What’s the difference between the Xbox One S and the original Xbox One? We take a closer look as we compare the Xbox One S vs Xbox One.
Note: We’re continuing to update this page with more details.
Xbox One S starts at £249/$299 for 500GB, 1TB and 2TB versions also coming
There are three different capacities. Prices start at $299 for the 500GB version, moving up to $349 for the 1TB and $399 for a massive 2TB. We have no news on pricing outside the US yet, but we’ll add that info as soon as we have it.
We now have UK and European pricing, too. The 2TB launch edition Xbox One S will cost £349/399 Euros, while the 1TB will be £299/349 Euros and the 500GB £249/299 Euros. That’s pretty sweet for a 4K Blu-ray player let alone one that also plays games.
Xbox One S is 40% smaller, has built-in power supply
The Xbox One S is 40% smaller than the original. This much we pretty much knew already thanks to all the numerous leaks, but it’s great news all the same.
Such a reduction in size should be welcomed by many, as the original Xbox One is nothing short of a beast. At 333mm x 276mm x 78mm, it dominates the comparatively slight PS4, and not in a good way.
Watch Xbox One S: Everything you need to know
What’s doubly impressive, however, is the power supply is now built-in. This is a huge improvement because the old, bulky power brick on the Xbox One was a serious pain.
So, 40% smaller and no bulky power supply? Thanks Microsoft – we like that.
4K Ultra HD, 4K Blu-ray and High Dynamic Range support
This is huge. Not only does the Xbox One S support 4K video playback from streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, it also has a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray built-in.
This is especially good news for AV fans and the announced starting price $299 makes it good value compared to dedicated Ultra HD players currently on the market.
Related: Ultra HD Blu-ray: The ultimate guide
In fact, if you have a 4K TV, we’d argue it’s a must-have to enjoy the full potential of your TV.
While the original Xbox One is technically capable of supporting 4K gaming and video, it comes with an HDMI 1.4a port, which means it can only output 4K at 30Hz, which is useless for video and games. The Xbox One adds support for HDMI 2.0a, so it now supports proper 4K 60Hz output.
Watch: 4K and HDR explained
HDMI 2.0a, with its capacity for a deeper colour space, would also allow for the High Dynamic Range (HDR). If you’re yet to catch up on exactly what this HDR stuff is all about, check out our HDR TV guide for a full rundown.
Related: HDMI 2.0 vs HDMI 1.4
In short, you can expect more natural colours, deeper blacks, and brighter whites from an HDR image, providing you have a compatible TV. It could be great for games and video, so this is another major plus point.
There’s been some talk that old Xbox Ones could be upgraded to the new HDMI standard through a firmware update, but there was no mention of this in the press conference so don’t get your hopes up.
There’s no performance difference
Much like the rumoured PS4.5, the Xbox One Slim will not mark the beginning of a new console generation, but an expansion of a platform we already know and love.
Unlike the rumoured PlayStation or Xbox Scorpio coming next year, however, the Xbox One Slim isn’t more powerful than a standard Xbox One. So, while it adds support for 4K video and Blu-ray, games won’t look or run any better on the Xbox One S as far as we know.
This is good news for those who don’t care about 4K Blu-ray and the like as you won’t be getting an inferior experience on your ‘old’ console.
On a less happier note, Microsoft revealed plans to release a ‘4K’ console at the end of 2017, which should make you ponder whether an Xbox One S upgrade is worth it.
Related: Xbox Scorpio: Release date, specs and performance revealed
It can be stored upright
Yes, that’s right, you can store the Xbox One S upright. That’s great news, though the stand doing so is an optional extra. As it only costs $20, however, it’s not a huge imposition.
There’s no dedicated port for Kinect
Not a huge surprise here. The Xbox One S removes the dedicated port for Kinect. Given its increasing irrelevance this isn’t a huge loss, though owners who want to use one can do say via a USB adapter. We assume the adapter will be sold separately, too.
New controller adds Bluetooth
Not content with the already excellent Xbox One controller, or the incredible Xbox One Elite Controller, Microsoft’s unveiled the Xbox One S controller as well.
Now, controversially, it doesn’t come with the Xbox One S – it’s an optional extra. That makes a kind of sense if you already have an Xbox One, but it’s an extra cost to consider for everyone else.
Related: PS4 Neo vs PS4: What’s the difference?
As for the controller itself, it has a new textured grip, exchangeable colour covers, extended range and – most importantly – it now has Bluetooth so you can use it with a PC wirelessly.
All told, it sounds pretty neat.
Source: xbox one – Google News