Series S Or Series X ?

Not sure if the Series S is the right deal. Just got one and realise that I won't be able to build a TSW2 library on this machine without spending the same amount for storage as for the console itself. I have this machine just one day and I had already to remove a game I hadn't played yet to install a game that I wanted to play first. I didn't intend to buy the Series S to play TSW2 as I have too much DLC on PS4 already but after playing a bit with the Series S I was considering if a full switch to Xbox would be feasible and the answer is no. I probably would if I had bought an X. Storage wise I feel like I'm on a PS3. I stopped buying disks at end of the PS3 life cycle. Since PS4 I always bought digital. This machine is made to make you upgrade to an X so buy an X from the start because digital only requires a lot of storage to be user-friendly. I guess my PS4 Pro is 2TB because I never had to consider to delete TSW2 on that machine. But on the Series S from day one I have two big sized games that I won't delete anytime soon (Forza 5 and Flight Simulator) and then there is just room for 3 medium sized games. There ain't no room anymore already for the same TSW2 library I own on PS4. TSW2 is a game you want to keep on your machine instead of constantly needing to download over and over again.

The Series S has all the benefits of gen 9 but lacks the longevity of Series X and PS5. But Microsoft really did a good job with this machine. It was an odd machine when it came out but with all disruptions we have seen the last few years it was the smart move to make. Not sure if Microsoft will keep me on their platform but they at least got me on their platform. We will see what happens with storage options pricing but at this price it makes more sense for me to still get a PS5 for paid content and have a series S to have Game pass.

 

This is why I have a 2TB expansion card which I share between my X and S as I use them, space for 48 games from 100GB+ ones like TSW2, Gears 5, FH5 and Elder Scrolls Online, to mid-sized 40-70GB ones like Halo Infinite, CP77, Tales Of Arise, Yakuza 7, etc, down to smaller indies like Cristales, Far: Changing Tides, or Haven. The internal storage of my X I reserve just for my disc based games, since I can't play them on my S (at least, not yet. Although Microsoft's new patent for being able to use ANY XBox console on your home network as the disc drive for verifying you own games will change that, letting you play disc based games on Series S by putting the disc into your XBox One or Series X)

I also use the trick of keeping a regular USB-connected SSD to play previous gen games off, and ALWAYS check if a given X/S upgrade to a game in fact requires internal storage as a lot of them (AC Odyssey, The Crysis Remasters, The Division 2, The Master Chief Collection, Sea of Thieves, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, etc), don't, they're just gen9 aware Durango builds.

Protip: if you do get a storage upgrade, the 2TB one is not only larger, it's FASTER than the 1TB equivalent and by a significantly measurable amount. Probably due to the newer PCIe4 controller in it.

Given the cost of investing in the storage the S desperately needs, yeah, it definitely encourages you to make your next purchase an X to make that worthwhile long-term.

 

Not sure if I'm late but I would say XSX:

• More RAM, helps A LOT with TSW, in fact crashes are almost non-existent on XSX while they are almost guaranteed on XSS on some routes apparently.
• Disk Drive could come useful, xbox has a lot of backwards compatible titles but some of them are not available in digital form (i.e. Ace Combat 6), and it is good to have the option of using disks. Even if you won't use it regularly there might be a few times it could be useful to have. [O/T am I still the only one that uses blu-rays?]
• More storage - good, my TSW install is 116GB, add GTA V and MSFS and it is really useful. I also seem to remember that first party storage is fairly expensive, and even if it is an SSD it will load slower because of the hardware architecture, but don't quote me on that
• 4k vs 1440p is not that huge, I can't speak personally as I've going straight from 1080p to 4k but the mainstream opinion seems to be that 1440p is good enough unless you are on a really big screen/TV
• Apparently from what people have told me on the MSFS forum it looks considerably worse on XSS, with rendering distance reduced by a fair amount - but it is more stable. No idea if other games do that, I don't think TSW does but it is a lot less stable on XSS.

 

1440p on series X is an excellent option if you want higher framerates and VRR without spending twice the price of the console itself on a new HDMI 2.1 display, as 4k only allows 60 on HDMI 2.0 displays due to the constraints of HDMI 2.0