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Xbox One S News: Will The Console And Games Take Back The Lead On Its Release Date?

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 06:29 PST, Aug 2, 2016

The latest Xbox One news points to a possible resurgence in console sales for the month of August. After the announcements of upgraded consoles for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it seemed people didn’t want to buy a new one until it was actually better.

The initial Xbox One release date was marred by horrible PR and announcements which turned off even hardcore Xbox 360 hopefuls. The price tag alone, at $100 more than the PS4, made it an instant underdog. The PlayStation 4 has had a lead in sales ever since. The new Xbox One could be taking that lead back until the Neo hits shelves, and it’s still unknown how these upgraded consoles will compete after both parties are done, and Scorpio hits in 2017.

The first thing most people will notice, straight out of the box with the Xbox One S, is the smaller size. News of this alone might not be enough to justify the fact that the console is already sold out in the U.K. though. Even GameStop experienced a shortage as the new console flew off the shelves at 349.97 pounds.

If you hook the Xbox One S up to an UltraHD TV, you might notice a difference as the console upscales the games to 4K resolution, much like Blu-Ray players do with DVDs today. Formats which natively use 4K resolution will work fine on the Xbox One S, including 4K Blu-Ray and video streaming services.

No Xbox One games to date are fully 4K native, although that could change in the future as older Xbones might make an added requirement like that of PC games. It might adjust performance settings in future games based on which console you use. This news could give Xbox One the boost it needs to compete with the upcoming PlayStation 4 Neo.

Also unlike the previous Xbox One, the slim variety will come in three different packages due to the fact that Microsoft doesn’t want its gamers upgrading to a bigger hard drive without making a sale. There are 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB models, the latter of which makes the most sense considering how big games are getting now. Back when the Xbone first launched, games were already beginning to hit the 50 GB benchmark, and it’s only going to get bigger with the introduction of digital updates. The Blu-Ray discs might only have a DRM key and a glitchy launch version of the game on them while the full working game will need to be downloaded. Ubisoft has already shown this to be a common practice just to weed out piracy.

Gamers in the U.S. might have a better chance of grabbing an Xbox One S by importing, although you will pay customs charges and might encounter regional lock-outs with local titles. Older consoles were often imported because Japan’s consoles often had a better selection.

Something else which could be refreshing news for Xbox One S gamers who felt the pain of broken-down Xbox 360s is the ventilation holes all over one side of the console. This should help reduce temperatures as better air flow is enabled, although you still might want to run a hand-vac over the holes on occasion to keep them from getting blocked up with dust and pet hair.

Speaking of heating issues, the power brick is gone, which was the actual part which overheated on Xbox 360 consoles and led to system crashes. Also gone is the Kinect, which is now sold separately from the beginning, and requires an adapter. Sadly, the new controller runs on AA’s, meaning you’ll be paying for new batteries to keep playing unless you just keep the cord attached.

Of course, the big news everybody wants to know is whether the Xbox One S will compete with the PlayStation 4 Neo. We won’t know until the Neo is released since Sony hasn’t detailed what’s in its infamous black box yet.

[Image via Barone Firenze/Shutterstock]

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