Xbox One S review

With the Xbox One S, Microsoft has substantially changed what we expect when it comes to slimline consoles. 

The difference is resolution. Whereas the original Xbox One was limited to  1080p, the new Xbox One S goes up to 2160p, otherwise known as 4K.  

But, when it comes to games, this 4K output is upscaled rather than native. It's certainly better, but it's nothing close to what native 4K is capable of. 

Beyond 4K, the addition of HDR is also a great inclusion for the console. It's more powerful than it was when the system came out three years ago, and more spacious thanks to a larger 2 TB hard drive.

But using Microsoft's souped-up console has given us an opportunity to reevaluate how we see the platform as a whole, the good and the bad. 

The good news is that, overall, the Xbox is the healthiest it's ever been. It's added plenty of first-party exclusives in 2015, and the new interface has made the platform even more accessible for first-time users.

We've also spent a good deal of time pouring over every inch of the console itself. From its porous white exterior to its reconfigured front panel, it feels more well-constructed and solidly built than its predecessor ever was. Around the back, an HDMI 2.0a port supports HDCP 2.2 allowing for 4K video streaming and HDR in games and movies.

However, all of these features that we've been craving for have come with a trade-off: the new Xbox One S forgoes a standard Kinect port on the console. In order to use the Kinect, the Xbox One S requires you to pick up a USB adapter – which, to its credit, Microsoft has said it will provide free of charge to any original Xbox One owner who asks for one.

While the lack of Kinect capabilities will affect very few gamers, the removal of a Kinect port is one last kick in the pants for all the gamers forced into buying the more expensive console bundle two short years ago.

The other thing to consider is that now the Xbox userbase is slightly fragmented. The gamers who own an Xbox One S will get to play system-exclusives like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 in HDR, while owners of the original hardware will only get to see them in the standard color range. That will mean the difference in conversations about which games are beautiful or, more frightening, how games handled loading times and lag.

Microsoft has said that there's no real difference between the hardware inside the Xbox One you own today but others, including Rod Ferguson, studio head of Gears of War 4's The Coalition, said the Xbox One S can "leverage the additional power to reduce the frequency of the frame rate or resolution penalties."

Whether a discrepancy between systems will be a boon for Microsoft or a curse, however, the Xbox One S is quite easily the best system, hardware-wise, since the Xbox 360 Elite that Microsoft released back in 2007, especially when you consider its price – $399 (£349 / AU$549) for the 2TB version that's available in early August, $349 (£299 / AU$499) for the 1TB version and $299 (£249 / AU$399) for the 500GB model that's coming sometime later this year.

To put that price in perspective, you can get a brand-new Xbox One for $279 (£199 / AU$399). So, is the Xbox One S worth the extra $120 (£150 / AU$150)?

Here's the good – and not so good – of the first official refresh of the Xbox One.

Oh, and how does it stack up against the PS4 Pro? Watch this video to find out! 

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