Topic: Series S as a secondary system

Apologies if this has come up elsewhere before - first time poster on Pure Xbox, more frequent poster on some of the sister sites.

I'm currently weighing up the idea of getting a Series S as a companion to my PS5 and Switch. I really love those two systems but do like the idea of adding a Game Pass box. There are quite a few titles I probably wouldn't buy but would be happy to rent via this service. Doom is one of my favourite series of all time and I'd definitely want to jump into any new entry. I would no doubt play Halo Infinite etc as well if I were to have access. I'm also really interested in the backwards compatibility story (from a digital perspective).

I haven't owned an Xbox besides the 360. I liked it, but at that time I wasn't gaming heavily. Mostly I just played Halo 3 ODST online with friends. That was a lot of fun. These days I don't really play many FPS games - I'm more into JRPGs.

I do care somewhat about graphical fidelity. However, I've got the PS5 to satisfy me here. And of course, the Switch is a great machine despite its lack of power. The price of entry for the S is also pretty compelling. That and the fact you can actually buy one...

What I'm really asking is whether there's anybody else out there with all three machines, including either a Series S or X, and what your experiences have been?

@mcdreamer Well I have the Series X & PS5, as well as XB1X, PS4 Pro, XB1S, PS4 etc....so whilst I don't have a Switch and not owned Nintendo since the Wii, I have owned at least '2' consoles per generation.

In my opinion, the Series S is a 'great' little console option for anyone not overly concerned about 'Resolution' of games. Yes there are a few examples where the difference between Series S and Series X versions may have other differences - like a few visual settings and/or missing 120fps modes but in general, I'd think of it as a 'HD' version of the Series X. Again, I know its often at or above 1080p right now, but if you think of it as a HD next gen console, then its a 'bonus' if its above 1080p. Right now though, the Series S is generally a lower 'resolution' version Series X and more than 'adequate' considering many don't have a 4k TV let alone one with 120hz, VRR, decent HDR performance, Dolby Vision etc - all of which the Series S can offer too so a great 'transition' console too for those not sure if/when they will upgrade their TV's too...

I also think its 'perfect' for anyone who wants to play '100's' of games for a small monthly fee. You could buy the Series S and a GP subscription and 'never' buy a game to play on it. With GP Ultimate, you can also 'stream' any compatible game on any compatible device (inc Mobile, PC). For example, you could start playing on Series S and then carry on playing on a mobile. The only thing that I think lets it down is the Storage capacity but with GP Ultimate, you could play 'some' games instantly (no downloading needed) by streaming to your Series S. I love this feature as I can 'try' games I wouldn't of bothered with because of downloading times, storage limitations etc. Its great to just switch on and jump straight in without having to wait to download, install, update or even move stuff to make room to download in the first place.

With the Series S and its lack of a physical Drive, BC is very simple - if you owned any BC game 'digitally', you can play it - if you bought it on disc, you can't play it unless you buy it digitally OR its in Game Pass but any 'saves' should be saved in the Cloud so you don't lose progression.

If I am being 'honest', right now my PS5 is very much a secondary system as I have Game Pass Ultimate so 'always' have 'something' to play without having to spend 'more' money and I refuse to pay $/£70+ for ANY game. Having both a Series X & PS5 though does give me a choice with multi-platform releases and take advantage of any 'deals' (often, one platform has a 'better' deal on a game in a sale) or 'console' advantages - like Haptic Feedback on PS5, better image quality/performance, extra/timed content etc. I don't know how you'd feel about maybe not having the 'best' visual versions of games like MLB21, Outriders, Back 4 Blood etc if you had a Series S and Game Pass with your PS5 offering a higher Visual quality. In my case with a Series X, I am getting a 'PS5' equivalent so its not as much a 'compromise' to play for 'free'.

I don't really know what else you want to know. Its a 'superb' and relatively cheap 'HD' next gen console that you 'could' easily never need to buy a game to play on it and will still get access to 'some' of the biggest new releases every year as well as a varied catalogue of games from 20yrs of gaming. For around the price of two PS5 exclusives a year, you get access to hundreds of games and Day 1 access to all Xbox Studio's games. Its 'good' enough to be many peoples 'primary' gaming system so I think its perfect as a secondary system...

