As is often the case, this is indeed a 4K mastered video, and TH-cam continues to process away behind the scenes. Watch now for the info and/or check back for improved 1080p quality and the 4K encode.
@@lorankatoran8856 why does that puzzle you? It's not a 4k machine, even the 1X has more RAM. It has what it needs to do what it is marketed to do. 1080-1440p gaming 60-120fps gaming. If only Ubisoft got that memo...
I want the series S and I don't even need one, as I have a comparable gaming PC. It's just so small and quiet, and so cheap it's incredible. I'm so happy for all the gamers who are now able to buy a powerful and cute gaming machine for just 300 bucks.
@Chandu i play only fifa and some silly co-op games with my console freinds. For rest i have powerfull pc. And i dont have 4k screen. So i got series s.
First time I've seen this guy, or watched digital foundry, and like he was so calm, collected, and unbias it was great ngl. Defo coming back for more, great stuff
@@spenny2cents majority of what this guy said was objective thou, not opinion based. FYI this is the only vid I watched so no need to call me naive lmao
@@vincentrowe4116 They aren't biased at all. They are very objective and professional in their work. Of course they sometimes share their opinions, nothing wrong about it, but they were never biased.
With the Series S, I think it's mostly going to come down to how much effort the developer puts into it. We've already seen some say they won't have ray tracing on Series S and others can make it work. Target may be 1440p, but resolutions are going to be all over the place, again, depending on the developer. All of the hardware cutbacks are to be expected if not targeting 4k just from how much more information has to be processed for 4k textures. At least having an equivalent CPU architecture and SSD, game design won't have to be compromised even though visuals will be compromised. For someone like me who never ponied up for the latest gen PC components and typically built my PCs with components that were a year or two old, a Series S follows a lot of the same philosophy. If you just want to be able to play everything and don't care about the highest settings or framerates possible, the Series S is a good value.
Exactly. I got mine for €250, it is a steal. Hopefully devs won't be forced by execs to ignore the Series S and its power; it can definitively run any game at 60 FPS as long as there is some tune-down on graphics, but some companies like CD Projekt RED just lazily copy-pastes the Series X version, lowers resolution and locks the game to the 30 FPS it was always capable of doing.
ikr, I previously got a digital edition One S to save some money, thinking I'd just play game pass games only. Didn't realize how many of my older games I couldn't play without the disk drive, and also that it's so easy to find physical current gen games for cheap. Definitely gonna go with a Series X this time considering how amazing the backwards compatibility is at this point (compared to the PS5, which will likely never get PS3 support).
@@bern9642 They definitely will not add an external disc reader. It's a $10 part maybe they could have just put in the console, so they were deliberate in omitting it to force you to Game Pass or re-buying your old Xbox games.
The main reason I chose Series S: availability. I could actually get a Series S at retail price, and being able to actually get a console goes a long way into helping to decide which system a lot of players will get.
Same here. I'll upgrade to a Series X when they aren't over 1k dollars on Ebay. I'm happy with the S for now. Its a great little system that is leaps and bounds better than the last gen Xbox One.
Same. Couldn't find an series x for almost a year and I'm not going to finance a game console. Never even saw an ss until last week Walmart had like 12 of them. I'm happy with my purchase. I only have a 1080p tv and paid retail.
@Truth Returns Depends on needs, this video does a good job making the distinction. I'd say if you a primarily gaming on PS5 then yeah, this is a good buy. But if you have decked out 4K high-end TV, well you should be able to afford both PS5 and Series X as the X will provide the better quality visuals. But ultimately, it's up for consumers to decide.
Without ray-tracing etc wouldn't the One X outperform the Series S at the target 1080p/1440p resolutions? With more RAM and a beefier GPU? Depends if they'll be CPU or GPU bound games?
@@KizaruB and games that have next gen enhancements will look better on S. Yeah backwards compatibility modes have a difference but any next gen game will perform better on series s
Talk about in depth! Thank you. Series S is a nice package if you don't want to game at 4k. I don't really care about gaming at 4k... But I'll take the Series X for the storage and optical drive for second hand games anyway.
Except that if you like higher framerates, some games offer 1080p60 on PS5 and Series X... But if you like 30fps AND don't care about 4K, so is the right console.
@@ahmeddasavage9869 Well, on the Xbox One X they had some Xbox 360 games which were enhanced to take advantage of the extra power. Better frame rates, better resolution, upscaled video and so on. The Xbox Series X maintains these upgrades, but the Xbox Series S will play those games as if they are running on an Xbox One original, meaning they won't be upgraded from their original versions at all.
Fallout 3 runs better and loads faster on the Series X compared to S, and Final Fantasy XIII has all of it's pre-rendered cutscenes re-exported at a much higher resolution than was possible on 360 (due to the limited disk size)
Maurice van Creij Completely agree. It’s a nice feature, but the fact that it isn’t applied to all games, how long it can take (30+ seconds) to resume and the storage requirements make it not worth it for me personally and I’d prefer to disable it.
Losing almost 30% performance on a feature that i will never use and that only like 10 games even support rn just completely blows my mind. Why is microsoft bottlenecking this thing so hard? The sad truth is to sell more series x consoles.
@@Nikownzyu what? are you high? the performance thing has absolutely nothing to do with quick resume... supposedly. quick resume just dumps the RAM content into the ssd for later use.
I'm enjoying my Series S alot so far but i wish Devs would patch in options to unlock 60 fps for older games. Sad to see Series S capable of it but can't.
The Series S is a really good emulation machine. Just pay the $20 Developer fee and you can emulate up to Dreamcast now with promises of PS2 and GCN emulation coming soon.
@@ggss1176 3.6ghrtz 4tf of "rdna2" series s 2.4ghrtz 6tf of "jaguar" onex. Cpu alone of series s is farrrrrrrrrrr better then onex Looool rdna2 crushes jaguar easily.
@@ggss1176 60fps vs 30fps, that's where XSS shines over X1X right now when rdna2 features aren't used. It's 8gb vs 9gb ram, not 8 vs 12. But when devs start to use BCpack, sampler feedback streaming, mesh shaders and machine learning, XSS ram will have an effective size much bigger than X1X. X1X would probably need 16-20gb to do the same. The biggest drawback in XSS is back compat not using X1X versions IMO.
as a hardcore Xbox gamer that got the Xbox series S I'm in love with it. I'm fine with not having a big hard drive because I have a external I can switch things back and forth with. and I think the graphics are really impressive on the S
I think it should be mentioned that with the xbox series S|X you can store your next gen games on an external hard drive. Granted, you won't be able to play them from it and you need to move them back to the internal SSD if you ever wanted to play them but it's still a good thing that it's possible so you don't absolutely have to delete games if you're running out of storage (which you definitely will)
Me a year ago: "Weaker Xbox? Terrible idea, what's the point." Me now: "Omg want" I think Rich hits the nail on the head when he says this is a console reminiscent of what console gaming used to be, and all the ways it used to be convenient and cool to get hands on with these little boxes.
Convenient, cheap and runs new games for $299 and if you are smart and run 2-3 games at a time you can manage the current memory and not spend $220 on extending it but console community is the biggest sheep electronics their brains got so washed easily to the point where they buy the original console and the mid cycle refresh and now overpriced memory but worst of all they are suddenly caring for graphics and frame rate they don’t realize they are too far gone the rabbit hole by this point
@Sendit Sunday buy a rechargeable battery, either AAs or a pack. I prefer having the option for AAs rather than being stuck with a corded controller like the Playstation, but I definitely understand other people don't mind that as much.
@Sendit Sunday being able to change batteries is good, it's a pro consumer, convenient move. Probably should come with a play and charge kit, but the ability to use regular batteries, any rechargeable batteries or recharge packs is better than a built in battery that's difficult to change or not intended for the average user to change replace at all. It's something that's annoyed me about Sony's controller practices, the average user just assumes they need a new controller when battery life becomes inconvenient, which DS4 could be prone to doing. Hopefully DualSense is better, I haven't seen any mention of battery life yet but I'd assume they've learned from their mistakes, and the new features presumably would practically necessitate a better battery anyway.
Consumers have become just as dumb as companies want them to be.. works well with old software not designed with these specs in mind. Thats a bad thing why? Plays modern games thet have been delayed by a global pandemic. 'Console is trash'
What a great review. Your guys' content is superb even compared to other solid tech channels. I enjoyed some time w/ the XSS but instead went w/ a second XSX, yes second! Gaming room in the garage in 2023 😁🥳🥳
If you care about hardware technology facts XBOX Series X & PlayStation 5 Post Launch Analysis with NX Gamer | Broken Silicon 75 Watch this video Unbias Software Hardware Analysis NX Gamer Moore's law is dead Confirm PS5 Xbox Series X Are On Par With RTX 2080 TI RTX 3070 with using only 5% of their power at the start of the generation. PS5 outperfoming Xbox Series X in the first 3 third-party games tested DMC V AC Valhalla COD cold War according to Digital Foundry NX Gamer VG Tech RedGamingTech Moore's Law
Great review us usual Richard + DF! I'm 1 week into owning a Series S and I've no regrets whatsoever. My biggest concern was storage but I've got 15 games installed (only a handful of which are Indie titles) and that's more than enough to keep me busy for a few months. I've no doubt that in time I'll need more storage, and on paper the PS5 digital looks like a better investment, but the key difference is Game Pass Ultimate. Having taken advantage of the promo deal I've got access to all of those titles for £40 a year, at the moment I don't think Sony can compete with that.
