the Xbox Series X and Series S support HDMI-CEC?

The Series X and Series S both offer support for HDMI-CEC with supported televisions and other AV equipment, which includes the ability to turn displays on or off or to be turned on when their respective video input is selected on supported TVs, as well as to control the volume of an attached HDMI-CEC audio device.

Do the Xbox Series X and Series S support Bluetooth?

The Series X and Series S do not support Bluetooth connectivity, though their controllers do support Bluetooth for PC or phone play.

Do the Xbox Series X and Series S support Wi-Fi 6?

The Series X and Series S support gigabit LAN connections and 802.11g/n/ac wireless connectivity but do not support Wi-Fi 6.

Do the new Xbox consoles support Dolby Vision?

The Xbox Series X and Series S both support Dolby Vision in compatible apps, including Disney+, Netflix, Vudu, and others, and in games on supported televisions, including at up to 120 Hz. Some games can use Xbox’s AutoHDR feature to output in Dolby Vision, while other games natively support the feature. However, the Xbox Series X does not support Dolby Vision for UHD Blu-ray playback.

Do the new Xbox consoles support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X?

Out of the box, the Xbox Series X and Series S both support Dolby Atmos for home theaters, in compatible televisions and home theater receivers. Dolby Atmos for headphones requires a license; many headsets that support Atmos include a license, but if yours does not, you can buy one separately. DTS:X and DTS Headphone:X are supported through the DTS Sound Unbound app on both the Series X and Series S consoles.

Meet your guide

Arthur Gies

Arthur Gies is a supervising editor for tech at Wirecutter. He has covered video games and hardware since 2008, has consulted on a number of popular (and not popular) video games, and wrote a book about the Gears of War franchise. He also has a BFA and MFA in drawing and painting, which comes in handy when he reviews drawing tablets and styluses.

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Microsoft is offering more 4K films but there's still (much) work to be done

The 4K movie selection is growing steadily in the Microsoft Store and its Movies & TV app, but there are still some holes to be plugged.

Last October, I took Microsoft to task over its 4K, Ultra-high Definition (UHD) movie selection, options, and availability in its Store and Movies & TV app for Windows 10 and Xbox.

Since then, I'm happy to see that Microsoft's 4K offerings have not only grown, but there are some things available on Movies & TV that are not available on competing services like Amazon Prime. But that may be the only good news, as regional restrictions, an inability to upgrade, and the lack of support for the Movies Anywhere service is still a significant hindrance.

Below, I rate some related, and important, aspects of Movies & TV and the Store.

4K UHD selection in the U.S.: A-

In October 2017, Microsoft had just under 30 titles that were 4K UHD in the U.S. Store. That number was low, but to be fair, 4K UHD digital content was still relatively new, and many of the major studios had not released much material.

Fast forward to June 2018, and there are now just over 200 movies in 4K UHD available for streaming, buying, renting and downloading. As far as I can tell, every new movie that a studio releases that also has a 4K option is being made available via Microsoft. That is awesome and the way it should be for consumers.

Offering the latest digital movies in 4K may seem like an obvious move, but take Marvel's Black Panther (2018) , which is available in 4K for $24.99 from Microsoft. Amazon is only offering the digital version in SD or HD, not 4K UHD. The same goes for Apple who have no new Marvel movies in 4K period. That's odd, but it at least highlights how inconsistent this content can be across services.

There are many older flims, too, like The Great Gatsby (2013), E.T. (1982), or even the The Matrix (1999) available in 4K through Microsoft. Again, many of these are not available in 4K UHD on Amazon even in the U.S.

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The real competitor, however, is not so much Amazon as VUDU. VUDU has an app for Windows 10 and Xbox, and its store often runs outstanding sales. They too have a massive collection of content in 4K UHD.

4K UHD selection outside the U.S.: C

Outside of the U.S., I'm told that Movies & TV's 4K UHD content is still non-existent, even in the U.K, where many of our writers are located. That's still a problem for Microsoft.

I was surprised to learn that in the U.K., Amazon does not have any digital movies for rent or purchase in 4K UHD either.

I thought VUDU might be a good option, as it's what I tend to use more often these days, but VUDU is a U.S.-only service too.

My tentative conclusion here is while Microsoft can do much better in other countries regarding 4K UHD digital film offerings, it is not exactly the exception to the rule. In an unscientific poll on Twitter nearly 50 percent of respondents said they do not have any options for buying digital 4K UHD content outside of the U.S. whether it is Apple iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon suggesting this isn't a Microsoft-only problem.

Movies Anywhere everywhere rating: F

In November, I wrote an article criticizing Microsoft for not being a part of the initial wave of the Movies Anywhere DRM system pushed by Disney.

For those unfamiliar, Movies Anywhere is an interoperable digital movie locker service. It;s available via Amazon, VUDU, Apple iTunes and Google Play. Since its initial launch in late 2017, FandangoNow – a service I did not even know existed – also joined the consortium.

The Movies Anywhere service works by letting you buy a movie on a service like Apple iTunes, but then stream that same film through Amazon Prime or Google Play. Your films effectively replicate on other platforms that are part of the Movies Anywhere ecosystem. For those who have large movie collections, the service is like a bank vault for your digital investment.

Internal reports from our sources suggest Microsoft wanted to join the initial wave, but it was Disney's call who joins the waves, and Microsoft was left out. A report in March quoted Microsoft PR as "in discussions with Movies Anywhere about bringing their service onboard."

Since then, there has been no new information.

The good news is that bringing Movies Anywhere to Microsoft Movies & TV might still happen – Microsoft was, after all, part of the original "Disney Movies Anywhere": before that service was rebooted for a rebrand in late 2017 .

But until that ink dries, it is still to say you should buy movies through Movies & TV. Renting, however, is still highly recommended.

Odds and ends

Regarding discoverability, for 4K content, Microsoft is getting a bit better. The Microsoft Store has a separate category called "Movies in 4K UHD" where you can browse for just those films in that format.

Users can also search for "4K UHD" in the Store and get an even more extensive collection with some older titles, such as Scorsese's 1990 mob hit Goodfellas in glorious UHD.

While the menu selection still defaults to HD format, at least in the description the very first line is "This title is available in Ultra High Definition and HDR capable" to let users know that a 4K option is available. I'd still prefer to set my Store to default 4K, but at least this is a start.

Pricing is still expensive with most movies in 4K starting at $24.99 and going up to $29.99 – a substantial bump in cost over full HD. Often, those 4K versions also don't get drops in sales even when the HD and SD formats do. However, pricing is often set by the studios, not Microsoft, and competing streaming services aren't any different.

There is still no way to upgrade a previously purchased movie to 4K. I own quite a few, including The Matrix and Bladerunner in full HD, but there is no option for me to re-buy those films in 4K – even at full price – let alone an "upgrade" cost, which is a shame. I'm now stuck forever with full HD films even when a UHD option is right there.

At least for those in the U.S., Microsoft Movies & TV for renting, streaming, and even buying films in 4K UHD is quite good and improving. That's the good news. The bad news is missing services like Movies Anywhere, no 4K upgrade path, and regional restrictions still hamper the service.

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host , and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

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Xbox Series S review

The xbox series s is a cheaper yet powerful alternative.

TechRadar Verdict

The Xbox Series S is a great entry point into new-gen gaming for those who have no qualms about buying games digitally or subscribing to Xbox Game Pass. It's a great option if you want to avoid the sizable financial outlay required to own a full-blown new-gen console, but there are some drawbacks. It has significantly less storage, prioritizes 1440p resolution for gaming, and does without the 4K HD Blu-Ray drive of the Xbox Series X.

The smallest Xbox ever made

Compact design, powerful specs

Completely silent in operation

Faster load times

Targets 1440p resolution when gaming

512GB SSD fills up fast

No disc drive

UI can be overwhelming at first

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

• Price and release date
• Performance
• Game library

Should I buy the Xbox Series S?

Xbox series s two-minute review.

The Xbox Series S is a more affordable alternative to the Series X, and despite the smaller size, it's still got some incredibly impressive capabilities that won't cause you to break the bank. Because of this, it's a fantastic gateway into current-gen gaming without setting you back as much as you might expect. 

The Xbox Series S is designed to take the same generational leaps as the Series X, such as being capable of ray tracing, sporting lightning-fast load times, and showcasing higher frame rates, yet it remains to be significantly cheaper than its competitor, but there's certainly a hit to overall power and features.

The Xbox Series S is praised for its digital-only build, but surprisingly there is significantly less storage than the Xbox Series X . The console also targets a 1440p resolution rather than 4K , with the opportunity to upscale when connected to an Ultra HD display. But the console is designed to run optimally at lower resolutions. So you should take your display setup into account when thinking of purchasing the Series S.

Microsoft 's more affordable Xbox also does away with the 4K HD Blu-Ray drive of the Xbox Series X, making this a digital-only affair. If you've amassed a large library of the best Xbox Series X games over the years, this alone could be a deal-breaker and means you're at the mercy of Microsoft's store pricing when it comes to buying new titles.

We've updated our Xbox Series S review to reflect our impressions after using the console for close to three years. Microsoft has rolled out a few welcome improvements to the Series S, and we now finally have exclusive titles that take full advantage of the hardware's power like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5.

These cutbacks might be too much for some users, then, but it makes the Xbox Series S a much cheaper and less hefty device as a result. Crucially, it's still capable of playing new-gen games, making this a great entry point into the Xbox ecosystem.

During our time with the Xbox Series S, we tested dozens of games – from last-gen Xbox Series X/S optimized hits including Halo: The Master Chief Collection , Forza Horizon 4 , Doom Eternal , and Gears 5, to launch titles like Yakuza: Like a Dragon .

