Three years after the release of the original Xbox One model in 2013, Microsoft released the next system in the Xbox One family of systems. 2016’s Xbox One S is essentially a complete replacement for the original Xbox One system, though they are very similar in many ways. Because of this, this review will focus mostly on the differences between the original Xbox One and the Xbox One S.
Hardware
By far the biggest differences between the Xbox One and the Xbox One S are in their hardware. The Xbox One S is much smaller and the power supply is now built in. This makes the Xbox One S dramatically easier to fit somewhere next to a TV. Despite its size, the Xbox One S is (almost) as capable as the Xbox One in every way. Really the only omission is the Kinect port, which was essentially a dead peripheral by the time the Xbox One S released. The design of the Xbox One S is also much more tasteful than the original Xbox One, with the glossy finish on the top of the Xbox One being removed.
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Probably the most obvious improvement in everyday use of the Xbox One S is with its new controller. The most obvious cosmetic change is the area around the Xbox button is no longer being glossy. The improvements with the Xbox One S controller go far beyond cosmetics, though. The grips now have a much better texture that differentiate them from the rest of the controller, making the controller easier and more comfortable to hold overall. The bumpers also feel improved compared to the original Xbox One’s controller, though they still feel worse to use compared to Microsoft’s own Xbox 360 controller bumpers. Probably the biggest improvement of all is the headphone jack on the bottom of the controller. Buying a proprietary Xbox headset or adapter is no longer necessary to listen to the Xbox through the controller. This is particularly impactful because of the unreliability of the proprietary Xbox headsets and adapters.
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Many of the other updates to the Xbox One S are not obvious from looking at it. The ports are more up-to-date than the ports on the original Xbox One. 4K upscaling and HDR are now supported because of some of these updates. An IR blaster is now included on the system, and Bluetooth 4.0 is now used to connect the controllers. The disc drive is also now capable of reading 4K Blu-ray discs. a feature not available in any other console besides the Xbox One X at the time of this review. Xbox One S is also slightly more powerful, though it is unlikely to preform noticeably better in any games.
Overall
Despite all of these changes, upgrading to the Xbox One S from the original Xbox One won’t be a noticeable enough change to justify spending hundreds of dollars for most people. The best improvement, the controller, is sold separately and is fully supported on the original Xbox One too. This update also does not address the Xbox One’s lack of power sufficiently. Especially as their generation comes to an end, the Xbox One and Xbox One S versions of games are often noticeably worse than every other version of games. Despite all of the improvements to the Xbox One since its launch, this problem (with the base consoles) and the overall lack of good games made specifically for the Xbox One are likely issues that won’t be addressed until the next generation Xbox console releases.
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Overall, taking the system itself and its price into account, the reviewer would give the system an 8 out of 10.
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