Have you revisited these systems in a recent update? Could you compare them against themselves from a year ago and see significant differences just from updates and patches?
Rich, thanks for this! I was actually wondering when you guys would talk about the S. It was extremely informative, and I agree with you regarding how cool the S looks. It was the only one I managed to get my hands on, but I love how small it is, and the games play fairly well. I am hopeful that, as the generation moves forward, the developers push the S to its limits and really show us what it can do!
If someone does have a low income the series s is perfect because let's face it in 3 years you know both Sony and Microsoft are going to release the Ps5 Pro/Xbox series double XX so it may be a better solution to buy the one s with game pass and just save for when the pro versions come out.
for those who are not sure about the s series, I have to tell you that it is wonderful, the lack of commitment in some games is a matter of the developers
It depends... Linus has became something like Austin and mkhb. It's sad... But it's what makes money for the masses and advertising for the companies. But... His review was more honest showing how shit series S looks. At least MS made something that even Sony couldn't do: play psone games!
I think this will be Microsoft's last console. They are more concerned with being woke than making good games or a good console. PlayStation will outsell the new xbox probably 10 to 1
@@johnames6430 I'm sorry to hear that you're racist/homophobic/transphobic/just an idiot. Perhaps you should spend less time obsessing over Microsoft and some time educating yourself?
I was planning to get the X, but eventually settled for the S while i wait for my PS5 to be delivered in early 2021. So far, the experience has been overwhelmingly pleasant. Sure, already I can tell the storage is going to be an issue - But since my gaming habits usually consists of playing the shit out of one game until im done with it and never playing it again - Its not that big of a deal. Gamepass is - surprise - what sold it. Being able to have more games than I can play availible to me is nothing short of amazing. Sure, this is more a testament to the Gamepass service and would have been the same on the X, but since im currently on a 1080p TV the extra 200USD was to much of a hard sell. Since i was on PS4 the last gen, i have heaps of excellent games to play for - realistically - years to come, and I am still able to play any new games coming out for this gen when i want. Since i have not been on gamepass before, taking advantage of Microsofts "Convert Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate"-deal has gotten me three years of game pass for less than the price of two new AAA titles... Sure, an X with a 4K TV would undoubtedly be a better experience - But would it be worth it for me with a 1080p-display...? Sure, futureproofing and all that, but It wont be the end of the world if i "need" to get an X in a year or so - Then the S will be perfect for the kids. In conclusion: Series S with game pass = Match made in heaven, especially of youre on an 1080p display. This will sell heaps of consoles for Microsoft.
In my opinion, these are the reasons to get either one (since i have both) Xbox Series X - More Power/Better Performance - Better Image Quality - Blu-Ray Disc Drive - 1TB SSD Xbox Series S - Smaller Size (easier to fit in small spaces like a bedroom) - $200 Cheaper - While performance is worse, it’s serviceable at up to 1440p 120fps - Easy to take with you anywhere, like on a trip to a hotel or friend’s house I’d say if you have the money and the space for it, get the Series X, no brainer. But if you’re on a budget, don’t have much space, or both, get the Series S. Also if you have a TV that can’t display 4K, 1440p isn’t that much of a sacrifice. My bedroom TV supports up to 1080p maximum, so my Series S does 1080p 120fps, and it actually still looks fine. Especially since the TV isn’t tiny, but it’s much smaller than my living room’s 4K TV. But yeah, i’d still get the Series X if you can, no matter how impressive the Series S is.
Quickresume is crazy good! I've literally already changed my gaming habits. Can't go back. Switching between Starwars and Halo 5 right now and these games loads up in seconds. So when it works, it's awesome! It's so nice to just pop out whenever for some youtube or Netflix and then just continue gaming again. I'm stuck infront of the tv. 😁
If you believe any of what you said about those overall arguments or consistency arguments disproving my absolute rank you would challenge me to a debate but, you are lying speaking bluntly. You know you nor all of anyone combined CANNOT PROVE it. We can do this just message me.
I really like the SerS concept but its very circumstantial how appealing it is to want to buy. In my own case I own a XBox 1X so I have chosen to buy a PS5 and buy a SerX in 2 years when there are Xbox exclusives. Ihave bought 2 SerS consoles for my two sons who have 1080 tvs. The console is perfect for them
One of the main reasons why I switched to Xbox from PS is the UI/UX I absolutely love the direction the Xbox team went with the ease of use. The community help make it what it is by listening to us on their forums and responding back to us.
Incredible review. 10/10 from the information to the production quality. I rarely like and subscribe, let alone do both on the first video watched from a channel. Keep it up guys 👍
i am so sure this will be one of the best generations in gaming ever. especially compared to last gen. all consoles look very powerful and futureproof. not gonna get any oneof them as i switched to PC gaming years ago, but powerful well designed consoles are defenitly needed to boost all gaming.
It's weird but the reason I got a Series X is because I'm a PC gamer. I've always wanted to build a second PC for my living room to get that solid 60fps gameplay with high fidelity graphics but simply could not justify splashing out on a second gaming PC. Now, you can get a console that can hit 4K 60fps with ray tracing for a third of the price of a PC that can do the same. I chose the Series X for Game Pass. Zero regrets so far.
The only one caveat about the Series S I'd have is that buying an extra storage card makes it more expensive than the Series X, which comes with 1 terabyte of storage already.
Well now that you can play Xbox games via phone and tablets that doesn’t hold true anymore. There are more options now. I have a switch but being able to play real games on my phone is awesome! You can hook an Xbox up via Bluetooth too
I think that labeling the box as 500gb is false advertising of which we only get 300+gb of space instead. They should have made the internal memory a bit bigger to make up with all the space used for the system update there for we are left with 500gb. It's not fare to the consumer because we are paying more for less.
@ayachi yassine it’s the most important video of the year let them take their time with it, plus, we have basically no games to compare them, like 5 total
Series S is the perfect starter Xbox. Whether you want to save, you can always trade up at GameStop toward a new Series X in the future; or just don't have a 4K TV yet, or you just want to casually game and use streaming apps. It's literally bang for your buck. Xbox Game Pass will grow with each sale of these no doubt.
Thanks for this review and look into the Series S. Ps5 owner here... just bought a Series S for the upcoming Flight Simulator and am excited to try it out when it releases July 27th!!
The irony here is that engines have been developed to rely heavily on the GPU over the CPU since 2013 and because of that, the Series S is suffering. Now that developers can rely on the CPU for heavy lifting again, I’m sure games will continue to improve in their favorable comparability to the Series X as time passes and engines adapt, but early on the flaws of previous gen is poisoning the potential of the series s at launch.
Fascinating video, one of the best from Richard ! You can feel the genuine enthusiasm and awe from his delivery. Also: "Elasticity" Brilliant. Never saw anyone using that word for tech talk.
The storage is no biggy, you can buy a 2TB external hd for $50, store your games there and keep in the SSD only the games you’re currently playing. Most people won’t be playing more than 10 games at a given time and the transfer times are beareable.
To me it seems like a perfect bedroom/vacation console. Series x in the living room with the big 4k screen and then kind of seemless play on on the smaller TV in the bedroom/hotel(small Form factor ideal for transport)/vacation home and whatever.
There is one type of viewer: Nintendo or Sony-only gamers that want an Xbox for its exclusives (especially future exclusives) with no intention of using it as a primary gaming machine.
I'll be really fascinated to see the sales figures down the line of the S vs the X. I may be way off but I can see the S outselling the X globally, but perhaps not in Europe or the US
that $200 difference seems so small for the extra SSD space and power you get for the xbox series x. It's even worse when you can spend $100 more and get a PS5
Exactly. Series S, relative to Series X, is a terrible deal. I admit that it gives you much more than you could get from a $300 PC at the moment, but you'll get so much more from the Series X that it seems absolutely shortsighted to buy the series S.
Yeah good point. The Digital PS5 might sway a lot of heads away from the S to those not fully committed to getting an Xbox specifically. I'll be really fascinated to see the sales figures down the line of the S vs the X. I may be way off but I can see the S outselling the X globally, but perhaps not in Europe or the US
In my books, the S is only a good option for someone who already has a X with gamepass (or wants to get it) and needs a console for the kids or the bedroom so the games can be played there as well.
@@DrHeroe good choice imo. I´m more a Playstation guy, but i´m using the gamepass on PC. If i´d get a "2nd" console, it would probably be the S for that too.
@Deathtrooper204 personally haven't bought disk based games all of this gen. I get it why it's still around but the way things are going next gen in about 6 years will be diskless.
