Microsoft's Xbox One S might have made its India debut a bit late - the console was officially launched a couple of months back - but it is the case of good things come to those who wait. It's a worthy upgrade to the original Xbox One and will satiate the needs of all gamers. The look has changed and a multitude of new features have been added to the Xbox One S. We got the 500 GB Xbox One S for a couple of days and spent a lot many hours playing with it. Here's what we think about it:
Design
To be brutally honest, the Xbox One was not a looker from any angle and in any sense. It looked more like a VCR rather than a gaming console and before you say that what's inside what matters the most - well sometimes looks are important as well. The Xbox One S mercifully ditches the old look and is a beautifully designed console. Gone is touch sensitive power button and now you get a physical button. There's an Ethernet port at the back along with HDMI in and HDMI out port. The power socket, an IR port and two USB slots are also located at the back. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that its shutting down the production of its Kinect. It's no surprise to not find the Kinect port in the Xbox One S.
One can keep the Xbox One S vertically as well but for that you'll have to get an additional stand. The white colour - although prone to getting dirty - really adds a dash of style to the Xbox One S. It has to be said that Microsoft has really got its look game spot on with the Xbox One S.
The controller - again white in colour - retains the fundamentals of the Xbox One. There are differences but we didn't notice them at the first glance. For instance, the back of the controller is textured now and provides a much better grip. The controller still runs on two AA batteries but is Bluetooth enabled. You can hold the controller for long periods of time and wouldn't feel any discomfort. If you plan to go on a gaming marathon, go ahead with the Xbox One S as the controller fits easily and won't tire you out.
Performance
Setting up the Xbox One S was a long and dreary exercise. For some reason, the review unit we got refused to connect to the Wi-Fi and it took a while before we got it hooked. Moving past that, Xbox One S boasts of 4K HDR Blu-ray support. You'll need an HDR TV set to experience this in full glory. Nevertheless, the OS on Xbox suffers from no lags - a problem which the previous generation had. The Xbox One S is powered by a custom 8-core AMD CPU with a 1.75 GHz clock speed, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. Microsoft has increased the GPU frequency from 853 to 914 - it handles the HDR load easily and gives better visual experience.
Xbox One S comes with a Game Pass - for Rs 699 per month one can get access to a vast library of games which you can download and play. It's an aspect where Microsoft edges its biggest rival - Sony Playstation - which doesn't have any such offering. We tried a few third-party games - mainly FIFA 18 and it was true delight to play on the Xbox One S. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, quite a few hours were spent by us playing the same game on a PS4. The difference, at the end of the day, lies in which camp you're on. If you're a PS loyalist, then perhaps you'll always find it better. In our case, we can safely vouch for the fact the Xbox One S didn't have any trouble. If you're a first-time gamer, the Xbox One S is a great console to begin with. Even hardcore gamers won't find any fault with the Xbox One S. As we mentioned at the start, it has been a delayed entry for the Xbox One S in India but it's a welcome addition.
Verdict
The 500GB version of the Xbox One S is priced At Rs 29,990 - and perhaps you can get it for even less on e-commerce websites - and it's clear that Microsoft has a winner on its hands. It's a great looking console that will cater to the needs of most gamers. Unless you're parked firmly in the Playstation camp, there's no reason why you shouldn't go for the Xbox One S. Its sleek, powerful and delivers what you're looking for: an extremely fine gaming experience.
Design
To be brutally honest, the Xbox One was not a looker from any angle and in any sense. It looked more like a VCR rather than a gaming console and before you say that what's inside what matters the most - well sometimes looks are important as well. The Xbox One S mercifully ditches the old look and is a beautifully designed console. Gone is touch sensitive power button and now you get a physical button. There's an Ethernet port at the back along with HDMI in and HDMI out port. The power socket, an IR port and two USB slots are also located at the back. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that its shutting down the production of its Kinect. It's no surprise to not find the Kinect port in the Xbox One S.
One can keep the Xbox One S vertically as well but for that you'll have to get an additional stand. The white colour - although prone to getting dirty - really adds a dash of style to the Xbox One S. It has to be said that Microsoft has really got its look game spot on with the Xbox One S.
The controller - again white in colour - retains the fundamentals of the Xbox One. There are differences but we didn't notice them at the first glance. For instance, the back of the controller is textured now and provides a much better grip. The controller still runs on two AA batteries but is Bluetooth enabled. You can hold the controller for long periods of time and wouldn't feel any discomfort. If you plan to go on a gaming marathon, go ahead with the Xbox One S as the controller fits easily and won't tire you out.
Performance
Setting up the Xbox One S was a long and dreary exercise. For some reason, the review unit we got refused to connect to the Wi-Fi and it took a while before we got it hooked. Moving past that, Xbox One S boasts of 4K HDR Blu-ray support. You'll need an HDR TV set to experience this in full glory. Nevertheless, the OS on Xbox suffers from no lags - a problem which the previous generation had. The Xbox One S is powered by a custom 8-core AMD CPU with a 1.75 GHz clock speed, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. Microsoft has increased the GPU frequency from 853 to 914 - it handles the HDR load easily and gives better visual experience.
Xbox One S comes with a Game Pass - for Rs 699 per month one can get access to a vast library of games which you can download and play. It's an aspect where Microsoft edges its biggest rival - Sony Playstation - which doesn't have any such offering. We tried a few third-party games - mainly FIFA 18 and it was true delight to play on the Xbox One S. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, quite a few hours were spent by us playing the same game on a PS4. The difference, at the end of the day, lies in which camp you're on. If you're a PS loyalist, then perhaps you'll always find it better. In our case, we can safely vouch for the fact the Xbox One S didn't have any trouble. If you're a first-time gamer, the Xbox One S is a great console to begin with. Even hardcore gamers won't find any fault with the Xbox One S. As we mentioned at the start, it has been a delayed entry for the Xbox One S in India but it's a welcome addition.
Verdict
The 500GB version of the Xbox One S is priced At Rs 29,990 - and perhaps you can get it for even less on e-commerce websites - and it's clear that Microsoft has a winner on its hands. It's a great looking console that will cater to the needs of most gamers. Unless you're parked firmly in the Playstation camp, there's no reason why you shouldn't go for the Xbox One S. Its sleek, powerful and delivers what you're looking for: an extremely fine gaming experience.
0 comments:
Post a Comment