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[Derktron]

Okay before I begin let me start off with the usual assumptions that people will probably have

1. I already know it's a $300 system that is only capable of doing so much.
2. The system already uses the same CPU as the Xbox Series X
3. The console will be fine. Why are you so worried
4. I'm sure I missed some things.

Okay I understand what everyone is going to say and I 100% agree, but as an owner who is lucky enough to even have a next-generation system like Series S, I'm grateful for that because of how hard it is to get a PS5 or Series S/X. But I feel like Xbox doesn't give it enough attention that it needs and it's not entirely Xbox who I feel like they don't give it enough attention, it's also the devs, they sometimes leave of the Series S and sometimes treat it like it's a second class device that doesn't matter, and that is where I understand that the console can do so much but I feel like they need to do more, for an instant, the big upgrade Xbox released for the 120hz (120 fps) upgrade.

That to me feels unfair because they should have also focused on people who still have a 60hz screen and done both, do the upgrade for 120hz, but also do fps boost for those who have a 60hz screen, just like they did for the first fps boost, where I can play a smooth 60fps when playing games like Skyrim or Fallout 76. Make games that are 30fps to 60fps then jump to 120fps for those who have the capable device and yeah you can argue that some games already hit 60fps but in reality sometimes it is not the case, it's achievable on PS5 and Series X but it sure doesn't feel that way on Series S, it might be 60fps but you can see the dips and hardly ever notice it.

Another is the resolution to performance on the Series S, some games are achievable to a full 4K but to me, that should not be the main focus on the Series S when it won't hit 60fps like on the PS5 and Series X. To me, they should focus more on 1080p, and 1440p to achieve 60fps, and if they can achieve a full 4K and somehow achieve 60fps then fuck it, good for them and I'll celebrate with a bottle of beer and dance around my Xbox Series S.

I don't maybe I'm overreacting and being dumb in my assumptions, but I feel like the Series S will not last very far into the generation where I feel like they might make a Series S 2.0 in the future. (I would love to be proved wrong and would be happy to be proved wrong on ALL my assumptions I just made)
Thoughts?

 

[bob_mugabe]

 

[Kuranghi]

You need strong HW to reach 120hz even at 1080p (without spazzing the visuals up) on a PC where you don't have to worry about strict frametimes, on a console its mega hard, they probably do look at doing that behind the scenes and then backtrack quickly when they see they'll need to make too many compromises.

Cleetus can't notice the difference between 60 and 120 like some of us can, plus hardly anyone has the appropriate HW AND he won't notice the input lag reduction even if he doesn't notice the temporal resolution difference, so its a waste of their time probably.

edit - To be clear I'm not calling you a Billy Bob Bean, just saying the people this is primarily targetted at probably are, so it makes sense the way they are doing it.

 

[PropellerEar]

It was designed as a "rollercoaster brakeman", to keep next gen thrills and chills to minimum.
It will last the whole gen, enjoy the ride.

 

[Kuranghi]

I'm laughing!

Please stop.

 

[Derktron]

This is not a hate thread, I did not state in my thread that I hate the Series S, I only stated what I see wrong with it. I'm grateful for the Series S only because of how hard it is to get a true next-gen console.

 

[Derktron]

It was designed as a "rollercoaster brakeman", to keep next gen thrills and chills to minimum.
It will last the whole gen, enjoy the ride.

We will see

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

It isn't going to last and I think its a waste of money

Once games start being made natively for the PS5 and Series X you will start to see the power gap of the Series S

So for $100 less you are getting a weaker console with no disc drive = waste of money. You might as well have just saved up and got the Series X, I understand that it isn't easy to find right now but to be honest there isn't any point of rushing to own any of these consoles right now because of the lack of native games.

By the time you can walk into a store and buy a series X it will have more native games that will make your purchase worth it.

 

[Birdo]

In the future it will become a cult console for it's superb emulation abilities (Kind of like what happened to OG Xbox).

Invest now.

 

[StateofMajora]

You need strong HW to reach 120hz even at 1080p (without spazzing the visuals up) on a PC where you don't have to worry about strict frametimes, on a console its mega hard, they probably do look at doing that behind the scenes and then backtrack quickly when they see they'll need to make too many compromises.

Cleetus can't notice the difference between 60 and 120 like some of us can, plus hardly anyone has the appropriate HW AND he won't notice the input lag reduction even if he doesn't notice the temporal resolution difference, so its a waste of their time probably.

Lol at Cleetus.

But yeah, I don't think the average person will mind, or necessarily care about 120fps modes.

