Upgrade To Xbox Series X
1. Game Pass monthly subscription required continues until cancelled. Game selection varies over time. Learn more at www.xbox.com/game-pass.
2. Xbox One S All-Digital Edition Console does not play physical discs.
3. Dolby Atmos for Headphones requires additional purchase from Microsoft Store.
4. Some apps require app provider-specific subscriptions and/or other requirements. See www.xbox.com/live.
5. HDR functionality available with supported games and TVs.
6. Online multiplayer requires Xbox Live Gold subscription .
7. PC hardware requirements may vary for games on Windows 10/11.
8. Xbox One Backward Compatibility feature works with select Xbox 360 games, see www.xbox.com/backcompat. Xbox Live and broadband internet required for initial download of game to console.
9. Excludes the Xbox One S stand that works exclusively with the Xbox One S. Xbox Kinect Adapter required for Kinect on Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
When Will Xbox One Support End Xbox Boss Reveals New Details
If youre still not upgrading to an Xbox Series X/S, Phil Spencer has new details about when Xbox One support will end.
Its been an interesting few months since the launch of the Xbox Series X/S back in November 2020. Now 7 months on from launch day, its still not easy to get hold of the next-gen consoles.
We know that Xbox Series X/S stock shortage is about to end, but for the moment finding a device is still a hassle.
Thankfully, Xbox remains committed to supporting Xbox One owners for as long as possible. So far, every Xbox Series X/S title to date is also playable on Xbox One.
But what are the companys plans for the future? And what happens when a game is no longer able to run on the 8-year-old hardware?
Well that time might already be arriving, as Phil Spencer reveals more about the future of Xbox.
Read More: Xbox One and Windows 10 Owners Can Reserve an Xbox Series X/S Today
Xbox One X And Xbox One S Digital Will No Longer Be Manufactured
At Xbox, we’re making massive investments to forge the future of gaminga future that puts the player at the center of the Xbox experience. We continue to build great games for Xbox One. We continue to build out Game Pass, now with more than 10 million members across Xbox console and PC. We’re previewing Project xCloud in 15 countries so gamers can play games with their friends on any device. And we’re working hard on the next-generation of console gaming with Xbox Series Xthe fastest, most powerful console we’ve ever built which includes backward compatibility with thousands of Xbox games and all Xbox One accessories. As we ramp into the future with Xbox Series X, we’re taking the natural step of stopping production on Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Xbox One S will continue to be manufactured and sold globally. Gamers can check with their local retailers for more details on Xbox One hardware availability.
Matt T. M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
You May Like: Brick Rigs For Xbox One
Is Xbox One S Good For Gaming
The Xbox One S maintains compatibility with all existing Xbox One games and upcoming projects for the foreseeable future. Comparable performance across the board is expected, reaching up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames-per-second . Although a minor hardware bump on paper, you’ll generally experience identical performance to original Xbox One consoles.
The Xbox One S packs a key feature for gamers, with the addition of High Dynamic Range support across select titles. This brings a wider color gamut and increased contrast ratio across supported displays, generally leading to more vivid, realistic colors. A significant library of HDR titles has accumulated since 2016, recently bolstered by the HDR-enabled Xbox One X Enhanced lineup.
Microsoft has been criticized for its lack of high-quality exclusives, but Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and other top franchises are accessible on the console. Strong third-party support brings titles from the world’s top developers, while Xbox backward compatibility ensures support for classic Xbox 360 and original Xbox games too.
Microsoft’s Netflix-style subscription service for games, Xbox Game Pass, also pairs well the budget-friendly Xbox One S. Providing access to a rotating library of over 100 games for a flat $10 monthly fee, this is an ideal way to kickstart your game collection from zero.
