I’m really torn, so let me make an introduction and where I’m coming from.
I’m definitely a hardcore gamer and Xbox fan. Bought both the original Xbox (believed in Kinect and was proven wrong) and Xbox One X day one. But I do regret both somewhat. I mostly play on PC and the Console is for Streaming and some games I don’t get on Pc or are better on a big TV like Forza.
I’m a sucker for the best deal and price value proposition is always the most important to me.
I have Game Pass Ultimate until September 2022.
We now know the specs and prices of both. They both release on the same date and have the same experience expect graphics. I have a mid range 4k HRD tv, tho.
Series S is 40% cheaper and with $100 in rewards credits I even save more on a relative basis (1/3). On the Series X, it’s just 1/5.
But what I really dislike about the Series S is the super low RAM bandwidth. That’s a lot weaker than I thought. I also have some Blu-Rays (Movies), but all my games are digital. Series S has half the storage and additional NVME SSD storage will come close to the total price of Series X. So why not get the more powerful console if I would spend $499 anyways? I have super fast internet and an external HDD, so switching games would be no issue.
Now comes the worst part. Price stability. Xbox One X sucked when it came to price stability. I can’t resell my Project Scorpio Edition for a reasonable price. The Xbox One S was and is better in that regard and I believe it will be true again for Series S again.
I definitely need to have the new Xbox for fast boot times and load times. That’s the most annoying of current gen. I will 100% buy one. Right now I even tend towards option 3. Maybe get the Series X later with a nice discounted deal and put the Series S in the bedroom. But the nice graphics of Series X. $499 is still cheap and as cheap as an RTX3070. It’s just $200 more of which I got $100 free from Microsoft.
Anybody else torn? Please help me.
Series X
Series S
Series S now and maybe Series X or a second Series S later
It sounds like you need a bit more time. You may want to wait to see how things shake out the first couple months. Let Digital Foundry put the consoles through some tests of BC games and new games. While you are waiting save up some more rewards credits.
Ultimately though I think it will depend on if you want that peak of performance. I’m not that strict with performance, slow downs or frame tearing don’t really bug me for example. I still like to be able to get physical disks since I’m a deal hunter, so it is most likely the X for me.
I personally feel if you’re going for option 3, you’d be better off just getting the Series X from day 1. But really, it comes down to what you want and what works for you in your situation.
You have a 4K which would make me lean towards the X anyway, especially as you mention you have physical media outside of games. I personally wouldn’t worry about the RAM bandwidth, I’m sure Microsoft has considered that and seeing Gears 5 MP in 120fps on Series S is seriously impressive stuff. The storage is an issue for me personally, those 1TB cards are going to be expensive, like maybe almost $200 expensive… so you might need one of them at some point anyway but you may be able to delay that purchase if you get an X with the 1TB drive already.
If you have a 1X, either stay put for awhile, or get the Series X if you feel comfortable. The S is simply not going to provide that much of an increase over the 1X for you to feel happy with it, long term. You said you are “hardcore” Xbox
The consoles will be there, and everything will be supported until 2022 anyway, including your One X
I think the SS will be better as an upgrade of S. While it will be able to reach faster framerates, loadings, better graphical settings than X the fact that it targets a lower resolution might be a downgrade for your experience.
But if you already have a Pc to make it up for the high end portion I think S works perfectly as a secondary device.
I always have to get the best version of any technology. It’s a bit of a sickness if I’m being honest.
Also I’ll just say this. If you can afford it, just get the X. If you’re having these thoughts and worries now, you’ll probably be having them later as well.
No way I can’t buy one day one.
I really need the new Xbox. Just can’t make up my mind what is the best value for me.
Probably because both are very well positioned and priced.
Yeah, I try to sell that X or trade it in.
I don’t really want to keep it. At least if I still can sell it for a decent price.
If one console is bundled with a game (Cyberpunk) or more Game Pass Ultimate, that would make the decision easier. But I think Microsoft is in a good position and they don’t have to do that during launch.
It really depends on your situation. I travel a lot so it’s a pain in the butt to take my pro or x with me but getting a series s that will fit right in my backpack and I can use it on my office at home. I was all in on x but the s may be first for me
If you can answer all the above questions with “No”, then you will be very happy with the Series S as well.
*I wouldn’t upgrade it with a conventional hard disk, because then you won’t benefit from the velocity architecture anymore. And the NVME memory from Seagate is simply too expensive, then you might as well get the Series X.
If you mainly game on PC then I say get a SeriesS. If you want to play a game occasionally on the TV and dont mind lower resolutions the SeriesS is a great device. If you dont like it, it would be easy to sell with minimal loss.
However if you watch blu rays a lot and dont have a blu ray player a seriesX maybe the better move or an external br player for like $50
I have some, but I basically never watch them. It’s 99% streaming.
All these things are the reason why I’m torn. Otherwise it would be an easy decision for me.
Right now I lean towards X again. I just need some sweetener deal that would decide it for me.
If Series S can’t play the Xbox One X version of Cyberpunk 2077, that would be a deciding factor for example.
I’m not getting a 3070. Probably will stay on my 1070. That line in the OP was just for a value comparison.
If I get a new card, I wait on a deal for the 3080 or get big Navi (whatever is best value)
I will play Cyberpunk 2077 on my Xbox, so my cousin can play the game, too.
We game share.
It’s not a multiplayer game, my aim can suck and that is no issue.
Will get the Cyberpunk MP standalone on PC, tho.
It seems you want to do the majority of gaming on console, if you have a 4k tv I would get a SeriesX, it will last you 7yrs and even if they do release a mid gen, the seriesX is positioned to still be a very solid option.