 

[Nikana]

Okay before I begin let me start off with the usual assumptions that people will probably have

1. I already know it's a $300 system that is only capable of doing so much.
2. The system already uses the same CPU as the Xbox Series X
3. The console will be fine. Why are you so worried
4. I'm sure I missed some things.

Okay I understand what everyone is going to say and I 100% agree, but as an owner who is lucky enough to even have a next-generation system like Series S, I'm grateful for that because of how hard it is to get a PS5 or Series S/X. But I feel like Xbox doesn't give it enough attention that it needs and it's not entirely Xbox who I feel like they don't give it enough attention, it's also the devs, they sometimes leave of the Series S and sometimes treat it like it's a second class device that doesn't matter, and that is where I understand that the console can do so much but I feel like they need to do more, for an instant, the big upgrade Xbox released for the 120hz (120 fps) upgrade.

That to me feels unfair because they should have also focused on people who still have a 60hz screen and done both, do the upgrade for 120hz, but also do fps boost for those who have a 60hz screen, just like they did for the first fps boost, where I can play a smooth 60fps when playing games like Skyrim or Fallout 76. Make games that are 30fps to 60fps then jump to 120fps for those who have the capable device and yeah you can argue that some games already hit 60fps but in reality sometimes it is not the case, it's achievable on PS5 and Series X but it sure doesn't feel that way on Series S, it might be 60fps but you can see the dips and hardly ever notice it.

Another is the resolution to performance on the Series S, some games are achievable to a full 4K but to me, that should not be the main focus on the Series S when it won't hit 60fps like on the PS5 and Series X. To me, they should focus more on 1080p, and 1440p to achieve 60fps, and if they can achieve a full 4K and somehow achieve 60fps then fuck it, good for them and I'll celebrate with a bottle of beer and dance around my Xbox Series S.

I don't maybe I'm overreacting and being dumb in my assumptions, but I feel like the Series S will not last very far into the generation where I feel like they might make a Series S 2.0 in the future. (I would love to be proved wrong and would be happy to be proved wrong on ALL my assumptions I just made)
Thoughts?

The games in question you are talking about FPS boost already ran at 60 FPS. They are 120 because they doubled the frame rate. The tech being used to up rez and frame rate are separate and might not be possible to achieve a higher rez without breaking the game.

For games that did get both, such as Fallout 4, You already can toggle if you want the FPS boost on or not which would give you the options you want? Im not entirely sure what you are asking for as some of your sentences don't make a lot of sense.

On the bolded, Series S is already targeting 1440p or 1080p on most games.

 

[Kuranghi]

Lol at Cleetus.

But yeah, I don't think the average person will mind, or necessarily care about 120fps modes.

I take every opportunity I can to force my flatmate who doesn't game to look at the difference between 30 and 60 (terrible flatmate haha, I am the LORD of the LAND though so if he says no I could pap him), even showing him videos of side by sides of 30 vs 60 and I think he thinks I'm trolling him and there is no difference.

Its blows my mind, but if you don't know what to look for you can't say why one better than the other I guess. Its been my experience with literally 100s of causal gamers. I wish I had their eyes but for god's sake I've got my father's eyes:

 

[Captain Toad]

It's too late. It will be around the entire generation and we will be chained to it the entire time. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

 

[Senua]

i am very concerned™

 

[Kuranghi]

This is not a hate thread, I did not state in my thread that I hate the Series S, I only stated what I see wrong with it. I'm grateful for the Series S only because of how hard it is to get a true next-gen console.

Ahh don't worry about that wally, the non-mentalists on this forum know full well that what box you choose to fondle makes no difference. Fondle all boxes I say!

GayGAFBoys edit - ...and fondle all joysticks too! I think I covered lesbians in my initial post. Yosh!

 

[Ten_Fold]

Depending on how long this gen goes on for imo. I don't think it's a horrible system. I can see it even dropping to like $199-$249 range, which would just sell based off how cheap it is. Still I don't think it will hold back this gen much.

 

[skit_data]

-The end result probably wont be a huge issue, since devs have to target it before actually building the game. This will probably lead to a relatively satisfying result for the end user.

-That said, we will because of this never know how games would've been designed if Series S wasnt the lowest common denominator. Its very possible interesting stuff will be scrapped before entering full on development.

Both these statements are can be true, and probably are.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I've always personally felt like the S was basically made with Game Pass in mind. Especially the cloud gaming aspect.

Well, and options. Which is what Microsoft has clearly wanted to provide to their fans. The S is just a cheaper alternative to the X for people that can't or don't want to shell out THAT much money.

I think it's too early to assume how long it will last. But I still applaud them for providing more options for their buyers.