Each one impressed us, with smoother frame rates, increased resolutions (when compared to Xbox One , and Xbox One S ), and faster load times, even if the games didn't look quite as pretty as they did running on the Xbox Series X. But that's mostly due to Xbox Series S targeting a lower resolution.

That said, for gamers who have no qualms about buying games digitally, or subscribing to Xbox Game Pass , you’re getting the full suite of next-gen features on Microsoft's cheaper console: Quick Resume, Auto HDR , 120Hz, you name it. The Xbox Series S is a great option for those wanting to experience new-gen gaming, without the sizable financial outlay required to own a full-blown console.

As we've alluded to already, there are drawbacks to consider. If you prefer to purchase games physically, or have amassed a large collection of Xbox One games over the years, the Xbox Series S's lack of disc drive may put you off. 

You only get a 512GB SSD, too, as there's no higher-capacity option. And while the console's SSD is dramatically faster than the old mechanical drives in the Xbox One X and Xbox One S, it can fill up fast. The five games we mentioned above almost took up the entire 512GB SSD on our review unit (you only get 364GB of usable space), leaving us with just 30GB of storage to play with. 

That means if we wanted to install a game of that size to the system's internal drive, we'd likely have to delete something first (or additionally purchase the Seagate Xbox storage expansion card , which costs nearly as much as the Xbox Series S itself).

The Xbox Series X utilizes its powerful specs to significantly reduce load times and increase overall game performance and visual fidelity. But, while features such as Quick Resume, Smart Delivery, and backward compatibility give it that extra boost, it's hard to deny that it’s lacking in key areas, notably significant UI improvements and captivating exclusive launch titles. Read our Xbox Series X review

What may deter people from buying Microsoft's more affordable Xbox is the fact that it outputs at 1440p for gaming. This lower resolution is a firm favourite in the PC gaming space due to the superior image quality it provides over 1080p, and the lower amount of graphical grunt it requires from developers to achieve. This has allowed Microsoft to create a lower-spec machine that still boasts next-gen features. 

If you own an Xbox One X , the drop to 1440p from native 4K can be noticeable. The Xbox One X could deliver games like Forza Motorsport 7 at 4K/60fps and is still capable of some sumptuous visuals. It's easy, then, to think that the Xbox Series S is a step back – however, it's capable of a lot more than Microsoft's aging Xbox One X, even if it doesn't always beat it in terms of resolution. 

Looking at the system internals, the Xbox Series S separates itself from the One X with its vastly more powerful CPU and more technically capable GPU, courtesy of AMD 's RDNA 2 architecture which enables cutting-edge features like ray tracing. Yes, the Series S has fewer teraflops than the Xbox One X (four compared to six), but teraflops are no longer the defining factor in how GPU power is determined. 

For Xbox One owners looking to upgrade without breaking the bank, the Xbox Series S is a great option, if you can accept what it's been designed to achieve. If you've already got the Xbox One X and a 4K display at home, however, we suggest considering the Xbox Series X instead. Read on for our full Xbox Series S review.

Considering the bigger sibling? Check out our Xbox Series X video review below.

Xbox Series S: price and release date

• Xbox Series S release date: Out now (released November 10, 2020)
• Xbox Series S price: $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$499
• Can be bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $24.99 / £20.99 / AU$33 a month

The Xbox Series S is available now for $299.99 / £249.99 / AU$499 and was released on November 10, 2020. That's the same release date as the Xbox Series X, though the price is significantly cheaper than the Series X's price of $499 / £499 / AU$749. Thankfully, Xbox won't follow PlayStation with price hikes , so while Xbox doesn't rule out future price hikes just yet, this isn't changing anytime soon. 

Keep in mind however that, without a disc drive, you won't be able to buy used games or trade games with your friends: you're dependent on the Xbox Store for any purchases, which means you won't always get the best deal. 

That issue is negated somewhat if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass (a separate expense, but exceptional value nonetheless), or if you only buy the occasional game at full price around launch. Still, it's not ideal for those who rely on physical game sales or trade-ins to fund their favorite pastime.

Xbox Series S is also available on Microsoft's Xbox All Access subscription service in select regions, including the US, UK, and Australia. Xbox All Access bundles the console with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on a 24-month plan (giving you access to the latter for the duration) for $24.99 / £20.99 / AU$33 a month, with no upfront costs – that's a good deal which proves cheaper than buying the console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate separately.

Of course, Microsoft isn't the only one with newer hardware out. Sony released the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition soon after the Xbox Series S and Series X dropped, so if you're still on the fence then it's worth checking out our PS5 review before committing.

Xbox Series S review: design

• Looks great when placed horizontally or vertically
• Can comfortably fit into any setup
• The console and controller look great in white

While the hardware powering the Xbox Series S is brand-new, the Xbox Series S design is reminiscent of the now-discontinued Xbox One S All-Digital Edition .

The Xbox Series S has a distinctive black fan vent, almost like a speaker grille, on the top that breaks up the swathe of white which encases the rest of the console, and it's where the majority of heat is exhausted. It's the smallest Xbox that Microsoft has ever made, with a plain front face that sports a single USB port and a power button. It's a clean, understated, and functional design.

For ports, you’ll find an HDMI 2.1 output, two USB 3.2 ports, an Ethernet port, a storage expansion slot, and an AC input. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Xbox Series S doesn't have a port for Kinect , Microsoft's now-defunct motion-sensing camera, or a HDMI input for cable boxes. However, that the Xbox Series S only ships with a High-Speed HDMI cable, not an Ultra High-Speed HDMI cable.

With weight and size, the Xbox Series S measures in at 6.5 x 15.1 x 27.5cm and 4.25 pounds (around 2kg). Its size should ensure it easily fits into most entertainment center cabinets and on TV stands, and it's light enough to pack up and bring to a friend's house or take with you on vacation.

As we mentioned above, the Xbox Series S is smaller than the Xbox One S. That's an impressive feat considering that it’s packing a 4 TFLOP GPU and an octa-core Custom Zen 2 CPU that needs to be cooled.

While some might not like the way Microsoft has aped its own design from the last generation, we're okay with it. It's nice to have some continuity, especially in products that are advertised as a family of devices, although it is fairly straightforward and industrial-like in its appearance. 

Xbox Series S review: performance

• Upscaled 4K looks great, and native 1440p is a nice compromise
• Offers smooth and fluid 120fps gameplay
• Xbox Velocity Architecture is fast… but not instantaneous

The Xbox Series S's strong suit is its value proposition – it's a compact powerhouse. It can offer either upscaled 4K gaming, native 1440p resolution, or a 1080p picture. 

Its GPU, while not as powerful as the one in the Xbox Series X, can upscale games to 4K (in a similar way to the Xbox One S) and still run games at 120fps at 1440p, but you'll need a HDMI 2.1-compliant TV if you want to keep the resolution at 1440p. It's also capable of ray tracing, and loads games faster than ever, thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Velocity Architecture. 

Combine Velocity Architecture with the 10GB of GDDR6 memory and built-in SSD, and you’ve got all the makings of a powerful console. Better still, Microsoft recently gave a performance boost for Xbox Series S games , which frees up hundreds of additional megabytes of memory. Crucially, this should help improve graphics performance.

CPU: 8-core 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT) custom AMD 7nm GPU: 4 teraflops at 1.565GHz RAM: 10GB GDDR6 Frame rate: Up to 120fps Resolution: 1440p with 4K upscaling Optical: No disk drive Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD Usable storage space: 364GB

But do you actually need a 4K TV? And furthermore, do you need one that supports HDMI 2.1 for its 120Hz refresh rate? Let’s walk through all the scenarios.

If you're using a 1080p TV, the Xbox Series S uses a technique called supersampling to create better-looking images, even on less-capable displays. Supersampling is a complex process, but the basic idea is that the game is rendered at a higher resolution, and then the console downscales the image to match the output of your TV. 

The end result is a noticeable boost in image clarity and anti-aliasing (the removal of jaggies and pixelated edges) and means that gamers who aren't using a 4K or 1440p -capable screen will still benefit from improved image quality from the Xbox Series S. 

Most folks though, we expect, will be pairing the Xbox Series S with a 4K HDR TV – potentially one with a 120Hz native refresh rate, although the majority of displays sold over the last few years are likely to only support 60Hz at 4K and 1440p. If you do have a capable display, here's how to enable 120Hz on Xbox Series S .

Hook the Xbox Series S up to a 4K panel, and the console uses a technique called upscaling to convert a non-native 4K signal to 4K. While there's a stark difference between rendering in 4K, and rendering in 1440p and then upscaling to 4K – especially if you've got a keen eye for detail – it still makes games on the Xbox Series S look better than if the console was locked to a 1440p output. 

It's worth noting that the Xbox Series S can render some games in native 4K if a developer chooses to enable that option. Just be aware it's done on a game-by-game basis, and isn't something you’re going to see on every game on the system.

The upshot here is that the console can utilize HDR (high dynamic range), which enables a wider color palette, higher peak brightness, and better contrast levels. Skies look bluer, the grass looks greener and colors pop in every scene. If you haven't had the opportunity to game in HDR yet, you're in for a treat.

If you are fortunate enough to have a display that's compliant with HDMI 2.1, you can enable 120fps at 1440p without having to drop down to 1080p resolution. To enable 120fps, simply pop into the console's audio and visual settings, where you can choose from various frame rate and resolution options. 

