Xbox Series S is both a boon and a curse for current-gen Xbox

When the Xbox Series S was announced alongside Series X, fans were a bit skeptical because of it being a budget-friendly console. It is a less powerful version of the Series X, which aims at a 1440P resolution, at a time when 4K gaming experience has become a norm for many. However, this still gives the players a chance to enter the new generation of gaming with an affordable console.

While the weak Xbox Series S may not seem like a big hit to the graphical performance, it heavily affects the developer's vision as the console can hold back a game from reaching its full potential. This also stops the Series X from reaching its full potential because the Xbox Series S has to be catered to first, since it can make optimizing the game for the inferior hardware less difficult.

With games like Black Myth Wukong specifically being delayed for the Xbox consoles, it feels like the Xbox Series S is a curse to the gaming community more than a budget-friendly alternative.

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Why the Xbox Series S is a boon: Accessibility and affordability

The consoles are now more expensive than they have ever been, which is where the Xbox Series S provides players a chance to enter the ninth generation of gaming at a low price of $299. This price point, compared to the Xbox Series X's launch price of $499, sounds like a more affordable choice to play the newer titles, even if it comes at the cost of hardware that is less powerful than its big brother.

The Xbox Series S is also purely a digital console, which means it lacks a disk drive. You can only buy games through the Xbox storefront and by purchasing the Game Pass subscription. This helps in keeping your library safe and sound on your account without having the fear of losing a disk or accidentally breaking it.

The console also packs solid performance in a compact form, which won't take up a lot of space on your table or shelf. The Xbox Series S sports a fast SSD, ray tracing, 1440P resolution support, and smooth frame rates. These features are present in the Series X as well, but there they are more powerful. For example, the higher-tier console provides 4K resolution at decent frame rates.

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Why the Xbox Series S is a curse: Limitations and development challenges

The Series S launched with budget gaming in mind, allowing players to enter the ninth generation of gaming at an affordable price. However, the console had to cut back on major features like 4K gaming and a powerful GPU to reduce its price point. Even the PlayStation 5 has a cheaper version, similar to the Series S, that lacks a disk drive. However, the digital variant features the same internal hardware as the disk version.

The developers have to compromise on many features as they have to keep the Series S in mind as well. If a game can't run on it, then it will make players' purchase of the console invalid, as they won't be able to play the latest games. This severely holds back titles, as they have to first perform on lower-end hardware, instead of the Xbox Series X.

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Even four years after its release, the Xbox Series S is doing well in the market as players continue to enjoy the games on it. However, it's the developers who have to go through the pain of reducing their scope to cater to the weaker hardware first, which is holding this new generation back.