 

[GHG]

DarkMage619 when he sees this thread:

 

[AnotherOne]

 

[ArtemisClydeFrog]

In the future it will become a cult console for it's superb emulation abilities (Kind of like what happened to OG Xbox).

Invest now.

I keep seeing people say this. What emulation abilities does it have that the XSX doesn't have?

 

[Magic Carpet]

Follow the swinging watch.
You will buy a Series S.
You will enjoy the Series S.
You will not think about the inner workings of the Series S.
You will not be concerned about the Series S.
You will play games on your Series S.
Follow the swinging watch.
You will enjoy video gaming.
You will talk about how much you enjoy video gaming.
Now on the count of 3 you will cluck like a chicken.
1. 2. ......

 

[AmateurPong]

Once the Gamepass cloud stuff really gets going, won't the Series S just be able to stream whatever is exclusive to the SX and be future proofed in that way?

 

[ManaByte]

Series S concern threads are the new version of GamePass concern threads.

 

[SkylineRKR]

If we're going to see a mid gen refresh, the S is done. The X will likely take its spot, perhaps a DD only X. No reason to keep the S around at that point.

 

[ArtemisClydeFrog]

Cleetus can't notice the difference between 60 and 120 like some of us can, plus hardly anyone has the appropriate HW AND he won't notice the input lag reduction even if he doesn't notice the temporal resolution difference, so its a waste of their time probably.

 

[ManaByte]

No reason to keep the S around at that point.

$299 is the reason. $299 is the magic number for any console. That's why the PSX launching for $299 in 1995 was such a huge deal, likewise with almost any console after that.

You know why there were slim versions of the 360, PS3, and PS4? It wasn't for aesthetic reasons. It was to get down to $299 as fast as possible.

MS is already there with the Series S. The console isn't targeted at those who spend $1500 on a OLED 4K TV. It's targeted at those who go to Target or Walmart and buy a $400 Roku TV.

 

[Iced Arcade]

The games in question you are talking about FPS boost already ran at 60 FPS. They are 120 because they doubled the frame rate. The tech being used to up rez and frame rate are separate and might not be possible to achieve a higher rez without breaking the game.

For games that did get both, such as Fallout 4, You already can toggle if you want the FPS boost on or not which would give you the options you want? Im not entirely sure what you are asking for as some of your sentences don't make a lot of sense.

On the bolded, Series S is already targeting 1440p or 1080p on most games.

Andddd done.

 

[IntentionalPun]

I think it exists largely for xCloud to have a lower powered way of serving streaming to devices where it's pointless to use a 4k beast like XSX (and expensive.)

If it goes away, then that means devs not producing a version of their games w/ a lower powered target, and xCloud has to be all XSX all the time as far as rendering to people, whereas they plan on either having XSS in the cloud or having multiple people rendered from XSX hardware. Having 2 gamers on the same XSX hardware.. is.. well.. half as expensive.

So it might be here to stay, whether it catches on much with consumers or not.

They could kill it as a consumer device, and still have devs target it. But what's the point if their big end game is this belief xCloud will be streaming games by the "billions" to 5 inch cell phone screens and using an XSX to do it is not cost efficient?

 

[InterMusketeer]

We don't appreciate honesty here. Keep your honest nature to yourself and start lying like the rest of us.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I can't see a scenario where MS drops the S before the generation is over. That would be a huge bait and switch. I mean, I personally wouldn't want to play an end of gen game on the S, but plenty of people are playing Switch games at 720p and sub 30 fps, so there's no reason to think that it would be a deal breaker.

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

Nvm.

 

[ManaByte]

xCloud has to be all XSX all the time as far as rendering to people

Right now xCloud runs on Xbox One S hardware. MS is working to upgrade the server blades to XS hardware this year.

 

[GHG]

Follow the swinging watch.
You will buy a Series S.
You will enjoy the Series S.
You will not think about the inner workings of the Series S.
You will not be concerned about the Series S.
You will play games on your Series S.
Follow the swinging watch.
You will enjoy video gaming.
You will talk about how much you enjoy video gaming.
Now on the count of 3 you will cluck like a chicken.
1. 2. ......

You forgot the all important punchline:

 

[IntentionalPun]

Right now xCloud runs on Xbox One S hardware. MS is working to upgrade the server blades to XS hardware this year.

I'm.. not sure why you just mentioned this; my post implies they are upgrading the hardware.

They are also likely planning on still streaming next-gen games @1080p via a lower powered rendering pipeline.. either XSS hardware, or XSX hardware shared by multiple users.

 

[mckmas8808]

It's not supposed to last long. It was always a half measure.