It's pretty straightforward, but it's worth noting that not all games can hit 120fps, though Microsoft has amassed a handsome collection of titles since launch including Halo Infinite , Gears 5's multiplayer, and Call of Duty : Vanguard. Check out the full list of Xbox Series S games with 120fps support . 

Even if you don't invest in a new TV, you're still going to see the benefits of the new SSD and Microsoft's Xbox Velocity Architecture. The latter is a multi-step solution that combines the Series S's custom NVMe SSD, hardware-accelerated decompression blocks, a brand-new DirectStorage API layer, and Sampler Feedback Streaming (SFS).

That's a lot to parse, but the gist of it is that data is stored in a more efficient way, and can be loaded into memory faster thanks to both the physical storage medium and the software algorithms that Microsoft has implemented to load the data. 

The result is significantly faster load times compared to Xbox One X – we're talking about games that now load in a matter of seconds. The SSD also enables features like Quick Resume, which we’ll get to shortly.  Of course, the one area that's less impressive here is the meager 512GB of storage capacity, which most people will fill up fast. 

While 500GB was sufficient early on during the last console generation, game file sizes have expanded exponentially in the years since, making anything less than 1TB of storage seem like a raw deal. It gets worse when you realise that you can't access the full 512GB of storage. The system OS takes up 148GB of space, meaning you've only got 364GB of usable storage to play with from the outset. 

By the time you've installed four or five games, you'll need to start thinking about what to uninstall, which is never a fun experience. While Microsoft claims that games on Xbox Series S will be up to 30% smaller due to not having 4K texture files, this won’t stop the system's internal drive from rapidly filling up.

The good news is that Microsoft has released an add-on storage solution at launch, in partnership with Seagate , that can add 2TB, 1TB or 500GB of extra storage if you run out of room. The bad news? The 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card costs $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359 – money that could be spent on buying an Xbox Series X instead, which has 1TB built-in storage and better 4K support.

Xbox Series S review: controller

• More tactile than before thanks to careful refinement
• Triggers are shorter, controller is easier to grip thanks to new textured finish 
• Share button is a welcome addition, and the 360-degree D-pad feels great
• Still uses AA batteries, unfortunately

Coming from the Xbox One Controller , you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Xbox Wireless Controller for Series X/S isn't that different. However, it's now more comfortable and easier to use than ever before, due to subtle changes in the controller's ergonomics. 

Its overall dimensions have been tweaked ever so slightly, reducing the size of the controller as a whole, but not to the point where it's noticeable to the average user. It means more hand sizes can use the new Xbox pad comfortably. Other changes include a textured and matte finish on the handles, triggers, and bumpers, that help you get more purchase on the controller during tense gaming sessions.

Probably the biggest change for the controller itself, though, is the new D-pad, which has been revised to be a full 360-degree pad that feels great on the thumb. Each direction clicks with a satisfying sound and tactile feedback (though some might find it noisier than they'd like). Its smooth finish makes pulling off half-circle sweeps in fighting games a real pleasure.

Another minor change is that the triggers have been shortened to make them more accommodating for smaller hands. These triggers still have haptic feedback in the form of rumble motors, but it's not the same as the adaptive triggers in the PS5 DualSense controller , which can change resistance on the fly.

The new Share button does exactly what you'd expect – it captures and shares moments in your game for posting in your Xbox Feed or on social media. One click takes a snapshot, while holding the button down longer captures a 15-second video (you can adjust the duration in the Capture settings). 

It's much easier than on the Xbox One, where you had to press the home button twice and then X or Y, but it takes some getting used to if you’re accustomed to the old way. 

Overall though, it's mostly what you remember, with two asymmetrical analog sticks, the menu and view buttons that fill in for start and select, and the four face buttons (A, B, X, Y).

The Xbox Series S controller keeps its 3.5mm audio jack and expansion port at the bottom, but it now uses a USB Type-C charging port instead of microUSB. You'll also find the pairing button at the top, which you use to sync the controller to the console, or for pairing when using Bluetooth.

The new Xbox pad is still a comfortable controller to play with, but its biggest weakness is the fact that it still uses AA batteries. That's instead of a rechargeable lithium-ion cell like the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller or Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 houses. We found a pair of AA batteries lasted for around 10 days or so of heavy gaming.

If you're appalled by the idea of a controller using AA batteries in 2020, you can also pick up Microsoft's play-and-charge kit, which comprises a rechargeable battery and USB-C cable, for $24.99 (£20.99 / AU$29.95 ) to save you money in the long term (you can also use rechargeable AAs).

While the kit is obviously an extra expense that may irk some, there's an element of flexibility at least – and you're also not at the mercy of a lithium-ion cell battery, which can degrade over time, and which is more costly to replace should anything go awry.

Our advice? Pick up rechargeable batteries, or Microsoft's play-and-charge kit, if you plan on doing more than 40 hours of gaming a week.

Xbox Series S review: features

• User interface feels a bit overcrowded and, in some places, slow
• Quick Resume feels really cutting-edge
• Smart Delivery ensures you get the best possible version of a game
• Good selection of streaming apps, plus Dolby Vision and Atmos support

If it's been a few years since you bought an Xbox console, and you're worried that the process of setting it up might be confusing, don't be. Setting up the Xbox Series S proved to be a streamlined process, thanks in no small part to the new-and-improved Xbox app for Android and iOS. We've even seen Discord become available for all Xbox Series S players .

You’ll need to download the Xbox app from the App Store for iOS or Google Play Store on Android devices, and log in to your Microsoft account. Once you're in, power on the console and type in the code you see in the app, which appears on your TV screen – this pulls in all your data without you having to type it all in. You'll still need to enter a few details via the console, like Wi-Fi password, but then you're off to the races after waiting for an update to land.

The UI that greets you when you’ve finished setting up the Xbox Series S will be instantly familiar to anyone who's used an Xbox One in the last three months. The 'new' Xbox Dashboard rolled out in August 2020, and is the same across both Xbox Series X and S and the older hardware. It isn’t the most intuitive of interfaces, though. 

There's a lot of information on display at once, and it's fair to say there's a small learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to navigate the UI effectively.  The downside to the new consoles having the same user interface as the One series is that the Xbox Series S doesn't feel any different right away. It doesn't feel that new, even if navigating the dashboard feels snappier than before thanks to the extra power underneath the hood. 

Moreover, the new UI still presents some of the same problems we've noticed in the past with Xbox One's interface: some images on the screen take a few seconds to load as content is pulled from the internet, and it's generally a bit too busy for most tastes, with far more information on the screen than you actually need at one time. Look past the UI, however, and you'll begin to see some areas where the Xbox Series S really innovates, though they're admittedly more subtle. 

We can expect further changes to come for the UI, too. If you're an Xbox Insider, Microsoft recently rolled new Xbox Series X homepage layouts but fans aren't happy. While this introduces some quality of life changes, some players weren't so keen on the "tile clutter" this introduced, while others aren't fond of ads still taking up homepage space. As a feature currently in beta testing, this could change, so we'll keep this updated as we learn more.

Smart Delivery from the Xbox Store means you'll always get the best possible version of a game when you download it, or if it's upgraded in the future. Your save data also carries over seamlessly, even if you jump back and forth between your old Xbox One / One X / One S and new Xbox Series S. It's simultaneously backward and forward compatibility, which is reassuring.

Jumping between multiple games is now possible thanks to Quick Resume, a new feature that allows the Xbox Series S to hold multiple game states in the memory at one time, so you can jump back and forth between games without having to reload them. 

The number of games that can be suspended varies – we had as many as eight in rotation at one point – and it won't work with every title, especially those with ever-changing online worlds, like Sea of Thieves. It's a handy, time-saving feature that's only possible thanks to the console's SSD, and game states are preserved even if the console is completely powered down. 

Lastly, we have to talk about the console's multimedia capabilities. As a streaming device, the Xbox Series S carries most major services. That goes between Netflix , Amazon Prime Video , Disney Plus , and others that are available on existing Xbox One consoles, plus some that are new to the platform, including Apple TV Plus . There's also region-specific apps such as Hulu in the US, and Sky Go in the UK. 

Accessing these requires navigating to the Apps section of your library. Or, if you frequently use particular apps you can pin them to the home screen or create a specific group that can be accessed from the Xbox guide. We noticed that, like games, apps stayed in a suspended state when we flicked between them.

It's important to note that while the Xbox Series S only outputs at 1440p resolution when you're gaming, the console is capable of displaying streaming apps in 4K HDR. That means the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus will output in 4K if you're using a compatible display.

As on the Xbox One X, some of these services are available in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos , giving you access to advanced HDR and 3D surround sound respectively, but you may have to pay for a higher subscription tier in order to access those formats.

Xbox Series S review: game library

• Scarce launch lineup with few exclusives
• Backwards compatibility with three generations of Xbox consoles
• Xbox Game Pass is a great way to instantly build up your library

We won't mince words here: the Xbox Series S's game library got off to a bad start. With the delay of Halo Infinite, there weren't any first-party exclusives available at launch on the Xbox Series S, other than titles that have previously been available on Xbox. 

More third-party and first-party exclusives have since arrived like The Medium and Microsoft Flight Simulator , but Microsoft's first-party output is slowly catching up. Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Psychonauts 2 , Grounded, and As Dusk Falls are all now available.

Instead of releasing new experiences on day one, Microsoft mainly opted to improve the existing library of games via Xbox Series S optimizations. Games like Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Sea of Thieves have all been optimized to either increase their base resolution or frame rates or to offer greater visual fidelity. 

If you want to quickly see which games have been optimized for the Xbox Series S, head to 'My Games & App' > 'Games' > and then select 'Group by console type'. You can then see all the games optimized for Xbox Series X/S at a glance.

