Xbox Microsoft Series S 512GB SSD Console - Includes Wireless Controller - Up to 120 frames per second - 10GB RAM 512GB SSD - Experience high dynamic range Velocity Architecture

I always used to camp on the PC Master Race side and rightfully so. For those who want to squeeze the last polygon detail out of their games, of course the PC wins hands down. This was until I decided to dip my feet into the console world and I now understand why it is so popular. Here is my top 3 reason Xbox Series S is such an awesome console: Positives: 1. Priceless Laughs - Literally: Scored the box at $240 (sans 3-month Game Pass). Even at $300, this box is cheaper than therapy and light-years ahead in value. Good luck finding a PC on sale that can compete at the gaming experience and performance. 2. Quick Resume - Console Version of Time Travel: Microsoft's Quick Resume feature is the real-life cheat code. Turn off the console, unplug it, do a cartwheel if you feel like it - and when you're ready to play again, resume from right where you left it! It's like your game never heard of the concept of shutdowns! Now only if they made a real-life version of this... 3. Pixel, Please! (or Not): Series S delivers Native 4K gaming for a lot of games, and for those who debate pixels like it's a philosophical dilemma, fear not! Even upscaled frames are like a culinary masterpiece – you won't notice if the chef used a different spice, and the dish still tastes like victory. Cinematic experiences galore, even though the hairs look like pixelated spaghetti up close. Negatives 1. Storage: 'S' stands for Sibling Rivalry Edition: The Series S's 512GB storage is like having a cool older sibling with a tiny room – it's great until you realize there's no space left for your stuff. 2-3 AAA games later, and you're playing a digital version of Tetris with your storage. One year in, the struggle is definitely real. 2. Card Shock Therapy: The expansion cards are ridiculously expensive, and to make matters worse, SSD prices have skyrocketed since last year. These cards are more of a necessity than a luxury if you want to fully enjoy the Quick Resume feature, but the cost feels unjustified. It's not about splurging on a premium extra; it's more like being forced to pay for a basic feature that should have been more affordable. It’s a frustrating roadblock that makes the Series S’s storage limitations even more glaring. 3. Disc-less Dilemma: Hunting for pre-owned games at GameStop used to feel like a treasure hunt – you could snag great titles for a fraction of the price. But with the Xbox Series S being all-digital, that thrill is gone. Instead, you're left relying on Game Pass or a limited selection of games, with Xbox Store discounts about as rare as spotting a unicorn. Sure, digital is convenient, but nothing beats the ultra-cheap deals you could find on physical discs. Now, you're either waiting for an elusive sale or paying full price for digital games, which takes a lot of the fun (and savings) out of gaming. ~~General Experience:~~ The Xbox Series S is like a buffet – some choices are not as appealing, but you still leave with a full belly and a smile. It's the imperfect hero we need, not the one we deserve, and that's okay. EDIT: October '24 UPDATED the negatives on one year milestone.

I mean, it’s an Xbox Series S, it does what I needs to. I bought a cooling stand along with it and after seeing what this thing is capable of I realized that the cooling function is pretty much useless. I ended up keeping the stand for the charging ports. But back to the Xbox, the system I received is phenomenal. It came to me in perfect condition and it works like a charm. As for the consoles performance, probably the best of the newer models, it’s perfectly portable, the all digital setup ensures that you don’t need to worry about the clutter of taking game discs with you. The fact that the only form of storage on it is only solid state, it guarantees that you can keep the games you buy saved to the cloud and also allows for extremely fast loading times. Although the storage isn’t as much as advertised, since I thought it came with the full 512GB but instead I had around 318GB because of all the other apps it had already installed. But that would only be a hassle if you aren’t like me and have a ton of different games you want to play that are very big, or you’re a content creator or the sort. But regardless of that one minute flaw, it’s still a powerful system that runs high demanding games amazingly. I recommend this heavily to people who want a powerful system but not the bulk or cost of one.