 

[Calverz]

I love my series s but its too tied to the 1s which is why im gonna upgrade to a series x later this year before halo comes out.
Also its not really aimed at anyone in this forum.

 

[Jigsaah]

I've kinda felt the same. As games get more advanced throughout the gen I fear Series S may become less attractive and eventually phased out. One reason I feel this way is because I also believe Sony will release a mid gen console. At that point, Xbox will need to respond. Any comparable response will more than likely force Series S to keep fading into the background. Its the natural way of technology. If the Gen is 7 years, I give series S 5 years before it becomes obsolete.

 

[ArtemisClydeFrog]

Also its not really aimed at anyone in this forum.

It's aimed at beta males, and there's plenty of them here.

 

[ManaByte]

I've kinda felt the same. As games get more advanced throughout the gen I fear Series S may become less attractive and eventually phased out.

Why? It has the same CPU as the XSX (which is faster than the PS5s) and the same SSD. The only limiting factor is resolution and the console was never meant to be a 4K machine. Again, the console isn't targeted to anyone here who has a fancy 4K TV.

 

[Andodalf]

Designated concern thread general discussion when?

 

[DenchDeckard]

This thing will be 200 pounds, 250 dollars on promo with gamepass once stock is available. Its not built for all of us. Its an option and I think it will and has performed well for Microsoft.

Its perfect for travel, its just a cool little box.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

MS is manufacturing equal no of Series S and X consoles.

It's basically half their install base.

It's already sold about 2 million units (approx) since it is in short supply too.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Warnen]

Prob get a price drop at some point and be the Gamepass box for casuals. It's good to have choice not everyone wants to drop so much money on a hobby.

 

[Astral Dog]

I think PS5 will have an advantage with exclusive games being designed for it that don't need to prioritize Series S in development.

How much thats gonna impact the visuals i can't be sure, we barely seen any game designed for next gen consoles only

But 5GB of RAM plus 3 or 4 TF have to account for something

 

[ManaByte]

This thing will be 200 pounds, 250 dollars on promo with gamepass once stock is available. Its not built for all of us. Its an option and I think it will and has performed well for Microsoft.

Its perfect for travel, its just a cool little box.

I have a 1080p TV in my other room. Instead of spending another $500 on second XSX for that TV, I just got a Series S because that's all it needs.

 

[skit_data]

Why? It has the same CPU as the XSX (which is faster than the PS5s) and the same SSD.

You do know this is only when SMT is disabled?

 

[DarkMage619]

$299 is the reason. $299 is the magic number for any console. That's why the PSX launching for $299 in 1995 was such a huge deal, likewise with almost any console after that.

You know why there were slim versions of the 360, PS3, and PS4? It wasn't for aesthetic reasons. It was to get down to $299 as fast as possible.

MS is already there with the Series S. The console isn't targeted at those who spend $1500 on a OLED 4K TV. It's targeted at those who go to Target or Walmart and buy a $400 Roku TV.

So much wisdom in this post. I was just thinking the same thing the PS1 launched at $299 and not one person complained about its capabilities. I'm positive the XSS is more powerful than the PS1 and is at the same price point as a console back in 1995. Not one hater can prove that the XSS is missing any current gen features any other current gen console has.

To the OP watch few videos of the XSS and explain why MS would drop the XSS. They didn't even drop the X1 and we knew that was a disaster.



This is at the beginning of the generation. The XSS will be fine no matter how loud haters yell at the (x)Clouds.

 

[Kataploom]

It will, One X cannot hold a candle where Series S does due to RDNA2... Take a look: https://www.neogaf.com/threads/samp...eo-to-come-soon.1601750/page-3#post-263207048

 

[M16]

Another is the resolution to performance on the Series S, some games are achievable to a full 4K but to me, that should not be the main focus on the Series S when it won't hit 60fps like on the PS5 and Series X. To me, they should focus more on 1080p, and 1440p to achieve 60fps, and if they can achieve a full 4K and somehow achieve 60fps then fuck it, good for them and I'll celebrate with a bottle of beer and dance around my Xbox Series S.

worst case, they target 1080p (compared to 4k on series X), and it will have the same fps/or better. for people with 1080p TVs, there is no difference between it and the series X.
thats i think the whole point of the series S, since it has the same cpu,sdd,and less ram(because its supposed to target a smaller resolution).
even if a game on series X targets less than 4k, its still fine since the series S gpu is 1/3 of the series X, but for comparison, 1080pvs 4K is 1/4, so theres alot of headroom.

unless you think later in the generation, series X will target 1440p or 1080p, which it wont. it will always target at or near 4K.