Now I Want an Xbox Series S (Premium)

Thanks to rampant leaks, Microsoft has gone public with the Xbox Series S, exactly one week after I practically begged it to. But though we’ve been talking about this console and its higher-end Xbox Series X cousin for about a year and a half, it had never occurred to me that I’d get anything other than the most powerful Xbox. Now, I’m not so sure.

It was never solely about price: If the Xbox Series S had landed at $299 but delivered specs that were equivalent to what I now experience with the Xbox One X---1080p in most games and probably 30 fps on average, maybe less for the Call of Duty titles I prefer---I would never have considered it.

But this generation of Xbox consoles is a bit more interesting than I had anticipated. Yes, the Xbox Series S is going to cost $299, and that seems like the right price, regardless of exact specs and performance: Microsoft needs to entice customers with something that’s both new and affordable. It can’t just offer the more expensive and more powerful console. I’m guessing $499 for that one, by the way.

But the Xbox Series S appears to over-deliver on the specs and performance. 1440p at up to 120 fps (!). DirectX raytracing support. A 512 GB SSD. And 4K upscaling for games. Among its many notable attributes.

Yes.

So here’s another prediction: The Xbox Series S is going to be a blockbuster success for Microsoft. It’s the right console for these trying times, an affordable console during a new-generation launch and one that offers real and obvious advantages over any Xbox that anyone is using right now. This coming holiday quarter may literally be Xbox’s best-ever quarter for hardware unit sales. And know that I write this as the most clear-headed person on earth when it comes to Xbox hardware sales.

But this console also appears to meet my needs. I game on a 1440p display, so 4K/UHD capabilities are, for the foreseeable future, unnecessary. I have never once purchased an Xbox One video game disc over three versions of the console (OG, S, and X), and the Series S is all-digital. Perfect.

And the price does matter: I could spend $300 right now and not have to explain myself before the judge, jury, and executioner that is my wife. But $500? That would require a conversation, some explaining. And I can assure you that my wife already isn’t thrilled by how much time I spend on the Xbox as it is.

I can’t help but go back to my original confusion about Microsoft being so silent about Xbox Series S for so long. It should have led with this thing: The Xbox Series S is, in so many ways, the more triumphant statement, the perfect combination of the right product at the right time, than is the Series X. Yes, the Series X will be awesome. And yes, I’ll upgrade to it over time, but now I can do so when the price inevitably comes down. So, too, can you.

Bravo, Microsoft. You should never have waited this long to make us all so happy.