Makes the One S seem archaic Comparison story: I've owned at one model of every generation of Xbox since the original with the previous one being an Xbox One S. I'd been playing Forza Horizon 5 on the One S connected to my 4K TV since November. The graphics were pretty good but the startup and load times were horrible. I could do tasks in other rooms while waiting for racing events to load. Then my Xbox Series X arrived this week. After downloading a system update and then Forza, I was ready to see the difference. Blown out of my mind. Startup and load times are so fast they are practically not noticeable. Combine that with the ability to do 'quick resume' for previously loaded games, and you can be playing in no time at all. Now I barely have time to see if there ... MoreMakes the One S seem archaic Comparison story: I've owned at one model of every generation of Xbox since the original with the previous one being an Xbox One S. I'd been playing Forza Horizon 5 on the One S connected to my 4K TV since November. The graphics were pretty good but the startup and load times were horrible. I could do tasks in other rooms while waiting for racing events to load. Then my Xbox Series X arrived this week. After downloading a system update and then Forza, I was ready to see the difference. Blown out of my mind. Startup and load times are so fast they are practically not noticeable. Combine that with the ability to do 'quick resume' for previously loaded games, and you can be playing in no time at all. Now I barely have time to see if there are any messages on my phone, let alone go do some task in another room. And the graphics are out of this world. In Forza if I stop at a field of flowers and I see that each flower has petals. Flamingos at the waterfall have feathers. Pineapple plants have serrated edges. Banana plants have tears and holes in the leaves. Pros: Amazing graphics and speed Smaller than a PS5 Negatives: Storage of 1TB (which is even smaller due to system files) Games that are designed specifically for the Series S/X must be stored on the internal drive or an expensive proprietary Seagate external drive. But games can be moved to an external HDD or SSD if you aren't planning on playing it for a while. Seems to consume more power than my One S. Running my TV, surround sound and Xbox through a UPS and 500-watt power transformer, the transformer could not handle the load when gaming on the Xbox Series X while it could easily handle it on the One S. Conclusion: If you can find one at MSRP prices, this should be a no-brainer of a decision for any gamer.

This Xbox series S is quite the little machine compared to its big brother Xbox series X. This little guy has a 500 GB hard drive that can hold all sorts of games on it. Did I mention it doesn't tale disks! I love this feature because it deletes the need for disks which break i feel like a lot of people will not like how it is just the digital version. For only $300, I think Microsoft outdid themselves for this one. All in all, I give this machine a 10/10 if you are into digital gaming and not having to use disks. You can still use all of the other features like the Xbox store and download apps save games. You may need to purchase an external hard drive if you're a big time gamers. As I am a leisure gamer and do it couple times a month.

The Xbox Series S is a compact powerhouse, offering impressive performance for its size. With fast load times and smooth gameplay at up to 1440p, it delivers solid next-gen performance, though it lacks true 4K support. The sleek, minimalist design fits easily into any setup, and it's whisper-quiet during operation. Compatibility is a standout, with access to both next-gen and backward-compatible games from Xbox's vast library. Features like Quick Resume and Game Pass integration enhance its versatility. As a more affordable alternative to the Series X, it's an excellent value for gamers seeking next-gen gaming without breaking the bank.

This review is being written from a grandparents point of view not a teens point and not from an individual who actually plays on an Xbox other then the occasional (1 times in 5 years) user. I purchased the Xbox series s for my granddaughter for a Christmas present approximately 5 years ago. I honestly don’t know very much about x box and I also purchased a bunch of games for the Xbox for her. What I did not know was the Xbox series s was an all digital box. Would be great if you had good internet but we don’t. All games have to be done online:(. Which means everything else in my home on internet has to be off. That doesn’t work well here. All the games I purchased weren’t any good because there is absolutely no way to put the discs into the Xbox. Approximately 9 ... MoreThis review is being written from a grandparents point of view not a teens point and not from an individual who actually plays on an Xbox other then the occasional (1 times in 5 years) user. I purchased the Xbox series s for my granddaughter for a Christmas present approximately 5 years ago. I honestly don’t know very much about x box and I also purchased a bunch of games for the Xbox for her. What I did not know was the Xbox series s was an all digital box. Would be great if you had good internet but we don’t. All games have to be done online:(. Which means everything else in my home on internet has to be off. That doesn’t work well here. All the games I purchased weren’t any good because there is absolutely no way to put the discs into the Xbox. Approximately 9 months into owning it started to overheat. I contacted Xbox and support was excellent! They immediately replaced the Xbox which has been in the bag since it was received and removed from the box. I purchased her the cyberpunk Xbox special edition to replace the Xbox digital series s. She does love that one though! I keep the Xbox series s in Michigan for her to use(even though she hasn’t) and I keep the cyberpunk special edition Xbox in Florida that she uses all the time! My suggestion for everyone purchasing Xboxes is to do some research. If you want discs and offline use the Xbox series s isn’t the right purchase for you.