Is 2022, and the Series S is the console with the best availability of this gen. But it's technical specs are not delivering in the next gen experience in most AAA games. Ray tracing is cut down in the console in most of the games, 60fps is not a given in recent games who knows if this will continue. Rich has now reflected and it has said that Series S is not for the DF audience. That the continuous shortcomings of the Series S, are making it difficult to recommend. If don't care about state of the art graphics or don't have the money to spend in a Series X, then a Series S is a good option but you got to know its has compromises.
Series X has really the potential to be the best console ever, great backward compatibility with 4 console, gamepass full of great games, super powerful and with all the future Bethesda games.
Future Bethesda games will be on ps as well though and the massive power doesn't mean much until they show us next gen games that really make use of it. Most games at launch are just old games. The rest for sure though. Game pass is fantastic and awesome backwards compatibility.
late to watching you review but, thank you. I bought a series s, and returned it the next day. The hard drive space is a deal breaker. After putting three games on it, it was FULL. No need to have Quick Play, when you only have three games. Definitely not for anyone that likes AAA titles. There just is not enough room.
For me the price is just too good to not buy a Xbox series S in my country a Series S is $380 USD and a Series X is almost $900 USD so later on I can buy a $60 1TB external hard drive. The Series S is a real game changer for third world gamers this is the first time I am able to afford a current gen console
Pretty surprising given your external SSD testing that you didn't mention that all the back-compat and even Series S Ori can be run on your existing external USB drives, and that load times with SSD USB are pretty much the same as internally installed.
After taking a course in electric materials: Thermal imaging isn't as easy as you make it seem. It doesn't show the temperature of the object, just the heat that is expelled in the infrared spectrum. Some materials radiate more, some less, some don't radiate at all in the infrared spectrum. Unless you coated all the surfaces for maximum thermal radiation your reading are not comparable. Just so you know.
If we're considering radiated heat here, would the colour of Series X cause it to read differently when thermal imaging is used as opposed to when it's used on Series S? Black surfaces and white surfaces radiate heat very differently, but does this affect what the thermal imaging method used here reads?
A thermal probe would be the "best". Thermal imaging is only useful then you can't touch the object or you know exactly how the different materials radiate and the calculate the actual temerature based on the thermal image. I had to do measurements on the XBox One S and its components at varying operating modes. In the worst case a components would show up as ambient on the camera, but have about 50°C, when you stick a thermal probe on it.
1080p/1440p on 60fps with game pass is what this console's selling point and it works like crazy. everyone s going for it instead of the series x in here my country because its much more efficient in terms of money
sadly thanks to the series S this gen is probably gonna have to be bottlenecked. Or they choose not to release for the series s and keep it X and 5 only, but a lot of s owners will be pissed at that, What MS should have done is the same as ps5 keep the price at £450 disc/ £350 digital and no compromising on hardware only the disc tray being removeed.
Sounds like you don't understand game design and differences in hardware (look at the fragmentation in PC market) the only thing you'll see is lazy developers not optimising games for the Series S, so they don't look as good as they could. I'm sure MS have things in place to prevent games being published to the to the Series X only, given it's their platform that always you to publish games to the consoles.
it seems to me like people are underselling this console. It's literally an improvement in every way to the original One S. A vast improvement... not just 1440p gaming capability but also the crazy ssd speed
It cannot be compared to the "original S". Why? Because this is a cheap console of its gen. The One S was made to be the flagship of its gen, even if an improved console came later. That concept alone makes them incomparable, specially on the long run.
@@xmaverickhunterkx actually it's good to compare that's what Microsofts goal is the series s is a huge jump from the original Xbox one but people always compare it to the one x even know the series s is better it's a step back in some ways better in others
Really good reviews, I think the first vloggers to actually talk about the pros and cons in an objective manner, looking at who each console is best tailored for and I can't say I disagree with your conclusion.
Why not get the X so you get the best next-generation experience and don't feel like you're missing out on anything? Play all the BC games at their best quality, get the best console versions of 3rd party titles. Let the PS exclusive game library build up for a few years while you enjoy the MS exclusives, and get a PS5 Pro/PS6 and scoop up all of those games you missed at a discount.
I’m leaning towards the X for exclusives and multiplats if they perform better on the X, i love Sony exclusives and play a ton of multi platform games, so might just utilize the X for that.
I moved from a "one x" to a "series s" because I couldn't find a "series x". Was disappointed the first day.. It started winning me over with it's "quality of life" improvements. The fast loading and "snappiness" kept me playing/trying out new games. By day 3 I downloaded "warzone" (most played game) and was really disappointed. The textures were muddy, the knock down from "1x" 4k resolution was hard to dismiss... But the smoothness of the game on the "XSS" kept me playing. I found out there was a "high resolution" patch and it made a big difference. This little box has really won me over. At least until the "Series X" is available in stores.
@@lorankatoran8856 yes. I know I should've got a XSX but I just couldn't find one. I also got the XSS because "cyberpunk 2077" is gonna run much better on it and the other next gen consoles at launch than on ps4/xb1.
@@kryten09 oh I think the S is a fine choice! I’m asking because I’m considering doing the same but I’m on a 1080p tv. Maybe the graphical downgrades in some games wouldn’t be as noticeable for me? Mostly worried about Red Dead 2...
Well I don't see the point of having additional internal space, when it takes just a few minutes to swap your games from an external SSD to the internal one... It's more of a problem on PS5 where you can't do that for now. Also Microsoft Direct ML AI reconstruction technique should be coming in the next few months and this will make the Series S much more viable as a 1440p console, that's the hope anyway, we still don't know if it's gonna be a DLSS 2.0 quality or more like DLSS 1.0... Anyway, pretty good deep dive, thank you ! :)
Been on the launch PS4 since day one and super bummed about the shortage of PS5’s and Series X’s. I bought a series S off a 3rd party retailer and I can’t wait after watching these videos.
They don't give them to you...LOL....there also on the PC, you don't need an Xbox to have those same experiences, but you do need a Playstation to have experiences only they can give you because of actually investing in Devs. they've help create from the ground up.....I don't need an Xbox or game pass to get those games on my PC.
@@GraveUypo i believe there were bigger X-Box versions, i had PS3 with 60gb, 40gb and later 80gb and never had any storage issues ever. I can't recall game size at all from that time, which says it all imo.
Hey DF +Digital Foundry ! Maybe it's time! ... *It's time to re-evaluate Series S after one year!* Is it the forespoken 1440p power house or maybe "just" a 1080p 60 fps option? Is it the forgotten Series console or maybe *one of the best available options for console and PC players in 2020/21/22 with a a look on price-performance/ value and availability (!) ?* The prices in Germany are mostly 280 € or on Ebay 220 € for used ones. How fast does a PC need to be to match Series S performance in games with and without RT? And how much would it cost (with SSD and controller)? Are there even any games available for it? Does Series S need "exclusive titles" or does it provide an even more broadly use case scenario. And maybe you could add in some (legal) emulation option, if you want. Series S: overhyped or underrated? What's your verdict DF? Grüße aus Berlin
Here in brazil, the difference in price from the series s to the ps5 all digital (the closest priced console) its about 250-300$, not only that, but because our money is so devalued, the series x and ps5 cost 900$, even though the minimum wage is under 250$, so to me, the series s is actually a pretty good deal
2TB of SSD storage is definitely gonna eat up more than $300. unrealistic for that price. To give you a perspective. the cheapest 2TB SSD on the market right now is around ~$220. The most expensive one is ~$400. how the hell can they fit those in a $300 margin? If they raised the price to $400 or so then there is no reason to get the Series S anymore. Microsoft has a lot of money, but it is still unrealistic to expect them to eat up so much loss per console. Same can be said even for the Series X/PS5. People complain that 1TB of storage is not enough, but keep forgetting that a proprietary SSD is expensive af. They have to keep the consoles under $500 with such storage while still delivering 4K capable hardware, which means selling at a huge loss per console.
I can take the lower resolution. I'll even except a couple of settings being slightly lower. But... I can't take 30fps games that are being played at 60fps on Series X. If 30fps vs 60fps is the trend difference, That a massive false advertising from Microsoft.
@@GregorySnipe bullshit man it’s all about frame rate when we’re talking about Next Gen Consoles as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is incredible on Series X but that’s only because of the 60fps because without it you’re limited to 30fps of which literally kills all the greatness of the Game because it’s superb with 60fps but 30fps feels terrible, and there’s no excuse for 1440p 30fps on S when they couldn’t gone with a lower resolution 1080p 60fps performance mode, and while it’s not all about frame rate that was last Gen but this brand New Gen there’s no excuse for 30fps only anymore as every single game should have at least an optional 60fps performance mode period ...... 30fps is the reason I ain’t playing watch dogs legion as I refuse to play any game which is 30fps only as there’s no excuse anymore with these New consoles having custom Ryzen 3700x based CPU’s as every single game can definitely run 60fps as long as the devs aren’t lazy, and actually put the effort into optimizing their game’s with optional performance modes !
I agree about the advertising, but this should be common sense. There is no ‘4k machine’ or ‘60 fps machine’. The hardware has a certain amount of power behind it, and its up to the developer to leverage that however they want. So not everything will be 4k 60 on series x, nor will it be 1440p 60 on the s.
