The Xbox Series S doesn't quite fit.
While Microsoft's Series X is the one with the funky form factor, it's the Series S that feels most out of place as both launch on Nov. 10. The console is a lower-tier alternative to the Series X that, for $300, gets you similarly boosted performance, speedier load times, and fancier graphics, but with considerably less storage and a still-better-than-1080p resolution cap of 1440p.
There's nothing from Sony's PlayStation 5 lineup that competes with the Series S. The primary PS5, at $500, will be a direct Series X competitor when it launches on Nov. 12. A cheaper "Digital Edition" PS5 packs the same power, visual output, and storage capacity as the standard PS5, just without the disc drive. But at $400, that option is more priced to compete with the last generation's comparably priced (for now) PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.
The Series S ditches the disc drive too, but it outplays both of those earlier consoles. It may not hit 4K, and it offers considerably less storage (around 325 GB) than they do, but the newer machine still delivers smoother performance, fancier graphics, and faster load times than either of the older machines. Plus it offers impressive backward compatibility support and, for Game Pass subscribers, xCloud streaming.
That's pretty much the same as what you get from a Series X, pound for pound. The pricier console is undeniably more powerful, but the user experience is nearly the same. That's why we didn't bother reviewing them here as separate machines. For $200 less, you lose the disc drive and some visual fidelity, but not much else.
The Xbox Series S fits into an awkward space where it packs next-gen power for a last-gen price.
As it launches, the Series S slides into this awkward space where it packs next-gen power for a last-gen price. You can use it to play all the latest games, as well as access all the most popular streaming apps (except Apple TV+). The bet on Microsoft's part is that the 4K advantage that the Series X offers over the S isn't as important to some consumers as it is to others.
It's a fair bet. Only 60 percent of U.S. homes even had a 4K TV as of early 2020, according to the data platform Statista. That number has surely gone up, since a majority of TVs sold nowadays support 4K, but there's still a sizable audience that isn't there yet. Not to mention the fact that the PS5 and Series X both benefit most from a connection over HDMI 2.1, which only a handful of the latest TVs actually support.
That likely won't matter to the most enthusiastic video game fans, people who are fine spending a little bit more right now to future-proof their setup. But the vast majority of consumers don't share that approach, and the Series S is a tantalizing prospect for that crowd.
Think about the broader landscape of "TV-connected hardware that plays games and streams content." If you're in the market for that kind of gear, what are your realistic options?
At the cheaper, sub-$100 end of the spectrum, you've got the likes of Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku, but games aren't really an option for those unless you mess with something like Stadia. The next step up takes you into Apple TV and Nvidia Shield territory. These are more capable machines for gaming, but they offer less storage than the Series S and can't come close to offering the same kind of games library.
That's why I've started looking at the Series S we were given for review as the premium streaming box to beat, rather than as a cutting-edge video game console. The performance on this thing and the range of games it plays vastly outpaces the likes of the Shield and Apple TV. It's also sized to fit the same kinds of physical spaces – unlike the hulking Series X.
So maybe the Series S does fit, just not in the way we'd normally expect. It's a new console that's seemingly not here to compete with the other new consoles. Instead, it's priced to compete with another hardware category entirely, and in a way that raises the bar for what consumers can expect from a set-top streaming box.
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