Shane
Late 2013 we gamers witnessed the battle of next-gen. With Xbox One and PlayStation 4 releasing with a short gap between them, each vying for our gamer hearts.
In August 2016 the already mighty Xbox One became even mightier with the release of the Xbox One S. Capable of 4K streaming, HDR (High Dynamic Range) delivering crisper, clearer and more indepth gameplay than we had ever experienced before (upscaling, sort of, to a 4K comparison).
The Xbox One also got a make over aesthetically, shearing it’s sleek black finish to a cool matte white – with Xbox One S controller to match. The goodness doesn’t stop there though. The frustration of every console gamer in this current generation of consoles has been digital storage limitations.
The Xbox One S goes (literally) one better than the PS4 Pro (which released 3 months after) and boasts 2TB of internal storage. The Xbox One has always been more digital storage friendly, allowing gamers to add an external hard drive (upto 2TB) in order to expand their gaming hoard. The Xbox One S is no different and still retains the functionality (this means that potentially you can have a 4TB Xbox One!).
Xbox NZ have been super awesome enough to send Shane the Gamer (StG) an Xbox One S. Upon receiving the enticingly boxed unit, we immediately started unpacking.
The contents inside the Xbox One S is simplistic. Xbox One S Console, Xbox One S matching controller, HDMI cable and power cord. Those of you that already have a Xbox One console will notice that the power brick is now gone (thankfully).
On the rear of the console there’s been a few changes. The USB sockets are now laid out together at the rear of the unit, with a third at the front to connect or charge your Xbox One S gamepad. Previously on the original Xbox One S one of the USB sockets resided on the left of the console. So the change in layout makes perfect sense. If you use a secondary TV Streaming unit this can be plugged directly into the console to create an all in one via the SAT/Cable HDMI cable. The HDMI supplied with the console naturally goes in to your (ideally) 4K capable TV.
But, there’s one thing missing… No socket to plug in your Kinect Camera. Microsoft have a solution for this, by way of an adaptor; Xbox One E Adaptor which releases in NZ & AUS on or around the 25th of November 2016. Using this adaptor will, unfortunately, take up one of your USB slots. Why has this been done? Yes there is a reason – to introduce Cortana. This further integrates the Xbox One S with Windows 10 on PC.
Once the HDMI is connected to your Tele and the console is powered up – you’re all set for some HDR Xbox One gaming.
Slightly smaller than the original console, measuring at 13.1 x 10.8 inches – the original Xbox One is a bit heftier at 17 x 14 x 5 inches, making the S around 40% smaller overall.
The buttons on the console have changed, the touch Eject Buttonis gone and is now a tactile one.
The Xbox One S will function (if not better) the same as it’s predecessor and is fully backwards compatible for any Xbox 360 title that is on the Xbox Live Store. It also, of course plays all Xbox One games.
Until we see Project Scorpio (Microsoft next gen console fully capable of 4K) the Xbox One S is the console to own if you are someone who uses your Xbox not only for gaming, but also to watch digital media.
If you are like me and give a depressed sigh everytime you have to uninstall a few games just to play one, the upgraded 2TB drive is a huge selling point.
The Xbox One S is totally designed to be an all in one for all digital media and saying that, with the ample storage, an uninterrupted gaming beast.
The S is certainly where Xbox gaming is at. For now…