Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought this only so I could play certain games with some buddies and I wasn't expecting much since this is the cheapest new gen console, but I was surprised with how good the quality and overall design of it was.

I purchased this console through Bestbuy and I was so excited to see what all the hype was about. My first game I downloaded was GTA 5 and the gameplay was phenomenal on the console and the graphics were amazing. Highly recommend!!

I've had consoles and PCs for many years but as of recent I had been a PC gamer primarily and found myself growing tired of the trouble shooting, launchers and other overall minor complaints of PC gaming. And found myself looking for a more pick up and play option the xbox series S has filled that role prefectly. An impressive little piece of hardware that runs almost any current gen game I can think of like a dream (while only costing as much as an above average graphics card that you may or may not be able to find in stock.) In conjunction with the surprisingly good value the game pass service provides I have been absolutely pleased with every aspect of the console. The controller being battery charged instead of using an internal rechargeable seems an odd choice but this can easily be remedied with a set of rechargeable double AAs. That is honestly my biggest and only complaint with the console. The unit is almost if not absolutely silent which was a nice change from the air port terminal that was the ps4 I owned a few years ago. I highly suggest if you are looking for a current generation console make this the one you get unless you particularly want the benefits that come from the stronger series X or a PS5 this is absolutely the console for you. It honestly reminds me of owning a PS2 back when they first came out and those vibes are hard to replicate. I'm having fun just playing games on my couch, dropping my jaw at pretty graphics and making friends and catching up with my brother online. So thanks Microsoft you really did good with this one!

As noted by those at Digital Foundry, it has an absolutely irresistible design aesthetic and it is even smaller than you would expect. It is quiet, versatile (lay flat or stand on its side with no additional standing plate or stand), and while it may not be the most powerful console on the market, it is the most competitively priced and outperforms the current gen systems in key ways. Since it has an SSD (unfortunately only 512GB which basically necessitates the expansion card), it boots up, installs, and loads games significantly faster than previous gen consoles. These loading improvements are also seen in loading sequences in games (respawns, fast travels, etc). The user interface is also significantly faster and feels much more enjoyable to navigate. The other key difference between this machine and the previous gen consoles is that it has Quick Resume. This allows you to save the state of multiple games at once and switch between them with only a few seconds of waiting for the splash screen. Gone are the days of having to wait minutes at a time for a new game to load every time you decide to switch to playing something else. The save states even stay after a reboot or system update! The only ways they are cleared are if the console is fully shutdown or the saved game has an update. This machine has incredible potential as its chipset has a full RDNA2 feature set. Unfortunately, it will be some time before devs are able to fully tap into those features so how games look or play on this machine can be less than ideal. Any backwards compatible title you launch will be the original Xbox One version of the game instead of the Xbox One X version. The biggest downside of this is that a lot of Xbox One X versions had additional features or modes (performance or quality) and allowed the user to determine which options they preferred. None of the original Xbox One versions had these options so a lot of old titles are stuck at poor resolutions and frame rate locks. This is a purpose built machine designed to play digital titles at 60fps up to 1440p resolutions (Usually 1080p 60fps or 1440p 30fps). It is also capable of playing supporting titles at 120Hz but this requires the correct monitor or TV set. Overall, this machine is for a more casual player or someone that doesn’t have a 4K TV or monitor. It’s responsive, nice to look at, and will play any titles you own, or plan to buy, better than previous gen consoles.

Small and powerful, this might be the best piund for price console in history.

For the price, it’s a nice console. I like the simplicity of downloading games, no loading discs.

The X-Box Series S is a slick, fast little machine that is a great entry point for next-gen gaming. If you pair it with Microsoft Game Pass you won't even need to buy any games to get started - or - EVER really. It's not for everybody and hardcore gamers will want to wait for either an Xbox Series X or a PS5. WHO THIS IS FOR - * People who want to get in on next gen gaming without breaking the bank. * PS5 owners who want to play Microsoft exclusives or have access to Microsoft game pass. It's a perfect "game pass machine." * People who don't own or don't really care to own, a 4k UHD TV. * People who don't put a priority on having top of the line performance - i.e. non-competitive gamers, kids, etc. * People who don't need physical media for games / entertainment. WHO THIS IS NOT FOR - * Hard core gamers who want to take advantage of all the bells and whistles that the most powerful next-gen consoles have to offer (i.e. Series X & PS5) * People who want to game in full 4k @ 120 hz / 120 fps. The Series S maxes out at 1440p. * People with a large library of Xbox / 360 / Xbox One physical games and / or DVDs. The Series S is digital only. The jury is still out on how future proof the Series S will be once developers start really taking advantage of the Series X's horsepower. But for now, and honestly - I upgraded to a Series X - the differences are negligible.

The Xbox Series S is an incredible gaming console for its price. It’s compact, super quiet, and delivers smooth performance with fast load times thanks to the SSD. Games look amazing even at 1440p, and Xbox Game Pass is a game-changer with access to tons of great titles. The digital-only setup is super convenient, though the 512GB storage fills up quickly—expandable storage helps with that. If you’re looking for an affordable way into next-gen gaming, this is it!

Overall great console, haven’t had much trouble with it other than the storage but you can easily get more. It can run up to 120 fps and is just like the Series X, just cheaper lol. I recommend.

