What’s The Difference Between Xbox One And Xbox One S

Faster Performance Higher Frame Rates

The Xbox Series X and Series S have dramatically more powerful CPUs than previous-generation consoles didin the neighborhood of four times as powerful as their predecessor in raw speed and the number of cores and threads, to say nothing of seven years worth of efficiency and other improvements. This means faster user interfaces and much faster load times,1 as well as more sophisticated character and game behaviors, and just more stuff on screen at any given moment.

But the biggest improvements are most apparent in frame rates, which should hit 60 frames per second much more often this generation than last. The more frames per second, the more often the controller and the game are communicating. So a new Series X or Series S should feel like it responds faster and more reliably to your inputs. And when games cant maintain consistent frame rates, support for variable refresh rates should help keep those games from feeling unresponsive. Recent examples here include Diablo 2: Resurrected and Psychonauts 2, both of which offer 60 FPS modes on Series X and S unavailable on the Xbox One. The upcoming Battlefield 2042, is supposed to run at 60 FPS, but never manages it on Xbox One or even the PlayStation 4. On the Series X and S, performance in the recent beta was consistently smooth.

Quick Resume Acts Like The Ultimate Pause Button

Using their fast storage access, the Xbox Series X and Series S allow you to suspend almost any game by creating a snapshot of it in system memory. You can then start another game, watch a movie, or even turn off and completely unplug your console. The next time you start the game in question, itll pick up exactly where you left off. Its a lot like switching between open apps on a smartphone, and you can do it with several games at once. Games already boot up faster on the new consoles because of their storage speed, and if youre playing more than one thing, switching between games using quick resume saves a lot of time and frustration because you skip any menus and save/load screens that you might otherwise be forced to navigate. And in the few months weve been using the console, every time we boot up a game for the first time in weeks only to load up exactly where we left off in seconds is a delightful experience.

Initially, Quick Resume support was somewhat spotty, with several games encountering problems with the feature but recent patches have improved overall stability, though there are still occasional, unavoidable issues. For titles like the 2018 remaster of Dark Souls, which uses an always online server system, Quick Resume just about always results in a server disconnect, which will boot you to the title screen .

Xbox Series S Vs Xbox One S: The Cheapest Xbox Consoles Compared

Two similar looking boxes with very different specs

Which is right for you, the Xbox Series S vs Xbox One S? These two consoles from Microsoft have similar names and designs. But there are important differences between the Xbox Series S and Xbox One S that you need to know about if youre trying to decide which one you need to buy.

In this guide, well cover what each console can offer, as well as which one has the features, resolution and power thats right for you. Theres a solid case to be made for either one, depending on your preferences.

For starters, the newer Xbox Series S is capable of 1440p resolution, upscaled to 4K, 120fps and this includes graphical features, such as ray tracing. Although it might not be as powerful as Microsoft’s flagship Xbox Series X, its still a next-gen console.

However, the Xbox One S isnt nearly as powerful as the Series S. But its been around longer, which means its cheaper price point makes it a great choice if the Xbox Series S is out of your budget.

Weve spent a lot of time testing both consoles and putting them through their paces, which you can read more about in our Xbox Series S review and Xbox One S review. This puts us in a good position to say definitively which one is worth your time and your money.

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You Can Still Play Your Old Gamesand Theyll Look Better

If you want to get the new system but dont see many new games youre interested in, virtually all of your old games will work on the new consoles. The Xbox Series X and Series S offer nearly blanket backward compatibility, meaning that your existing libraries of Xbox Onecompatible software will run on the Xbox Series X and Series S. Whats more, every Xbox Onecompatible piece of software will, according to Microsoft , run and look better on these new systems than it did on previous-generation consoles. The Auto HDR feature, which uses an algorithm to tweak a games picture to take advantage of modern televisions ability to show brighter images with better contrast, leads to a beautiful new sense of vibrance in games like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. There are a few games where this feature results in image quality that looks a little funny, but it can be disabled on a per game basis.

Microsoft also recently introduced FPS Boost, the official term for a proprietary software technique that allows the Xbox Series consoles to effectively double the targeted framerate of backwards compatible games without the need for official patches from the original developer. For some games, this means 60 FPS or thereabouts for the first time on consoles. For others, it means 120 FPS with supported televisions.