I've been tempted by the Series S. I only use my RTX 2060 for ray tracing and VR, 1080p everywhere else, so the Series S is more than enough GPU for me. The main draw is playing split screen and bad PC ports (RDR 2 PC DRM, Lost Judgment, etc). But the 500GB SSD is a deal breaker, especially given how bad expansion card pricing is. Even hard drives for last gen games are a tough pitch, many new ones are SMR and take longer to patch the games on.

@BAMozzy Thanks for all the details! Everything you say makes sense and is kind of what I was expecting to hear. On a couple of your points:

• I do have a 4k TV, but it tops out at 60Hz. To be honest I'm OK with this and I'd be happy to remain "stuck" with "only" the PS5 for this kind of experience when I do eventually upgrade my TV many years down the line.
• As you said, I think it's Game Pass which really makes the Xbox a great proposition. It would very much be my plan to (almost) never buy any games and stick to Game Pass. I don't mind paying for games but £70 does sting somewhat. For Demon's Souls it was more than worthwhile. For Returnal, not so much (great game, just not for me).

@Vincent294 Interesting that you mention the RTX, as I'm kind of seeing the purchase of an Xbox as the end of my move away from PC gaming. I was a PC gamer for 30 years but these days I just don't want to game at my desk. The SSD size does concern me a bit. I imagine I'd be moving stuff around a fair amount. Fortunately my Internet connection is pretty fast.

@JohannVanDerSmut That's good to know. From what I've seen, I was kind of expecting it to sit somewhere between the Switch and the PS5. Perhaps a closer to the PS5. It'll be interesting to see how this changes later on in the generation. I would hope the S will remain a good option but perhaps if not then there will be a cheaper X which is actually available for purchase. I think even if the X was readily available now I would still only be considering the S right now.

@mcdreamer
It's quite a powerful little console. The most impressive game i think is Ori and The Will of The Wisps at 4k60 and there are other games that display at higher resolutions than 1080p such as Far Cry 6 so it's quite capable of keeping up. I think you'd be happy with a Series S and I love mine

@Magonigal The Ori games are definitely on the list of games I'd like to play. Whilst I could play them on the Switch, I feel like the experience is likely to be better on the Series S (and of course, even better on the Series X).

@Royalblues I had a look down the list of all games on Game Pass and was surprised to see Scarlet Nexus there. It's one I'd like to play, probably just for a few hours based on reviews, but I'd probably never buy. I'm playing through Tales Of Arise right now on PS5. I do buy games on day one, though certainly not everything. I think the "lack" of Japanese games on Xbox is one thing which has put me off before, so it's good to hear that's changing. And really, whilst this is a big concern for me, I do already have both the PS5 and Switch to keep me satisfied there.

@mcdreamer I bought my Series S as a secondary system and it's now my main console. It's a brilliant little machine. Stick an external SSD in it for non X|S titles and you won't go wrong with the limited internal size.

@Shigurui What was your primary console before the S took over? Is it Game Pass which changed the game for you or was it other factors?

@mcdreamer PS4 Pro was my main, I had every intention to buy a PS5 but all the Sony exclusive games I want to play are coming to PS4 so I decided against it. Game Pass definitely plays a part in it becoming my main but I'm a lapsed 360 gamer and have over 200 digital 360 titles in my library, easy access to those games also swayed me. Dev mode and the ability to emulate older consoles and games I own was another factor.

@Royalblues Yeah, I did notice that Astria Ascending was on Game Pass which is definitely something I'd like to check out. I have friends who play Sea of Thieves too which would be fun. I'm sure some Halo action would be on the cards too. The S would be going on my main TV, taking the place of the PS4 Slim (great console but I never turn it on now with the PS5!). I think as you say I can't really go wrong - especially as I've already planned out where it would go!

