Xbox One S News And Updates: Slimmer, More Powerful Xbox Unveiled; Can It Topple The PS4? [VIDEO]
Microsoft has found itself on the defensive against Sony in the current console gaming wars, with the Xbox One finding itself outgunned and outperformed in almost every way by Sony's PlayStation 4. With Sony allegedly scheduled to release an update for its device, Microsoft has opted to do the same, unveiling the Xbox One S.
What is immediately noticeable from the Xbox One S is its size, or lack thereof. Indeed, Microsoft's newest gaming machine is far smaller than its predecessor, with the new, very white device being 40 percent smaller than the regular-sized Xbox One console.
Apart from being physically small, the Xbox One S also features a very notable integrated design, which places the devices power supply inside the frame of the console. Thus, users of the Xbox One S would not need to worry about the power brick on the original Xbox One design, which is quite famous among users as a serious pain to move around.
Though the internals of the Xbox One S are not fully overhauled to handle the next generation of games, the machine is nonetheless equipped to fully support 4K Ultra HD, 4K Blu-Ray and High Dynamic Range Support for media playback. While these might seem unremarkable for some, the price of the entry-level Xbox One S at $299 makes it far more attractive than dedicated Ultra HD players in the market, which are usually priced at the $400 and above range.
Also, despite the Xbox One S not really receiving a major upgrade when it comes to specs and the like, its performance has been tuned up by Microsoft. According to Rod Fergusson, head of The Coalition, his team of game developers is taking advantage of additional GPU and CU power for their upcoming Gears of War release for Microsoft's console. Though Fergusson did point out that the upgrade would only revolve around the frame rates of the game, this slight improvement in performance over its predecessor is very much welcome.
The Xbox One S looks pretty much like what many were expecting. It's a beautiful sleek device that runs a bit better than its predecessor. If any, it would be a pretty good console to carry Microsoft over until the next generation of gaming machines are introduced.
