Xbox Series S 1TB review: the best option for console buyers on a budget

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Xbox Series S 1TB: two-minute review

If you’re presently debating whether to prime up nan Xbox Series S 1TB aliases nan original Xbox Series S model, past nan prime is clear.

If you tin spend that other $50 / £50 / AU$50 for nan 1TB edition, past it’s perfectly nan type to spell for and easy nan best gaming console for nan price. You get much than double nan usable retention capacity (more than 800GB retired of nan box) for a fraction of nan costs of immoderate of nan best Xbox Series X difficult drives and SSDs, yet addressing what was easy nan biggest shortcoming of nan motorboat exemplary for astir buyers.

A tin current-generation instrumentality for conscionable $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549 is thing to sneeze astatine and, while nan capacity is decidedly down nan fully-fledged Xbox Series X aliases PlayStation 5, it’s still going to beryllium much than capable for astir people. Titles for illustration Microsoft Flight Simulator and Dead Island 2 look perfectly stunning connected a 1080p aliases 1440p display, though those pinch a 4K TV are overmuch much apt to announcement nan decreased solution and little ocular settings.

The deficiency of a disc thrust helps nan console support specified a staggeringly mini size, but does restrict your entree to beingness releases. Still, an Xbox Game Pass subscription will thief prevention a spot of rate if you want to sample immoderate of nan best Xbox Series X games for less. Although nary further titles are connected nan horizon, Xbox’s backwards compatibility efforts are still leagues supra those connected PlayStation, making this strategy a awesome measurement to acquisition older games.

I’ve been loving going backmost to immoderate existent Xbox 360 gems for illustration Alice: Madness Returns and Far Cry 2, an acquisition that is still conscionable intolerable to replicate connected nan acold much costly PS5. Older games tin beryllium perfectly breathtaking too, pinch immoderate boasting enhanced resolutions and framework rates that thief them look amended than ever.

Some mightiness lament nan deficiency of desirable exclusives, but erstwhile it comes to sheer bang for your subordinate worth nan Xbox Series S 1TB is nan champion of nan best.

Xbox Series S 1TB: Price and availability

• $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549
• $50 / £50 / AU£$50 much than motorboat model
• Absolutely slayer value

The Xbox Series S 1TB is awesome worth overall. For conscionable $50 / £50 / AU£$50 much than nan motorboat model, you’re getting much than double nan usable retention space. It besides useful retired importantly cheaper than buying nan older console and upgrading nan retention via a Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card aliases WD Black C50 description card, which comes successful astatine astir $80 / £85 / AU$140 for conscionable 512GB.

This makes it by acold nan champion action if you're shopping for an Xbox Series S as, realistically, nan cheaper exemplary will not connection capable retention for anyone barroom casual players looking for a low-cost measurement to play 1 aliases 2 celebrated games for illustration Fortnite, EA Sports FC 25, or Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

At its $349.99 / £299.99 / AU$549 value point, nan Xbox Series S 1TB still comes successful importantly cheaper than immoderate of its awesome competitors astatine retail. If you want to get into current-generation gaming connected a budget, past this is nan measurement to go.

Xbox Series S 1TB: Specs

Xbox Series S 1TB: Design and features

• Compact size is cleanable for a desk
• Slick achromatic aliases achromatic colour options
• No shortage of ports, but lacks disc drive

The Xbox Series S really needs to beryllium seen to beryllium believed, arsenic photos don’t really do its compact size justice. It’s importantly smaller than nan Xbox Series X and nan original Xbox One, making it perfect if you’re short connected abstraction and want a console that won’t struggle to fresh connected your table aliases media center.

The console tin beryllium oriented some horizontally and vertically, which makes it easy to incorporated into a wide scope of setups too. I person rather a mini workspace but still recovered that it could easy compression adjacent to my existing monitor, aliases connected nan level correct adjacent to a PS5.

The beforehand of nan console is alternatively plain, pinch a elemental illuminated powerfulness fastener (in nan style of nan Xbox logo), a mini controller pairing button, and a USB larboard for immoderate wired accessories. The Xbox Series S 1TB tin beryllium recovered successful some achromatic and achromatic colorways, though nan second only became disposable this twelvemonth and seems to person since go nan ascendant model. I tested nan achromatic exemplary and really appreciated its slick all-black look, though nan achromatic model, which has a fewer contrasting achromatic elements, decidedly has its ain charm.

In its horizontal orientation, nan apical of nan console is dominated by a ample ventilation grille. The bottommost is past wholly smooth, barroom a mini ventilation grille and immoderate mini matter that says some “Xbox” and “hello from Seattle” - a tiny reference to nan location of Microsoft’s campus. On nan backmost of nan console are its main ports. This includes an ethernet port, 2 USB ports, a HDMI output, a retention description port, and a two-pronged connector for nan console’s powerfulness lead.

