Highlights
- The Xbox Series S now comes in Carbon Black and has a 1TB SSD built right in, providing gamers with another color option and more storage at a reasonable price.
- The Xbox Series S offers a next-generation console experience at a fraction of the cost compared to its more powerful sibling, the Xbox Series X, targeting gamers at lower resolutions.
- Both the white 512GB and black 1TB Xbox Series S models have the same tech specs, and the decision between the two comes down to personal preference and finances, considering factors such as color and storage space.
When Microsoft originally announced the Xbox Series line of consoles, some fans were dismayed that they could only get the Series X in black and the Series S in white. While the Series X is still only available in black, Microsoft has now given fans another color option when it comes to the Series S. The all-new Xbox Series S comes in Carbon Black and sports a 1TB SSD built right in, all for $349.99.
Microsoft Xbox Series S
The Xbox Series S is a digital-only game console that offers the same processor as its more powerful Xbox Series X sibling but cuts down on memory, storage, and the GPU while removing the disc drive to offer a next-generation console experience at a fraction of the cost while targeting gamers at lower Full HD or 2K resolutions instead.
- 4K Capabilities
- No (Upscaling available)
- Power Source
- AC Power
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Processing Power
- 4 TFLOPS
- Storage
- 1TB SSD SSD
- CPU
- Custom AMD Zen 2 8-Core CPU
- Battery
- 2 AA batteries required.
- Dimensions
- 11.5 x 14.17 x 5.04 inches
- Weight
- 7.06 Pounds
- RAM
- 10GB
Current Xbox Series S owners shouldn't be too worried about their console being outdated as this version still has the same tech specs as the white Xbox Series S with 512GB of storage. The only difference here is that the system has a full black design, comes bundled with a Carbon Black Xbox Wireless controller, and has 1TB of storage. This is not to be confused with the Xbox Series X which has an entirely upgraded set of internals and can run games at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second.
Making the decision to buy either the White 512GB Series S or the Black 1TB comes down to color preferences and personal finances. As for color, the standard tech concept that black hardware attracts more fingerprints and smudges still applies here, however also take furniture design into consideration as a black box will stand out in a white unit and vice versa. As for space to download games, both consoles can have their storage upgraded with a proprietary expansion card that can purchased from Seagate or Western Digital. However, these expansion cards come at a cost with a 1TB retailing for around $150.
Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S 1TB
The Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S is a proprietary add-on storage slot. It clips on the back of both current-generation consoles using a connector that resembles a CF Express card but supports PCI-E 4.0 Speeds for data transfer to the Xbox.
The Xbox Series S is a fantastic game console that opens players up to the world of Game Pass which offers hundreds of games for a low monthly cost. For gamers looking to jump aboard the Bethesda hype train and play Starfield, be aware that it will eat into a large portion of the console's storage space as it's been revealed the game is 125GB at launch. The Carbon Black Xbox Series S 1TB releases on September 1st, 2023, and can be purchased at most gaming retailers.
For users looking for the cheapest Series S option, the 512GB model currently trades at a discount from its MSRP of $300 just in time for users to preload Starfield ahead of its release.
Xbox Series S
Released alongside the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Series S is Microsoft's budget option for the ninth console generation. Designed exclusively for digital gaming, the Series S can run the same games as the Series X, albeit at a potentially lower resolution and frame rate.