Topic: Need Help Choosing A System

Hello Everyone! New to the forum and love the feedback everyone gives on here.
Im currently in the market for a new system. I had a PS4 a couple of years ago and gave it to a kid who didn't have the luxury of having a system at home. I'm now currently looking into theXBOX X, XBOX S, and the OLED SWITCH. I play mostly FIFA, NHL, MADDEN, and a little bit of COD. I love better graphics and gameplay but Im not sure if the extra money for the big boy systems is going to effect me considering My TV is now a few years old and I have no plans to buy a new TV. My Tv may be good enough but i have NO IDEA!

My TV is a samsung 4K UHD TV with Full Array Backlighting/ 120motion rate/ 3840/2160RES.
Will this TV be able to utilize all the power of the XBOX X? Is it going to be worth the extra money to have the X instead of the S with this TV considering the games i play?

Same TV, Xbox S vs OLED Switch (on dock) is there a huge difference?

I am only debating the Switch because with a child at home the switch is pretty convenient when you can just leave coco melon on the Tv and play the switch in your hand lol. Any info is greatly appreciated as I want to make the right purchase. Thank you for anyone who chimes in!

@Martinp26 if you play mostly FPS and sports Xbox is a better deal for you than Switch (fantastic for indie, RPG, platforming and obviously everything big N).
A 4k TV with up to 120hz is good enough for a series X but if you feel you're not in the mood for the price you Will be happy with the S system (just bear in mind the SSD disk drive won't go a long way before having to delete stuff)

@Martinp26 As you have a 4k TV, it may make more sense to have a system aimed at delivering a 'higher' pixel count and/or higher visual settings as its going to align better to the TV's native resolution. 120hz 'motion' is a 'pointless' feature for games as that is what they use to try and smooth out 24fps film with interpolation and putting in 'fake' frames to create a 'smoother' looking motion. That doesn't mean that your TV can actually cope with any frame rates above 60fps - certainly not above 1080p as the HDMI bandwidth is too limiting to send 120 4k frames per second.

Of course, it really does depend on you. You had a PS4, a 1080p max console which would need to be upscaled by 400% to fill the screen. That obviously means that the 3 out of every 4 pixels on your TV has been interpolated by the TV/Console (whichever does the upscale) to 'fill' in the missing gaps. The reason you get a 'softer' look is because harsh contrast changes, like a Black pixel next to a White and therefore create a 'sharp' edge get spread out when upscaled. Interpolation will look at the 'black' on one side, white on the other and opt to make the extra pixel grey as its 'between' the 'black' and 'white' which softens that edge.

Unless you have a HDMI 2.1 port, 4k/120 is not an option, 4k/60 is the best you'll get. If you want the 'best', sharpest, most detailed visuals, it makes most sense to buy the 'best' hardware you can. If you are OK with a 'softer' image, not too concerned about 120fps etc (as most TV's don't offer 120fps even at 1080p) then it doesn't really matter what you buy. A Series S offers access to ALL the same games - although if you do want to play 'older' games, you won't get the 'X' enhancements - so limited to XB1S settings. That means that games that got 60fps modes and/or visual enhancements on XB1X, the Series S doesn't get those. 720p-900p upscaled to 4k to fill your screen may look quite 'rough'. You have 9 pixels for 'every' 1 pixel at 720p.

At the end of the day though, its still going to come down to your own personal budget, preference and what matters most to you. Its not me that has to live with your decision and justify the cost. For me, with a Samsung 4k HDR TV that's not 'too' old either, I still had to upgrade my XB1S to an XB1X, my PS4 to a PS4 Pro, and now have upgraded both to XSX and PS5 (disc) because I have a '4k' display. I can't do 4k/120 or VRR (no HDMI2.1) but its a 'better' fit for my display than a Series S - which is more for 1080p gaming, more for those on a 'budget' or not so bothered about 'visuals' as long as they can play etc - but 'everyone' has to decide whether its the 'right' console for them based on their own situation...

@Martinp26 if you love better graphics and gameplay while also having a 4k tv (even if it's not true 120hz), Series X is the obvious choice. You will feel disappointed if you pick a Series S, and Switch OLED is better played in portable mode.

@Martinp26 Out of the games you've listed that you play:

• FIFA 20 onwards are Legacy Versions on the Switch, these Legacy Versions are basically copypaste FIFA 19
• The other games aren't on the Switch at all

So Switch wouldn't be suitable unless you wanted to completely change the kind of games you played. As for which Xbox, as others have mentioned the Series X would be most suitable given your TV and you say you like better graphics.

@Martinp26
With the Switch being my only console, I've been disappointed every year with how many modern games the Switch misses out on because of it's lack of power. Judging by what you said at the opening of the thread, I think you'll be happier with an Xbox. Switch doesnt' have Call of Duty. It also doesn't have analog triggers for racing games. I curse nintendo for doing that. And I drool over Forza Horizon series when I visit my brother. It's all we play together when I visit him.

I have a Switch, my brother has Xbox one. I've actually been surprised how many kid/family friendly games there are on xbox now. My nieces played Peggle, a ton of Lego City Undercover. I think they liked Disneyland Adventures, I'm not sure what else.

If you got a Switch, you'd probably also buy a micro sd card for extra space, and that will run $60-70 if you want 400gb (what I got). I don't think you'll regret the $500 for a Series X (if you can find one for regular retail price).

I got the Switch because I had to have Mario Kart 8, and some other Nintendo titles have been amazing - Mario Odyssey, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2. Turns out I also ended up playing a ton of Rocket League, which is also available on Xbox.

So, if I've muddied the waters for your decision, I think you should go Xbox, and I don't think you'll regret the extra money for the extra console power especially with a 4k tv. Plus the Series X/S SSD drive is pretty nice for the quick loading times. Xbox Series X/S also has a giant backward compatible library form Xbox one and 360 - which is impressive. The Switch doesn't have a Virtual Console for older games this time around - not a big deal to me, but it's bothered many.