Microsoft has been lagging behind Sony for this entire generation, so they are hoping to see an improvement in their sales figures over the next few months. A lot of hype is building around the Xbox One X, which is set to be the most powerful console on the planet upon its release.
Currently, the Xbox One S is the only current generation console available to purchase directly from the computer company, as the original edition is no longer in production.
What is included?
There are two versions to choose from, one with a 500GB hard drive and the other with 1TB.
The former is priced at $279 and the latter at a higher $349. It is generally recommended to go for the bigger drive, although there is a pretty substantial price difference of $70. As long as you do not mind deleting games more often, the smaller one might be the best option.
The console includes a Wireless Controller, "Forza Horizon 3 Standard Edition," a 4K enabled HDMI cable and $10 off on a Xbox Live Gold 3-month subscription.
That is the basic bundle and not the special offer, which throws in two more games of the player's choosing.
One selection includes a variety of new or even unreleased titles, "Destiny 2," "Fifa 18," "Assassin's Creed Origins," "Middle-earth: Shadow of War," and "Forza Motorsport 7." As most of these are priced at $60, it is definitely a good offer - at least, if someone was considering picking up the console.
Things do not end there, as another older title can also be selected. While nowhere near as impressive, "Tom Clancy's The Division," "The Crew," and "Watch Dogs" are also included in this list, so there are still some big names to pick from. From all of them, "The Division" might be worth the most, as it provides the most bang for your buck.
"Watch Dogs" can be purchased for peanuts nowadays.
Console improvements
The Xbox One S is more than just a smaller version of the bulky launch console. Its biggest selling point has to be the inclusion of 4K Ultra HD support. Obviously, this is completely pointless of the player's TV is not compatible with the format. Considering how expensive 4K Blu-ray players are, Microsoft's console is an alternative worth taking into account.
Compared to the Xbox One, the updated version delivers a slightly better performance. It is hardly anything out of this world, and will easily be dwarfed by the upcoming Xbox One X, but it is a welcome improvement nonetheless.
