Thanks to the built-in SSD, the loading times of the new Xbox Series consoles are surprisingly quick. The bottom line is that the Series X offers significantly more hardware performance compared to the Series S, but the cheap Xbox still manages to outshine its big brother in some cases.
Load time surprise: Xbox Series S is faster than Series X
With the Xbox Series S, Microsoft offers potential customers a cost-effective alternative to the expensive Series X. But the “Price Tip” console is not only cheaper and smaller than its big brother, but actually faster in some games – confirmed Xbox boss Phil Spencer in an interview with Kotaku.
Spencer refers to the loading times of the two consoles. Here the Series S actually has the edge in some games. But how does the console manage to overtake the Series X despite the slimmed-down hardware? This is mainly due to the significantly lower resolution textures loaded by the Series S version. Since these are smaller they can be loaded faster from the SSD. However, according to Spencer, gamers don’t have to worry about the textures looking visibly worse on the Series S (source: Kotaku).
The smallest next-gen console in the trailer – the Xbox Series S:
What the interview doesn’t reveal: What’s the difference in speed between the games where the Xbox Series S has the edge? This question remains unanswered. However, the difference should be quite marginal.
Xbox Series S & Series X compared: These are the differences
While the Xbox Series X costs a whopping 499 euros, Microsoft only charges 279.99 euros for the Series S (see Amazon). The inexpensive Xbox has a 512 GB SSD and does without an optical drive. Games can only be purchased digitally.
A big workhorse for Microsoft is the Xbox Game Pass. We tell you how the subscription service changes your life as a player:
Otherwise, however, the Xbox Series S offers almost all the functions that the Series X also offers. These include VRR, up to 120 FPS in selected games, Quick Resume and the playback of video media in full 4K resolution. Only games are not rendered natively in 4K. This makes the Xbox Series S the true highlight of the current generation of consoles.