On November 10th this year, the Xbox Series S completes three years of launch. Microsoft’s cheapest console served as a gateway for many gamers into this new generation, offering an excellent balance between cost and benefit.
Three years later, the console is still a powerful machine and is capable of handling all the latest games, as Microsoft requires all Xbox Series X games to be ported to the less powerful model. But, with the price changes and three years on the market, is it still worth investing in the model?
Check out below how the Xbox Series S is positioned on the market and whether it’s worth keeping an eye on the product, as Black Friday 2023 is on the way.
Three years of Xbox Series S
The Xbox Series S is the most affordable option of the new generation in several ways: the console is one of the access points to the Xbox Game Pass catalog, a Microsoft service, which contains games from various generations, including recent releases.
The package is so interesting that it is even offered under special conditions on Xbox All Access. The solution is a kind of financing for the Xbox Series S with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription included.
The Xbox Series S is the cheapest console of the generation.Source: GettyImages
The entire new generation catalog
Currently, Microsoft guarantees: everything that runs on the Xbox Series
Therefore, all the games that come out for the most powerful console are also present on the Xbox Series S — and that is a huge advantage. With the console, Microsoft proved that it is not necessary to spend a lot to have a robust new generation experience.
All current generation games are available for the Xbox Series S.Source: GettyImages
Below, see some of the titles available for Xbox Series S:
Grounded;Gears 5;Halo Infinite;Sea of Thieves;Hi-Fi Rush;Psychonauts 2;Forza Horizon 5;Starfield;
And the list keeps growing. The next big releases, like Avowed, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II e S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will also be available for the console. Furthermore, there is also a great expectation of new games after the purchase of Activision Blizzard. The studio owns a multitude of franchises, including Call of Duty, Overwatch e Crash Bandicoot.
Small but powerful
Logically, the Xbox Series S does not have the same computing power as its bigger brother, since we are talking about a product that is cheaper. Still, the model manages to deliver a satisfactory experience in most scenarios.
Graphic quality varies depending on the game, obviously. However, it is quite common for titles to target display at 30 frames per second in Full HD (1080p) or Quad HD (1440p) resolution — sometimes dynamically.
A very clear example of the disparity in performance between the Series S and Series it is significantly smaller and rendering revolves around HD (720p) resolution.
However, this does not happen in all games: lighter or well-optimized titles, such as Forza Horizon 4, Psychonauts 2 or Hi-Fi Rush They run better in video games, featuring high graphical fidelity and stable frame rates.
The controversy: the price of the Xbox Series S
At the end of October, Microsoft announced a significant increase in the suggested price of the Xbox Series S in Brazil: the console would go from R$2,649 to R$3,599 — almost a 36% increase. The change came at a complicated time, as Black Friday is approaching and some consumers were waiting for major promotions — in the past, the console cost R$1800 in promotions.
A large part of Microsoft’s consumer community was unhappy with the change, as it would make the console almost as expensive as a PlayStation 5 Digital (currently sold for R$3,999). With this readjustment, the generation’s gateway is not as accessible.
The price difference between the Xbox Series S and X will be even smaller.Source: GettyImages
After the announcement (made exclusively through the press), the official Xbox Brazil profiles remained silent. There are no official announcements about the change, nor a justification for the change. In other words, the controversial price increase remains in effect.
Which one to choose?
The difference between the Xbox Series S and the PlayStation 5 is about to be even smaller, so the choice between one and the other becomes even more complicated. This leaves the question in the air: is it worth buying the Xbox Series S in 2023?
On the one hand, Microsoft offers a more complete and cheaper subscription service, but in a box with less performance. On the other, Sony has a console with top-of-the-line performance, but less accessible subscription options and less interesting benefits.
The Xbox Series S is still the cheapest option to enter the new generation of consoles, but its price is no longer as far away from more powerful options, nor from its bigger brother, the Xbox Series X (currently sold for R$4,299 ). These are difficult times for fans of the Microsoft console.
Furthermore, the choice tends to be even more complicated. In a short time, Microsoft should present the Xbox Series S in the 1 TB version in Brazil, creating another console option between the cheapest and most expensive models. This way, users will have another alternative to choose from.
With this in mind, consumers have a few options. As a price increase may occur in the coming weeks, it may be interesting to keep an eye on the Xbox Series S currently and try to get the console for a price in the region of R$2,000. Furthermore, another alternative is to monitor the used market, which can be busy in the pre-Black Friday period.
As the 1 TB model may arrive on the Brazilian market soon, there is also the possibility of waiting for the launch or getting the model on the gray market. However, with an imminent price increase for the Xbox Series S, there is a chance the product will become more expensive.
So, are you going to buy the Xbox Series S or do you intend to wait and see the market developments involving the console? Comment there on Instagram do Voxel!
2023-11-04 23:00:00
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