If you're someone who loves having access to the entire library of Xbox games past and present, the Xbox Series S will be appealing because it supports four generations of Xbox titles, stretching all the way back to the original Xbox. Being able to jump back and forth between Xbox 360 classics like Viva Piñata and Red Dead Redemption to more modern-day blockbusters is comforting.

It's nice not having to break out the old hardware or track down an old CRT TV but the caveat here is big. Because the Xbox Series S doesn't have a disc drive, you'll need digital versions of those older games in order to play them – and for that reason alone, Xbox Game Pass is great. 

On it, you'll find over 100 games available to download on the Xbox Series S, with a mix of new first-party titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Gears 5, and Forza 7, and some indie gems from the Xbox 360 era. If you're someone who loves the Xbox Games with Gold program but wished you had a few more options to download, Game Pass is really satisfying.

While Game Pass can't make up for that lack of exclusives, it does enable you to pad out your library and gives you a chance to see some of the best previous-gen games in a new light. You also get access to all of Microsoft's first-party games the day they release, which represents a huge long-term saving in itself.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can also stream games via Xbox Cloud Gaming . It means that rather than take up storage space, you can play games instantly without having to wait. This is a great option if you simply want to try something out, but we still prefer gaming natively as opposed to via the cloud due to increased input latency and some image issues that can occur.

If you're hoping to get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for an even cheaper price, we've got good news. While this is currently being trialled in just the Republic of Ireland and Colombia, Microsoft is looking to launch an Xbox Game Pass family plan , allowing you and four players to jump in for a monthly cost of €21.99 – which comes to around $21.99 / £19.99 / AU$32.99

Buy it if...

You're on a budget, but still want to experience next-gen gaming For original Xbox One owners, the Xbox Series S is an easy recommendation. It offers native 1440p gaming with up to 120 frames-per-second support. It's not the best console on the market, of course, but it's a massive upgrade over its predecessors.

You plan on mostly getting games from Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold Because you'll be getting all of your games digitally on the Xbox Series S, we recommend tacking an Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold subscription onto your purchase. You get access to the latest first-party games as soon as they come out, and online play – and you'll also get two free games every month with Xbox Live Gold.

You're tired of sitting through long loading screens The marquee features of the Xbox Series S are the SSD and Microsoft's Xbox Velocity Architecture. Being able to jump between games with Quick Resume means you won't have to waste time waiting for games to boot up, while the SSD ensures that load times are half of what you’re used to seeing on the previous generation.

Don't buy it if...

You love keeping a library of games installed at all times The SSD is certainly fast enough, but it comes at the expense of total storage space. After you account for the operating system, the Xbox Series S only has about 364GB of usable space, which fills up fast. If you like to keep games installed on your console, you’ll need to either step up to the Xbox Series X or invest in an external storage solution.

You have a large physical game or Blu-ray library The other big drawback to the Xbox Series S is that it doesn’t have a disc drive. That means you won’t be able to use your old Xbox 360 or Xbox One games with the new console, nor will you be able to use it as a 4K UHD Blu-ray player, as you can the Series X, One X and One S.

You demand a next-gen experience with no compromises With Quick Resume, ray tracing and 120fps gameplay support, the Xbox Series S does much of what Microsoft’s flagship console can do. However, the lack of native 4K resolution in the majority of games and a disc drive, along with a meager amount of SSD storage, means the Series S just doesn’t truly shine as a paradigm of the next-gen console.

Also consider

Xbox Series X The next step up from Microsoft's Xbox Series S console is the similarly named Xbox Series X. It's capable of true 4K gaming and includes a 4K HD Blu-Ray drive.

PS5 If you're interested in playing all of Sony's fantastic exclusives, you'll need a PS5 to do so. We're a big fan of the PlayStation 5, especially its clever controller, the DualSense. 

Nintendo Switch OLED Sometimes gaming's just better on the go, and the Nintendo Switch OLED is the best version of the Japanese company's hybrid handheld to date. An incredible library of games and a gorgeous screen makes the Switch OLED well worth considering.

First reviewed: November 2020.

• Is the Xbox Series S worth it in 2022?

Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.

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Which is the best 4K Blu-ray player, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

Both consoles double as 4K Blu-ray players, but which deserves a space in your home cinema system?

We've spent over two years with Sony and Microsoft's latest consoles, and it's safe to say this generation has seen its ups and downs already. Whether its ongoing issues with supply or inflating prices of hardware and software, the Xbox Series X and PS5 have both faced adversity during their respective launches. However, the main priority with this comparison isn't technically these devices prowess as gaming consoles, but instead as Blu-ray players fo you home cinema. 

While fans have understandably been focused on games since the two new consoles came out, both the Xbox Series X and the premium PS5 model carry built-in 4K Blu-ray players. This means that between them, the new consoles have massively increased the number of 4K Blu-ray players tucked under TVs across the world.

Users of previous generation consoles will know that while Xbox already supported 4K Blu-ray playback with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X , Sony frustratingly decided not to implement 4K Blu-ray support with the PS4 Pro . Thankfully, next-gen gamers from both console factions can breath a sigh of relief knowing that both this generation's Xbox and PlayStation have standardised 4K Blu-ray support - that's if you have a console with a disc drive, sorry Xbox Series S .

This is a big deal to anyone who, like us, cares about getting the best home entertainment experiences. The more 4K Blu-ray players there are out there, after all, the more UHD-BD discs will hopefully be sold. And the more UHD-BD discs are sold, the more confident film studios will feel about sticking with the latest and greatest physical media format even as they go about setting up their own streaming platforms.

The extent to which the PS5 and Xbox Series X might impact 4K Blu-ray ’s fortunes will depend, though, on two things: just how aware owners are of their new consoles’ 4K movie disc drives, and how good those disc drives are.

The first of these we can’t really predict. Sales of 4K Blu-ray discs as a percentage of the wider movie disc market do seem to have slightly improved in recent months, but perhaps not by enough to say for sure that it’s down to a new console ‘bounce’. 

We can, though, investigate how well the consoles perform as 4K movie players. Especially now that some initial technical issues (especially with the Series X) have been addressed by post-launch firmware updates. So how do they fare against standalone 4K Blu-ray players? And, more importantly, which of them is best at this specific job?

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4K Blu-ray features

Neither the premium PS5 nor Xbox Series X can claim to have particularly richly featured 4K disc drives. Particularly disappointing is their lack of support for either of the ‘premium’ HDR formats – Dolby Vision and HDR10+ .

These two formats allow compatible TVs to deliver better HDR pictures by providing extra scene by scene information you don’t get with the standard HDR10 format. 

The lack of support from either console for the premium HDR formats won’t matter to you if your TV doesn’t support Dolby Vision or HDR10+. A growing number of TVs DO support at least one of these formats, though - and in some cases both. And most stand-alone 4K Blu-ray players now also support at least one of the premium HDR formats. 

Series X fans are holding out hope that the Dolby Vision support the console now carries for some streaming apps and gaming might eventually be extended to the 4K Blu-ray drive. Microsoft, though, has so far pointedly neglected to mention this as something in its feature pipeline.

There’s no support on either console’s 4K Blu-ray player, either, for 3D discs, SACDs (Super Audio CDs), or DVD Audio discs, though it’s unlikely that too many people will be overwhelmingly upset by any of those omissions. You do get playback of standard Blu-rays and DVDs on top of the 4K Blu-ray support, though, as well as CD support on the Series X. For some reason, Sony continues to ignore CD playback on its consoles.

*Winner* Xbox Series X

4K Blu-ray audio format support

Both consoles support playback of all the audio formats currently found on 4K Blu-rays, including the awesome Dolby Atmos and DTS:X systems. Both consoles can be a bit fiddly to set up for these premium audio formats, though. 

On the PS5, you need to enter the options menu while a Blu-ray disc is playing; there are other audio output options in the main settings menu, but this appears to be focused on gaming audio. Instead, press the "options" button on the PS5 remote, click the three dots, then click settings, navigate to audio formats, and then select Bitstream.

On the Xbox, you need to use the Dolby and DTS apps, making sure that you have Pass Audio To Receiver selected in the Atmos app if you’re using an external Dolby Atmos soundbar or AV receiver. Bear in mind that Dolby Atmos headphone support on the Xbox, if you don’t want to use a separates-based Atmos audio system, requires you to pay a one-off subscription fee.

One odd issue experienced with the Xbox Series X is the console’s unwillingness to play DTS soundtracks into TVs that don’t have DTS decoding. It throws up an error message in such circumstances saying you need to turn Pass To Receiver off. The vast majority of 4K Blu-ray players, by comparison, simply downgrade the sound it outputs to something the TV can handle, without any manual intervention required.

*Winner* PS5

4K Blu-ray picture performance

Running against a range of standalone 4K Blu-ray players from Oppo, Panasonic and Sony that cover a wide variety of price points, neither the PS5 nor the Xbox Series X give a particularly stellar account of themselves where picture quality is concerned. 

For starters, players that support HDR10+, or particularly Dolby Vision, instantly prove the worth of these formats on compatible TVs. Both types of ‘active’ HDR content enjoy noticeably better dynamics and slightly richer but also more natural looking colours on compatible displays than the standard HDR10 feeds the consoles can provide.

Even with standard HDR10 discs, though, almost all of the standalone players - even a £169 Panasonic DP-UB450EB - outperform both new consoles overall, typically enjoying greater sharpness and detail, less noise, and marginally more refined and balanced colours. 

