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Topic: Is the series s worth it?

Posts 1 to 19 of 19

Gaming365247

So i was one of the many unlucky ones who couldnt catch a pre-order for a next-gen console but right now my local area has Series S in stock but no Series Xs i kinda wanna get a Series S but i like my discs. Will the series s be worth it to someone like me or should i just wait it out till i see some Series X in stock.

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Anti-Matter

Series S = Not worthy even the slightest.
Buy Series X for playing with disc.
Forget the future with All digital machines, i already hate them.

Anti-Matter

Tasuki

@Gaming365247 It all depends. If you want to play discs then I suggest just waiting for a Series X. Keep in mind that the Series consoles are backwards compatible with Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games so if you have any of those games on disc you will need a Series X to play them unless you want to rebuy them digitally. Also keep in mind that the Series S specs are are different then the Series X it's not like the PS5 where all it's missing is the disc drive. The Series S is meant to be a more budget model meant for more casual gamers. If you want to experience the most with your Xbox games I suggest getting a Series X.

If you have Twitter follow Wario64 he always posts alerts when stores get a shipment in and when they are going to sell them online, which is how you are going to have to buy one due to the pandemic. That's how I was able to get mine.

Edited on by Tasuki

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

My Backlog

BAMozzy

@Gaming365247 It really depends on two factors:
1: Whether or not having a Disc Drive matters to you - not just for future purchases but also all the Back Compatible titles.
2: Whether Graphics matter a lot to you - Not just 'resolution' but also any additional flourishes that may need to be sacrificed too.

The first part is pretty easy to assess as you will know exactly what you are 'giving' up if you opt to buy the Series S over a Series X. However, the second point is much more difficult to assess - especially this early on in the Generation. The difference in GPU performance is quite significant as well as reduced RAM - and as a result, BC games do not offer any of the Xbox One X 'enhancements'. Those games that offered a higher res or higher frame rate modes on XB1X are not offered on the Series S so games capped at say 900/30 on XB1S will still only offer 900/30 on Series S.

Resolution only makes up part of the Graphical settings and whilst it may target 1440p for example, Other differences may be necessary to hit that target. Things like shadow quality, refection quality draw distance etc etc could be dialed down a bit more and of course, RT quality 'could' be reduced too. Its not just the 1/3rd TFlops it has, its also only 20 Cores (compared to 52 in the Series X) and running slower too. That also means fewer TMU's as well so less dedicated hardware for rendering and processing the image. Some things will scale down with resolution but its very difficult to predict how well it will hold up in a few years time for example - what devs may have to compromise on - especially in big AAA games.

The generation is likely to last more than a few years and I don't know whether you plan (or have) to upgrade your TV for example. At the moment, we only have a few examples of games running on the Series S and most (if not all) are also cross-generation games. How it holds up with games coming out in AAA games in 3yrs, we just don't know. The CPU should be OK as its very similar to the Series X - meaning it should cope with all the AI/NPC's, draw calls, physics calculations etc etc - its just the 'Graphics' aspect is somewhat reduced so the compromises should be purely 'graphical' but I can't answer whether it will be worth purchasing to you in the meantime as we don't really know how it will hold it up in say 3 yrs, let alone 6yrs time.

Right here, right now, I think its a fantastic little box that seems to be holding up well and those that own one are happy.

A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!

Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??

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Gaming365247

Think i am gonna hold out for a series x then. Last time i want with the cheaper system it didn't last long. 3 months with the Xbox 360 Arcade system before i got the Slim or whatever it was called back in the day.

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JGRockford

The big question:
Would you be happy with being able to play the games with a potentially lower quality (depending on the game)?

While it is a niche market, and the console is designed to scale through the generation (at least it should), it can be an option.

Disk can be a factor of you have a collection, or want to play certain games not available on the store. Myself, couldn't give a toss about diskless, as I'm inherently digital only having matured from 80s PC and Atari era.

Though I have bought a Series X for the higher fidelity experience, I'll most likely grab a PS5 Pro for the bedroom exclusives when it comes out.

As for not being able to find a console, from one who was able to secure day 1 without pre-order, would suggest bookmarking nearby retailers to keep an eye on potential online orders for delivery/click and collect.

As above, keep an eye out for suggestions from Wario64.

JGRockford

Bmartin001

If you don't care for physical media then i would say go for it, But you seem to enjoy your physical discs so i would hold out for a Series X..

Nintendo Switch Freind Code: SW-0713-2551-1043

BANJO

If you still like some games on Disc and/or have a large back catalogue of 360/Xbox One discs then getting a Series X is the best bet..

BANJO

belmont

Series S is my first Xbox ever so I had no disks. To be honest I love it! I play SEGA BC games at the moment. I have also started replaying some of my favorite games like Final Fantasy and Resident Evil.

belmont

aj102404

I have an X on my main TV and picked up an S for my bedroom, it is a capable little console.

I’ve been all digital since Xbox One launch so no issues with discs, I also have a PS5 digital.

aj102404

BAMozzy

I still think its better to have and not need than need and not have. The Disc Drive isn't just for games but also a 4k HDR Bluray Player - better quality than streamed can offer - again whether you use it or not, I would still rather have the option. Its the same with games, having the option to buy 'old' as well as new games rather than be strictly limited to buying from MS stores is reason enough to get a Disc Drive.