Came in great condition, unlike other purchases to where I had to return it due to a faulty hardware, but since purchasing I've ran into no problems, very happy I have finally gotten a new gen console after trying so many times looking through Amazon andal other stores

Insane value when factoring in Xbox game pass. If you don't have a 4K TV, this is the next gen console to buy

I was able to pick up the Series S recently and haven't had a single regret. It's a fantastic little beast of a machine. I intended to use it as a companion console to my PC or other consoles, but it's ended up being my place of choice to play games. Things like Quick Resume and Smart Delivery sound like marketing jargon but are serious and tangible benefits in my experience. Saving three minutes every time you sit down to play, switch, or download a game adds up over time. The Series S is a tiny and whisper-quiet machine - again, has to be experienced in person before it truly sets in. The icing on the cake for me is the insane catalog of backwards compatible games, which has made this an unexpected and awesome nostalgia machine. This is a digital console but since I had to get rid of my disc library years ago, I've had to rely on things like Game Pass and the digital storefront, both of which have robust offerings from the past and present. I can confirm that you should absolutely be picking up Game Pass with this console - that's an insane library of quality titles that will be ready to go as soon as you set this thing up. If you're at all on the fence about this because you're worried about performance, storage, or long-term viability, don't be - I've probably used this for 100 hours of gaming alone since picking it up a month ago and look forward to many more. I have over 40 titles loaded up, many of which are backwards compatible titles that shine on this console, and still have plenty of room (over 100GB) to spare if I want to play any big, modern AAA titles. The Series S punches well above its weight and price class, and you should absolutely go for it if you have the chance to pick one up.

Love the features an got it because I love Xbox plus I was on travel for work.. something to do

Extremely small form factor and very minimalist design work really well. I am personally not a fan of proprietary storage devices (remember the PS Vita?) especially when we have so many fast options for storage at USB 3.0 and above. Also...it's 2020(1) WHY DO YOU STILL MAKE CONTROLLERS FOR CONSOLES WITHOUT RECHARGABLE BATTERIES ALREADY INSTALLED? Ok, aside from that, Microsoft DID make a great product in that their previous gen controllers are compatible, the ultimate game pass is actually a REALLY good deal right now ($1 first month, two months free, $15 a month after) and I can see HD gaming being really chill. You won't get the true 4K experience on this machine, but the output you still get is vibrant and beautiful. I do game on PC on 1080P monitors, but what you're getting is the quickness and response of PC gaming, from the comfort of your casual gaming couch. Also note, if you get this and/or a Series X, your TV HAS to be hdmi 2.1 ready to fully utilize the maximum refresh rates advertised. 60FPS and 60hz still look great at 1080P/1440P (even upscaled) but if you're trying to get 120FPS from this machine or 120 4K on the series X, you'll need to make sure your display is capable of it at your specified resolution. For $300, this definitely is the best value with the game pass. Microsoft has done it's fans justice in backwards compatibility which is nice. And the 360 and OG Xbox games can be loaded from a hard drive (SSD not necessary) but to my knowledge, XBONE and Series S/X games don't. I could be wrong, but my xbone games are also part of gamepass. Anyway, TL;DR, great console, not true 4K gaming but still beautiful. Game Pass Ultimate is a great deal. Still needs batteries for controller, so get rechargeable batteries or play 'n charge kits.

Excellent console, and the game pass is the best service, this makes the best combination

Bought the XBox for 2 of my grandkids for Christmas. They moved in with me 2 states away from their home. They are happy and safe with me now. Most of their things that could be pawned were pawned by their worthless, felon "sperm donor", including their XBox! I bought this for my grandkids for Christmas. It makes them happy and warms my heart to see them happy.

Been a Xbox gamer my whole life and the series S is very budgetable and a great console for the money

I enjoy using my XBOX daily. More so, the cloud gaming capabilities have extended the use of this xbox even further. I haven’t had any issues with having no disc drive and I enjoy the games available to me.

We like it and for now it is what we expected. Haven’t had a problem the last one we had lasted us 7 years

Long review for some context. I was able to get an Xbox Series X on release day as an upgrade for my Xbox One which is played on a 4K television. My Xbox One was moved to the living room(55” 1080 tv) to replace the blu-ray player and slow fire stick to become the family streaming device with the added bonus of gaming. I got the Series S to replace the living room Xbox one. At first I was annoyed at myself for not taking into consideration the lack of disc drive since it was replacing what I used as a Blu-ray player. The vast majority of our entertainment is done by streaming and only played Blu-ray’s maybe 3-4 times a year. Fair trade off I think. I also predominantly rely on the Xbox Gamepass so the lack of disk drive is even less of an issue. There is quality difference in terms of resolution but you should know what you’re getting before committing to a console. This is on a 1080 tv the better console wouldn’t actually show their power anyway so might as well keep it cheap. The hard drive space could be an issue but my series X and the expansion card I can use on this as well offset that. The size of this thing really is compact, maybe too much so that it doesn’t fill out the space in my entertainment center like the xb1 did, but I guess it could fit just about anywhere without being too cumbersome. All in all this is a great version of the Xbox Series. If you’re a die hard who needs the best, this is definitely not for you. But if you play casually and okay with 1080 gaming, it’s well worth the money. Or if you’re like me and use it to compliment the stronger system that is somewhere else in the house.