It’s a awesome creation overall, but nan disc scholar is simply a notable omission. This is simply a digital-only console, which mightiness beryllium a dealbreaker for some. If you person a sizable postulation of beingness Xbox games, possibly Xbox One releases, past this is thing to carnivore successful mind earlier you upgrade.

In nan box, you get nan console, an HDMI cable, nan powerfulness lead, and an Xbox Wireless Controller successful either Carbon Black aliases Robot White depending connected your prime of console colorway positive 2 AA batteries to usage pinch it.

Even 4 years aft its introduction, nan modern Xbox Wireless Controller remains a awesome easy-to-use gamepad, pinch a comfortable style and superb build value that I find often intends that they past substantially longer than your mean DualSense Wireless Controller for PS5.

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

(Image credit: Dashiell Wood / Future)

Xbox Series S 1TB: Performance

• Perfect for 1080p gaming
• Unbeatable capacity for nan price
• Easy to announcement immoderate imperfections

It’s simply intolerable to responsibility nan capacity of nan Xbox Series S 1TB fixed its much affordable value tag. Performance is nan aforesaid arsenic nan guidelines model, which intends that it targets a 1440p solution pinch nan expertise to upscale to 4K connected compatible displays. Every title that I tested looked bully connected a 1080p display, though nan differences betwixt nan Xbox Series S and nan much powerful Xbox Series X do go rather evident connected a larger 4K TV. The console tin besides support framework rates of up to 120 frames per 2nd (fps), though realistically astir modern games are going to autumn person to nan 60 fps mark.

The agleam and vibrant world of Dead Island 2 maintained a coagulated 60 fps framework complaint pinch nary noticeable drops, moreover erstwhile experimenting pinch its awesome gore effects. It runs astatine 1080p, though, which did lead to a somewhat blurry-looking image connected my TV. Compared to my playthrough connected PS5, location were besides immoderate cutbacks erstwhile it comes to reflection and protector value though this was only really noticeable erstwhile comparing them broadside by side.

The differences were much evident successful my hours pinch Microsoft Flight Simulator, which still looks incredibly awesome but obscurity adjacent arsenic photo-realistic arsenic connected a high-power PC erstwhile you position environments up close. The framework complaint was besides rather unstable, sometimes dropping into nan debased 20s successful peculiarly built-up cities for illustration Tokyo.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

(Image credit: Microsoft)

(Image credit: PLAION)

(Image credit: PLAION)

The value of resolution, characters, and lighting successful Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, different highly demanding game, besides takes a deed and tin moreover struggle to consistently support its 30 fps framework rate. It’s still perfectly playable, but did detract from nan cinematic ambiance somewhat.

Forza Motorsport offers 2 chopped ocular modes, Performance and Quality, which target 60 fps astatine 1080p and 30 fps astatine 1440p respectively. I chose to prioritize framework rates and was pleased by nan smoothness of races connected my monitor, which was decidedly helped by nan smart usage of move solution scaling. This is different lawsuit wherever larger displays will suffer, though, arsenic nan 1080p solution and reduced level of wide item will beryllium importantly easier to spot. I would truthful urge sticking to smaller 1440p, aliases moreover 1080p, screens for nan champion experience.

It’s conscionable unfair to deduct immoderate points for this, though, arsenic you couldn’t execute this benignant of capacity connected a $300 PC. Even systems double aliases triple nan value would struggle to replicate it without extended settings tweaking and optimizations. If you’re shopping connected a tight budget, there’s besides rather a beardown chance that you don't ain a sizable 4K TV, which would extremity you from getting nan astir retired of nan higher resolutions and greater item of nan PS5 aliases Xbox Series X anyway.

The astir 800GB of usable retention will besides beryllium much than capable for nan immense mostly of players, peculiarly those not splashing retired connected nan newest releases. With an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, I recovered that it was much than capable to support a fewer live-service favorites specified arsenic Fortnite and Call of Duty on manus astatine each times while still having room for a rotating action of games that I wanted to try.

Should I bargain nan Xbox Series S 1TB?

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How I reviewed nan Xbox Series S 1TB

I tested nan Xbox Series S 1TB complete nan people of 2 weeks, alternating betwixt utilizing it pinch a Samsung 4K TV and a Lenovo 1080p monitor. Throughout my clip pinch nan console, I relied connected nan included Xbox Wireless Controller, successful summation to a fewer other peripherals specified arsenic a Seagate Game Drive for Xbox outer difficult thrust and nan SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 headset for audio.

I played a wide scope of games connected nan console, some from my individual room and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Some of my favorites included Senua’s Saga: Hellblade, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Gears 5, Forza Motorsport, Call of Duty: Warzone, Dead Island 2, Fortnite, Cities Skylines Remastered, Forza Motorsport 7, Starfield, and Minecraft. I besides tried plentifulness of backwards compatible games, specified arsenic Alice: Madness Returns, Mirror’s Edge, Skate 3, and Rumble Roses XX.

I perpetually compared my acquisition to my hands-on testing of nan original 512GB Xbox Series S, successful summation to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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First reviewed October/November 2024.