One of the consoles does at least outgun the UB450EB in one or two areas, though, as well as, more importantly for the purposes of this article, comfortably outperforming its great console rival. And that console is the PS5.

The PS5’s player most clearly makes its mark over its Xbox rival when it comes to sharpness. Crisp 4K transfers enjoy more clarity and detail on Sony’s device, putting more clear blue water between the picture quality of HD and 4K Blu-ray than the Series X does. The extra sharpness also makes the PS5’s 4K Blu-ray pictures look more three-dimensional.

The Series X’s 4K Blu-ray pictures do still look 4K, to be clear. But there’s an extra level of clarity with the PS5 that’s easily visible with the naked eye.

Sticking with resolution, the PS5 also does a much better job of upscaling standard, 1080p Blu-rays to 4K than the Xbox Series X. The Series X’s upscaled pictures look softer and more artificial than those of the PS5. They’re noisier, too - as if the Xbox’s processing isn’t as clever about spotting the difference between noise and ‘real’ picture information in low-resolution sources.

In fact, while you can quite happily leave the PS5 to do the upscaling of HD Blu-rays and DVDs, if you have a good quality 4K TV you might find you get better results with a Series X if you set the console to output 1080p when watching HD Blu-rays, so that your TV is left to do the 4K upscaling instead.

The Series X doesn’t just exhibit more video noise than the PS5 with upscaled images, either. Its 4K images tend to look a little ‘rougher’ too, with slightly more dot crawl in areas of fine detail or subtle colour blends; a more jagged look to some curved or very thin lines; and even some faint but occasionally noticeable horizontal line structure over certain types of image elements - especially clouds and thin horizontal lines.

The PS5 suffers with some colour noise too - more so than any of the standalone players we tested the consoles against. But overall its images are cleaner and more immersive than those of its console rival.

The PS5 also holds an advantage - albeit a very small one this time - with motion when playing 24fps 4K Blu-ray films. While the Series X handles motion much more consistently well than the One X does, just occasionally there’s a slightly laboured look to the judder. Whereas the PS5 maintains a slightly more consistently cinematic look.

• Our pick of the best PS5 games 2021

Neither the PS5 nor the Xbox Series X run as quietly when playing 4K Blu-ray films as the vast majority of stand-alone players do, and the Xbox is definitely the noisier of the two. The noise made by both disc drives and cooling fans is typically smooth enough to let you tune it out pretty well, particularly from the other side of the room, but you’re more likely to hear the Xbox during very quiet scenes than you are the PS5. It’s also worth noting that the Xbox often produces extra, short-lived audible buzz when skipping chapters or fast-forwarding/rewinding.

The Series X holds its own against the PS5 when it comes to colour balance and naturalism. At launch the Series X suffered with a pretty severe raised brightness issue that affected both its colour and contrast with 4K Blu-ray playback. This was swiftly fixed by a firmware update, though, and now the Series X is at least as good as the PS5 where contrast is concerned. In fact, the PS5 very (very!) occasionally exhibits a touch of instability in extremely dark scenes when running on some high-contrast OLED TVs that the Xbox now does not. But this really is a rare issue indeed.

4K Blu-ray sound quality

Once you’ve figured out how to get them outputting Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks from 4K Blu-rays that carry them (and most do carry one or the other these days), both consoles perform reasonably well sonically, albeit not as well as a standalone Blu-ray player.

Spinning up the bombing-run scene of Unbroken via Blu-ray, it turns out that the PS5 can do a very good job of Dolby Atmos soundtracks when given the chance (remember; it only supports Dolby Atmos when playing Blu-rays). It doesn’t quite have the crispness or dynamic punch of a dedicated player, but the console produces a muscular, room-filling sound with good clarity and well-placed sound effects.

For a games console, the Series X is very capable, too. It’s not quite as precise or weighty as the PS5, but it does get to the core of a soundtrack, delivering it with reasonably impressive clarity, solidity and atmosphere. Play an Atmos-enabled film, such as 1917 , and the console delivers a great sense of place, filling the room with effects that sweep across the soundstage as the action unfolds.

That said, if you once again compare the Series X to the Sony UBP-X700 Blu-ray player, it’s clear that the latter is a sonic step-up in just about every way. As Lance Corporal Schofield makes his mad dash through the enemy-infested streets in 1917 , the Sony’s added punch, detail, precision and dynamic expression combine for a more intense and engaging experience.

You probably wouldn’t want to use either the PS5 nor the Series X as serious music players; don’t forget that the PS5 doesn’t even play CDs. For movie soundtracks, though, while neither console is as capable as a standalone 4K Blu-ray player, both are perfectly decent in their own right.

*Winner* Draw

4K Blu-ray verdict

Neither of the latest Sony and Microsoft consoles are exactly great as 4K Blu-ray movie players. They both come up short versus even some very affordable standalone players in both feature and performance terms. 

That said, both consoles give you at least some of the picture quality advantages that the UHD Blu-ray format’s technology is renowned for; native 4K resolution and, especially, high dynamic range. Some may argue that this is fair enough for products that are built first and foremost as games consoles rather than home cinema sources.

If you are as into home cinema as you are gaming, though, and you don’t want to invest in a separate standalone 4K Blu-ray player, then the disc drive-carrying PS5’s movie spinning skills comfortably outperform those of its Microsoft rival.

*Overall winner* PS5

Check out our PS5 v Xbox Series X comparison

Read our Xbox Series X review

Here are the best Xbox Series X deals

Check out our round-up of the Best Gaming TVs 2021

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John Archer has written about TVs, projectors and other AV gear for, terrifyingly, nearly 30 years. Having started out with a brief but fun stint at Amiga Action magazine and then another brief, rather less fun stint working for Hansard in the Houses Of Parliament, he finally got into writing about AV kit properly at What Video and Home Cinema Choice magazines, eventually becoming Deputy Editor at the latter, before going freelance. As a freelancer John has covered AV technology for just about every tech magazine and website going, including Forbes , T3 , TechRadar and Trusted Reviews . When not testing AV gear, John can usually be found gaming far more than is healthy for a middle-aged man, or at the gym trying and failing to make up for the amount of time he spends staring at screens.

• I think the Sony PS5 easily performs than than the Xbox too. I am going to use mine as my only 4K Blu-ray player too. One thing though I have the sound coming through the TV sound on the amp, is that the way to do it? Reply
• PJthePlayer As someone who has both a Series X and a PS5 I personally find that the Series X delivers the better picture and definitely better audio. That being said I found both to be lacking enough to warrant picking up an Panasonic UB820 and have no regrets with it. Reply
• needsmoreclipping HDR 10+ and especially Dolby Vision are essential. I own both consoles, but both are garbage for 4K UHD Blu-ray. Pretty lame how I still need to dish out another several hundred dollars for a capable Blu-ray player after already spending over $1K on 2 consoles that both have 4K players in them... one of which even does Dolby Vision for gaming, but not for 4K UHD Blu-rays. Pathetic. Watch them both add support when PS5 Pro and Series X.5 come along. Complete dick move from both Sony and MS. Reply

needsmoreclipping said: HDR 10+ and especially Dolby Vision are essential. I own both consoles, but both are garbage for 4K UHD Blu-ray. Pretty lame how I still need to dish out another several hundred dollars for a capable Blu-ray player after already spending over $1K on 2 consoles that both have 4K players in them... one of which even does Dolby Vision for gaming, but not for 4K UHD Blu-rays. Pathetic. Watch them both add support when PS5 Pro and Series X.5 come along. Complete **** move from both Sony and MS.

That said, if you once again compare the Series X to the Sony UBP-X700 Blu-ray player, it’s clear that the latter is a sonic step-up in just about every way.

• View All 5 Comments

Xbox Series X review

The xbox series x is the pinnacle of microsoft's gaming efforts.

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Xbox Series X is the pinnacle of Microsoft's gaming efforts, blending the promise of powerful next-generation performance with superfast loading times and a huge library of games spanning multiple Xbox generations.

The only Xbox you need

Lots of power

Games load very fast

Clean and cool design

Stellar backwards compatibility

Few next-gen launch games

Large and heavy

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Microsoft's Xbox Series X is the ultimate Xbox for a pretty simple reason. It's the best console on which to play not only the latest Xbox games but also a wealth of classic Xbox titles spanning multiple generations. 

Having been out for almost four years, the Xbox Series X is readily available and has even been discounted to a price that borders on "impulse buy" territory. Plus, it's built up a solid library of must-play games from both Xbox Games Studios and third-party partners. And you can also enjoy enhanced versions of some of the best Xbox One games too. 

People expecting a new console generation to blow their minds from the previous one might be a bit disappointed, as the graphics leap from the Xbox One X to Series X isn't earth-shattering, though games like Forza Horizon 5 and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II are very visually impressive. But it does mean a lot of games that may have chugged on older hardware will run much more smoothly and at 4K resolution. 

Furthermore, there's just a lot of other stuff to admire about the Xbox Series X. So read on for our full Xbox Series X review to see whether the new console has been worth the wait, and be sure to check out our guide to the best hidden Xbox Series X features to get the most out of this console. 

Xbox Series X specs

Xbox Series X review: Price and availability 

The Xbox Series X launched for $499 in the U.S. in November 2020. Over in the U.K., it initially cost £499 before getting a surprise price hike and jumping to £479. It was a similar story in Australia as the price increased from AU$749 to AU$799. 

However, there's little need to pay full price for the console regardless of where you live now. While the Xbox Series X was pretty darn hard to find in stock out of the gate, it's since become a little easier to buy, and we've even started to see quite significant discounts even outside of busier seasonal sales events. 

