I’d buy an Xbox Series S tomorrow — with this one big change

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I'd buy an Xbox Series S tomorrow — with this one big alter

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

There'due south no shortage of consoles living under my Television, some of which get more than employ than others. The PS5 gets turned on daily – fifty-fifty if information technology's more for backwards compatible PS4 multiplayer gaming with my girlfriend – and the Nintendo Switch gets regular use besides. Finally, there's an Xbox One Due south, which gets occasional use to cheque out the latest Game Pass freebies.

Microsoft's machine is the longest serving of these, and it'south been a trusty companion that is definitely due an upgrade. Just with the PS5 (a necessity for multiplayer with my closest friends) I tin't really justify the expense of an Xbox Series X – there are, later on all, but then many hours in a day for gaming, much as nosotros'd all wish it wasn't and so.

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At this point, you can practically hear the Xbox Series S doing an elaborate phase cough. And yep, the truth is that I'd probably own Microsoft's $299 console right now if it weren't for that one, pregnant drawback: I can't ditch the disk drive.

I'chiliad enlightened of the arguments that I'm locked in the by — and the big stack of CD albums next to my desk definitely backs this up — but for me, the lack of disk drive on the Serial S is non negotiable. In fact, in my oddly specific use case, it would accept abroad much of the cost savings of the Series S in the first place.

I love Microsoft'due south approach to backwards compatibility, only the number one reason I turn on my Xbox One S is for Rock Band 4 and the hundreds of songs worth of DLC accumulated over the last fourteen (!) years and six titles. Do you know how much information technology would cost me to download a digital version that works on Xbox Series S? $60. That's 20% of the cost of the console itself, and that'south pretty annoying given I already own a perfectly skillful disk copy. There are other disk games I take, but most of those are on Game Pass or finished with. I'1000 in the tiny demographic for which plastic guitars and drums are a deciding factor in my next-gen gaming upgrade path.

Microsoft could win me over by releasing a version of the Xbox Series S with a disk drive — or even producing an optional improver like the sick-fated Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive. I'd buy into that ecosystem, even if information technology ultimately cost me more than downloading Rock Ring four from the Xbox Store (which seems silly at present I write it down, only I'm nix if non stubborn.)

But the visitor clearly won't be doing that. There'southward a reason the Xbox Series Southward comes without a disk drive, and it'due south to lock customers into Game Pass subscriptions, and purchasing all their games through a store that Microsoft owns. It neatly blocks off the pre-endemic market and lets the company recoup costs lost through players non paying large bucks for a Serial X. If Microsoft were to release a Series S with a deejay drive, the company would likely up the cost significantly to justify losing its sectional ability to sell me Xbox software.

So, for at present, me and Microsoft are at an impasse, and for as long equally this stalemate continues, the Xbox I S gets to extend its streak as the oldest bit of tech in my living room. Things will come up to a head when that Bethesda exclusivity kicks in, and I'll take to decide whether my love of elaborate guitar solos trumps my dear of the Fallout series. But for now, there's life in the quondam Xbox all the same.

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Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the spider web and in the occasional mag as well. When not weighing upwards the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, y'all'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more than probable, playing Spelunky for the millionth fourth dimension.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/id-buy-an-xbox-series-s-tomorrow-with-this-one-big-change

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