Initial Unveiling And Launch
Prior to the official unveiling, a rumor had circulated that the next Xbox console would be an “always on” system requiring a persistent Internet connection, though Microsoft had not confirmed this. This had drawn some concerns from consumers, which were heightened when Microsoft Studios employee Adam Orth stated in a message in April 2013 that said, “Sorry, I don’t get the drama around having an ‘always on’ console…Every device now is ‘always on.’ That’s the world we live in. #dealwithit”. Orth’s message drew further ire towards Microsoft, with concerns about digital rights management and practices against the sale of used games with an “always on” unit. Orth opted to leave Microsoft a few days later due to the backlash. Despite Microsoft’s statements following the situation, denying the rumors, the mood it created lingered over the next several months.
In response to these pre-launch changes and a belief that Microsoft’s initial decisions for the console were in poor judgement, journalists and consumers jokingly gave the Xbox One nicknames such as the “Xbox 180”, in reference to the Xbox 360 and Microsoft’s decision to reverse its controversial decisions, and “Xbone”, suggesting that the company was “throwing a bone” to consumers by making these changes.
Also Check: Xbox Controller Keeps Disconnecting
Xbox Series S Accessory Deals
As we mentioned in our guide to PS5 vs Xbox Series X, backward compatibility is a big feature of new-gen consoles. Microsoft has been banging the drum of Xbox Series X backward compatibility for some time now, and that’s the case for the Series S as well.
But what does it mean? Basically, you can use your old Xbox One accessories on your Xbox Series S. That makes a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Rather than having to buy extra controllers, accessories, or subscriptions, you’ll be able to carry them over to your new console. In fact, you can use everything from Xbox One external hard drives to Xbox One headsets on Series S.
Not only that, but the best Xbox Series X accessories are also compatible with the cheaper console, which means you’ll be able to use top of the range Xbox Series X headsets. Need to stock up on some Xbox essentials? You’ll find the latest Xbox Series S deals on controllers, headsets, and storage below.
Xbox One S Hdr: Its Ace In The Hole
Not heard of HDR? Dont worry if youve bought a new 4K telly in the last six months theres a good chance its got this spec built in, which means youll be can enjoy Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 in jaw-dropping quality right now.
To continue with our egregious use of food metaphors, the difference between 4K without HDR and 4K with HDR is like eating a burger without cheese and bacon. Its still great, but not cheese and bacon great.
What HDR does is offer greater contrast between dark and light shades of colour for a more dazzling, dynamic picture. Imagine youre watching a flash of white heat as plasma sears out of a Scattershot rifle in the next Halo game. With HDR and 4K enabled any muddiness that might occur when colours meet is near-on eradicated and youre left with an image that pops out of the screen and sears your retinas . Its awesome when you see the effect on movies and it should looks fanned special when gaming too.
Mercifully for the movies part of this equation, theres no such need to wait and see.
Gadget DoctorWhat is HDR and why should you care?
Don’t Miss: How To Install Mod Menu Gta 5 Xbox One Usb
Should You Buy An Xbox One In 2021
With everything considered, is the Xbox One worth it right now? In most cases, we would say no. With the retail price of the Xbox One X and S matching the price of an Xbox Series X or Series S, there’s no real reason to buy an older console. The newer generation gets you faster performance and is a more future-proof purchase, compared to investing in outdated hardware.
While you can access most of what makes Xbox great on the Xbox One right now, that won’t last forever. Before long, Xbox-exclusive titles won’t release on Xbox One anymore, and Game Pass might begin offering exclusives for Xbox Series X/S.
Right now, it’s difficult to find either next-gen Xbox, thanks to scalpers. But that shouldn’t tempt you into buying an older console. Wait until the new consoles are readily available, and your money will be much better-spent.
Related: How to Stop PS5 and Xbox Series X Scalpers From Winning
If there are a couple of Xbox titles that you can’t wait for, and you have a decent computer, see if they’re on Game Pass for PC. That can hold you over until the Series X/S is back in stock.
In short, we’d only recommend buying an Xbox One in 2021 if you can find it for a huge discount and don’t plan to upgrade for years. Otherwise, the matching prices and enhanced power of the Series X/S make the newer systems worth waiting for.
Xbox One S 4k Gaming Explained
Every game for the Xbox One platform has been designed in high definition mostly 1080p or a little below that. To display these games on a 4K screen, theyll be upscaled to that resolution and that process involves adding extra pixels where theyre not provided by game makers. Essentially, the device doing the upscaling in this case the Xbox One S is guessing what it thinks the missing pixels are supposed to be displaying.