I know others will have their own perspective and may not care about the functionality a disc drive offers. I still think though its better to have and not need than need and not have.

As I said, we don't yet know whether the S will still be holding up in 5yrs time - at least from a Graphical point of view. Even from a game-play perspective - will it offer 60fps modes? If the Series X has to compromise significantly to hit 60fps (like 1080/60) with such a big GPU, how will the Series S hold up? Minecraft with full Path Tracing was shown running at 1080/30 on Series X so how would that run on Series S if MS do bring it to console? Point is, we don't really know yet how it will hold up over the coming generation. We do know that its performing well now and people are happy with their console but whether they are still happy in 3yrs, in 5yrs etc, we just don't know...

No one can really say its 'worth it' until the generation has played out. If devs have to compromise 'too' much (again that may depend on the person and their expectation) to get games running adequately, will those people still be as happy? Its one of those things that you may have to assess at the end of the generation.

It may well be worth it if you buy for the 'immediate' future and then IF MS bring out a more powerful mid gen refresh, its a bigger step up. We just don't know the 'long term' value of the Series S. Its different from Sony's PS5 Discless console as that is literally a discless PS5. The Series S is not a discless Series X - there is a much smaller GPU and less RAM too so will have to see how it holds up relative to the Series X/PS5.

A pessimist is just an optimist with experience!

Why can't life be like gaming? Why can't I restart from an earlier checkpoint??

Feel free to add me but please send a message so I know where you know me from...

Xbox Gamertag: bamozzy

aj102404

@Joe123

It is the same experience with game play and load times.

Graphically it’s an unfair fight because I have the X hooked up to my new 4K 65 in LG CX OLED and the S is hooked up to a 5 year old 4K 55 in Sony LCD.

I will say the S looks great on the 4K LCD and Ori Will of the Wisps is the best thing I have ever viewed on that TV.

aj102404

belmont

The Series S was perfect for me for the following reasons:
It is my first Xbox so I have no disks or a particular attachement to physical media since I don't watch bluray movies etc.
I also game on a 1080p 144Hrz PC monitor and I will not upgrade my setup for years to come.
I think that it will "get me by" in the whole generation. Seems that its' specs will allow Series X games to scale to 1080/60 or 1080/30 and if the framerate is "consistened" I, personally, am OK with it.
Finally the console is very "cheap". Serously 300 euros is on par with the Switch and almost on par with some base model PS4 and Xbox One S packages.

However if someone has a lot of disk games or a "good" 4K setup I think saving for a X would be a better option in the long run. Personally, as I stated, I love the Series S.

belmont

LeanerFasterStronger

I think it depends on your situation.

I just moved to South Korea, I'll be here for 1-2 years. Because I'm gonna be on the move again so quickly, I dont plan on setting roots and getting a proper set up (4k display, sound set up, etc) and I'll probably just stick with a 1080p monitor.

So do ya'll think a Series S would be the better move? Then I can just sell it when I leave and upgrade to the Series X perhaps.

"Who you are comes from the choices you make when life gets tough."

Cass, Fallout New Vegas
JGRockford

This is the perfect scenario for a Series S IMO.
If you're on the move for work, or FI-FO requirements, you can set a Series S up so there is an oportunity to play at least.

JGRockford

Krzzystuff

I bought the X and mostly because of the disk drive. I have used the disk drive a few times to play a game from the library and 2 times for a kids DVD from the library. I'm not a tech buff so I wouldn't have noticed it not being 4K as I was playing a PS3 on an old plasma before. I think I could have gone with the S and bought a nice external drive to store all the gamepass games...most of which can be played straight from the external.

So if you're a tech buff and need the top notch stiff get the X but in all honesty the S sounds pretty fantastic. A lot of doubters online have really come around on it once they used it as their main console for a week.

Note i love my X and have no regrets but now realize I could have easily gone with the S, i thought I needed that disk drive but so far it hasn't been used.

Edited on by Krzzystuff

Krzzystuff

Xbox Gamertag: Krzzystuff

cracked_seal

I moved to a digital collection with the One S. So actually don't own any Xbox disks (PS convert) and in the main, bar some big third party releases, Gamepass covers most of my needs.

Just ordered the Series S, had originally planned on getting the Series X but the S was really available. Still more than prepared to switch to the X down the line if the gap widens but for now looking forward to diving into the medium on the S.

cracked_seal

dmcc0

Loving my Series S so far.

I don't have a 4K TV at the moment so not missing much in that regard, but I do miss not having physical drive a little though. I'm new to Xbox this Gen so it's not like I have a pile of old media lying around, but there have been a few times when I've seen some games that were super-cheap, either in sales or used, that I might've picked up if I'd had the ability to play them. I tend not to buy games at release anyway, so with a little patience there are some pretty good deals to be had digitally too; just not as much choice as physical though.

dmcc0

elpardo1984

I missed last gen until I got a Switch about 2 years ago. Before that I was an avid 360 player(briefly had a PS3 and hated how slow and update heavy(and physically heavy) it was) the Series S along with gamepass is the perfect way to get back into mainline gaming particularly as I have an instant back catalogue to get through that will last me until Halo Infinite! I have a 4K TV in my lounge but only 1080P in my game room at the moment, it will spend most of its time in the latter with the odd trip onto the main TV so is perfect for me, even then I value the FPS over the resolution overall and happy to sacrifice the reduction in things like ray tracing for now.

elpardo1984

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