BEWARE!!!

I did not receive a new item. The Xbox package had previously been opened. The old seals were still on the box with new ones placed over them. The items were poorly packaged in the box, and both the console and extra controller box were damaged. I contacted the seller, and they were very nice at first. However, after I sent pictures, they stated there was nothing wrong. In their words, "It appears as though there is only light cosmetic damage to the external packaging." They ignored the fact that the product had been opened before. Was this a refurbished item or broken item that someone else returned? Who knows and they didn't care. I certainly wasn't going to try it out, just for it to not work or break after a month. I asked for an exchange, and they responded ... MoreI did not receive a new item. The Xbox package had previously been opened. The old seals were still on the box with new ones placed over them. The items were poorly packaged in the box, and both the console and extra controller box were damaged. I contacted the seller, and they were very nice at first. However, after I sent pictures, they stated there was nothing wrong. In their words, "It appears as though there is only light cosmetic damage to the external packaging." They ignored the fact that the product had been opened before. Was this a refurbished item or broken item that someone else returned? Who knows and they didn't care. I certainly wasn't going to try it out, just for it to not work or break after a month. I asked for an exchange, and they responded with a general email on returns including the statements, "Items must be returned complete - exactly as originally shipped with all manufacturer's items, packing slip, accessories, manuals and packaging intact. Items not returned in original condition will be refused." How can I return an item in original condition if that item wasn't sent to me in its original condition. My advice: pay a few extra dollars and get it straight from Microsoft. I wouldn't trust this seller.

Breaks easily.

Purchased one of these less than x1 year ago. The USB ports are already becoming damaged. For starters, there is only ONE on the front, instead of two. (Why?) Secondly, the ones in back seem to either be more cheaply made, or come apart much more easy, since you're constantly having to plug in, and re-plug in controllers, or any other kind of USB device. (I thought I had an issue w/ my Seagate drive, since it never seemed to connect. I switched ports and now it works just fine. Speaking of though, don't you dare even nudge or bump the cord, as it will come off, and cut your game halfway through.) Microsoft itself also is as of writing this, bumping up, yet again, the cost of their XBox Live services, to $20/month. They are treating having access to some crappy, 3rd ... MorePurchased one of these less than x1 year ago. The USB ports are already becoming damaged. For starters, there is only ONE on the front, instead of two. (Why?) Secondly, the ones in back seem to either be more cheaply made, or come apart much more easy, since you're constantly having to plug in, and re-plug in controllers, or any other kind of USB device. (I thought I had an issue w/ my Seagate drive, since it never seemed to connect. I switched ports and now it works just fine. Speaking of though, don't you dare even nudge or bump the cord, as it will come off, and cut your game halfway through.) Microsoft itself also is as of writing this, bumping up, yet again, the cost of their XBox Live services, to $20/month. They are treating having access to some crappy, 3rd party the same as if you had say, a streaming service, that gave you thousands of hours of viewing content. Absolultely wretched treatment by one of the world's largest companies, to continue to try to bleed customers like a stone. Would never recommend anyone purchase this, or any console from them, ever.

Great system at a great price.

