This thing is so small and quiet you’d think it was a student at Milford School
One thing that struck me over the last few console launches, something that became quite evident the day I pre-ordered my Xbox Series S, is that I no longer feel the excitement I once did when moving into a new generation. Even last week, when I managed to get my hands on a fully digital PS5 just minutes after vowing to stop trying until next year, it didn’t push me to jump for joy. I always jumped for joy when I picked up a new console. I remember standing in line at Walmart quite dizzy to buy the GameCube on a cold November morning.
Perhaps it’s because the promise of better technology has led to diminishing returns over the past two console generations. Maybe it’s because there are no launch titles for the Xbox series of consoles or the PS5 that I “have to play now.” Or maybe it’s because gaming is now so productive that it’s really all about the games and not the hardware you want to play them on.
Whatever it is, I miss the excitement that comes with anticipating a new console. But with my Xbox Series S, that feeling has been replaced by something perhaps just as satisfying: the satisfaction of knowing you’ve bought high-quality hardware. I love my Series S not because I got to buy the “hot new thing” but because this console is built so damn well.
It’s also so much smaller than I thought it would be. This little white box is 25 cm long, 14 cm deep and 12 cm high when placed on its side. It weighs less than five pounds. You could put two of these in an Xbox Series X with a few square inches left. My current entertainment center isn’t very suitable for multiple systems, so connecting a Wii U, PS4 Slim, and Switch to it takes up a fair amount of usable space. Fortunately, the Series S is so small that it fits comfortably next to my Wii. U. And unlike my PS4 Slim, this thing is silent.
Setting it up took about five minutes to go through the Xbox app on my phone. With everything synced to my Xbox account, the console scanned my television and showed me which Series S options I can and cannot use. I know this isn’t new technology, as some of my fellow writers quickly explained to me in Slack, but it did teach me more about my television and how to access HDR content on my PS4. Getting 120fps is out of the question as my TV doesn’t support it, but I can experience 4K when playing video and with all games that support it (and yes, some games support 4K on the Series S).
If you’re looking for a console with power, you probably need to know what the Series S packs in its tiny body. Here are some specifications:
- CPU: 8 cores at 3.6 GHz (Custom Zen 2 CPU)
- GPU: 4 TFLOPS, 20 CUs at 1.565 GHz
- Memory: 10 GB GDDDR6
- Internal storage: 512 GB (364 GB usable)
- Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby TrueHD with Atmos, DTS 5.1
Over the past month, I’ve come to appreciate how quickly the Xbox Series S helps me in my games. Fast resume is a remarkable feature. For games that support this, you can get back into action in seconds instead of waiting for a game to load. And it does this for multiple titles at once instead of just having one game in sleep mode. The console itself also starts quickly. If you go the eco-friendly route with Energy-Saver mode, it takes about 22 seconds to boot. If you choose Instant-On, it will take about four seconds.
I am also really digging the redesigned controller. I’ve always preferred the Xbox controller layout over the PlayStation because I have good taste, but the changes here make it even better than before. The directional pad in particular has a nice “clicky” quality and is slightly more comfortable to use than my Xbox One controller.
Since the publication of this article, I have not actually bought any games for the console. Instead, I dived into Xbox Game Pass. And it is a deep dive, because there are years of games and franchises I missed not to be an Xbox owner. Games like Myth III and Halo 4 that were once out of reach are now within reach. I have enjoyed brand new games with the service like Call of the sea, and the recent addition of EA Play will help make it Star Wars gap between seasons of The Mandalorian. At $ 15, it is more expensive than PS Now. But it’s cheaper than Gamefly, which is good, because with the Series S and my soon to be released all-digital PS5, I won’t be able to rent games anymore.
And these games run great. Is most of what I play from the last generation? Sure, but it’s nice to be able to access these titles without the glitches they had on previous consoles. Games optimized for Series S and Series X can be stunning, but that may have more to do with the incredible art direction used in those titles. Chances are the Xbox Game Pass will stream to your computer or television, such as Stadia or Luna, in the near future, but until that happens, the Series S is a great starting point for the service.
Depending on what you want from your next-gen system, there are a few drawbacks to consider before buying a Series S. As mentioned above, it only has 364 GB of usable space built in. If you like to play a lot of AAA games, expect those file sizes to start around 45 GB. Some games, such as Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition and Quantum Break, easily darken every 100 GB.
I have Phantasy Star Online 2, Yakuza 0, Planet Coaster: Console Edition, Alan Wake, Minecraft Dungeons, Ori and the likes of the wisps, and Ace currently downloaded to my console which takes up 39% of usable space. I try to play every Game Pass title before moving on to the next, but there are some games that I’m just not going to delete from the system. PSO2 was a 75 GB download, and it is out of the question, with data caps, I’m going to go through that again.
I have also repeatedly run into a strange problem with streaming apps like Disney + and HBO Max. These apps will occasionally drop the photo and the screen will jump to white and black before resuming what I’m watching. While enjoying Little Shop of Horrors, the problem persisted for more than half an hour until it finally stopped. And it does this whether I’m looking at something or not. I can just browse the app itself and run into this problem. Now that HBO Max is accessible through my smart TV, I don’t have to worry about using these video apps anymore. Yet it is an incredibly strange and relentless persistent problem.
I’ve seen some speculation that Microsoft may have cut back too much on the Xbox Series S to really hang out with this entire console generation. I don’t know if that’s true, but if this eventually becomes something like a “transition device,” I’m fine with that. Because it gives me exactly what I want from it now: it’s an easy gateway to those games I’ve missed in previous generations, it’s whisper quiet, it’s small enough to fit nicely into my current television standard, and it already lets me play the new games, just without the Series X bells and whistles.
There really isn’t much more I could ask for here, other than some valuable first-party titles. Those will eventually come, but until they do, I’ve got three generations of games to keep me busy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to download Phantom Dust.
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