I agree. I just wonder if it has anything to do with the fact developers hasn't received the final dev kits. Also the developers are still trying to learn the new rdna2. Next year or two we will see if ms lied.
Thanks for the great review, I always enjoy watching your well-structured and informative videos. One thing I would like to address is your assumption that the PS5 digital edition will likely be produced in lower quantities than the disc drive edition. I personally don't think that will be the case, because Sony has a huge interest in getting customers to buy the digital edition and thus making them dependent on the Playstation Store. The revenue from game sales will not only make up for the losses from the hardware sales but also generate more profit for them in the long run than if they'd push for physical game availability. The rather big price difference of $100 between the digital and the disc version also speaks for Sony pushing for a closed digital games market, as this difference clearly can't be justified just by the omission of the disc drive which doesn't make up such a big part of the overall production cost.
As is often the case, this is indeed a 4K mastered video, and TH-cam continues to process away behind the scenes. Watch now for the info and/or check back for improved 1080p quality and the 4K encode.
What's up?
U could Upload it but make it private and after its in 4k u just make it visible, how about that?
Just an Idea :)
I just love watching you guys talk about stuff. My internet buffers at 4K anyway
Can we get a dedicated Series S vs One X games comparison video?
I hope this answers my question what's the best console for 4K60 TV... let's see
Series S is a hard deal for people like me who owns a XoneX. Better save for a Series x
I agree.The lack of ram is the main reason most games on Series S will be 1080p.I'll buy the Series X next year,when you can get them.
i'm EXACTLY at the same case as you
@@conrado800 yep gears5 at 120 fps says that
The limited RAM is the most puzzling thing about it for me. If it ran One X games I’d get it no questions asked...but now I’m considering a PS5
@@lorankatoran8856 why does that puzzle you? It's not a 4k machine, even the 1X has more RAM. It has what it needs to do what it is marketed to do. 1080-1440p gaming 60-120fps gaming. If only Ubisoft got that memo...
Just bought a Series S like, a few hours ago. Got home, opened the box and my jaw DROPPED at how freaking TINY IT IS
IT'S SO CUTE OMG
Question is the plastic high quality or low quality
@@samuraigameing9556 Pretty dang high quality. The whole unit feels really premium
I was surprised how powerful it actually is
Your game library is gonna be tiny too.
But no hate Hope you have fun with it!
I need a daily feed from Digital Foundry. It’s like a breakfast to me.
Need it on a drip.
Quite literally here. I’m in Austria so often wake up to some glorious Richard
Ikr 😂
No my son.
yeah sure but don't take their words like the fu***in Bible. They're not exactly right on a lot of things.
I’m still amazed at just how small the Series S is
Yh cuz its relativly weak ass console.
if you want something small get a Switch
Small? Since when do we give 2 shits about console size
I’m amazed how small the X is. Held it comfortably with one hand .
Wait till you see mini-itx gaming PCs.
I want the series S and I don't even need one, as I have a comparable gaming PC. It's just so small and quiet, and so cheap it's incredible. I'm so happy for all the gamers who are now able to buy a powerful and cute gaming machine for just 300 bucks.
Same same. My PC is like 5 years old now and can barely run KF2 at 30fps, so xbss is going to be a blessing.
LOL, the Series S is NOT powerful. Small and cute? Sure. But don't kid yourself: this thing is severely underpowered for next-generation games.
@Chandu don't buy one then it's clearly not for you...
@Chandu it is for kid's, people on a budget and casual gamers
@Chandu i play only fifa and some silly co-op games with my console freinds. For rest i have powerfull pc. And i dont have 4k screen. So i got series s.
"I had a great time playing games on it"...and that is all that matters.
I went from an Xbox One to the Series S and I'm so happy with it! 😊
Same worthy upgrade :)
I have an xbox one and wanna upgrade too, hope I can snag one
Hell yeah man. 900p to 1440p has gotta look great.
@@YourPalHDee 1440p monitor is a must in this case ? or somehow one can get a sharper look with 1080p monitor also ? (for series s)
@@outplayed4511 the Xbox Series S will still look sharper on 1080p than the Xbox One S.
First time I've seen this guy, or watched digital foundry, and like he was so calm, collected, and unbias it was great ngl. Defo coming back for more, great stuff
yeah Richard has been in this business for a long time. He knows his stuff, and so does his crew.
Ohh how biased they are lol I remember being naïve like you
@@spenny2cents majority of what this guy said was objective thou, not opinion based. FYI this is the only vid I watched so no need to call me naive lmao
@@vincentrowe4116 They aren't biased at all. They are very objective and professional in their work. Of course they sometimes share their opinions, nothing wrong about it, but they were never biased.
@@ИлияКетипов had a look throu their other videos since and I compeltly agree they seem super chill and placid it's pretty solid
With the Series S, I think it's mostly going to come down to how much effort the developer puts into it. We've already seen some say they won't have ray tracing on Series S and others can make it work. Target may be 1440p, but resolutions are going to be all over the place, again, depending on the developer. All of the hardware cutbacks are to be expected if not targeting 4k just from how much more information has to be processed for 4k textures. At least having an equivalent CPU architecture and SSD, game design won't have to be compromised even though visuals will be compromised. For someone like me who never ponied up for the latest gen PC components and typically built my PCs with components that were a year or two old, a Series S follows a lot of the same philosophy. If you just want to be able to play everything and don't care about the highest settings or framerates possible, the Series S is a good value.
Exactly. I got mine for €250, it is a steal. Hopefully devs won't be forced by execs to ignore the Series S and its power; it can definitively run any game at 60 FPS as long as there is some tune-down on graphics, but some companies like CD Projekt RED just lazily copy-pastes the Series X version, lowers resolution and locks the game to the 30 FPS it was always capable of doing.
@@OneLastScholar 💀
@@lemmy154 Glad to see my fears haven't materialized so far.
@@OneLastScholarSeries s is dog shit the console is weak.
@@Jay053 Nah it is quite powerful and a really good console for 300 bucks.
*Digital Foundry:* Let's look at backwards compatibility of the Series S
*Me:* _(looks at shelf full of Xbox 360 disks)_ Ummm....
@12Tflop BruteForce they will probably add an external disk reader soon.
@@bern9642 I doubt
ikr, I previously got a digital edition One S to save some money, thinking I'd just play game pass games only. Didn't realize how many of my older games I couldn't play without the disk drive, and also that it's so easy to find physical current gen games for cheap. Definitely gonna go with a Series X this time considering how amazing the backwards compatibility is at this point (compared to the PS5, which will likely never get PS3 support).
@@justitgstuff5284 If your at all own any 8th generation of consoles, I'd high reccomend not getting a digital version. it will hurt you in the end
@@bern9642 They definitely will not add an external disc reader. It's a $10 part maybe they could have just put in the console, so they were deliberate in omitting it to force you to Game Pass or re-buying your old Xbox games.
The main reason I chose Series S: availability. I could actually get a Series S at retail price, and being able to actually get a console goes a long way into helping to decide which system a lot of players will get.
Same here. I'll upgrade to a Series X when they aren't over 1k dollars on Ebay. I'm happy with the S for now. Its a great little system that is leaps and bounds better than the last gen Xbox One.
Same here. Was actually able to walk into a store and buy it. You know, like normal products.
Agreed. I was able to order one from Best Buy and picked it up next day! Now they are sold out again 😂 Holidays coming up.
Update* Found a Series X through Xbox All Access via GameStop.
Series X system and 2 years of GamePass for 34$ a month.
Same. Couldn't find an series x for almost a year and I'm not going to finance a game console. Never even saw an ss until last week Walmart had like 12 of them. I'm happy with my purchase. I only have a 1080p tv and paid retail.
I'm getting the s as my side console for my ps5.
Nice. Would do the same but built a gaming pc right before it was announced.
@Truth Returns Depends on needs, this video does a good job making the distinction. I'd say if you a primarily gaming on PS5 then yeah, this is a good buy. But if you have decked out 4K high-end TV, well you should be able to afford both PS5 and Series X as the X will provide the better quality visuals. But ultimately, it's up for consumers to decide.
Same
This is a very wrong choice
Buy a switch instead, at least it's portable and you have all the Nintendo exclusive games
Rich's outro 'Digital foundry' was the gentlest rendition i have yet heard.
Like a lullaby to send us all to sleep zzz
Series S vs One X would make an interesting comparison
In games that have enhancements exclusive to One X, it’ll lose. But in games that are equal, the Series S is better.
@King Dingeling seeming more like 1080p machine :))))
If you watched the video, there was already one.
Without ray-tracing etc wouldn't the One X outperform the Series S at the target 1080p/1440p resolutions? With more RAM and a beefier GPU? Depends if they'll be CPU or GPU bound games?
@@KizaruB and games that have next gen enhancements will look better on S. Yeah backwards compatibility modes have a difference but any next gen game will perform better on series s
Series S is a perfect console for my workplace!
Workplace console?