Is The New Xbox Backward Compatible With Older Games

The Xbox Series X and Series S are backward compatible with all but a handful of Xbox One titles which were based around the no longer supported Kinect sensor. The Series X and Series S will also play the hundreds of Xbox 360 and Xbox titles that Microsoft made the Xbox One backward compatible with as well. Almost all backward-compatible titles will have a variety of graphical enhancements.

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Why Is Microsoft Xbox Series S Better Than Microsoft Xbox One

• 2.06x faster CPU speed8 x 3.6GHzvs8 x 1.75GHz
• 2.69 TFLOPS higher floating-point performance?
• Has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack?
• 712MHz faster GPU clock speed?

What To Look Forward To

Well continue to test the Xbox Series X and Series S as software arrives, and well update this guide with our thoughts and impressions on the user experience accordingly. Additionally, Wirecutter senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who is responsible for much of our television coverage, has tested the Xbox Series X as well as just about every major 2020 and 2021 television model with HDMI 2.1 support, and has screen recommendations for various budgets to get the most out of the new consoles.

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A Budget Console That Costs More Than The Standard Xbox One S

The main aim of the Xbox One S All-Digital is to offer the core Xbox experience at a discount hence the removal of the optical drive. But while that sounds great in theory, in practice, it isnt the case not right now, anyway. The Xbox One S All-Digital costs £189.99 in the UK and $249.99 in the US, which seems pretty competitive until you take Xbox One S deals into consideration.

While the All-Digital edition is new, the Xbox One S has been around since 2016 and deals are pretty competitive. In fact, its cheaper for UK readers to buy the Xbox One S, complete with an optical drive, from GAME at £169.99, so why wouldnt you? Its a similar story with US readers, who can buy the Xbox One S Battlefield V bundle .

Were sure that the price of the Xbox One S All-Digital will drop down to match the budget offering in the coming months, but right now, its cheaper to buy the standard Xbox One S.

What Is The Difference Between Xbox One And Xbox One S

Xbox One vs. Xbox One S: The all-in-one entertainment system formulated by Microsoft, Xbox One was first announced in 2013. The updated version Xbox One S came in 2016. The biggest Xbox One vs. One S difference lies in the features offered by the two variants. While Xbox One S supports High Dynamic Range , Xbox One doesnt.

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Second Screen And Streaming

The Xbox SmartGlassapp provides extended functionality on Xbox One, allowing devices running Windows Phone, Windows 8, iOS and Android to be used as a companion device for Xbox One features, such as powering on the console, a remote control, accessing messages and the Activity Feed, purchasing content, and providing integration with certain games and content. The SmartGlass app can also be used to stream live television to Android and Windows devices if the console is using a USB digital television tuner.

On Windows 10, SmartGlass is succeeded by the Xbox App, which supports the local streaming of games from Xbox One to personal computers and tablets running Windows 10. An Xbox One controller must be used, but Windows-compatible headsets and microphones can be used for voice chat. Games requiring Kinect are not supported, while Game DVR and online streaming are not available while using this functionality.

Per a partnership with Oculus VR, users will also be able to stream Xbox One games to the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset by means of Xbox app for Windows 10 as of 2015 there were no immediate plans for direct integration between Xbox One and Oculus Rift.

Xbox Series X Vs Xbox Series S Specs

The Xbox Series X is a beast of a console that’s truly brought us into the latest generation of gaming. Heres whats inside the diminutive tower of power:

• CPU: Eight-core 3.8GHz custom AMD 7nm
• GPU: 12 teraflops 1.825GHz
• RAM: 16GB GDDR6
• Optical: HD Blu-Ray disk drive
• Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD

With a 12 teraflop GPU capable of up to 120 frames per second, the Xbox Series X is twice as powerful as the Xbox One X, Microsofts former flagship console. It supports various exciting next-gen features such as ray tracing, variable rate shading and even support for 8K resolution.

The Xbox Series X makes the wait when booting up games or loading new levels a thing of the past thanks to its custom designed super-fast NVMe SSD. The SSD is part of the consoles new Velocity Architecture, which allows multiple games to be suspended in the background while youre playing something entirely different. Everything is more responsive and snappier as a result, too.

Microsoft is also trying to make latency a thing of the past on Xbox Series X. Forward-thinking features such as Auto Low Latency Mode , communication improvements to the Xbox controller, and Variable Refresh Rate support take full advantage of TVs with HDMI 2.1 support.

