Microsoft’s game plan for the next generation of console gaming may just be its cleverest one yet: Value. After spending most of the last console generation on the defense, the company’s current strategy has been years in the making and could position them as the preferred console brand of the 2020s. They key to their potential dominance, is choice.
While 4K gaming at silky-smooth frame-rates is all the rage right now, there’s still a massive audience out there who just want access to the latest games and don’t want to have to pay an arm and a leg to do so. The Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s offer to a market that doesn’t care about seeing games in 4K, and just want the quality of life perks instead.
In a new video, director of program management for Xbox, Jason Roland, explained how the goal for the company was to deliver an Xbox Series X experience with the only compromise being a reduced resolution. You can see that talk from Roland below:
Anyway, the console is definitely hitting the right notes: Its R6,999 price makes it cheaper than a Nintendo Switch, it has the exact same 8 core, Zen 2 CPU architecture running at 3.6 GHz that the Series X features and it includes an advanced hardware scaler that will upscale games when it detects a 4K television connection. Hardware-accelerated DirectX ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading like what the Series X is capable of, completes the package. If you’re keen to see some proper stats, here you go:
- CPU – 8-Core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.6GHz 3.4GHz w/ SMT Enabled
- GPU – AMD RDNA 2 GPU 20 CUs @ 1.565GHz
- GPU Power – 4 TFLOPS
- System on a Chip – Custom 7nm Enhanced SoC
- RAM – 10GB GDDR6 RAM 8GB @ 224GB/s 2GB @ 56GB/s
- Performance Target – 1440p @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS
- Storage – 512GB PCle Gen 4 NVMe SSD 2.4GB/sec uncompressed 4.8GB/sec compressed
- Expandable Storage – 1TB Expansion Card
- Disc Drive – Digital Only
- Display Out – HDMI 2.1
The only real drawback here, is the SSD size in the Xbox Series S. With many a modern game pushing past the 100GB boundary easily, that, storage space will quickly fill up. Heck, broke Call of Duty Warzone players are already beside themselves with grief right now. You can store games on an external hard drive easily enough, but playing titles off of it will be reserved for Xbox One games and backwards compatible entries in a retro library.
Otherwise, the Xbox Series S is starting to sound like a hell of a deal if you’re on a budget. Combined with Xbox Game Pass and able to feature most of the same advantages that its big brother console does, I’d bet easy money that it proves to be on par with the Xbox Series X when it comes to hardware sales.
Last Updated: September 10, 2020
Grid10ck
September 10, 2020 at 11:49
This console does seem promising, on the other hand I’m noticing a lot of people haven’t considered an important factor when it comes to the X series. That being the kind of tv you need to get the full experience from its display capabilities.
65″ 4k 120Hz Samung Q70R – Best value QLED TV according to games radar. Price?
R28 999
RinceThis
September 10, 2020 at 12:06
This is a very smart move. MS looks to be moving into dominating the software side of things by opening the options up, big time. Unlike SONY’s ‘if you want this game, it’s only available here’, MS are offering 3 platforms to access their content. I honestly think that this will dent the sales of the Main Xbox console. I mean, I am keen on getting a S series, and if I had the money to get a series X and wanted one for the specs, I’d rather spend money on a PC. So yeah, this might be a game changer and SONY may need to seriously think about their own version of a game pass.
geel slang
September 10, 2020 at 13:06
What I do like about this generation, not one single person is saying PC gaming is dead like a couple of generations ago, and Microsoft is partly resposibe for that. Respect. Plus I could never understand the whole PS vs Xbox thing.
Son of Banana Jim
September 10, 2020 at 13:43
I still think the whole “PC gaming is dead” meme was just wishful thinking from console gamers, and probably came about because of the “PC master race” meme. It was basically two factions having a cold war, and journos writing articles because of Reddit posts.
I never believed PC gaming was in trouble; It never made sense, I mean Steam never stopped growing – or at least, I honestly can’t remember a time when Steam was in any trouble. There were a few years where piracy made it very uncomfortable for devs to create games for PC, and I’m sure a few of the publishers would have loved to divorce themselves from it, but PC gaming has always been a huge market. It’s a massive driver of advancement for games, more so than the consoles.
geel slang
September 10, 2020 at 13:06
What I do like about this generation, not one single person is saying PC gaming is dead like a couple of generations ago, and Microsoft is partly resposibe for that. Respect. Plus I could never understand the whole PS vs Xbox thing.
Original Heretic
September 10, 2020 at 09:25
This is going to be a huge winner for Xbox.
Me, I’ll still opt for the PS5 (eventually, when I can afford it…), purely because I don’t want to miss out on Sony’s sweet exclusives.
If XB suddenly has better exclusives in next gen? Then yes, I’ll be flipping tables until the cows come home.
Grid10ck
September 10, 2020 at 11:49
This console does seem promising, on the other hand I’m noticing a lot of people haven’t considered an important factor when it comes to the X series. That being the kind of tv you need to get the full experience from its display capabilities.
65″ 4k 120Hz Samung Q70R – Best value QLED TV according to games radar. Price?
R28 999
Seeker
September 10, 2020 at 11:58
The storage size is not too much of a problem. Next gen games will use a lot of advanced compression tech that will give you smaller file sizes. You can also connect a large capacity external HDD and move games between it and the SSD when you want to play.
Alien Emperor Trevor
September 10, 2020 at 11:58
True 2K!!!
https://pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/funny-gif-girl-party-mad-breaking-things.gif
Son of Banana Jim
September 10, 2020 at 12:31
I can’t wait to heat up my tea water with the Series S…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/30b682488b9a1c7017f5769385eb2de4079ced4a845362c90a85ccd48f59d9f6.jpg
Pofadder
September 11, 2020 at 09:26
Only 4TFlop? The PS4 pro is 4.6 TFlop. But I guarantee you this will outperform the pro. Just goes to show comparing console’s performance by TFlops is stupid.
Pieter Kruger
September 11, 2020 at 20:10
It’s stupid if it’s not the same architecture yes, I agree 100%