Microsoft has been the first to clarify the big doubts about its upcoming releases. The next-generation consoles created in Redmond already have an official release date, a price in euros, and all the features you need to know about them. But, which model is the one that best suits your needs?
Xbox Series X vs. Xbox Series S
The first thing we have to clarify is that both consoles are part of the new generation of xbox consoles, and both will be able to run the same games. There is no limitation between one or the other in terms of playing games, since as we will see below, the differences they go the other way.
The games in physical format
To begin with, we have the difference that can be key for many: the physical games. If you are one of those who have a collection of games that generate envy, you will have to opt for the Xbox Series X, since it is the only one that has disc reader.
small Xbox series sinstead, he preferred avoid optical drive to reduce its size as much as possible, something that allows it to look really good, being the smallest Xbox ever made.
Size Matters
Another immediately noticeable difference is obviously the size. Taking into account that Xbox Series X is not especially large (they maintain the dimensions very well with their monolithic format), the work done by Microsoft on the Xbox Series S is incredible. The result is an incredibly compact desktop console, and while they haven't shared the exact dimensions, we estimate the height of the console to be around 25 inches.
Resolution question: do you have a 4K TV?
Now yes. In practice, the most prominent difference between the two consoles will be related to the resolution at which you want to play. If you have a television with 4K resolution and you want to play yes or yes at that resolution, your only option will be to choose the Xbox Series X, which is capable of reaching 4K at 120 images per second.
If, on the other hand, you have a Full HD or 1440p monitor, the Xbox Series S will be the model that best suits you, since the maximum resolution it will offer in games will be 1440p at 60 images per second, being able to reach 120 images per second depending on the game, like its older sister.
Same processor, but with graphics changes
A very interesting point to keep in mind is that both consoles are based on the same platform, sharing an AMD Zen 2 processor and AMD RDNA 2 graphics card. However, due to the way each console is oriented, the brains They will have very different technical characteristics in each one. If on the one hand the CPUs are practically identical, as far as the GPU is concerned the Series X has a total of 52 CUs at 1,825 GHz, while the small bet for 20 CUs at 1,565 GHz. This translates into total power of 12,15 Teraflops for the big one compared to 4 Teraflops for the Series S.
But we repeat again, Microsoft's idea is to offer two ranges for different resolutions, but not with different experience, since both consoles will offer lighting effects with Ray Tracing, HDR, instant loading, etc.
Official characteristics table
| Xbox Series X | Xbox series s | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 Core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.8GHZ 3.6 GHz SMT Enabled | 8 Core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.6GHZ 3.4 GHz SMT Enabled |
| GPU | AMD RDNA 2 52 CUs @ 1,825 GHz | AMD RDNA 2 20 CUs @ 1,565 GHz |
| GPU power | 12,15 Teraflops | 4 teraflops |
| SoC | 7 nanometer custom | 7 nanometer custom |
| RAM | 16 GB GDDR6 of which: 10GB@560GB/s 6GB@336GB/s | 10 GB GDDR6 of which: 8GB@224GB/s 2GB@56GB/s |
| target performance | 4K @ 60 FPS, up to 120 FPS | 1440p @ 60 FPS, up to 120 FPS |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVME SSD | 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVME SSD |
| Expansion slot | 1TB cards | 1TB cards |
| backward compatibility | Hundreds of Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Xbox games available at launch. Backwards compatibility with Xbox accessories. | Hundreds of Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Xbox games available at launch. Backwards compatibility with Xbox accessories. |
| Optical unit | 4K UHD Blu-ray | Not available |
| Video output | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| Price | 499 Euros | 299 Euros |