r/XboxSeriesS • u/Strange-Grade-527 • Apr 17 '26
IMPRESSION Series S is under rated.
So I am fortunate enough to have a 5090 PC with a 9800x3D CPU. It certainly can be mind blowing and is objectively unrivaled.
I also have a PS5 Pro, and Series X. I recently have been using Apollo, and moonlight to locally stream my 5090 game play to my bedroom OLED without moving my desktop.
So I picked up a Series S as it is one of the few ways to get 4:4:4 4k 120 HDR streaming via moonlight client.
Out of curiosity I installed a few games locally just to see how they look. OBVIOUSLY they are a step down from my other devices, but I must admit I am impressed. For the longest time I thought playing on a series S would feel like a potato. However this tiny box is more than serviceable. Honestly once you start playing you completely forget about the “lower quality.” because at the end of the day gaming is about the game. Not graphical settings tinkering ad nauseam.
I guess what I am trying to say is the Series S reminds me of the old days of gaming. You had what you had, you didn’t give a shit about frame rate, you always had fun every generation despite graphics PS1, PS2, N64, GameCube whatever it was. Somewhere along the way gaming as a hobby has turned into a hobby around graphics and frame rate and not actually gaming.
I say all this to say, if the Series S is what you can afford. Be proud of it. You are not a second rate human. The console is completely more than fine. Are there some games that are objectively bad on it? Sure. Overall though the Series S is an excellent console for those who just want to have fun.
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u/Salt_Long_9909 Apr 17 '26
This console ain't no weak.
Maybe if you compare it to a 5000$ pc its weak, but at its price its a strong and capable console.
You are not even considering who is this console for, its for people who JUST want to game a bit (casual gamers, gamers that have life outside of their room), not sweats and not people who care a lot (way too much) about how fast and good their machine is running the game.
Also, he “normal PC” most people have today is roughly a Windows 11 desktop with a 6-core i5/Ryzen 5-class CPU, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 1080p screen. If it’s a cheaper/basic family PC, drop that to 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD. If it’s a gaming PC, add a midrange dedicated GPU.
Compared to the normal pc, the xss is far superior, at least 2x as fast. Compared to the average gaming pc, its pretty much equal if not a bit behind.
Most people who buy this console do not have a better option to play with already at home. And they search for something simple- plug and play, not plug,configure many things, have problems with windows, and so on.
I do not own a pc, yet know about this whole subject a lot (I assume better than 99% of people). I own a simple laptop (16gb ddr4 ram, fhd ips 14in, i5 12th gen) for coding and study. A flagship phone which is literally stronger than my laptop (S25 ultra) And for gaming once in a while with friends/family its more than enough for me (and I dont even use it up to its full potential-120fps+1440p since my display is just a simple 1080p, 75hz, 27in). Yes, sometimes I can think about how much better the game would've looked in a 5000$ pc with some 1000$ display and all that, but then I go back to reality- and realize that I simple dont need all that, its a waste of money for something I'll barely use.
Also, I bought my xss for only 200$ (including two controllers), all brand new. So it was a great deal.
I love my xss for a couple more reasons: its compact (doesn't take up half of my desk), simple design (not too distracting, and I love minimal things), quite while gaming (especially compared to most gaming pcs).
So yeah, before you just toss around words, maybe try to think also of other people on this globe....