Is so overall I would say this is an absolutely fantastic buy however I will go over some of the same pros and cons of this system. Capabilities of this machine is significantly better than a PS4 and my opinion I would say it lays somewhere between PS4 and PS5. One of the amazing things about the system is some of the backwards compatible games from XBox One really really shine here such is the ORIGINAL Assassin's Creethis in my opinion graphically looks as good as most of the top tier series X/S games. Which is quite a feat cause it's having to do mega upscaling to accomplish this! Also the tomb raider reboot (2014) is quite incredible here! It gets a resolution AND frame rate boost . AMAZING! The system does processes VERY quickly due to a newer architecture and ... MoreIs so overall I would say this is an absolutely fantastic buy however I will go over some of the same pros and cons of this system. Capabilities of this machine is significantly better than a PS4 and my opinion I would say it lays somewhere between PS4 and PS5. One of the amazing things about the system is some of the backwards compatible games from XBox One really really shine here such is the ORIGINAL Assassin's Creethis in my opinion graphically looks as good as most of the top tier series X/S games. Which is quite a feat cause it's having to do mega upscaling to accomplish this! Also the tomb raider reboot (2014) is quite incredible here! It gets a resolution AND frame rate boost . AMAZING! The system does processes VERY quickly due to a newer architecture and higher CPU than a last gen systems. Waiting minutes to delete games is a thing of the past. Which brings me to one of the take aways here. Storage. They really should have given the same terabyte storage that the X has because if you want to try out a lot of X/S optimized gamepass games then your going to be doing a LOT of deleting/moving with this system. It's worth noting that although you can purchase various external hard drives for this system, only the Seagate 1 TB expansion card will allow you to download series x/s optimized games. You can use any external hard drive to download and play Xbox One games but if you want the series X/S versions of the games, which tend to run and look a lot better; you can only do it on the system storage which is pathetic at best or you have to purchase this super expensive proprietary expansion card starting at $149 for 1 TB and $279 for 2 TB. Last but not least most of the games are going to look and run significantly better on the series X. However this is a great go between of the last gen and current gen and it's a steal for 299.

Not great for gaming variety

Overall, it’s not terrible—it’s a nice streaming device, but overkill for that. For gaming, the problem is the tiny storage. It literaly only fits a few large games. And, of course, since they are large games, they take a long time to add, so once installed, removing to make room is bigger decision. No whims here. You must know what you want to play ahead of time so you can manage the storage. This would be greatly mitigated if I could pop in a game from my large library of Xbox discs. Nope. Anyway, I do get the move away from physical discs, but you have to have a lot of storage. Even 1 TB would only be just sufficient. Other than the storage issue, it would be a great option for a lesser powered console.

Xbox Series S

It’s a nice little console. Bought this guy because my main Xbox Series X was sent to the manufacturer for repair. But the Xbox Series S is set to impress. It is a great gaming machine. The only downside to this Xbox is the amount of Storage. There is a significant difference of the hardware between the Series S and Series X Xbox. The Series S obviously is the lower end console and its hardware is weaker then the series X but it does a good Job. But all in all those who want to get into the Xbox Ecosystem this is the way. But I’d recommend buying an expansion card to go along with it or pay the extra $50 bucks for the Carbon Black Xbox Series S because it will come with 1Tb of storage versus 512gb like on the white Series S.

Xbox Series S rules!!

Very pleased with my Xbox Series S 1tb. I'm not a huge gamer, playing around 4 hours a week, but I like my driving games and the escapism it offers for a little while. I had an Xbox One before this, and thought that the lack of a disc drive would be an issue. No, I can't play any of my disc games anymore, but I don't really miss them as I only really play Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizons 4 and 5 (which I've downloaded). The large 1tb storage means I've got plenty of extra space to download more games from the GamePass library, if I get bored of racing imaginary cars around imaginary tracks. I love the quick start function on this Xbox, which skips past the normal setup time you'd have to sit through on the Xbox One, and launches you straight into any one of your ... MoreVery pleased with my Xbox Series S 1tb. I'm not a huge gamer, playing around 4 hours a week, but I like my driving games and the escapism it offers for a little while. I had an Xbox One before this, and thought that the lack of a disc drive would be an issue. No, I can't play any of my disc games anymore, but I don't really miss them as I only really play Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizons 4 and 5 (which I've downloaded). The large 1tb storage means I've got plenty of extra space to download more games from the GamePass library, if I get bored of racing imaginary cars around imaginary tracks. I love the quick start function on this Xbox, which skips past the normal setup time you'd have to sit through on the Xbox One, and launches you straight into any one of your last three games played, with minimal fuss. All in all, a great machine - powerful and quiet in operation, and a good alternative to the much more expensive Series X, which I really couldn't justify given the amount of time I spend gaming. I am 47, after all!