In the runup to the holidays last year, the Xbox Series X hit its lowest price ever of $349, and this offer even included a free copy of Diablo 4. We expect to see deals of similar quality over the coming months, so be sure to shop for the best discount.  

Xbox Series X: Design 

You’d be forgiven for saying that the Xbox Series X looks like a small-form-factor PC, because it does; at least when it’s standing upright. Its monolithic design could be seen as uninspired. But I rather like the system's clean and unfussy appearance. It’s big, however. 

Measuring 15.1 x 15.1 x 30.1 centimeters (5.9 x 5.9 x 11.9 inches) and weighing 9.8 pounds, the Series X is a rather bulky machine, though not as large as the PS5. This means you’ll struggle to fit it into an entertainment unit, unless you place the device on its side. There’s a quartet of soft pads on one side of the console to show you which way it should be positioned when lying sideways. These also prevent the console from slipping around. 

I think the Xbox Series X looks a little clunky and clumsy on its side, a bit like the lovechild of an audio amplifier and a brick. I keep mine upright and sitting partially behind my TV, and it looks rather nice in that space, particularly as you can peer into the top vent of the console, which has some green accents around the holes towards the middle.

Given that the Series X sucks in cool air through the bottom of the console and vents it out the top, I think orienting the console vertically is probably better for its cooling system. Speaking of which, that system runs very quietly and coolly, though you can feel a waft of heat if you touch the top vent. It’s a testament to the engineering Microsoft has put into the Series X, given its powerful hardware in a rather compact form. You'd struggle to make a gaming PC this small with equivalent capabilities. 

In fact, while it might look a little clunky peeking out from behind my TV, I think the Series X looks rather good sitting on a desktop. If you plan to plug the system into a 4K or high-refresh-rate monitor, you could be pleasantly surprised.

While I wasn't a fan of the VCR-like look of the original Xbox, the Series X appears to be borrowing from the clean design of the Xbox One X , only making it bigger. There’s no light bar here or spinning LED rings. Rather the only illumination comes courtesy of a jewel Xbox power button that glows a clean white when the Series X is turned on. 

I don't think the Xbox Series X will go down in console history as a high point in tech design. But the simple aesthetic isn’t likely to age rapidly, and I reckon it’ll easily become something that melds into your entertainment setup.  

As an aside, there was some chatter about concerns that the Xbox Series X vents can get clogged with dust , but there's been no hint of this with the Series X consoles the Tom's Guide team has.

Xbox Series X review: Ports 

Keeping with the clean look, the Xbox Series X has only a USB 3.1 Type-A port and a Blu-ray disc drive on the console’s front. There's also a wireless controller pairing button. That makes it very easy to quickly plug in a controller to charge, or an external hard drive to transfer games and saves to and from the Series X.

Around the back of the Series X, there’s a much wider port selection. You’ll find one HDMI 2.1 port: crucial for gaming at 8K, and allowing TVs with 120 Hz panels to take advantage of the 120 frames per second frame rate for certain games. (See the best gaming TVs for recommended models with HDMI 2.1.) There are also two more USB 3.1 ports - handy for external storage that you plan to keep connected to your console - as well as an Ethernet port and Kensington lock. 

There’s no optical audio connection or HDMI-in port, like there were on the Xbox One and One X. However, dropping optical audio is likely to be a pain for only people with powerful audio systems, and the HDMI connection can still carry Dolby Atmos and surround sound signals. We’re not really sure if many people used the HDMI-in, so dropping it from the Series X isn’t a big deal. It also avoids any chance of plugging an HDMI cable into the wrong port, then wondering why your TV isn’t getting a signal: something that's happened to me before. 

The most noteworthy port however, is the expansion slot. This is for the proprietary external PCIe 4.0 SSD that will let you expand the Series X with an extra 1 TB of speedy storage.

Xbox Series X: Interface and Quick Resume 

You'll be disappointed if you were expecting a big user interface change with the Xbox Series X, as its UI is pretty much identical to that of the Xbox One. That’s not a bad thing, as that UI was pretty comprehensive, with a whole suite of options from managing games and apps, to transfer data between drives, to finely calibrating HDR displays and audio kit. 

There are all manner of interesting options that carry over from the Xbox One to the Series X, such as the ability to remotely access your console and stream games over a local Wi-Fi connection. Eventually, we expect to be able to stream games from the Series X over cellular broadband. But that was part of Microsoft's Project xCloud game steaming initiative, and has yet to be integrated into any Xbox console. 

However, if you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can stream a range of Xbox games to an Android device, and those will sync with the progress you’ve made on the Series X or Xbox One. In fact, cross-platform syncing is one of the joys of the Series X. As soon as I installed Xbox One games on the Series X, the interface pulled my saves from the cloud and allowed me to carry on from where I left off. 

Speaking of Xbox Game Pass, a lot of the Series X’s UI is geared around highlighting what’s new on the subscription service, which is pretty handy if you’re after a new game to play. This Xbox Game pass focus, plus the overall tile menu format can make it a little fussy, and occasionally tricky, to find what you’re looking for, unlike the very clean PS4 interface. But anyone familiar with the Xbox One UI will be completely at home on the Series X. It further stands to highlight how the Series X is less of a next-gen console, and is instead the flagship for an Xbox ecosystem .

If time is money, then the Xbox Series X is going to save you a lot.

One of the best new UI features is Quick Resume. In a nutshell, this allows you to have multiple games loaded up at the same time, and lets you jump out of the action in one title, then start another game, then jump back into the first game exactly where you left off, almost as if you’d simply paused.

This doesn't happen instantly, but it’s much faster than loading games from scratch. And there are now a good deal more optimized games for Xbox Series X and Series S that can take advantage of Quick Resume, not that both consoles have been out for a few months. 

Quick Resume is a joy to use as well. Simply hit the Xbox button on the controller when you’re in one game, navigate to another title and it’ll load up. Then, hop back to the game you were playing first, and you’ll be able to continue from exactly where you left off.  

It feels like a true game-changer and is a feature that the PS5 doesn't have an equivalent of, though PS5 games do load very quickly. I found that Quick Resume is fantastic when you want a quick burst of gaming or want to hop from a single-player game into a multiplayer one when your friends come online. 

Xbox Series X review: Performance  

There are now more Xbox Series X optimized games than there were at launch, showcasing what the 12 teraflops of graphics power can do when it’s applied to patched games, both old and new.

One of the standout titles is Assassin's Creed Valhalla . While not a Xbox Series X exclusive it's a game with impressive visuals and graphics setting, and is best played on new games console hardware. When it first launched on the Xbox Series X its performance left something to be desired as there were frame rate drops, some screen tearing and an overall performance profile that didn't stand up to the PS5 version. 

But after a major patch, the game runs a lot more smoothly on the Xbox Series X. It targets 60 frames per second, and in my experience mostly reaches that. But it uses a dynamic resolution, which can scale from 4K down to 1440p when there's a lot of action on the screen. So it’s not delivering a true 100% native 4K experience.

Maybe it’s a testament to the quality of the upscaler in my 4K TV, but I can't really tell when there was a resolution drop. And for a game that looks as good as Assassin's Creed  Valhalla, it’s impressive that a $500 box is pumping out crisp visuals and a steady frame rate; similar performance on a PC would require an investment of at least $1,000. 

Gears 5 is one title that has been given the full Xbox Series X optimization treatment. That means it can run at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, or 120 fps if you have a compatible TV. 

If you own an Xbox One X, then you may have already played Gears 5 at 4K and 60 fps, as the console supports that. However, that’s a best-case scenario, and the One X will downscale resolution in favor of frame rate when there's a lot going on in the game. This can still happen on the Series X-optimized version of Gears 5, but the 12 teraflops of graphics power means that the system usually maintains a 4K presentation and a reasonably steady 60 fps. 

Again, that might not sound too impressive until you realise there’s quite a bit going on to upgrade Gears 5’s visuals over the One X version. It's basically using the Ultra settings found in the PC version, which improves texture detail - though you’ll need to look pretty closely to notice huge differences - as well as better lighting and improved shadow details. 

The game also uses something called "screen space global illumination," which could be best explained as a "ray-tracing lite." This has the result of illuminating areas that might otherwise be a lot darker, as well as showing muzzle flashes reflected in the chunky Gears armor. 

I’m not going to say these upgrades represent a step into next-gen gaming, but they certainly look impressive and show off Gears 5 in its best light (quite literally). The game looks utterly fantastic and runs smoothly. 

Interestingly, Gears 5 doesn’t run on the Xbox Series X’s Velocity Architecture, which promises to deliver super-fast loading times. But it almost doesn't need to, as it loads games in under 10 seconds. On an Xbox One X, you’re looking at loading times of 40 seconds or more. 

But the most noticeable difference was in Red Dead Redemption 2 . Given the size of the game’s open-world, it’s no surprise that on the One X, a save file takes well over a minute to load up. In one test, it took 1 minute 28 seconds to load from the main menu into my most recent game save. On the Series X, the same save took only 38 seconds to load, which is a huge improvement. If time is money, then the Series X is going to save you a lot. 

As RDR2 hasn't been optimized for Series X, it will run at 4K, but won't run beyond 30 fps. However, it seems to stick rather firmly to the 30 fps mark, whereas on the One X, I’d occasionally encounter frame rate drops. I hope Rockstar releases an update that enhances Red Dead Redemption 2 for the Series X, as I have a feeling the new console would be able to run the game at 60 fps and 4K, helping add an extra layer of polish to a game that’s already spectacular to behold.

Xbox Series X review: Games

The Xbox Series X didn't launch with a vast amount of games, but it now has an enviable library of titles that are more next-generation than they are cross-platform. 

