^ Stay tuned for Jim’s video column to find out just how awesome the S-Series really is.
There is a harmful rumour going around that lowly people Xbox Series SThe cheapest next-gen console on the market, somehow causing other better machines to suffer from unnecessary framerate caps. How the rumors started is a bit puzzling, but I’ve explained everything in the accompanying video. And, look, here’s the thing: it’s a pile of junk.
If anything, if the S-Series is responsible for reducing the overall complexity of next-gen gaming more than it can achieve, the big boy machines – arguably – will have plenty of room for a performance boost. but it is not the truth.
That certainly won’t happen with Gotham Knights, which, despite being a next-gen exclusive, kicks off this whole ridiculously small controversy without any performance mode. We’re told it’s due to the complexity of the game…it was originally planned for PS4 and Xbox One, but those versions were canceled, and we’re getting a game that feels absolutely last-gen, barely able to maintain a consistent frame rate anyway. to find out.
The Series S is a next-gen machine in every way: Specifically, its blazing-fast NVME storage and powerful CPU, both of which are basically the same as its big brother, and on par with the PS5 in raw numbers. It has a not-so-impressive GPU and not as much RAM, but it’s a compromise designed to keep the price as low as possible and let the machine work with previous-generation TV screens and 1440p monitors. It shouldn’t compete with premium consoles and the Big 3 PCs, it should be cheap, enjoyable and “good enough” for the average user. what is it.
It also represents a major step up in the specs of the base gaming hardware that people tend to have at home, the base PS4, which is a still-strong workhorse machine but suffers from slowness due to various factors (as discussed in the video above) Obstacles of HDDs and lackluster CPUs: Both are drag factors that next-gen machines, including the S-Series, aim to remove.
With millions of users still, for whatever reason, unable or unwilling to upgrade from previous-generation machines or low-spec PCs they’re currently using (not to mention machines like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck), accusing S Series is used to lower the minimum specs that studios have to meet, and if anything, it seems to push the average up.
Some developers feel that Microsoft’s requirement to support Series S in every Xbox release — preventing them from dividing up their user base — has limited their style. But if they make up their minds to artificially halve the market, there’s nothing stopping them from monopolizing their games to other platforms.
This is capitalism, baby. Freedom of choice!
