When Xbox revealed their next generation of consoles last year, there was a lot of conversation surrounding the design of the less expensive system, the Xbox Series S. The Series S doesn’t possess the same amount of power as the Series X, nor does it feature a disk drive for physical media. However, this difference in capabilities between Xbox’s two new systems is only half the story; the Series S also represents a strategic effort by Microsoft to develop its Xbox ecosystem.
While not possessing the same bells and whistles as those present in its more expensive counterpart, the Series S does offer a lot of power and options considering the cheaper price. Though the system isn’t able to play games at a 4K resolution, the sheer fact that it can run graphics intensive games at up to 2K resolution is impressive. This also ensures that people without a 4K capable television can enjoy newer games without needing to buy the Series X. In being designed to cater to budget-conscious gamers, the Series S’ more limited technology relative to the Series X becomes an unexpected strength.
Mentioned in various reviews, the size of the Series S is indeed remarkable in how it prevents questions of physical storage and system placement from becoming issues. The console is smaller than the Series X, ensuring that people can store it in their home entertainment unit or mount it to a wall without incident. So small is the Series S that it can be carried in a backpack, allowing the owner to bring it to friends’ houses or vacation spots. Without a doubt, the compact nature of the Series S speaks to a wider consideration for convenience on Xbox’s part.
When the Series S was first announced, it was pushed to the side as the lesser of two options. Many people figured it would make more financial sense to pay the extra money for the more powerful Series X. That attitude, however, flies in the face of the Series S’ potential for promoting audience growth.For instance, the Series S has made strides in using the promise of Xbox Game Pass to draw players deeper into the Xbox ecosystem. The Series S being digital-only ensures that the system is reliant on the Xbox marketplace and Game Pass for its game library. This in turn calls attention to the variety of quality titles included with Game Pass, which gets gamers excited about engaging with the wider Xbox brand. As with the matter of its reduced power, the built-in catalogue of the Series S acts as a solution to a hypothetical problem.
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