@Shigurui I know what you mean. I might have been tempted to stick with my PS4 but I really wanted to play Demon's Souls. I don't regret it at all, but it's true that I basically only play PS4 games on it (even if some are PS5 patched). I essentially have no Xbox library at all so diving into the back catalog would be a lot of fun. As I mentioned in my original post I did have a 360 (still do in fact) but I only ever had a couple of games for it.

@mcdreamer I played Demon's Souls on PS3 so the remake never tempted me but I can absolutely see the attraction. If you pretty much skipped the 360/XBO then you have a quality catalogue of games to go at. If you decide to get a Series S feel free to add me, my gamertag is also my name here. Always up for some co-op stuff.

@Shigurui Yeah, I'd been thinking of at least checking out the Fable games if not some of the racers too from previous generations. If I do end up getting one I'll add you. My gamertag is similar to my name here as well.

So I picked up an S and have been loving it so far. Been diving in to quite a few games on Game Pass - hard to stick to just one!

I think the biggest downside is the storage. I already found the large size of some games I'd like to play put me off downloading them (Forza, MCC etc) which sort of defeats the point of having the console. I only have 60GB already. After considering the various options I decided the best, if not also the most expensive, option was to get the Seagate expansion card. It's the simplest option in that it works for all types of game and will benefit older titles with the faster load times etc too. I know you can transfer games pretty quickly from external drives but I'd rather just have the extra storage as close to the built in as possible.

I also kind of miss the dashboard music from the PS4/5 - pretty minor!

Outside of that I've not really seen any performance issues or what have you. Quick Resume is incredible. One of the big things missing on the PS5.

So far I've mostly been playing older, smaller games and indies. Some original Doom, Quake. Also finally trying Hades, Slay The Spire and Dead Cells via Game Pass. Once the storage arrives I will be diving in to Forza Horizon 4 and MCC. Next up will probably be Halo Infinite.

@mcdreamer Yeah that my biggest gripe with the X and S is the proprietary memory sticks or whatever you want to call them. I didn't like it when Sony did it with the Vita and surprised that MS went that route. I doubt that they will.come down in price so, I just stuck with the external drive I had from my Xbox One.

@Royalblues The S arent hard to find, I have seen them sold at my local Walmart in their display case, that's how I got mine.

@Tasuki Yeah, sticking with your existing drive sounds like a good option too. I didn't have any external disk yet so just decided to go all in. Works fine so far, just as you'd hope for the price!

@Royalblues It was pretty simple as Tasuki said. In the UK the Series S seems to almost always be in stock. Conversely I've never once seen the X in stock (though I haven't really tried either). It would be good if compression got better on the Xbox side. It seems to be handled well on PS5. On the other hand, I'd love to see Quick Resume on PS5. It's so good!

Already downloaded a few JRPGs from Game Pass. Might even finally play Final Fantasy XIII!

@mcdreamer I've never ever seen a Series X in a shop but I pre-ordered mine and I got it at launch. It's the best console ever but Series S is an amazing piece of hardware, small, inexpensive but still quite powerful. A no-brainer for those on the fence. My first Xbox console was Xbox One but I understand why Series S would be the first Xbox console for many people.

@Royalblues Why do I not have siblings like you? 😍

@mcdreamer @BlueOcean @Royalblues Yeah I have not seen a Series X or either version of the PS5 in stores just the Series S and I am in the US and that was Walmart. However when I was in Gamestop to get a Steam card for a friend's birthday, Someone called on the phone looking for a Series X and the employee said all they had was the Series S in stock.

@Tasuki @BlueOcean @mcdreamer @royalblues here in Portugal I bought a series X of the shelf this June (I checked online if they had one in any of the places nearby but drove there and bought it there directly). Series s were allways pretty easy to find. Now that we are getting closer to the holidays series x are nowhere to be found again and ps5 were never readily available off the shelf or online

series S consoles are easy to find and often see them second hand at sub £200. I have one that i just use for a gamepass and to do my microsft rewards on and to watch netflix amazon etc

definitely worth it in my opinion after youve done the 3 year gamepasss conversion after that the rewards points the thing basically pays for its self