Talk about in depth! Thank you. Series S is a nice package if you don't want to game at 4k. I don't really care about gaming at 4k... But I'll take the Series X for the storage and optical drive for second hand games anyway.
Look who I found in DF comments!! Xbox chahiye jee 😄🙏🏼
Except that if you like higher framerates, some games offer 1080p60 on PS5 and Series X... But if you like 30fps AND don't care about 4K, so is the right console.
Way to justify purchasing an xbox potato.
@@christopherwalkinalloverya5824 Better than buying a PS5 which is HUGE, Noisy, Crashes and bricks and not very powerful
@@matrix9452 Except games like Modern warfare, Star wars, Rocket League etc are 120fps on Xbox but only 60fps on the PS5.
It can run Just Cause 3. It's a winner in my book.
Just cause 3 was a funny game to play using the grapple hook
@@mariomr1000 best game imo
my rtx laptop can already run JC3 max setting @ 80 - 120 fps, no need to play console version which is still capped to 30 fps.
@@wisinceregood6305 u funny man ha ha ha
The series s is not a winner in anyone's book 😂
I have the Series X and my friend owns the Series S and he showed me picking it up with one hand. Incredible design.
I much prefer the design of the S. It's a shame that the backwards compatibility is so much less impressive.
@@Haaambuurger how?
@@ahmeddasavage9869 Well, on the Xbox One X they had some Xbox 360 games which were enhanced to take advantage of the extra power. Better frame rates, better resolution, upscaled video and so on.
The Xbox Series X maintains these upgrades, but the Xbox Series S will play those games as if they are running on an Xbox One original, meaning they won't be upgraded from their original versions at all.
Fallout 3 runs better and loads faster on the Series X compared to S, and Final Fantasy XIII has all of it's pre-rendered cutscenes re-exported at a much higher resolution than was possible on 360 (due to the limited disk size)
@@Haaambuurger so what should I get? I have a 1440p hdr monitor
Quick resume should be optional and if opted out the reserved hard drive cache should be released.
Maurice van Creij Completely agree. It’s a nice feature, but the fact that it isn’t applied to all games, how long it can take (30+ seconds) to resume and the storage requirements make it not worth it for me personally and I’d prefer to disable it.
Losing almost 30% performance on a feature that i will never use and that only like 10 games even support rn just completely blows my mind. Why is microsoft bottlenecking this thing so hard? The sad truth is to sell more series x consoles.
@@Nikownzyu what? are you high?
the performance thing has absolutely nothing to do with quick resume... supposedly. quick resume just dumps the RAM content into the ssd for later use.
@@GraveUypo Its a reserved cache of RAM though. Not dynamic. This severely limits the Ram in the console which is unified and shared with everything.
I would prefer that the feature was clearer to users. I'd like to see a little pause icon next to games that are ready to be quick resumed.
I'm enjoying my Series S alot so far but i wish Devs would patch in options to unlock 60 fps for older games. Sad to see Series S capable of it but can't.
Still enjoying? Did you try 1440p?
@@gmailuser699 I am. I recently got a 1080p monitor, so i didn't really try 1440p. Even on my 4k monitor, most of the games i played were at 1080p.
@@Makoto03 How is it running on 4k resolution
@@arjuna2670 you need a TV support VRR. Than you'll need to buy a HDMI 2.1 cable.
@@arjuna2670 it's not. He said he played it ona 4k screen but the series was using 1080p
I'm a 1080p gamer that's interested in Game Pass. This is actually not a bad idea.
It’s a bad idea precisely because it won’t do 1080p on many games
For future proofing it's extremely bad idea
The problem is the storage, it is too small, and adding 1TB extra puts you over the price of a Series X.
@@wwfww it’ll 1080p on all games except for last gen ones which were locked at 900p, and the many Series S games which run at 1440p
The folks on here thinking this machine isnt future-proof: it will use DirectML for resolution upscaling
So glad to hear the menuing is so much improved. Really felt like a mess on the XboxX, so sluggish, felt kinda like win vista.
"Gamepass is value-riffic" - DF
You guys are freaking brilliant at what you do. As a hardware engineer I tip my hat to you folks.
The Series S is a really good emulation machine. Just pay the $20 Developer fee and you can emulate up to Dreamcast now with promises of PS2 and GCN emulation coming soon.
there's a comparison I really want to see.
Xbox One X vs Xbox Series S
One X is for 4K screens XSS is for 1080p screens
@@vandammage1747 512mb vs 1tb
+ Bluray uhd vs all digital + 8gb ram vs 12gb ram to factor in
@@ggss1176
3.6ghrtz 4tf of "rdna2" series s
2.4ghrtz 6tf of "jaguar" onex.
Cpu alone of series s is farrrrrrrrrrr better then onex
Looool rdna2 crushes jaguar easily.
@@ggss1176 60fps vs 30fps, that's where XSS shines over X1X right now when rdna2 features aren't used.
It's 8gb vs 9gb ram, not 8 vs 12.
But when devs start to use BCpack, sampler feedback streaming, mesh shaders and machine learning, XSS ram will have an effective size much bigger than X1X. X1X would probably need 16-20gb to do the same.
The biggest drawback in XSS is back compat not using X1X versions IMO.
@@vandammage1747 should I get xss or xsx? I have a 1440p monitor and 130 dollar 1tb ssd
Coming on 2 years I would love to see an update to this video
feels like ages since your last vid.
Didn't realise their last video was 3 days ago do yea it's been ages.... especially watching rich(and his hands ofcourse)after so long haha
Lol same here. I love DF and there so many video ideas to choose from. I'm really interested in a Demon Souls analysis.
@@pdk-qx9yg John is working on that! Cant wait
Chill lol
I’m getting the feeling we’ll be getting more before the 19th, the second release date.
This is perfect for me. I only play Skyrim and FIFA religiously. Everything else I beat and never play again. This is the perfect box for me.
as a hardcore Xbox gamer that got the Xbox series S I'm in love with it. I'm fine with not having a big hard drive because I have a external I can switch things back and forth with. and I think the graphics are really impressive on the S
I think it should be mentioned that with the xbox series S|X you can store your next gen games on an external hard drive. Granted, you won't be able to play them from it and you need to move them back to the internal SSD if you ever wanted to play them but it's still a good thing that it's possible so you don't absolutely have to delete games if you're running out of storage (which you definitely will)
Me a year ago: "Weaker Xbox? Terrible idea, what's the point."
Me now: "Omg want"
I think Rich hits the nail on the head when he says this is a console reminiscent of what console gaming used to be, and all the ways it used to be convenient and cool to get hands on with these little boxes.
Convenient, cheap and runs new games for $299 and if you are smart and run 2-3 games at a time you can manage the current memory and not spend $220 on extending it but console community is the biggest sheep electronics their brains got so washed easily to the point where they buy the original console and the mid cycle refresh and now overpriced memory but worst of all they are suddenly caring for graphics and frame rate they don’t realize they are too far gone the rabbit hole by this point
@Sendit Sunday I am still using a ps3 controller for my pc 😂
@Sendit Sunday buy a rechargeable battery, either AAs or a pack.
I prefer having the option for AAs rather than being stuck with a corded controller like the Playstation, but I definitely understand other people don't mind that as much.
@Sendit Sunday being able to change batteries is good, it's a pro consumer, convenient move. Probably should come with a play and charge kit, but the ability to use regular batteries, any rechargeable batteries or recharge packs is better than a built in battery that's difficult to change or not intended for the average user to change replace at all.
It's something that's annoyed me about Sony's controller practices, the average user just assumes they need a new controller when battery life becomes inconvenient, which DS4 could be prone to doing. Hopefully DualSense is better, I haven't seen any mention of battery life yet but I'd assume they've learned from their mistakes, and the new features presumably would practically necessitate a better battery anyway.
I've got a series s as I've still got a 1080p tv love it so glad I went for the s such a nice console
bought due to not caring about 4k and not wanting to trash my 1440p 144hz monitor. RAther wait for the new consoles by 2030 for 8k resolution+
Republic Commando running at 60fps..15 years after release, good job next gen.
Lmao I thought it’ll be more than 60fps but holy cow that’s a big face palm 60fps for an 15 year old pixelated game
Haha true....this Next gen is shit
meanwhile both next gen consoles running call of duty cold war at 1440 120 fps
Dont forget AC Unity
Consumers have become just as dumb as companies want them to be.. works well with old software not designed with these specs in mind. Thats a bad thing why? Plays modern games thet have been delayed by a global pandemic. 'Console is trash'
What a great review. Your guys' content is superb even compared to other solid tech channels. I enjoyed some time w/ the XSS but instead went w/ a second XSX, yes second! Gaming room in the garage in 2023 😁🥳🥳
Lacks of an handle like the gamecube...
That could be a screw on accessoire :) cool.
If you care about hardware technology facts XBOX Series X & PlayStation 5 Post Launch Analysis with NX Gamer | Broken Silicon 75 Watch this video Unbias Software Hardware Analysis
NX Gamer Moore's law is dead Confirm PS5 Xbox Series X Are On Par With RTX 2080 TI RTX 3070 with using only 5% of their power at the start of the generation.