Highlights include Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and Elden Ring , with a slew of oddball games like The Ascent and Chorus , to take advantage of the console's hardware. Even Assassin's Creed Valhalla , a proper cross-gen game, benefits massively from running on the Xbox Series X. 

It is worth noting that these are not Xbox Series X or Series S exclusive games, as they are available on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. But I'd argue unless you have one of our best gaming PCs or best gaming laptops , they are worth playing on the flagship Xbox. 

However, one game that's sure to put the Series X's power to the test is Starfield . This huge sci-fi adventure and role-playing game could be one of the biggest releases yet for the current-generation Xbox. 

Xbox Series X review: Xbox Game Pass 

Xbox Game Pass has been around for a while now, offering an easy way to get access to a suite of games for a rather affordable monthly price of $9.99 or £7.99. This has long made it one of the best bargains in the gaming world. 

But I'd argue that Game Pass is an essential partner for the Xbox Series X. While the aforementioned launch line up of Xbox Series X games might be a little lacking, Game Pass provides a huge range of new and old games to play on the flagship console. Furthermore, many of these come with Xbox Series X and Series S enhancements, meaning the Xbox Series X is the best place to play such games you may have missed on the Xbox One.  

Fork out $14.99 or £10.99 a month and you'll get access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate , which provides access to Xbox and PC games, as well as cloud streaming and save syncing between all three platforms. It's simply a fantastic deal — in fact, right now I'd go as far as to say that Xbox Game Pass is the best deal in gaming . 

What's more a whole suite of upcoming Xbox One and Series X games will be released day-one on Game Pass, meaning its one of the most affordable ways to get new games. 

Xbox Series X review: Backwards compatibility 

In the run-up to the release of the Xbox Series X, backwards compatibility was touted a lot by Microsoft, as well as keen Xbox gamers. Such was the hype, I had steeled myself for disappointment. But I needn’t have worried as backwards compatibility on the Xbox Series X is superb. 

Simply put, getting an Xbox game from any generation to run on the Xbox Series X is just a case of getting the disc and popping it into the console. If the game is backwards compatible, and many should be, then it’ll begin an installation process. If you have access to Xbox Game Pass, then you can simply download any game that’s listed on the service that dates back as far as the original Xbox. 

These games won’t immediately be able to put the graphical horsepower of the Series X to use, if ever. But the fact they can be installed directly to the console’s SSD means they’ll load up in seconds. And any games that used to run badly on older hardware, should at least be a little smoothed out. 

There are limits in that a game locked at 30 frames per second won’t suddenly run at 60 fps or more unless it gets optimized. I found that to be the case with Red Dead Redemption, which runs at 4K/30 fps on the Series X, much like it did on the One X. Throwing Assassin's Creed 2 in the Series X results in a game that loads a lot faster and feels smoother than it ever did on the Xbox 360. 

As Digital Foundry explains , Xbox One games with high-performance targets, performance modes, or dynamic resolution scaling, tend to run at the best settings available to them on the Series X, thanks to the console's raw graphical power. It’s important to point out that the Series X runs these games in a backwards compatibility mode, which means they won’t really be able to benefit from the GPU improvements AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture brings to the table, unless they are optimized at a later date. 

I’m really hoping Microsoft encourages developers to patch older games to take advantage of the Series X’s power. Microsoft could also create a system that allows the Series X to bring its full might to bear on older games. But in the meantime, the backward-compatible games roster keeps expanding with Microsoft adding another 76 original Xbox and Xbox 360 games to the library, including 37 that can benefit from FPS Boost , a feature that boost game frame rates even without developer implementation. 

One backward compatibility feature I'm rather impressed by is Auto HDR, which uses machine-learning to effectively apply high dynamic range to games that were never mastered for HDR. In Red Dead Redemption and Gears of War Ultimate Edition, I think the effect works rather well.

As with a lot of AI-based tech, this has the potential to go wrong, and oversaturate or overexpose some scenes. But I didn’t encounter any issues, and even Assassin’s Creed 2 looked rather nice, though the effect wasn’t hugely pronounced. 

Combine this feature with the Xbox Series X’s power to basically bulldoze over unoptimized older games, and the Series X is arguably the best console on which to play Xbox games, from the latest Xbox One titles back to original Xbox games. And I feel there’s a lot more potential for backward compatibility to be improved once the Series X is out in the wild.

Xbox Series X review: Controller 

Ever since Microsoft came up with the Xbox 360 controller, I’ve been a fan of the Xbox controllers, and the new Xbox Wireless Controller is a neat evolution of its predecessor. Though glance at the peripheral, and you’d be hard-pressed to spot any major differences from the Xbox One controller. 

But that’s not a bad thing, as it’s a fantastic controller. Small improvements like textured triggers and an improved D-pad take a familiar controller and simply make it better. 

The Xbox Wireless Controller has long been one of the most comfortable controllers I’ve used, taking the Xbox 360 controller and building upon it. And the same is true with the new controller, though it does have a few extra features.

From a quick glance, the most notable change is the addition of a share button for sharing screenshots and recordings with a simple tap. You’ll then notice that the D-pad is a hybrid one: a concave disk that should deliver more precision, particularly if you play traditional beat-em-ups. The finish on the new controller has a more matte look, with the black appearing smokier. The Xbox button is also now all-black.

The new controller fits my hands almost exactly like its predecessor. The triggers are slightly smaller and feel a little more tactile, as do the shoulder buttons. And the joysticks have a firmer, more satisfying click to them than those on the older controller.

None of these changes are revolutionary — if you want that then check out the PS5’s DualSense controller — but they all add up to a nicely evolved Xbox Wireless Controller. The only real hiccup is that the controller still gets its power from AA batteries. While they can be replaced with a rechargeable battery pack that charges via USB-C, the use of alkaline batteres seems a bit archaic.

To go with the controller, after a fashion, Microsoft has the Xbox Wireless headset . This $99 gaming headset sports a clean design and will connect to your Xbox via Bluetooth. And the over-ear headphones have support for premium audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. 

Xbox Series X review: Verdict 

Now nearly two years into its lifespan, the Xbox Series X is the one Xbox console to rule them all, by being both a powerful current-generation machine but also a console that can run Xbox games dating back decades. 

It's fast SSD, general 4K resolution gaming and game performance that sits around 60 fps makes it very much a console to buy today. Sure it's not cheap, but it undercuts an equivalent gaming PC and can also tap into Xbox Cloud Gaming on top, making it a superbly versatile machine. 

In sort, this is definitely the current-gen Xbox you should consider if you want the best gaming experience from a games console that ins't the PS5.

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face. 

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• smalltown2 Are you able to comment on screen aspect ratios that are available on the Xbox series X ? I have been debating on whether or not to purchase an ultra widescreen monitor, and was hoping to see a 21:9 aspect ration on the Xbox series X. Reply
• hasper567 Was looking forward to the XBox Series X system. However, the Blu-ray player skipped audio on the first day. Disc was brand new....(Yakuza Princess Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD). The second day, tying a different brand new Blu-ray 4K UHD disk (No Time to Die). The player skipped audio multiple times and then the video went competely black. I believe my Xbox Series X was made May 2022. OS Build 10.0.22000.4975 There are numerous internet reports of defective Blu-rayer players in the XBox Series X. Also, good to note is that the Blu-ray app on the XBox Series X is outdated and in desperate need of an update. I returned the XBox Series X the same day. Reply
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Home / Reviews / Gaming hardware / Microsoft Xbox Series S review: Three years with the little Xbox that could

Microsoft Xbox Series S review: Three years with the little Xbox that could

Is Microsoft's other next-gen console worth your time?

Stuff Verdict

The Xbox Series S delivers affordability without compromising too much on features, and with Game Pass it’s the best deal in gaming

An affordable but legitimate next-gen upgrade

Lightning fast performance

Xbox Game Pass represents one hell of a deal

A lack of true next-gen launch titles

512GB SSD won’t go the distance

Compromised visuals

Introduction

Microsoft pitched its Xbox Series X as the most powerful console ever, but where does that leave the plucky Series S? It might be tempting to think the company’s other next-gen console has been left to play second fiddle to its teraflop-laden sibling, but that would be a huge mistake.

Despite its diminutive stature and more conservative tech specs, the Series S still feels like a genuine, generational leap forward. It’s sharper, faster, and more refined than its predecessors, and offers a meaningful alternative to the mammoth Series X.

After spending nearly three years with both machines, we’ve been surprised at just how much we’ve used the little Xbox, even with its bigger brother looming over it from another room. You have to be willing to live with some concessions, but armed with Game Pass , the all-digital Series S is probably the best deal in gaming.

Review originally published November 2020

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All games consoles and gaming hardware tested on Stuff are put through their paces with days’ worth of play time. We use our years of testing experience to judge areas such as build quality, software experience, battery life and other features. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products.

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Design: Stone cold killer

Alright, cards on the table. When the Series S was first unveiled we thought it looked tacky at best, and at worst like one of those juddering drive-thru speakers hidden behind a Wendys. It’s not often we say the words “we were wrong,” but gather around because we’re going to whisper them now: up close, the Series S is the definition of sophisticated. 

In fact, if looks could kill, the Series S would have us six feet under. Everything about the console drips with understated class: the robot white finish, the weirdly captivating air vent, and the minimalist shell that defies logic and somehow manages to make the humble cuboid, dare we say it, sexy. Indeed, if the Series X is the brains-meets-brawn Oxbridge rowing champion, then the Series S is the understated rockstar with a twinkle in their eye.

