For quite some time now, players have been left waiting for Sony and Microsoft to reveal the price and release dates of its respective next-generation consoles. Luckily for Xbox fans, Microsoft finally relented and revealed more information about the Xbox Series X and officially announced the Xbox Series S. As expected, details about these next-generation consoles have been leaked online, which probably the reason why Microsoft decided to just release all highly-anticipated details about the Xbox Series X and Series S.
To start, Series S/X will be released at the same time, which will be on November 10, 2020. Moreover, the Xbox Series X, which is the next-flagship Xbox console is priced at $499, while the budget-friendly Xbox Series S at $299. Of course, given the massive difference in price, Xbox fans are now probably wondering which one to get. Now, here is a breakdown of the main differences between the Xbox Series X and Series S in terms of performance, graphics, and others.
Performance
In terms of raw specs, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are somewhat similar with minor differences. Both consoles feature an 8-core AMD Zen 2 processor, but it is worth noting that the Series X will have a slightly faster clock speed at 3.8 GHz, compared to that of the Series S, which is at 3.6GHz. Basically, what this means is that the Series X's CPU can handle a bit more per second, but it is worth noting that the difference is not that significant and will probably not be noticeable by most.
Additionally, the Xbox Series S has 6GB less RAM compared to the Series X, but the Series X has a 1TB NVMe SSD, while the Series S only has 512GB NVMe SSD. This means that the Xbox Series X will be able to store more games in its internal SSD than the Xbox Series S, which is disappointing given that the Series S is a digital-only console. However, players eyeing the Series S shouldn't fret given that they can still upgrade the storage of the low-end console themselves, but that will of course cost more money. Luckily for Microsoft fans, both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are backward compatible with the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox. However, those with physical discs of older games should note that the Series S does not have a disc drive, and its backward compatibility is limited to digital games.
Graphical Capabilities
The biggest and the most significant difference between the Xbox Series X and Series S is resolution. In short, the Xbox Series X is capable of running in 4K resolution, while the Series S does not. The GPU in both systems is the same AMD RDNA 2 but the one in the Series X sports 52 CUs at 1.825 GHz, while the Series S only has 20 CUs at 1.56 GHz. Moreover, the GPU power on the Series X is a whopping 12.5 teraflops, which is vastly superior to that of the Series S, which only has 4 teraflops. Of course, these differences are understandable given that Microsoft is targeting the Series S to those who are looking for a budget-friendly console and those who do not have 4K TVs or monitors.
However, even though the GPU power of the Series S is nothing compared to that of the Series X, players interested in the cheaper console shouldn't be too concerned. Given the Series S still holds up to the Series X in terms of performance, the only big difference really is resolution and those without 4K TVs or monitors wouldn't that much GPU anyway. Of course, those who are into the best graphics a console has to offer and have all the necessary accessories to support it, then the Xbox Series X is definitely the one to buy.
Other Differences
As previously mentioned, the Series X is priced at $499, while the Series S is almost half of that at $299. Moreover, the Series X features a 4K UHD Blu-ray disc drive, while the Series S is purely digital. Of course, this means that those who own physical discs of the previous generation Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X is definitely the one to get. The same goes for those who still watch blu-ray movies and shows and want a dedicated blu-ray player apart from a gaming console.
Lastly, the most obvious difference between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is size. At the moment, the exact dimensions of the Xbox Series S are still unknown, however, Microsoft said that it will be 60% smaller than the Series X. As a reference, the Xbox Series X's dimensions are 151 x 151 x 301 mm or 5.94 x 5.94 x 11.85 inches. In terms of weight, the Series X is at 4.45 kg or 9.8 pounds, and it is likely that the Series S is significantly lighter than that if it is really 60% smaller than the Series X.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are slated to launch on November 10, 2020.