Xbox One S (1 Viewer)

[DavidMiller]

Looks like Microsoft has come through with a new box to rival if not beat PS4 (Neo)

40% smaller, Steams 4K, plays UHD Discs and will play 4K games with HDR at least in the video.

A special, limited edition launch edition of the Xbox One S will be available in early August with a 2TB hard drive for $399. Two standard versions will be available soon after: a 500GB edition for $299, and 1TB for $349.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/13/11911184/microsoft-xbox-one-s-announced-price-specs-e3-2016

I'll be buying one.

 

[LeoA]

You heard though about what they have planned for next year, right?

As much as I was happy to hear about a redesign, now I guess I may as well just wait and hope nothing new is announced before I get next year's Xbox 1.5 eventually.

 

[DavidMiller]

Yeah, it has me very excited as well. I may buy this one anyway since it is one $399 (or less if you wait). I typically have two in my house anyway. I can sell one of the launch day Xbox Ones get this one then replace the other next year.

 

[Sam Posten]

I've preordered an S and will get at least one Scorpio on Day 1 too.

 

[DavidMiller]

I have pre-ordered as well. I will also buy the Scorpio on Day 1

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You are a bit off with that description. It does 4K video streaming, it does not play games in 4K. I believe it can do HDR but that's really the only new thing. Honestly, at best, this new One S is just getting closer to the PS4, not really surpassing it.

I think its great that they're not emphasizing Kinect and video stuff anymore, but their games lineup was just kind of meh. Most of the things they showed were old news or aren't coming until 2017. And Scorpio was announced nothing more than an idea at this point. The previous rumors about PS4 Neo were that it would be out this October, so if MS is really pushing to a whole year later then I think they're either dead in the water or are going to have a real uphill battle facing them.

EDIT: So it looks like the Xbox One S will upscale games to 4K, but not actually render them in 4K. The CPU and GPU are improved, so some things may run a bit smoother but its not clear if this will be by default or if developers will need to take that into account when designing their games. Either way, with the cheaper Xbox One existing already and the more powerful Scorpio coming next year, I'm not entirely sure what space the One S fills.

 

[DavidMiller]

You are correct no 4K/HDR gaming until Scorpio got my wires crossed. It does support full UHD Disc playback with HDR + Streaming. I have heard the PS(Neo) will not have the UHD Disc playback.

 

[Ruz-El]

I think at this point the only reason to get a S is if you don't own a XBone.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I guess, but they just cut the price of the standard XBOne so its cheaper and the only tangible benefits from an S are the 4K things, which most consumers won't want. It just seems like a good idea turned bad since they already announced Scorpio.

 

[Ruz-El]

I thought there was a 2TB version coming out at the old xbone price? I could be wrong.

 

[Sam Posten]

I think at this point the only reason to get a S is if you don't own a XBone.

It's going to be the best UHD player for the next year or two

 

[Sam Posten]

I thought there was a 2TB version coming out at the old xbone price? I could be wrong.

There's a 299 SKU but it ships weeks/months after the 399 2tb SKU

 

[Morgan Jolley]

It's ironic that MS completely failed with the Xbox One by pushing it as a non-gaming device, yet the chief benefit you just called out the S for (UHD) is the only new non-gaming feature.

The 500 GB S is going to be $300, 1 TB will be $350, and 2 TB will be $400. You're better off getting a 500 GB model and an external 2 TB USB 3.0 drive, save money that way.

 

[DavidMiller]

There are plenty of us Xbox One gamers out here. Did the PS4 out sell it yes but MS isn't leaving the space anytime soon. People have been asking for a small unit. Adding the 4K is a huge bonus millions of 4K TVs have been sold over the last four years. The Xbox forums are full of requests for 4K so this is exactly what we are looking for. At least until the new 1.5 unit next year.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I'm not saying there's absolutely no market for it, but I feel like there aren't many people sitting around saying, "Man, I love this 4K TV, but I'll hold off on getting a game console until one of them can support it." And it's not a wise idea to keep dipping into the same well of customers by selling new Xboxes to people who already have the new Xboxes.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

So do we have to say "People who have XBoneses"? Like Gollum?

 

[Lord Dalek]

Microsoft is just doing what Sony did with the PS3. Sell it nearly entirely on the media player because lord knows they had nothing else for it at launch.

Guess what. That worked...to a point.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The PS3 did not sell well at all until way into the generation. In the end, I believe it outsold 360s in total, but for the first few years it was behind. The PS2 however was VERY successful as a "DVD player that also does games" product.

I have seen 4K be more successful than 3D as the "new" TV technology, but I don't think MS is going to be successful because of it. If the S sells well, the 4K will be another feature it has, not the driving force for most consumers. Is there even enough 4K content, UHD or otherwise, to justify it as a feature for a games console?

 

[Ruz-El]

4K on the S is basically "future proofing" it. As far as the PS3 to the PS4, I'll never stop complaining at how shit the PS4 is for media compared to the PS3 seeing as they seem to be done updating anything. That medial remote they put out for the PS4 still doesn't work properly.

 

[Lord Dalek]

The PS3 did not sell well at all until way into the generation. In the end, I believe it outsold 360s in total, but for the first few years it was behind. The PS2 however was VERY successful as a "DVD player that also does games" product.

But the point is it was one of the main catalysts in the quick demise of HD-DVD by getting more blu-ray players into households than pretty much any other manufacturer was able to at the time.

360 had a two year headstart...it also only played dvds out of the box.