PS5 outperfoming Xbox Series X in the first 3 third-party games tested DMC V AC Valhalla COD cold War according to Digital Foundry NX Gamer VG Tech RedGamingTech Moore's Law
GameCube still the greatest console in history.
@@sEaNoYeAh to me is the super nintendo
Since I travel a lot with my job the series S is an absolute blessing and a must buy day one.
I bought one and have the same situation as you, trust me you won't regret it ! Just get an external hard drive to store games
Xcloud?
Lol very comfortable travelling with a luggage just to bring a console! Have you considered buying a Nintendo Switch?
@@carlomorischi3435 have you considered mind your own business
@@carlomorischi3435 It is the size of two controllers and fits in a hand luggage. I feel sorry for you that you never travelled.
Great review us usual Richard + DF!
I'm 1 week into owning a Series S and I've no regrets whatsoever. My biggest concern was storage but I've got 15 games installed (only a handful of which are Indie titles) and that's more than enough to keep me busy for a few months.
I've no doubt that in time I'll need more storage, and on paper the PS5 digital looks like a better investment, but the key difference is Game Pass Ultimate. Having taken advantage of the promo deal I've got access to all of those titles for £40 a year, at the moment I don't think Sony can compete with that.
Have you revisited these systems in a recent update? Could you compare them against themselves from a year ago and see significant differences just from updates and patches?
Seconded!
Third…ed?
Fourtheth
Fiftheth
@@ghooastmf4937 Sixtheth :)
Rich, thanks for this! I was actually wondering when you guys would talk about the S. It was extremely informative, and I agree with you regarding how cool the S looks. It was the only one I managed to get my hands on, but I love how small it is, and the games play fairly well. I am hopeful that, as the generation moves forward, the developers push the S to its limits and really show us what it can do!
If someone does have a low income the series s is perfect because let's face it in 3 years you know both Sony and Microsoft are going to release the Ps5 Pro/Xbox series double XX so it may be a better solution to buy the one s with game pass and just save for when the pro versions come out.
@@barrymacdonald3439 I can't wait for the third revision. Xbox Series XxX.
Pushing the S to its limits means 720p gaming, have fun...
@@carlomorischi3435 😂😂
@@carlomorischi3435 I'm literally running 4k with my series S right now. Carry on tho.
for those who are not sure about the s series, I have to tell you that it is wonderful, the lack of commitment in some games is a matter of the developers
Now this a review. Linus Tech Tips was terrible.
He’s been overall terrible lately. Uninformed & just making videos without all the information gathered.
It depends... Linus has became something like Austin and mkhb. It's sad... But it's what makes money for the masses and advertising for the companies. But... His review was more honest showing how shit series S looks.
At least MS made something that even Sony couldn't do: play psone games!
@@youpa mkhbd has been perfectly fine, don’t see anything wrong with him. Austin and Linus are the ppl u should be talking about
LTT is all about being a meme, not providing real info. It's unwatchable.
Agreed
I’m a hardcore gamer and love my series s
This video fully convinced me the naming scheme Microsoft came up with is asinine.
Yeah i really had to pay attention to which system he was talking on
this is nothing compared to pc hardware namings, just look some cpus up
@@ajaakola2 nah this is definitely worse than cpu naming schemes. at least they are numbered
I think this will be Microsoft's last console. They are more concerned with being woke than making good games or a good console. PlayStation will outsell the new xbox probably 10 to 1
@@johnames6430 I'm sorry to hear that you're racist/homophobic/transphobic/just an idiot.
Perhaps you should spend less time obsessing over Microsoft and some time educating yourself?
I was planning to get the X, but eventually settled for the S while i wait for my PS5 to be delivered in early 2021. So far, the experience has been overwhelmingly pleasant. Sure, already I can tell the storage is going to be an issue - But since my gaming habits usually consists of playing the shit out of one game until im done with it and never playing it again - Its not that big of a deal.
Gamepass is - surprise - what sold it. Being able to have more games than I can play availible to me is nothing short of amazing. Sure, this is more a testament to the Gamepass service and would have been the same on the X, but since im currently on a 1080p TV the extra 200USD was to much of a hard sell.
Since i was on PS4 the last gen, i have heaps of excellent games to play for - realistically - years to come, and I am still able to play any new games coming out for this gen when i want. Since i have not been on gamepass before, taking advantage of Microsofts "Convert Live Gold to Game Pass Ultimate"-deal has gotten me three years of game pass for less than the price of two new AAA titles...
Sure, an X with a 4K TV would undoubtedly be a better experience - But would it be worth it for me with a 1080p-display...? Sure, futureproofing and all that, but It wont be the end of the world if i "need" to get an X in a year or so - Then the S will be perfect for the kids.
In conclusion: Series S with game pass = Match made in heaven, especially of youre on an 1080p display. This will sell heaps of consoles for Microsoft.
Remember that you can store Xbox One games on an external HDD, that saves internal storage for Series X/S games.
As someone who has a PS5. I love the amount of info Microsoft gives you in their store compared to PSN. The PS store on the 5 isn't that great imo.
CAP
The system just launched...gotta wait for it to fill up.
PS store has a lot of sales. Need for Speed is 5$ now and Red Dead 2 is 28$. Lot more sales on other games as well
@@ahrlj24 Sales are good, but most Games which arent in sales are still full price even when theyre 2-3 years old 😅
Don’t worry Xbox has ads on the home page. PS5 feels more high end
In my opinion, these are the reasons to get either one (since i have both)
Xbox Series X
- More Power/Better Performance
- Better Image Quality
- Blu-Ray Disc Drive
- 1TB SSD
Xbox Series S
- Smaller Size (easier to fit in small spaces like a bedroom)
- $200 Cheaper
- While performance is worse, it’s serviceable at up to 1440p 120fps
- Easy to take with you anywhere, like on a trip to a hotel or friend’s house
I’d say if you have the money and the space for it, get the Series X, no brainer. But if you’re on a budget, don’t have much space, or both, get the Series S. Also if you have a TV that can’t display 4K, 1440p isn’t that much of a sacrifice. My bedroom TV supports up to 1080p maximum, so my Series S does 1080p 120fps, and it actually still looks fine. Especially since the TV isn’t tiny, but it’s much smaller than my living room’s 4K TV. But yeah, i’d still get the Series X if you can, no matter how impressive the Series S is.
Quickresume is crazy good! I've literally already changed my gaming habits. Can't go back. Switching between Starwars and Halo 5 right now and these games loads up in seconds. So when it works, it's awesome! It's so nice to just pop out whenever for some youtube or Netflix and then just continue gaming again. I'm stuck infront of the tv. 😁
Bouncing between kingdom hearts, Resident evil, Jedi fallen order tetris effect is amazing.
If you believe any of what you said about those overall arguments or consistency arguments disproving my absolute rank you would challenge me to a debate but, you are lying speaking bluntly. You know you nor all of anyone combined CANNOT PROVE it. We can do this just message me.
@@END-oc4qu? What's going on?
Probably the only TH-cam channel I automatically like as soon as I start watching... keep up the great work guys
I really like the SerS concept but its very circumstantial how appealing it is to want to buy. In my own case I own a XBox 1X so I have chosen to buy a PS5 and buy a SerX in 2 years when there are Xbox exclusives. Ihave bought 2 SerS consoles for my two sons who have 1080 tvs. The console is perfect for them
One of the main reasons why I switched to Xbox from PS is the UI/UX I absolutely love the direction the Xbox team went with the ease of use. The community help make it what it is by listening to us on their forums and responding back to us.
Incredible review. 10/10 from the information to the production quality. I rarely like and subscribe, let alone do both on the first video watched from a channel. Keep it up guys 👍
i am so sure this will be one of the best generations in gaming ever. especially compared to last gen. all consoles look very powerful and futureproof.
not gonna get any oneof them as i switched to PC gaming years ago, but powerful well designed consoles are defenitly needed to boost all gaming.
A rising tide lifts all ships!
It's weird but the reason I got a Series X is because I'm a PC gamer. I've always wanted to build a second PC for my living room to get that solid 60fps gameplay with high fidelity graphics but simply could not justify splashing out on a second gaming PC. Now, you can get a console that can hit 4K 60fps with ray tracing for a third of the price of a PC that can do the same. I chose the Series X for Game Pass. Zero regrets so far.
Sorry but with the S doesn´t look futureproof at all.
The only one caveat about the Series S I'd have is that buying an extra storage card makes it more expensive than the Series X, which comes with 1 terabyte of storage already.
I think in terms of "taking games with you on holidays" Switch is completely unbeatable
Lol you smoking crack right
As long as you prefer the games that are available on Switch, which is not the case for me and possibly not for other people either.
Well now that you can play Xbox games via phone and tablets that doesn’t hold true anymore. There are more options now. I have a switch but being able to play real games on my phone is awesome! You can hook an Xbox up via Bluetooth too
You’re probably biased because you have a switch
@@alphaj9 You can't play them, you can stream them, which is hardly the same.