If you an original Xbox One into a 4K TV the same upscaling will take place as well, but it will be the telly doing it rather than the console, and the results are less impressive. Playing The Witcher 3 can give you all kinds of image processing problems unless you tweak your tellys settings to adjust for them. Then its pretty good, especially when your screen isnt dealing with a lot of motion.
In contrast, the Xbox One S upscaling is stunning straight off the bat. The Siberian snow storm that opens Rise of the Tomb Raider looked absolutely glorious on our screen at home and we winced that little bit more in fear as Lara leapt from ice-laden mountain face to snow-swept crevasse.
Because those pixels are added in, there are moments in close-ups where a hand or window ledge looks slightly coarser than it might have in HD, but were talking about very fine margins here.
Besides, no console thats out at the moment will offer you a dramatically better performance. Even Sonys PlayStation 4 Pro.
Don’t Miss: How To Have A Custom Gamerpic On Xbox One
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.
- Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S: which Xbox is right for you?
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 .
Also Check: Does Xbox 360 Play Blu Ray Discs
End Of Xbox One Support
Thats not to say that Xbox One support will go on forever. Just as all generations come and go, eventually the Xbox One will get left behind.
Were finally at a point where Xbox Series X/S consoles are arriving in stores, so the stock is becoming available for those who want it.
There will be some point, Im sure that that wont be possible on old hardware, Spencer confirms. Ive had that question asked about 360 and other things but yeah I think it is a great bridge opportunity for us, and its one of the powers that the Cloud gives us.
It seems that eventually, the Xbox One will become obsolete, but players certainly dont have to worry about it anytime soon. For now, Xbox is ensuring that gamers can play the games they want, using the consoles that they have.
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.
Read Also: How To Change Personal Name On Xbox One
Difference Between 4k Ultra Hd Hdr And Xbox One X Enhanced Games
- Xbox One X enhanced Games that are said to be Xbox One X Enhanced offer one or more of the following benefits over non-Enhanced editions:
-
- Graphic enhancements
- Higher framerate
- Higher resolution
- 4K Ultra HD 4K refers to image resolution, or the number of pixels used for each image. Games described as being 4K offer a resolution of 3840 pixels × 2160 lines, offering substantially higher resolution than 1080p HD. To view 4K games at their native resolution, your TV must be 4K-capable.
- HDR Visual dynamic range refers to the difference between the darkest and brightest information a game can show. As suggested by the term HDR, or high dynamic range, some games offer darker darks and brighter brights than others, depending on the screen you view them on. HDR on Xbox has a 10-bit color range, or wide color gamut, which uses more colors for a richer, more detailed image. On Xbox, this feature also goes by the name Dolby Vision, which is used by some video apps.
- Dolby Atmos The game supports Dolby Atmos surround sound.
Xbox One S Controller: Gets A Grip
One of the most significant cosmetic changes thats been touted about the One S is its new controller, which is near-on identical to the original One controller. Its control sticks are made from a slightly more durable material, its got a greater wireless play range than before and its back is populated with these neat dimples. In day-to-day terms, youll struggle to notice the difference. At least we did.
Those dimples are meant to aid your grip on the controller after a particularly frantic Rocket League session, but theyre too small to have a significant impact on your gaming. Even if you regularly sweat like a sumo wrestler in a sauna. Thats OK though. The original Xbox One controller had a sturdy weight to it and sat well in your hands, and this one does exactly the same.
A far greater annoyance is that it hasnt been updated with built-in wireless charging. It still doesnt even come with a charging kit. Being told you need to load up a gamepad with a fresh pair of AA batteries only to remember you were too lazy to pick any up on your way home from work is one of lifes most blood-curdling frustrations. Environmentally speaking, this routine is incredibly wasteful too. If the PS4s controllers can be rechargeable as standard, theres no good reason why Microsoft cant enable the same.
Also Check: How To Connect Bluetooth Headphones To Xbox Series S