Xbox One S had a slimmer design and was 40% smaller than the former Xbox One model. As well as 4k blu ray, the Xbox One S came with 4k video streaming and HDR capabilities and up to 2TB of storage. There were also improvements to the controllers, as well as the option to connect the gaming unit to your other devices, such as your TV and satellite boxes. However, in January 2022, Microsoft stopping making all Xbox One consoles, including the S model. If your child is after an Xbox, they will be looking for the Series X or the Series S.
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Xbox One S Buying Guide
The next round of the battle between Sony and Microsoft has got underway with the launch of the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One S, respectively. When it comes to elite, top-class gaming these are the best consoles on the market, but what should you now about the new iteration of the Xbox? And how does it differ from its older brother?
Here we’ll guide you through the various changes to the console and the Xbox operating system, helping you to decide if it’s worth upgrading if you’ve already got the previous model. If you’re looking for a quick spoiler then we’ll give you one: No, it’s probably not worth upgrading. Read on to find out why.
Xbox One S: What’s New
The biggest difference between the two consoles out of the box is the design with the Xbox One S opting for a slimmer, more streamlined approach. We’re not joking when we say there’s a difference, either. Microsoft has made the Xbox One S 40% smaller than its predecessor, meaning it’s just over half the size of the previous model.
Design
The change brings it closer to appearance to the already slimmer PlayStation 4; especially as the power brick has now been moved inside the console. No longer will you have an unattractive chunk of plastic lying next to your device when you’re gaming. You can also stand the newer model on its side, something that you couldn’t do with the Xbox One.
In one sense the aesthetic look of the machine is pretty similar when it comes to its design. One half of it is solid with a matte texture, the other is covered in a pattern. It’s the pattern itself that has changed as the device now has hundreds of holes on it rather than vertical lines. That’s not merely a design choice with the holes allowing for better ventilation and cooling.
At the time of writing the One S is only available in white, which won’t be to everyone’s taste. Whether Microsoft are planning to release it in different colours, such as black, remains to be seen. It seems likely that it will happen, though, with the older Xbox One available in numerous custom designs because of tie-ins with popular games.
The Controller
The Xbox One’s controller was imperfect if we’re honest. The Xbox One S’s controller has undergone some changes to make it better, including the addition of better gripping material underneath the handles. It’s also sleeker and slimmer than the original, meaning it is automatically easier to keep hold anyway as it isn’t as chunky in your hand.
One thing that is a small change but that might make a big difference to the way you play is the controller’s range. The remote can now be used twice as far from the console as the original one could, meaning you and your friends can sit far away from each other instead of feeling as though you’re crowding around the television screen to play games.
4K
Whilst the design of the Xbox One S is the most noticeable thing as soon as you get it out of the box, arguably the biggest change to the internals of the console is the introduction of 4K capability. That means that if you’re the sort of person who likes to use your Xbox as a multimedia centre then you’ll be able to stream 4K content from the likes of Amazon Instant Video and Netflix through the console without having to buy an additional device.
Perhaps even more important is the fact that it’s capable of offering 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback. That means that you’re not only getting a gaming console but also a 4K Blu-ray player all in one for the price you’d pay for a Blu-ray player on its own from one of the big companies like Samsung.
The addition of 4K is a good one for those of you that consider yourselves to be lovers of the visual. It will mean that the colour range is wider, the resolution is sharper and that there will be a higher dynamic range to HDR content. That means that your games and your movies are going to look pretty fantastic – but only if you’ve also got a 4K capable television of course.
Port Changes
There are some slight changes to the way the ports are used on the Xbox One S. Microsoft have completely removed the dedicated Kinect port, for example, as the company abandons its attempts to get people to embrace motion-tracking. If you were a convert, though, don’t worry – you can still connect your old Kinect device to the USB port with the help of a USB adapter.
Speaking of the USB port – that has moved. It is no longer on the side, which was a slightly ridiculous place to put it in the first place, and is now on the front of the console. The pairing button, which allows you to connect new wireless controllers, has also been moved to the front.
Those of you who have ever struggled to turn your Xbox One on with the touch panel will be relieved to know that the device now features a physical power button. No longer will you grope about the place, hoping that you’re about to stumble across the touch-activated on/off switch in order to simply get down to playing a game.
One other thing that might interest some of you is the introduction of a built-in IR blaster. That means you’ll be able to turn on things like you TV, satellite, DVR or audio receiver without having to have thirteen different remotes cluttering up your living room. It’s not the most exciting change, but it might just tickle the fancy of some of you.
Storage
The reality is that the amount of storage in any given device doesn’t make a huge amount of difference for the average user. For those of you that consider yourselves to be slightly above average, however, the amount of storage in your device can make a really difference to gameplay.
That’s why you might like to know that the Xbox One S offers up to 2TB of storage – up from either 500GB or 1TB in the original Xbox. That allows for a huge amount of games and apps to be stored on the device without having to upgrade it with external storage. Ideal if you’re a heavy gamer. You can still get models with smaller amounts of memory if you want one of them, though.
Is It Worth the Upgrade?
At the same time that Microsoft announced the Xbox One S they also declared the upcoming release of the mysteriously named Project Scorpio. That has been labeled ‘the most powerful console ever’, which is a strange tag to give something when you’re also trying to persuade people to buy an entirely different console.
If you’ve already got an Xbox One, then, there’s not a huge amount of point in upgrading to the One S if you’re the sort of person who wants the very best machine on the market. After all, you’ll only have to upgrade again when Project Scorpio is released next year.
If you are yet to join the Xbox family then you’ll certainly want to consider buying the Xbox One S rather than the earlier model. The 4K capabilities alone are enough to make it worth buying. You might not think it matters, but 4K will be everywhere soon and this device will allow you to future-proof yourself and keep up with the times.
If you are not only part of the Xbox family but also have an Xbox One then you’ll want to think seriously before upgrading. If 4K matters to you or you’re considering buying a 4K Blu-ray player then it makes sense to spend the money on the new console. If you’re not, though, then the actual upgrades are so minimal to the gameplay ability of the machine as to make it hardly worth your while.
The key point you’ll want to consider when thinking about whether to buy an Xbox One S is that you do not need the device to play any of Microsoft’s forthcoming games. That is the main reason you’ll probably want to hold off on an upgrade if you’re an Xbox One user, but also the reason for buying it if you don’t yet have a Microsoft console.