I think that labeling the box as 500gb is false advertising of which we only get 300+gb of space instead. They should have made the internal memory a bit bigger to make up with all the space used for the system update there for we are left with 500gb. It's not fare to the consumer because we are paying more for less.
I've been waiting for the real review from these dudes.
@ayachi yassine it’s the most important video of the year let them take their time with it, plus, we have basically no games to compare them, like 5 total
I’m still waiting for valhalla review tbh
Keep waiting
Soo what about AC and COD comparaison? want to hear Alex explaning the performance gap, sure, the light!
According to other DF kind youtubers, Valhalla 1620p 30fps vs dynamic 4k (1800p mostly) 60fps.
Series S is the perfect starter Xbox. Whether you want to save, you can always trade up at GameStop toward a new Series X in the future; or just don't have a 4K TV yet, or you just want to casually game and use streaming apps. It's literally bang for your buck. Xbox Game Pass will grow with each sale of these no doubt.
Exactly, the best comment here 👍
The series S also makes use of a 4k monitor. I think it upscales even in games.
I was gonna get series x but low on money so I got the series s, and wow it holds up beautiful!! It looks next gen either way!
Thanks for this review and look into the Series S. Ps5 owner here... just bought a Series S for the upcoming Flight Simulator and am excited to try it out when it releases July 27th!!
The irony here is that engines have been developed to rely heavily on the GPU over the CPU since 2013 and because of that, the Series S is suffering. Now that developers can rely on the CPU for heavy lifting again, I’m sure games will continue to improve in their favorable comparability to the Series X as time passes and engines adapt, but early on the flaws of previous gen is poisoning the potential of the series s at launch.
Fascinating video, one of the best from Richard ! You can feel the genuine enthusiasm and awe from his delivery.
Also: "Elasticity"
Brilliant. Never saw anyone using that word for tech talk.
The storage is no biggy, you can buy a 2TB external hd for $50, store your games there and keep in the SSD only the games you’re currently playing. Most people won’t be playing more than 10 games at a given time and the transfer times are beareable.
To me it seems like a perfect bedroom/vacation console.
Series x in the living room with the big 4k screen and then kind of seemless play on on the smaller TV in the bedroom/hotel(small Form factor ideal for transport)/vacation home and whatever.
If you’re playing Xbox on vacation I feel sorry for you & the fam
Or you could use xCloud?
@FührêrFPöñê That's a good point actually. The parents that wanna get their kids a console withouth spending too much will see it as a fine choice
Yep, definitely made for transportation in mind. Especially for people who have jobs that require travel, with game pass this is a dream.
Wouldn't bring a console with me on holiday (3ds maybe) but I do bring my NES/SNES mini when on business trips (pre covid).
The Xbox Series S is probably not for anyone who watches Digital Foundry.
The shot of putting it in a backpack though. If we lived in a world where you could travel, that would be really appealing to me.
Agreed! 😂
It is if you don't want to waste money on the X for console games. Put the difference toward a GPU.
I watch DF to know about framerates
There is one type of viewer:
Nintendo or Sony-only gamers that want an Xbox for its exclusives (especially future exclusives) with no intention of using it as a primary gaming machine.
I'll be really fascinated to see the sales figures down the line of the S vs the X. I may be way off but I can see the S outselling the X globally, but perhaps not in Europe or the US
that $200 difference seems so small for the extra SSD space and power you get for the xbox series x. It's even worse when you can spend $100 more and get a PS5
Exactly. Series S, relative to Series X, is a terrible deal. I admit that it gives you much more than you could get from a $300 PC at the moment, but you'll get so much more from the Series X that it seems absolutely shortsighted to buy the series S.
Yeah good point. The Digital PS5 might sway a lot of heads away from the S to those not fully committed to getting an Xbox specifically. I'll be really fascinated to see the sales figures down the line of the S vs the X. I may be way off but I can see the S outselling the X globally, but perhaps not in Europe or the US
In my books, the S is only a good option for someone who already has a X with gamepass (or wants to get it) and needs a console for the kids or the bedroom so the games can be played there as well.
@@kenshigo3833 thats what I did?, sx n the livingroom and ss n my bedroom
@@DrHeroe good choice imo. I´m more a Playstation guy, but i´m using the gamepass on PC. If i´d get a "2nd" console, it would probably be the S for that too.
Background music:
Bjørn Lynne - Over Distant Shores
thanks
I always wanted to know.
It's clearly derude sandstorm, but nice try.
Night night
the most important part is having fun and series s delivers it greatly from my experience
Imagine not spending 100$ for a machine that is 2x as powerful
@@red2432 imagine buying a 3times biggef console thats 2x times stronger but 3x times bigger💀
@Deathtrooper204 personally haven't bought disk based games all of this gen.
I get it why it's still around but the way things are going next gen in about 6 years will be diskless.
@@red2432 Imagine just playing the games and enjoying your console without minding about what others gonna buy...
@@red2432 Imagine not spending another $100 for a smaller, just as powerful console with game pass.
This console is great for people with lower resolution televisions
And GamePass too
And kids
Is 2022, and the Series S is the console with the best availability of this gen. But it's technical specs are not delivering in the next gen experience in most AAA games. Ray tracing is cut down in the console in most of the games, 60fps is not a given in recent games who knows if this will continue.
Rich has now reflected and it has said that Series S is not for the DF audience. That the continuous shortcomings of the Series S, are making it difficult to recommend.
If don't care about state of the art graphics or don't have the money to spend in a Series X, then a Series S is a good option but you got to know its has compromises.
Series X has really the potential to be the best console ever, great backward compatibility with 4 console, gamepass full of great games, super powerful and with all the future Bethesda games.
Future Bethesda games will be on ps as well though and the massive power doesn't mean much until they show us next gen games that really make use of it. Most games at launch are just old games. The rest for sure though. Game pass is fantastic and awesome backwards compatibility.
Lets net get to hyped it still has the potential to be another xbox one gen. In fact xbox one had a considerable better start than series x so far.
Dualsense alone is the reason why I'll get a PS5 over series X. It's above anything that is on the market. HD rumble isn't even close!
ROFL
Lmao
Lol
It’s hard to even care anymore about the new consoles because you can’t even get one right now
You can get a series S 🤷♂️
Can’t find those either unfortunately
I got 4 ps5s, 1 xsx, 2 xss...you just suck at pressing f5 i guess.
I’ve tried Amazon, Newegg, Sony and Microsoft sites no luck there all out of stock
I wanted one so bad for the holidays but I’ve heard they won’t have stable stock until late H12021! This is madness!
I'll probably wait a few years before buying a console, and i think it might be the Series X. This is gonna be my first Xbox :D
late to watching you review but, thank you. I bought a series s, and returned it the next day. The hard drive space is a deal breaker. After putting three games on it, it was FULL. No need to have Quick Play, when you only have three games. Definitely not for anyone that likes AAA titles. There just is not enough room.
You know that... you can add more storage to it right?
@@Benzin0 for the price you might as well get a Series X.
For me the price is just too good to not buy a Xbox series S in my country a Series S is $380 USD and a Series X is almost $900 USD so later on I can buy a $60 1TB external hard drive. The Series S is a real game changer for third world gamers this is the first time I am able to afford a current gen console
Pretty surprising given your external SSD testing that you didn't mention that all the back-compat and even Series S Ori can be run on your existing external USB drives, and that load times with SSD USB are pretty much the same as internally installed.
What other new xbox series s/x games can be played from an external hard drive?
@@taylor6855 non only läßt gen games can played Directly from external ssd. But you can move them before playing if you want
After taking a course in electric materials: Thermal imaging isn't as easy as you make it seem. It doesn't show the temperature of the object, just the heat that is expelled in the infrared spectrum. Some materials radiate more, some less, some don't radiate at all in the infrared spectrum. Unless you coated all the surfaces for maximum thermal radiation your reading are not comparable. Just so you know.
They should've use both thermal imaging and a laser thermometer gun
Correct
If we're considering radiated heat here, would the colour of Series X cause it to read differently when thermal imaging is used as opposed to when it's used on Series S?
Black surfaces and white surfaces radiate heat very differently, but does this affect what the thermal imaging method used here reads?
A thermal probe would be the "best". Thermal imaging is only useful then you can't touch the object or you know exactly how the different materials radiate and the calculate the actual temerature based on the thermal image.
I had to do measurements on the XBox One S and its components at varying operating modes. In the worst case a components would show up as ambient on the camera, but have about 50°C, when you stick a thermal probe on it.
@@rachmatzulfiqar to my knowledge, the laser thermometer also only reads infrared emission. So does the same thing.
I am beyond impressed with the series X, it’s completely transformed gaming for me, I never want to game without quick resume again
1080p/1440p on 60fps with game pass is what this console's selling point and it works like crazy. everyone s going for it instead of the series x in here my country because its much more efficient in terms of money
sadly thanks to the series S this gen is probably gonna have to be bottlenecked. Or they choose not to release for the series s and keep it X and 5 only, but a lot of s owners will be pissed at that, What MS should have done is the same as ps5 keep the price at £450 disc/ £350 digital and no compromising on hardware only the disc tray being removeed.