To be clear Xbox Series S is next gen! it can game in 4K & play games at 120 FPS !! For parents to help out if buying for kids Xbox one S is previous gen! Note it says Xbox “one” S. Some previous gen Xbox consoles have “one” in the name. It’s Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, now Xbox Series X/S. The newest generation of Xbox consoles all have “Series” X or S in the name. Series X is the black bigger console Series S is the white smaller console The Xbox Series S…. It’s small, takes up little space and is powerful. The Series S can out preform the Series X in some departments like keeping 60 frames per second during challenging experiences for the console to run. The Series X wins in little things like draw distances and seeing a slightly better resolution, but at times could drop the frame rate. But they are pretty much the same next gen experience just two options for customers. What’s the biggest difference? Microsoft made a way for players not to miss out on next gen experience due to not being able to afford it! If you want next gen and also to save some money the Series S was made for you!! But if you want the full experience the Series X was made for you!! Series X wins for storage but Series S can allow 20 or more decent sized games plus don’t forget you can use cloud gaming for a lot of games you don’t want to download. Game pass cloud feature you can play games within seconds not having to download / install anything. I’ve tested the Series X and Series S and it’s barley a difference. I’m able to pick up and resume my save data from Series X to Series S no problem. Gears of war 5 or WWE 2k22 for example are just about the same on both. Series X - more storage, physical games CAN be played. Slightly better resolution. Loading time differences are to be within seconds nothing wild to report. Series S - Digital only! Meaning no physical games can be played. WiFi is required to set up and download games. Once it’s fully updated and games are downloaded it can be used offline but WiFi is needed to first set up the console and download games!! Series S should not be put down or downplayed, more information should be out there to help customers know this is truly next gen. The Series S is easier to find and it’s nothing wrong with it. Example of storage. Series S. Currently have 6 Xbox series X/S optimized games installed, 9 Xbox one games installed, 3 Xbox 360 games installed 1 Xbox (original console) game installed. Still have 52 GB free !! Downloading my library from Xbox one (previous generation Xbox) to Series S was super easy via the Xbox app. (Available on Google play android and iOS App Store) Much easier than Sony PlayStation has been. Xbox wants you to keep your library and keeps giving added backwards compatibility! I’m so happy with my Series S and don’t even care about the Series X anymore. It’s the same thing to me with little differences that aren’t worth the price difference. And not to every gamer it will be worth the price difference. The loading and quick resume give new life into last gen games that had long loading times ! Something like UFC 4 gets a lovely FPS boost along with Far Cry 5 and many others. Games you’ve already paid for are upgraded and new games will slowly unlock the true power of your purchase. You won’t be needing to trade the Series S in for an upgrade because it will be able to run the new titles and keep up just fine! It’s even small enough for different delivery options ! I got my Xbox delivered to a local stores locker ! It was super light to carry and didn’t come in a box revealing what’s inside thankfully. If you deeply care about 4 to 5 extra bushes and a pinch more draw distance that doesn’t make a difference to the degree that you wouldn’t be able to react. Like a driving game you’ll be able to have the same experience on both consoles same game just the series x might have slightly more available to see in the distance. If storage is that important to y’all or resolution go with the X. But if you want next gen and don’t need the extra storage, don’t care about physical games, and want to save money go with the Series S. Don’t miss out on next gen waiting out for the normal priced Series X if the S is available. This review is to help others understand the difference between the many names of Xbox consoles and see if the Series S is the best option. If not some information about the Xbox Series X is in my review to help to decide. Also to help parents out to make the right purchase for a potential surprise gift! Reviews are always designed to help out others and I hope it has been clear to help out others!!!

Grew up with nintendo , played the ps4 and switch in my adult life and love both those systems. They set the bar high for quality at an affordable price....and then the series s leaped over that bar like magikarp! Loads everything faster, including streaming services, games are quick so you spend less time waiting and more time playing. What used to take a minute to load now literally only takes less than 10 seconds at most. Otherwise its 3 seconds to load most games. Quick resume is a God send for someone like me who jumps from game to game, so I can in seconds resume playing one game then go to another. Looks very futuristic and sounds like a next gen console with the menu sound effects. But most importantly, makes games look and play better. With 4k options and the ability to run most games at 60 fps, its is a gamers wet dream. To think the switch and this gem of console are the same price is really mind boggling to me and I don't know how Microsoft was able to do it, but they did it, and absolutely nailed it! I could gush all day about this thing, couldn't be happier and am now a big Xbox fan cause of it. Love it!

