Perfect for NextGen beginners: Xbox Series S is a sleek nana console

With the relatively cheap Xbox Series S, Microsoft wants to earn points in the run-up to Christmas. But is the console worth the money? The smallest Xbox of all time is discreet and powerful, but there are also some pain points.

The next generation of consoles is around the corner and apparently Microsoft wants to please everyone. For the slightly higher budget, the “silent beast”, Xbox Series X, is at the beginning. The significantly more compact Xbox Series S should be able to keep up in terms of performance. The lower price isn’t just due to the lack of a CD drive.

The S series is the smallest Xbox that Microsoft has introduced to the market to date. In an upright position it is 27.5 cm high, 15.1 cm deep and 6.5 cm wide. It fits into any TV cabinet without attracting much attention. There are two USB ports on the back, plus the port for the LAN cable, a memory expansion slot and an HDMI 2.1 output. There is another USB port on the front, but no CD drive – one of the differences from the X Series and a price factor. Games are purchased and downloaded accordingly through the Microsoft Store.

The controller convinces with more grip

Both of Microsoft’s new consoles are rectangular. In terms of design, the S Series is slightly different from the X variant. A black circular ventilation grille on the wide side creates a visual contrast with the white body. Of all the new consoles, the S series is the most compact and also the most discreet – you should combine furniture with light furniture. The console nano is almost silent, but produces a lot of heat that is only discharged through the ventilation grille. This doesn’t fill the room, but when it comes to placement, a little air circulation around the device should be possible.

A white controller is included with the S series. The design hardly deviates from classic Xbox controllers, but it has significantly more grip. A small release button and a USB-C port are new. The share button is a quick way to share clips and screenshots with friends. The controller works with AA batteries and for a rechargeable charging kit you have to add up to 20 euros more.

And while the X Series enriches the living room like a black behemoth, this contrast can already be seen: the lightweight version without a drive also has to make some compromises in terms of hardware. The core processors are basically the same in both new Microsoft consoles, but there is already a difference in the graphics cards. The S series handles a third of the teraflops processed. This difference is not yet noticeable because there are no 8K games yet. Only the X Series could handle it. The S version can at least boost the display to 4K, but native 4K isn’t possible. This means that all games run clean up to 1080 pixels, up to 1440p should be possible.

In addition, frame rates of up to 60 frames per second (fps) are possible. The test showed that older games like “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey”, which are currently limited to 30 frames per second, maintain these frame rates more reliably than an Xbox One S and run absolutely smoothly. The most noticeable effect is the shorter loading times. Forza Horizon 4 takes less than 40 seconds to get behind the wheel and less than 30 seconds to trample ancient Greece in “Odyssey”.

Even games already optimized at 60 fps, such as Gears 5 or Forza, offer smooth visuals. Overall, it’s not NextGen’s big leap. It’s a different story on the Xbox Series X, thanks to the native 4K resolution.

Hard drive just too small

The S series was not designed to be a pure 4K console. But AAA games like “Watch Dogs: Legion” or “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” still give a sensationally beautiful picture on 4K TVs, even if they were developed primarily for 1080p. Triple-A titles also take up a lot of memory, usually at least 50 gigabytes. With 364GB of free memory on the S, it would be over after a maximum of seven games.

However, this somewhat limits the new Quick Resume feature. This allows you to switch between up to six game titles in seconds without loading the game or the last saved game. The memory can be expanded, but it costs a lot of money. The memory expansion card with one terabyte is available for 239 euros.

However, that doesn’t detract from the overall package of the S Series. For just 299 euros, the console isn’t necessarily the device for the next generation, but it’s certainly a good start. If you don’t already play on a 4K TV, the S series is well recommended. As game developers won’t be switching exclusively to 4K gaming in the coming months, the Xbox Series S is currently delivering properly.