The Xbox Series S can appeal to the needs of a wide variety of gaming enthusiasts. Here are four groups we think will love Microsoft’s smaller, more affordable console.
The Next-Gen Curious
When it comes to the hardest of the hardcore, gamers want the best, most powerful hardware they can get—and those gamers are going for the Xbox Series X. However, there are a lot more people out there who have interest in playing the latest and greatest releases without wanting to make as large of an investment to do so.
That’s where the Xbox Series S comes in. For a much lower initial price tag, players can now access everything the new generation has to offer without major compromises to their experience. And, from there, they also have more choice in how they take that experience to the next level.
For some, the Xbox Series S may be all they’ll ever need, and whatever money they would have spent on upgrading their hardware can go instead to new games or subscribing to Xbox Game Pass. For others, the system can serve as a gateway to the Xbox Series X without blindly jumping into the higher-priced console.
The Aestheticist
In thinking about what casual gamers value in a gaming console, there are plenty of obvious factors, such as price, selection of games, and ease of use. Often, though, one factor in particular goes overlooked: design.
How much room will this piece of hardware take up in my home? How well will it fit in with the environment it’s going into? How noticeable will it be in my daily life? While those might seem like silly questions to some, they’re important to others, and those kinds of concerns were part of the design process for the Xbox Series S.
“What is really cool about this form factor is that it will fit in more places in customers’ homes,” explained Chris Kujawski, principal designer at Xbox. “We design our products to be long lasting, and we want the industrial design to last as well. Whether customers choose to celebrate the console or tuck it away due to its small size, our goal is to provide them with a product that they are happy living with and using for years.”
The Family
The Xbox Series S can be the perfect console for a family looking to enjoy some modern gaming, but it can also be a perfect second console for your family. Or, perhaps even third.
For the first time, families have a cheaper option for expanding the gaming possibilities in their homes without going back to older-generation hardware or waiting for price drops that may be years to come. If that Xbox Series X you picked up is proving a little too popular, you can always add a Series S to a playroom or bedroom. Have children who aren’t good at sharing? Picking up two systems won’t cost you all that much more than it would be to get one Series X. And, because Xbox accounts can be active on multiple consoles, you can share your purchased digital games across the different systems in your home.
As well, the Xbox Series S makes it cheaper and easier to bring the Xbox ecosystem into the family of consoles you already own. If you or your children have had little experience with Xbox in the past, now’s the perfect chance to find out everything the platform has to offer.
The Traveler
We here at Walmart Gamecenter are no strangers to traveling for work, having made many trips around the United States (and around the globe) in the name of covering video games. Previously, if we wanted to spend some of our down time during those trips gaming, the solution was usually either a handheld or a laptop.
Now, fans are flush with great options for gaming on the go. While it certainly isn’t the only easily portable piece of gaming hardware on the market, the Xbox Series S carries with it the benefit of offering the console experience in a package you can tuck away in a carry-on suitcase or even a backpack.
The strength of the Series S’s smaller design isn’t just taking it on trips, however. The system is also a great option for local get-togethers, whether it be for intense Halo multiplayer sessions, or simply bringing it to the home of a friend or family member who doesn’t have their own Xbox.
And, if you’re really ambitious, some third-party manufacturers are even making portable displays specifically for the Xbox Series S—meaning the only limit to where you can game is the availability of somewhere to plug in a power cord.