This Xbox Series S is an excellent choice for gamers who want next-gen performance without the bulk or cost of the Series X. It’s a sleek, compact console that packs a lot of power, and I think it would make an amazing Christmas gift for any gamer this holiday season. The Xbox Series S boasts up to 120 frames per second, which is impressive for a console at this price point. Whether you’re playing fast-paced shooters or expansive open-world games, the smooth frame rate makes a noticeable difference in gameplay. The 512GB SSD ensures quick loading times, which is a huge upgrade from older consoles. The Xbox Velocity Architecture also enhances performance, making even the most demanding games run smoothly and The design of the Series S is sleek and minimalistic, making it a great addition to any living room setup. It’s significantly smaller than other next-gen consoles, which is perfect for gamers who may not have much space. Despite its size, it still manages to provide excellent performance. The 10GB RAM and 512GB SSD make for a solid combination, although you may find yourself running out of space quickly if you download a lot of games. However, the console is optimized for digital use, which means you can easily manage your game library and uninstall titles you aren’t currently playing without losing progress. The high dynamic range (HDR) support also makes colors pop, especially in visually intensive games. The included Xbox Wireless Controller is responsive and comfortable to use, which is a big plus. It connects seamlessly, and the familiar Xbox layout ensures that both experienced gamers and newcomers can jump right in. The Xbox Series S would make an excellent Christmas gift for any gamer, whether they are new to Xbox or looking to upgrade from an older console. It’s affordable, provides incredible performance, and is a great entry point into next-gen gaming without overwhelming storage or the need for physical discs. Plus, with access to Xbox Game Pass, it offers endless entertainment with a huge library of games available to download and play. The Xbox Series S is a perfect blend of power, value, and convenience. Whether you’re buying it for yourself or as a gift, it delivers an excellent next-gen gaming experience. If you’re looking for a gift that will light up someone’s holiday morning, this is definitely a great choice!

Honestly can't beat the price for what you get with the Series S and a game pass ultimate subscription. I don't collect physical media for Xbox platforms so I didn't feel it was necessary to leap for the Series X for that reason. It is a fast, responsive piece of hardware that really performs above my expectations. It comes as an amazingly small form factor which is refreshing as my PS5 is enormous and takes up a lot of space. I have encountered no issues while playing it. Performance-wise I have encountered some minor artifacting when playing some games such as Quantum Break. Side by side with the PS5 it is obviously outperformed but I'm not really playing Xbox for graphically intense games. I love the Game Pass economy and this gets me access to all of that. It comes with 512GB of NVMe SSD storage, which seems on the lower end as the Series X comes with 1TB but I really haven't run into issue with it as I don't typically play large file sized games. I could and probably will purchase the Seagate Expansion card at some point but I don't feel that is necessary at this time. A note for the shipment packaging: the package arrived with a dent along the top of the box that was pretty severe. As you can see in my pictures, the damage to the items packaging could have been avoided by added another air pack along the top and right side. Luckily, Microsoft was smart with their internal packaging to avoid any damage to the xbox itself. Where the dent extends into the packaging is where the controller, HDMI cord, power cord, and batteries are. 4 stars for my overall rating of the Series S, 2 stars for packaging on Amazon's part. Lovely system, I will buy the next upgrade if or when it's ever sold for the digital only Xbox. Thanks for reading!

Love the small form factor of the XBOX Series S and the games look great upscaled on my 4K UHD TV set. TBH, I picked mine up after using GamePass PC for several months and liked it and wanted to access it from a next gen console. I wanted a Series X but couldn’t get one, so settled for an S. I can’t pop in one of my old disks from my previous OG Xbox or 360, but most are available on GamePass or as digital purchase anyway. Pros- small and unobtrusive, games look great and even old games have visual and FOS improvements, very quiet, remote play is great, instant access through streaming surprisingly good, you can download games remotely using GamePass app. fast load times, quick resume. Cons - insufficient internal storage (you WILL need an expansion card or external storage after a while), gimped visuals and performance compared to Series X, user interface not intuitive - 360 and PS4 way better, no disk drive so no Blu-Ray movies or physical game disk. Other thoughts- I was using an external USB HDD for a while but new games won’t run from it (old games do). I eventually decided to spring for the Seagate internal expansion card for $200, so consider this in your cost assessment. Also exceeded my data limit with Xfinity in February for the first time ever downloading games, so don’t download everything at once.

So glad I bought this a few years ago and it’s still going strong. Still looks brand new