It may have cost $ 7.5 billion to make me realize this, but Microsoft’s Xbox Series S suddenly makes sense. Almost to the point of considering it a genuine threat to Sony’s PS5.
The Xbox Series S was designed to be an accessible entry point into the Xbox ecosystem and next generation games – and while some may argue that a commonly found resolution of 1080p in most titles does not qualify as a true generational leap – it is hard to deny that Microsoft’s all-white Xbox didn’t reach its lofty goal.
The Xbox Series S can perform graphically intensive lighting and reflection technology known as lightning tracking; it is capable of generating games at 120fps and offers extremely fast load times thanks to its internal 512GB SSD drive (although I wish that much more of it would be available for use). You can buy and play all the latest blockbuster titles on it, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and even true state-of-the-art Xbox exclusives like The Medium.
Resolution problems and frame rate count aside, so the Xbox Series S is truly a fantastic proposition for those who want a state-of-the-art console that won’t break the bank, as long as you’re prepared to accept some of its warnings.
Flying under the radar
But despite the appeal of the Xbox Series S, I don’t think it resonated as well with consumers as it could. After all, if you’re a fan of Xbox games or already an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, wouldn’t you simply opt for the Xbox Series X to get the best experience possible? This was certainly part of my thinking process before the release of Microsoft’s next generation consoles, although I love the almost impossibly small format of the Xbox Series S.
You can also argue that the Xbox Series S doesn’t do enough to convince fans of the PlayStation hardware to go green. The price differential between Sony’s PS5 Digital Edition and the Xbox Series S is not significant enough to justify choosing the Microsoft machine instead of the PS5 Digital Edition, which is essentially a PS5 without a disk drive. Why would you pay $ 299 / £ 249 / AU $ 549 for the Xbox Series S, when for more than $ 100 more you can buy a PS5 Digital Edition?
The rise of the Xbox Game Pass
However, if there is an investment that Microsoft has absolutely made in recent years, it is the Xbox Game Pass. I don’t need to write any more superlatives about what many rightly call “the best bargain in games”, and it often still looks too good to be true and somehow continues to improve.
The Xbox Series S would always be powered by the Xbox Game Pass, then. And I’m sure that being able to access all Xbox Game Studios titles on the first day, like Halo Infinite, will have influenced some people to buy the cheapest Xbox from Microsoft just based on that fact.
But the turning point for the Xbox Series S came when Bethesda games were added to Microsoft’s service as part of the acquisition of Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media.
This was no small selection, featuring an incredible 20 titles, some of which run better than ever thanks to FPS Boost, a new feature on the Xbox Series X and S that can sometimes quadruple the frame rate of older titles.
There is also an attractive promise that future Bethesda titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 will come into service on the first day, as will Microsoft’s original production.
The value within
Whether you are a fan of exclusives or not, there is no doubt that they are still the best way to sell consoles and motivate players to change their allegiance to a piece of plastic. And with Bethesda games now on Xbox and PC advancing, PlayStation owners suddenly have to contend with the prospect of games and series that they may be excited to be no longer available. And that, in itself, is a much bigger attraction than Microsoft releasing another Forza Motorsport or Gears game.
Now, I’m not saying that people will start trading on their PS5 consoles in droves, but what the Xbox Series S can become is the perfect companion console for the Sony machine. Just like in every home on the Xbox 360 and PS3 you often find a Wii, the Xbox Series S has the potential to reach an audience that simply wouldn’t pay $ 499 / £ 449 / AU $ 749 for a box that does pretty much the same thing like the PS5 they already own.
Bethesda Box
I saw several people taking an Xbox Series S to represent their “Bethesda box”, which is a testament to how beloved series like Fallout, Skyrim, Doom, Wolfenstein and The Evil Within are. And when they also know they are getting all of Microsoft’s original production, great third-party games like Outriders and more as part of their subscription, it’s not surprising that the Xbox Series S has entered the equation.
The console is suddenly not just a cheap entry point for the next generation and the Xbox ecosystem: it is an avenue for PlayStation (and potentially Nintendo Switch) fans to ensure they can still play the next Bethesda games without make another considerable investment. As a consequence, they will also be exposed to countless Xbox games that they may have ignored and the incredible value proposition that is the Xbox Game Pass.
This should worry Sony – not because they are likely to lose out on selling a PS5, but because the prospect of paying $ 70 / £ 70 for a game compared to $ 10 / £ 8 a month is hard to justify. It will also attract more people to the already 18 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers that Microsoft is so eager to build instead of changing Xbox Series X consoles.
Maybe that was Microsoft’s plan all along?