I recently bought a TCL gaming TV that will utilize Next-Gen console features like high frames and refresh rates, however, I am yet to buy a Next-Gen console. I have been debating on whether to buy an Xbox Series S but ultimately decided not to, here is why.
First and foremost, the Series S is the cheapest Next-Gen Console you can purchase at the moment at only $299, factor in whatever Kenyan retailers do and you can get it for around Sh40,000- 45,000. At this price point, you get 4K gaming upscaled from 1440p, 120Hz, all the games available on the Xbox Series X, and the same Xbox Controller on the superior Series X. There is a lot to love.
On the downside, the Series S only comes with 364GB SSD storage, while this is fast (asf boii) it is small for Next-Gen titles meaning your Series S will fill up pretty fast. It is also a digital-only titles console so you will have to delete and download games to play new titles.
Xbox Series S Game Pass
Speaking of downloading games, Microsoft’s selling point on the console is the Xbox Game Pass. This is a Netflix-like subscription service, but for games. It grants users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, for a single monthly subscription price.
This means you pay a monthly subscription to play from a very wide catalog of games without buying individual games. Now, this is a crazy good deal, however, it is not available in Kenya, actually, in Africa, it is only available in South Africa.
You can buy Game Pass indirectly from retailers like Jumia, but that beats the point, you would have to remember to purchase one every month or risk losing access to your games and save files. — I think.
UPDATE: You can change regions and buy gamepass just as easy as people in that region, still inconvenient but works
The lack of a disk drive means you can’t buy used games which are fairly cheap and good luck if you’re a sucker for collecting like I am.
In terms of specs, its significantly weaker GPU compared to its big brother, the Xbox Series X, is a big deal, Next-Gen titles are only gonna get more demanding, expect the Series S performance to dwindle in the next few years. If you’re looking for a future-proof console, look elsewhere brother… or sister, hey gamer girls.
My advice, if you want to own an Xbox Next-Gen console is to go big or go home. You will have to feel the dent in your pocket right now, but in the long term, you’ll be getting a better deal.
What do you think? leave a comment down below or better yet on our Twitter or Telegram channel telling us what you think about the Next-Gen Xbox series and which you would buy.
PS. I know PlayStation fanboys are wondering how I didn’t mention the PS5, so to give them some gratification, here’s a poll I ran on my personal Twitter (def follow me) where the last-gen PS4 won against the Series S.
So
— OoF (@NigelJr_) March 10, 2022
