{"id":18119,"date":"2020-11-30T06:00:06","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T11:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=18119"},"modified":"2020-11-28T00:34:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T05:34:24","slug":"thoughts-and-impressions-xbox-series-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=18119","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts and Impressions: Xbox Series S"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Credit: Microsoft<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ten years. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve owned an Xbox console. Narrowing it down even further, the last trophy I earned on an Xbox console was for Super Meat Boy<\/em> back on 12\/12\/10 when I unlocked The Kid. It was around that time I had disliked the approach Xbox was taking towards video games. The exclusives weren’t doing anything for me. I had ZERO interest in Kinect. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 3 was firing on all cylinders (or the problematic Cell processors) giving me games I fell in love with and enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we are in 2020. New systems. I had every intention to keep going with the PlayStation 5 after Xbox has done nothing to sway me to purchase the Xbox One since 2013. Truthfully, I still think the PlayStation 5 would have been a better purchase for my interests. However, one thing, in particular, convinced me to pick up the Xbox Series S, and it’s probably not what you think it is. I’ve now had some time to play with the Xbox Series S and thought it best to write my impressions on it as someone diving back into the Xbox ecosystem for the first time in a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xbox Series S – The Console<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Who needs a ruler when you have an empty Juicy Juice box to measure it against?<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    There was one main reason I purchased the Xbox Series S – the size. Not a joke. Not being facetious. It literally came down to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To paint a word picture – my setup is not easy where I live. My tv is hung on the wall above the mantle of our fireplace. We have two shelves to the right of it that my PlayStation 4 currently sits on along with some Joker statues and other random stuff. The mantle itself could probably sit the PlayStation 5 upright with a stand (not something I want to do) but is probably too wide and heavy for the shelves hanging on the wall. The Xbox Series X could probably fit size-wise on both (maybe too wide for my mantle – I haven’t measured), but is probably too heavy for my shelves as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So that left the Xbox Series S. My tv isn’t 4K as I bought months before those televisions started dropping to reasonable prices, and I have no desire to upgrade it right now. So the Xbox Series S works for me on that front. As for the size, it’s…perfect. It’s tiny. Reminds me of the Wii U console in a way. The design itself is slick, and I don’t mind the boombox looking fan on it either. It’s up and out of the way, so unless you are upstairs looking down into the living room, you’ll never see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Plug it in, plug it in<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    One thing that bothers me about some of the larger systems is plugging in cords. Thankfully, the Xbox Series S is small enough to just pick up and look at the back while plugging in. However, if for whatever reason, that doesn’t work – it also helps indicate where plugins are. On the back are raised dots indicating where cords can be inserted. HDMI out for instance has a single longer raised dot. The power cord has one small raised dot. I imagine further down the road you won’t remember what’s what, but at the very least, it’s nifty to have it switching is a constant thing you require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The system itself is sinfully quiet. I get a chime that it turns on, and that’s the last I hear from it until I turn it off. It also pumps out some heat as well. While playing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice<\/em>, I ran my hand over the fan and system just to see what it felt like. Definitely warm. I don’t have the means to test it, but there’s always Digital Foundry for that more in-depth analysis. I am curious how warm it will become as games find their footing in this gen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Controller<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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      Such a beautiful controller<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      If you’re a fan of the Xbox controller…don’t expect to suddenly hate it. The controller is well built and still feels wonderful. The back of the controller has a textured grip. So too does the left and right trigger buttons and the outsides of the sticks. Unlike the PS4 controller, I vastly prefer both the placement and size of the middle buttons, although I don’t know if I can say the same about the Xbox button. It’s a bit further out of the way for the fingers. Other than that, the actual size of the controller isn’t an issue. As someone with small hands, that’s not something I’ve been able to say about previous controllers from Xbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The concave sticks are nice, though the left one being concave feels pointless for my tiny hands since my finger doesn’t sit comfortably in it. If it was further down, it would probably work. As it stands, my left thumb uses the outside of the stick whereas my right thumb sits nicely inside of it. The D-Pad is also concave and I’m unsure whether I like it or not. Each direction is differentiated on the outline, and I seem to make it work easy enough, but there’s something about the feeling that is just…off. I don’t know if I prefer each direction separated out or what, but it’s not a D-Pad I’m crazy about. Perhaps, like most things with this console, it’s just a learning curve for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      There are two things I actively dislike about the controller. The first is – I prefer rechargeable batteries. I didn’t like switching out batteries back on the Xbox 360, and I still dislike it. I’m honestly not sure why they continue to sell the rechargeable pack separately, but I wish it would stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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