Microsoft’s well-known gaming console, Xbox, launched its next-generation consoles on September 9, 2020, and the pre-order starts today. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were announced last year, but throughout 2020 we have seen its details revealed little by little. In March, from console and controller details to first look at the console in May, a game launch event in July, finally followed by release date and price details last week.
Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s next-gen flagship console, whereas Xbox Series S is a cheaper version with certain limitations. But it makes sense that Microsoft launches two console variants like it has done in the past to bring something for people with spending limits.
Release Date and Price
Both variants of the new console will be available on November 22, whereas pre-orders start on September 22. Xbox has also announced at what exact time the pre-orders will start in different countries. The flagship Series X console is priced at $499, whereas Series S is set to be sold at $299. The two consoles have significant design and specs differences discussed further in the article.
Launch Games
The most exciting part of any console’s launch is the list of its launch titles. For Xbox Series X and S, some of the year’s most anticipated games were announced at the launch event.
Sega has confirmed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be available for Xbox Series X and S right at the launch. The game will support Smart Delivery and cross-saving with the Xbox One version of the game. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is another fan-favorite action game with a look into Vikings’ times that will be available with the device’s launch.
Other notable games featuring in the list of Xbox’s launch titles are:
- Gears: Tactics.
- Fable
- State of Decay 3
- The Medium
- As Dusk Falls
- Dirt 5.
- The Falconeer
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- Tetris Effect: Connected.
The majority of the fans were looking forward to Halo: Infinite, which was announced at the event to launch with the console, but since now it is pushed to 2021, these are the titles leading the line. Xbox Series X and S offer backward compatibility for almost all previous Xbox games except for those that required Kinect, which means all Xbox games will be playable on both the new variants. So, Xbox users will not be short on titles to test run their new device when they get their hands on it.
Xbox Series X vs S: Specification
The major difference between the two consoles is that the flagship version has a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray drive to support games, whereas the S Series will not have a disk drive and will be an all-digital experience.
Xbox Series X vs S: Design
The first look of Series S reminds you of Xbox One S since it is designed quite similar and even has a grill on top. It will be launched with a White-colored finish.
The Series X console is designed to look like a tower that stands vertically. So far, the console has only been showcased in black color, so we can assume there won’t be a different finish available for it.
Xbox Series X vs S: Graphics and Processing
Xbox claims that since the fans prefer framerate over 4K video, they planned Series S accordingly. The Xbox Series S offers a gaming experience at 1440p at 60fps and can support up to 120fps. The Series S, according to Xbox, will give GPU performance three times better than Xbox One. Series X, on the other hand, offers a full 4K gaming experience with up to 120fps.
Other graphical differences include Series S delivers 4 TFLOPS of RDNA 2 graphics while Series X delivers 12 TFLOPS of RDNA 2 graphics.
The Zen 2 eight-core processor powers both the consoles and both offer ray tracing. However, the Series S processor will run at 3.6GHz per core, whereas Series X will run at 3.8GHz.
Xbox Series X vs S: Storage
SSD is used in both devices for faster loading times and to speed up other processes. Series S and Series X come with a 512GB SSD, and 1TB SSD installed, respectively. RAM is different on both the consoles; 16gb GDDR6 is installed on the flagship version and 10GB GDDR6 on its subordinate.
To avoid any problems with limited memory, both variants will have space for an additional 1TB SSD and support USB 3.0 or above external hard drives.
Xbox Series X vs S: Controller
Along with Series X and S, Xbox is launching its next-gen wireless controller, installed with a new feature ‘Dynamic Latency Input,’ to make controls more precise. The controller has an additional button to make sharing screenshots, etc. easy and quick.
This next-gen controller will have a matte finish instead of a traditional glossy one coming out in black color with Series X and white with Series S.
Xbox Game Pass & EA Play
Dubbed as “Netflix of Games”, Xbox Game Pass is an unreal gaming experience that gives you access to hundreds of games to play on your Xbox and your Windows 10 PCs. Game Pass currently has more than 10 million subscribers from PCs and Xbox combined.
Microsoft has announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for PC subscribers will also get the EA Play, formerly known as EA Access, membership for no additional cost.
What’s the better choice?
Now, what should one pick, Series X, or Series S?
The most important factor to consider here is one’s budget, but if that’s not a problem for you, why take a risk for all the limitations like memory, graphics, video quality, etc. getting the X Series would be a smooth choice.
However, if you’re on a budget and unsure if the Series S is worth spending on, you should take advantage of the fact that it is no less of a gaming experience because of similar framerate. You will be able to play all your favorite titles with your friends without paying the extra $200 for the flagship version. So the choice isn’t too hard to make.
Every time a new Game Studios title is launched, it is simultaneously released on Game Pass and gives you the option to pay for it separately or acquire it through your Game Pass subscription. Forza, Age of Empires, Gears of War, Minecraft, Hellblade, The Outer Worlds, Microsoft Flight Simulator, State of Decay, and a few others are the game titles available on Game Pass when the console launches, and of course, playable on both variants.
Featured image: Microsoft