Sounds like you don't understand game design and differences in hardware (look at the fragmentation in PC market) the only thing you'll see is lazy developers not optimising games for the Series S, so they don't look as good as they could. I'm sure MS have things in place to prevent games being published to the to the Series X only, given it's their platform that always you to publish games to the consoles.
it seems to me like people are underselling this console. It's literally an improvement in every way to the original One S. A vast improvement... not just 1440p gaming capability but also the crazy ssd speed
It cannot be compared to the "original S".
Why? Because this is a cheap console of its gen. The One S was made to be the flagship of its gen, even if an improved console came later.
That concept alone makes them incomparable, specially on the long run.
1440p gaming is a marketing lie.
@@xmaverickhunterkx actually it's good to compare that's what Microsofts goal is the series s is a huge jump from the original Xbox one but people always compare it to the one x even know the series s is better it's a step back in some ways better in others
Thats because the original consoles were woefully underpowered. Hence the mid gen upgrades after 3-4 years
If it wasnt better than the one S they would've never released it
Saw the series S on best buy and jumped on it. Very excited 😀
Really good reviews, I think the first vloggers to actually talk about the pros and cons in an objective manner, looking at who each console is best tailored for and I can't say I disagree with your
conclusion.
The PS5 Disc drive and Xbox series S for game pass 💙💚
I’ve never owned an Xbox and owned every PS console released, and I’m thinking the series X or S might be the first. Just debating which one to get.
I'd say get the X to be honest.
I would try and get the x.
Just get the Series S so you can suffer for choosing Xbox over PlayStation
Why not get the X so you get the best next-generation experience and don't feel like you're missing out on anything? Play all the BC games at their best quality, get the best console versions of 3rd party titles. Let the PS exclusive game library build up for a few years while you enjoy the MS exclusives, and get a PS5 Pro/PS6 and scoop up all of those games you missed at a discount.
I’m leaning towards the X for exclusives and multiplats if they perform better on the X, i love Sony exclusives and play a ton of multi platform games, so might just utilize the X for that.
Xbox Series S will start to show its age once true next gen games start release. PS5 digital is the best value for next gen
As long as it plays games well, which it will, it will be just fine. For those who angst over FPS, get an X.
I could listen to Rich all day. Excellent video as always!
I moved from a "one x" to a "series s" because I couldn't find a "series x".
Was disappointed the first day..
It started winning me over with it's "quality of life" improvements. The fast loading and "snappiness" kept me playing/trying out new games.
By day 3 I downloaded "warzone" (most played game) and was really disappointed.
The textures were muddy, the knock down from "1x" 4k resolution was hard to dismiss...
But the smoothness of the game on the "XSS" kept me playing.
I found out there was a "high resolution" patch and it made a big difference.
This little box has really won me over.
At least until the "Series X" is available in stores.
Do you play on a 4K screen?
@@lorankatoran8856 yes. I know I should've got a XSX but I just couldn't find one. I also got the XSS because "cyberpunk 2077" is gonna run much better on it and the other next gen consoles at launch than on ps4/xb1.
@@kryten09 oh I think the S is a fine choice! I’m asking because I’m considering doing the same but I’m on a 1080p tv. Maybe the graphical downgrades in some games wouldn’t be as noticeable for me? Mostly worried about Red Dead 2...
Well I don't see the point of having additional internal space, when it takes just a few minutes to swap your games from an external SSD to the internal one... It's more of a problem on PS5 where you can't do that for now. Also Microsoft Direct ML AI reconstruction technique should be coming in the next few months and this will make the Series S much more viable as a 1440p console, that's the hope anyway, we still don't know if it's gonna be a DLSS 2.0 quality or more like DLSS 1.0... Anyway, pretty good deep dive, thank you ! :)
I’d be shocked if they don’t use MDML on the new xboxes, it’s a game changer
As always a great review!
I think Xbox Series S is a great choice between performance, graphics and budget.
Been on the launch PS4 since day one and super bummed about the shortage of PS5’s and Series X’s. I bought a series S off a 3rd party retailer and I can’t wait after watching these videos.
Microsoft: gives you hundreds of awesome games to play via gamepass
Also Microsoft: here's 300GB of usable space in our new XBox
Download,play,delete , repeat
They don't give them to you...LOL....there also on the PC, you don't need an Xbox to have those same experiences, but you do need a Playstation to have experiences only they can give you because of actually investing in Devs. they've help create from the ground up.....I don't need an Xbox or game pass to get those games on my PC.
@@chrisbullock6477 didn't read past the first "there/they're" error
well xbox 360 came with 20gbs in 2005 and that's probably even worse since a game back then was 4~9gbs
@@GraveUypo i believe there were bigger X-Box versions, i had PS3 with 60gb, 40gb and later 80gb and never had any storage issues ever.
I can't recall game size at all from that time, which says it all imo.
I really like my Series S, I think they could've given us 6 teraflops or 715gb at the same price but i'm not complaining its awesome
But you just complained
Hey DF +Digital Foundry !
Maybe it's time! ... *It's time to re-evaluate Series S after one year!* Is it the forespoken 1440p power house or maybe "just" a 1080p 60 fps option? Is it the forgotten Series console or maybe *one of the best available options for console and PC players in 2020/21/22 with a a look on price-performance/ value and availability (!) ?* The prices in Germany are mostly 280 € or on Ebay 220 € for used ones. How fast does a PC need to be to match Series S performance in games with and without RT? And how much would it cost (with SSD and controller)? Are there even any games available for it? Does Series S need "exclusive titles" or does it provide an even more broadly use case scenario. And maybe you could add in some (legal) emulation option, if you want.
Series S: overhyped or underrated? What's your verdict DF?
Grüße aus Berlin
Here in brazil, the difference in price from the series s to the ps5 all digital (the closest priced console) its about 250-300$, not only that, but because our money is so devalued, the series x and ps5 cost 900$, even though the minimum wage is under 250$, so to me, the series s is actually a pretty good deal
They should have given us 2TB of storage with Series S. It's a digital only console! That's my only gripe.
2TB of SSD storage is definitely gonna eat up more than $300. unrealistic for that price.
To give you a perspective. the cheapest 2TB SSD on the market right now is around ~$220. The most expensive one is ~$400. how the hell can they fit those in a $300 margin? If they raised the price to $400 or so then there is no reason to get the Series S anymore. Microsoft has a lot of money, but it is still unrealistic to expect them to eat up so much loss per console.
Same can be said even for the Series X/PS5. People complain that 1TB of storage is not enough, but keep forgetting that a proprietary SSD is expensive af. They have to keep the consoles under $500 with such storage while still delivering 4K capable hardware, which means selling at a huge loss per console.
I can take the lower resolution.
I'll even except a couple of settings being slightly lower.
But...
I can't take 30fps games that are being played at 60fps on Series X.
If 30fps vs 60fps is the trend difference, That a massive false advertising from Microsoft.
Not everything is about framerate.
@@GregorySnipe moving the goal post again & again & again
@@GregorySnipe bullshit man it’s all about frame rate when we’re talking about Next Gen Consoles as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is incredible on Series X but that’s only because of the 60fps because without it you’re limited to 30fps of which literally kills all the greatness of the Game because it’s superb with 60fps but 30fps feels terrible, and there’s no excuse for 1440p 30fps on S when they couldn’t gone with a lower resolution 1080p 60fps performance mode, and while it’s not all about frame rate that was last Gen but this brand New Gen there’s no excuse for 30fps only anymore as every single game should have at least an optional 60fps performance mode period ......
30fps is the reason I ain’t playing watch dogs legion as I refuse to play any game which is 30fps only as there’s no excuse anymore with these New consoles having custom Ryzen 3700x based CPU’s as every single game can definitely run 60fps as long as the devs aren’t lazy, and actually put the effort into optimizing their game’s with optional performance modes !
I agree about the advertising, but this should be common sense. There is no ‘4k machine’ or ‘60 fps machine’. The hardware has a certain amount of power behind it, and its up to the developer to leverage that however they want. So not everything will be 4k 60 on series x, nor will it be 1440p 60 on the s.
I agree. I just wonder if it has anything to do with the fact developers hasn't received the final dev kits. Also the developers are still trying to learn the new rdna2. Next year or two we will see if ms lied.
Thanks for the great review, I always enjoy watching your well-structured and informative videos. One thing I would like to address is your assumption that the PS5 digital edition will likely be produced in lower quantities than the disc drive edition. I personally don't think that will be the case, because Sony has a huge interest in getting customers to buy the digital edition and thus making them dependent on the Playstation Store. The revenue from game sales will not only make up for the losses from the hardware sales but also generate more profit for them in the long run than if they'd push for physical game availability. The rather big price difference of $100 between the digital and the disc version also speaks for Sony pushing for a closed digital games market, as this difference clearly can't be justified just by the omission of the disc drive which doesn't make up such a big part of the overall production cost.
Thank you for bringing us actual data and science, hard to find any other gaming channels doing that.