In comparison, here are the Xbox Series S specs:

• CPU: Eight-core 3.6GHz custom AMD 7nm
• GPU: 4 teraflops at 1.550GHz
• RAM: 10GB GDDR6
• Frame rate: Up to 120 fps
• Resolution: 1440p with 4K upscaling
• Optical: No disk drive
• Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

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Physical Vs Digital Media

While the core gameplay experience is identical across the Xbox One S and Xbox One S All-Digital, the key difference is that youre limited to digital downloads on the newer console. Youre cutting ties not only to physical Xbox One games, but older Xbox 360 backwards-compatible games, DVDs and Blu-ray too.

While that makes the console cheaper initially, it may work out more expensive down the line as youre forced to rely solely on the Microsoft Store and thats not always the cheapest place to buy games. Games, even at launch, are cheaper to buy physically than digitally, with differences of up to £15/$20 depending on the retailer and game.

The battle of physical vs digital media isnt new, and there are pros and cons to each. While physical discs can be cheaper, they also create a lot of clutter in the home especially as your library increases over time. Thats not an issue with digital games, which are all neat and tidy in your digital game library awaiting a download.

Youve also got a range of subscription services including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Games with Gold and EA Access that provide a wide range of games for a relatively trivial amount each month, negating the costly need to buy each game individually. Youll also get a copy of Sea of Thieves, Minecraft and Forza Horizon 3 with every All-Digital console to get your library started.

Xbox Series X Vs Xbox Series S Games

So heres what you need to know: both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are able to play exactly the same games, although theyll undoubtedly look best on Xbox Series X.

The kind of compromises we expect to see on Xbox Series S will focus on the drop to 1440p resolution from 4K, and maybe some more minor changes that probably wont be as noticeable.

Both consoles offer full backwards-compatibility with Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. So while we’re still waiting for some of the biggest next-gen exclusives like Fable 4 and Halo Infinite to launch, there’s still plenty to play, particularly if you have a large library of titles already. If you own a lot of physical copies, though, be mindful that these wont work on Xbox Series S due to the lack of disc drive.

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Xbox One Vs Xbox One S: Features

Speaking of Xbox One vs Xbox One S, there are some new features in Xbox One S. Xbox One S supports 4K ULTRA HD and 4K BLU-RAY video playback. This means that you can play 4K Blu-ray and stream 4K content from Netflix and Amazon on Xbox One S.

However, Xbox One S does not support 4K games, of course, you need a 4K TV to watch video boost. The original Xbox One provided a Blu-ray player, but it did not support 4K discs.

One feature removed from Xbox One S is the dedicated Kinect port. Therefore, if you own a Kinect, you need a USB adapter to use it with Xbox One S. Xbox One S gets an IR blaster, so you can use a remote control to switch between all AV peripherals.

Xbox One S Vs Xbox One X: Bundles

Both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X constantly treat players to great bundles that allows them to save money and grab a great deal. Each will include the console, a controller and almost always top-tier blockbuster game thats just been released. Some of the most notable recent bundles have included Anthem, Metro: Exodus and Forza Horizon 4. Some bundles are limited to either the Xbox One S or Xbox One X exclusively, but the console you opt for will always come with 1TB of storage space.

Picking up an Xbox One S or Xbox One X as part of a bundle is a great way to offset some of the usual cost that comes with either console. Youll save yourself the need to pick up a full-price game and have something ideal to play right from the get-go.

Winner: Tie

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There’s No Power Adapter This Time

Don’t you just hate having to plug in a separate, cumbersome power brick to make video game consoles work? How about hiding a gigantic power supply somewhere behind your TV? Also pretty stupid! The Xbox One S gets rid of this problem by putting that power brick inside the console itself, making it much more convenient to move around. It’s also nice that you don’t have to put a giant brick somewhere in your entertainment center.

Differences Between Xbox One And Xbox One S

1. The Xbox One S is smaller than the original Xbox One.

2. The Xbox One S has a built-in power supply.

3. The new controller for the Xbox one s is slightly slimmer and lighter than the old controller.

4. The graphic performance of the Xbox one s is comparable to that of a PC with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

5. You can use your voice commands on the new Kinect sensor to control Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services on your TV screen without having to leave your couch.

6. Want 4K video playback from YouTube or Netflix but dont have a 4K TV yet no problem! You can watch it in 1080p resolution instead.

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