We would suggest not. Unless you’re keen to match your console with one of the best gaming TVs, or you’re after the best performance possible in 2022, the Xbox Series S will suit you just fine and won’t break the bank. To make sure you’re not missing out on anything integral to your experience, though, we’re taking you through exactly who should be shelling out for the main event, and who can get away with spending just $300 on their next console.
What do you lose when you buy Xbox Series S?
Of course, you’re spending around $200 less when you buy an Xbox Series S, so there are some sacrifices you’ll make:- No 4K resolution for gameplay
- No disc drive
- Less internal storage
- 4 teraflops processing power compared to Series X’s 12
- Less RAM
In practice, these features won’t make themselves known if you’ve never had your hands on an Xbox Series X. You won’t be juddering through the latest releases, and you won’t experience significantly longer load times. However, because the Xbox Series S can’t output at 4K resolution, your games won’t look quite as crisp. That’s not too large a pill to swallow if you don’t have a 4K TV, of course, but if you have invested in a high quality TV for Xbox Series X, it might be worth holding out a little longer and investing in the main console.
That said, considering it’s the cheapest full console on the market right now (Nintendo Switch Standard and Nintendo Switch Lite aside), there’s still a notable performance boost in an Xbox Series S over an old Xbox One. You’re still getting DirectX raytracing, up to 120fps, and an 8-core AMD Zen 2 processor at 3.6GHz. If you’re dipping in and out of Xbox Game Pass titles on the weekends, you really don’t need much more than that in 2022.
There is one more caveat to explore, though; the disc drive. You’ll be limited to digital experiences with the Xbox Series S. Unlike the PS5 Digital Edition, though, that’s not such a heavy blow. Game Pass offers such a compelling package by itself, that it’s easy to see a future where you won’t be buying games at all. With new Microsoft releases hitting Game Pass from day one, and a huge library ready to fill your backlog, there’s plenty packed into this subscription to keep you from reaching for a physical game. However, if you do have a physical Xbox One collection, you won’t be able to keep playing on your new console.