XBOX Series S

Digital Only and Game Pass
For those of you who currently intend to buy a next gen console with limited budget, maybe the XBOX Series S is the answer. The official price of this product when it was introduced in the US was 299.99 USD

The first thing we need to remember is that the XBOX Series S doesn't have an optical drive. This means that we cannot play games from BluRay Disc. We have to buy games on the Xbox Store through the system using an XBOX account. Or redeem a download code from another site.

Another way, Microsoft provides a program called Game Pass. What is Game pass? Game Pass is like you subscribe to music on Spotify. Where we can play hundreds of games for free just by paying a registration fee which is not too expensive per month.

Even if you are completely new, you can try the service for as little as 1 USD per month for 2 consecutive months.

With Gamepass we can play many AAA games including the Witcher 3, Forza Horizon 4, Minecraft, and all the games that are included in EA Vault in gamepass ultimate.

Gamepass Ultimate is the most complete service, because it includes Xbox Gold membership and also EA Access (EA Play), which has many benefits in it. Especially for playing online and transacting there.

Cute Design
The design of the XBOX Series S is so simple that it seems to bring back the spirit of the XBOX which appears low profile with high performance.

The size is now made smaller even than the Xbox One X that appeared in the previous generation. Makes it easy to fit between your television and audio device.

The S Series can be taken everywhere using a 13 inch laptop bag. And enter the laptop slot steadily. Although honestly, this device is still heavy.

The sales package is no less simple. It only contains 5 items, namely the XBOX itself, power cable, HDMI 2.0 cable, one brand-new stick complete with a built-in battery and a brochure that functions as a quick guide.

Hardware Specifications and Performance Offered
When compared with the XBOX series X and other products -Playstation 5, the XBOX series S is arguably under the two consoles. The easiest thing to compare is its computational strength, where the PS5 reaches 10.3 teraflops, the Xbox series X at 12 Teraflops, while the S Series is only 4 Teraflops.

Even though in realtime, the comparison of computing power is not entirely sufficient to describe the differences between the three.

In short, the Xbox Series S is the only digital version of the Xbox Series X with some significant subtractions.

Xbox Series S specification
Max Game Resolution 1440p (2560 x 1440 px) @ 120 FPS
8K Max Video Resolution with HDR * with HDMI 2.1 cable
8-core AMD Ryzen Zen 2 processor at 3.6 GHz (3.4 GHZ with SMT)
AMD Navi / RDNA 2 GPU at 1.565GHz (4TFLOPS FP32)
10GB GDDR6 memory
512GB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 storage
Optical Drive No.
Ray Tracing Yes

From these specifications, it can be seen that the ability of the Xbox Series S is below the Xbox Series X, but it is definitely above the capabilities of the previous generation Xbox. This means that the Series S itself is already included in the real Next Gen category, but with a few notes.

On the software side, for example, the development of backward compatibility games, aka old games that can be played in the S Series, is based on the development of games and software from the Xbox One S.

It is different from the Xbox Series X, which software development and game backward compatibility is based on the Xbox One X software. This means that if a game that is "not optimized" for the Series X | S is played in the X series, the features it brings are features - features of the Xbox One X version and vice versa in the S Series, the features that are brought are features of the Xbox One S game.

Not many games have different features like this. For example, the best fit is the Witcher 3. This game has not been optimized for the Xbox Series X | S by the developer.

In the X Series we can find a graphic selection feature like the Witcher 3 game on the Xbox One X. But we won't find it in the Series S. Looking at the promising capabilities of the S Series even on the Xbox One X, then this should feature a choice of graphics and frame rates. can appear on the Xbox Series S too. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Who is the Xbox Series S for?
The Xbox Series S has had a fairly noticeable software update. Already displaying the home page in 4K resolution and the maximum framerate supported by our TV set.

When tested with two different displays, old 4K TVs and FHD monitors. Where both of them don't have HDMI ultra High or v2.1 input. A requirement to display graphics at their maximum, especially for the 120fps framerate at the highest resolution.

With this old 4K TV and FHD monitor, we felt the same experience, gaming at a 60 FPS frame rate and always stable without any framerate drop. That too is very luxurious when compared to the experience on the previous generation consoles.

Conclusion
The Xbox Series S is best suited for
1. First are those who have a tight budget to play games on next gen consoles. Its tempting price, even up to half the price of the higher console, is hard to resist.

2. Next is for Xbox and PC gamers who have been storing digital games in the cloud. And are familiar with how to transact on the Xbox Store. Even those who have subscribed to Game Pass on PC. Or intend to take advantage of this feature while playing the Xbox Series S. Smart Delivery features and backward compatibility up to 4 generations and below are the key.

3. Suitable for those of you who want to play games using old TVs and monitors that are already at home, without any intention of replacing them immediately. Whether it's a 4K or FHD TV, at least the games played are native at a minimum framerate of 60fps.
Series S is a solution for playing games without being tired of waiting for loading times. Game loading speed has increased dramatically from the previous generation. Even when compared to the PS4 Pro with an external SSD for game storage. As an illustration of how fast it is, writing tips when loading in the Yakuza 7 game, can never be read. Just appeared, immediately moved on to the next scene. And don't forget the Quick Resume feature, which allows us to switch games instantly without having to close one of these games first. So if you are sleepy playing Yakuza 7, for example, we can move to FIFA 21 for a while, and return to Yakuza 7 where we left off. And it went very smoothly.

4. Suitable for those who have been playing on old consoles and intend to improve their gaming experience on a more stable console. With the possibility of framerate that can be increased as needed. For example 1440p which is upscaled to 4K up to a resolution of 120fps. With a note, in some scenarios we might need an HDMI 2.1 cable because the S series sales package only includes an HDMI 2.0 cable and don't forget a monitor that supports high framerates (such as a 144Hz gaming monitor). We tried this for the game Ori and the Will of the Wisp. Which supports 4K 120fps (upscale in Series S, native in Series X). And looks beautiful.

5. Series S is also suitable as a secondary console for PC gaming users, or console products next to the PS5. Due to the relatively affordable price, good design, maximum portability and no less savage performance.

6. Series S is also suitable for those looking for tools for maximum entertainment. With the right TV and an HDMI 2.1 cable this console can display up to 8K video shows with HDR Dolby Vision. Feels like watching a movie at home.

7. Series S is also the most suitable for those who only store at least 8 main games on the console at one time. And ready to buy SSD expansion for additional storage.

Are you interested in playing games in the XBOX Series S? Enjoy and stay healthy.