Microsoft has recently launched an all black version of the console, which is much more in keeping with the Series X’s design. It’s not as striking as the original model, but if you prefer your tech not to stand out from the other various black boxes under your telly then you might prefer it. The bigger reason to go for the mid-gen refresh is storage. The original model shipped with a measly 512GB SSD (with only 364GB being useable), which disappears remarkably quickly once you start loading it up with the Forzas and Starfields of this world. The new black model doubles that to 1TB, which means you might be able to get by without investing in the various expandable storage options on the market, especially if the Series S is predominantly an indie machine. 

Regardless of colour, the Series S should emerge as the firm favourite for folks who don’t live in a chateau. For starters, it’s light. Like, really light. The Series S weighs just 4.25lbs, making it significantly lighter than the Series X (9.8lbs) and its forbears the Xbox One X (8.14lbs) and Xbox One S (6.4lbs). It’s also relatively compact, measuring in at 6.5cm x 15.1cm x 27.5cm, and should look right at home in even the most confined space whether led down horizontally or positioned vertically. Despite its hobbity demeanour, the console also has plenty of connectivity options in the form of three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and an Ethernet port.

Those less-is-more design sensibilities carry over to the reworked Xbox Wireless Controller, which according to Microsoft has been “fined-tuned for performance” with the addition of a new share button, textured triggers, bumpers, and grips, and a full circle multi-directional D-pad. In reality it’s a case of more of the same, and while it’d be easy to accuse Microsoft of lacking inspiration here, sometimes the saying ‘if it ain’t broke’ really does hold water. The Xbox One pad is still one of the best around, and with a few subtle changes Microsoft has made some marginal but significant gains.

Performance: Fast and Furious

As with the Series X, the most tangible benefits of the Series S are immediately obvious. Both consoles utilise a Custom NVME SSD in combination with the all-new Xbox Velocity Architecture to get things done in super-quick time. In short, that means faster loading times, steadier frame rates, and impressive quality of life features like Quick Resume, which suspends game state data on the internal SSD to let users hop between multiple titles in a snap – similar to how you might leaf through apps on a smartphone. Just like its monolithic sibling, the Series S also supports DirectX raytracing, variable rate shading, spatial audio, and frame rates of up to 120fps, so you won’t be missing out on all that if you opt for the minature console.

Quick Resume in particular is a revelation. The feature dropped us in the middle of a Gears 5 set piece within 10 seconds of booting up the console, letting us mow down locust (or whatever they’re called these days) before we’d even parked ourselves on the couch. By comparison, it took the launch Xbox One around 30 to 40 seconds to complete similar tasks. It’s the same story when switching between games, with Quick Resume letting us zip between supported titles like a digital whack-a-mole. If you’re the sort of person who likes to chop-and-change during sessions, trust us when we say Quick Resume will be a genuine revelation.

Those nimble innards, which are powered by a custom designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures, also turned loading screens into blink-and-you’ll-miss-them affairs. We spent a fair bit of time with a range of triple-A titles including Doom Eternal , Forza 7 , and Watch Dogs Legion , and we can’t recall ever twiddling our thumbsticks for more than a few seconds. This was particularly noticeable in Doom Eternal , where restarting a level or checkpoint after being pulled apart by demons was near-instantaneous.

It’s the same story for backwards compatible games, all of which have been given a facelift thanks to the automatic addition of HDR and reduced load times. There are a bevy of backwards compatible titles available on the Series X and Series S on day one – thousands, in fact – and the Series S made revisiting old favourites like Mass Effect and Alan Wake an absolute pleasure. Nostalgia has never looked this good.

While all of those games looked undeniably gorgeous when running on the Series S, if you’re going to buy the compact console then be prepared to shelve your 4K dreams. One of the key differences between the Series S and the Series X lies in resolution, and while the top-end Series X targets 4K at 60fps with support for up to 120fps, the Series S generally chases 1440p at 60fps with support for up to 120fps – although it is capable of rendering at native 4K if a developer chooses to implement support, and will also upscale when connected to a 4K TV.

What does all of that resolution jargon mean in practise? In short: it means you’ve got a decision to make. If you don’t own a 4K television or simply don’t fancy forking out another £200 for the privilege of 4K gaming, then the Series S might very well be the answer to your next-gen prayers. If, however, you are chasing true 4K euphoria, then the Series X is your salvation.

As this generation has rolled on, it has proved to be the case that even the PS5 and Xbox Series X have struggled to maintain performance levels in games running at a high resolution, and the Series S is also a mixed bag. It’ll vary by game, but if you intend to play all the modern AAA releases on the smaller Xbox, you should manage your expectations. As an example, we recently reviewed Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the Xbox, alternating between the Series X and S, and while it’s generally a pretty handsome-looking game on both machines, the former fared a lot better in the 60fps-targeting performance mode. After some pretty severe screen tearing and noticeably softer image quality, we tended to stick with the 30fps quality mode on the Series S. Sometimes the little guy just can’t hack it. 

Games: Game Pass is the key

Consoles are nothing without games, so it’s fortunate the Xbox Series S has plenty. If you’re a Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you’ll get immediate access to the same titles you were playing on your Xbox One. That means once you’ve plugged the Series S in and jumped through a few administrative hoops, you can chow down on over 100 titles, including major Xbox Games Studios franchises like Gears of War , Halo , and Sea of Thieves .

Microsoft uses something it calls Smart Delivery to ensure that consumers only have to buy supported titles once. Say, for instance, you purchased Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for your Xbox One and then upgraded to a Series S/X later on, you’d gain instant access to the title on your next-gen whippersnapper for no extra cost. It’s a neat initiative that unifies the Xbox ecosystem, and one we’ve already used to play Watch Dogs Legion on every Xbox in our house.

As for how those current-gen titles will attempt to squeeze every bit of juice out of the new hardware, some of the heavy hitters are being issued with ‘Optimized for Xbox Series S|X’ updates that reduce load times, bump frame rates, and usher in graphical improvements. We’ve spent hours with the Optimized version of Gears 5 , and the difference is undeniably impressive. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that Optimized updates aren’t rolled out across the board. 

The early months of the Xbox Series X|S were pretty underwhelming, with Microsoft’s decision not to release any next-gen exclusive games at launch resulting in a generational leap that felt more like a polite hop. Nearly three years into the life cycle of the consoles, things have definitely picked up, and this year in particular has been a good one for Game Pass subscribers. 

Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere at the beginning of the year and made a very good impression, and Starfield , while perhaps not the critical smash hit Microsoft hoped it would be, is still a hell of a freebie. This week you can download the rebooted Forza Motorsport at no extra cost with Game Pass. Factor in the abundance of indie games that hit the service on day one, with the likes of Cocoon and Sea of Stars being a few recent standouts, and there’s a lot for Xbox gamers to tuck in to. 

In the next few years we should see all those studio acquisitions start to pay off even more, and the Xbox Series S is the cheapest way for players to benefit.  

Interface: The same, but different

Much like the Series S itself, the re-tuned Xbox user interface is all about speed. Microsoft claims the ‘new Xbox experience’ (their words, not ours) will be faster to use, more approachable, and visually appealing, and in our experience it ticks all of those boxes with aplomb. Accessing the Microsoft Store, Game Pass, and your installed apps and games happens in a flash.

The Home screen now loads more than 50 percent faster when booting up the Xbox, and is almost 30 percent faster to load when dipping out of the game. App launch time has been cut to around two seconds, while navigation has also been streamlined to make finding specific information quicker and easier. Dynamic backgrounds bring some visual flair to proceedings, and offer a few light customisation options. Despite those various quality of life improvements, the interface also uses 40 percent less memory than was previously required, giving a pretty clear indication of just how well Microsoft has managed to refine its minimalist UI.

It’s hard to parse how all of that actually feels until you’re sat down with the Series S, so we’ll just say that going back to the launch Xbox One after familiarising ourselves with the Series S felt like taking the Bugatti Chiron for a test drive before chuntering home in a Fiat Punto.

The Xbox mobile app also works flawlessly, and can be used to easily set up your new console, access different devices, check the status of installs, initiate downloads, send messages to friends, launch parties, and manage and share screen and video captures. It’s evident Microsoft wants to deliver a seamless user experience that mirrors its cross-generation, ‘play anywhere’ approach to gaming, and while it’s still early doors, it looks to be right on track.

Microsoft Xbox Series S Verdict

The Xbox Series S is a next-gen console in almost every sense, but more than that, it’s a next-gen console that won’t price anybody out. Yes, you’re not going to get the ultimate 4K/60fps experience that the beefier Xbox can deliver, and you should know that going in, but brilliant features like Quick Resume, Smart Delivery and backwards compatibility with previous Xbox generations are all here, even if the latter is a digital-only proposition on the Series S. The option of a 1TB machine out of the box also fixes one of our main gripes with the base model. 

Affordability also means accessibility, and the Xbox Series S combined with Xbox Game Pass has made next-gen gaming more readily available than ever before. This is a console genuinely made for everybody, and there can be no higher praise than that. And keep on eye on an upcoming high-profile sale that we don’t dare mention just yet, as the Series S is often discounted just before the festive season kicks off. 

Stuff Says…

Score: 4 /5

I’m a freelance games and technology journalist currently mashing my keyboard in the name of fine institutions like Stuff, where you'll usually find me waxing lyrical about the latest mobile morsels. I've also been known to cook up some decidedly delicious reviews from time to time, and was once dubbed 'the games industry's answer to Nigella Lawson' by someone probably somewhere.

Areas of expertise

Video games, computing, smartphones, home entertainment, lamps

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