Xbox Series S: Common Questions
Straight answers to the questions we are asked most about the Xbox Series S, based on two weeks of testing.
Last revised
The questions we are asked most often about the Xbox Series S, answered from our own testing rather than the specification sheet.
Is it worth buying?
It scored 4 out of 5 at £249. It is a straightforward recommendation if you are a second TV, a first console, or Game Pass on a budget, and a poor one otherwise.
What is the catch?
10GB of shared memory is the reason some ports run poorly. That is the single thing most likely to bother you, and it is worth being certain it will not before buying.
How long will it stay usable?
Assume the support window rather than the hardware determines this. Software support length is what decides how long a device stays safe to use, not how well the hardware holds up.
How does it compare with the alternatives?
The strongest alternative we have measured is the Steam Deck OLED at £479, which scored 5 out of 5 against this one's 4. The cheapest we would still recommend is the Switch OLED at £309. Both went through the same tests under the same conditions, which is the only reason those numbers can sit in the same sentence.
Should I buy it now or wait?
It launched in 2020, which puts it 6 years into its life. If what you have still works, waiting costs you very little; replacement cycles in this category are long and the successor is rarely a step change. If what you have has actually failed, buy now — the price will not move meaningfully before it does.
Is it good for everyday use?
Yes, with one qualification. For a second TV, a first console, or Game Pass on a budget it is a straightforward yes. The qualification is that 10GB of shared memory is the reason some ports run poorly, which is a background irritation for most people and a dealbreaker for a few — and only you can say which you are.
Full specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Output | 1440p 120Hz |
| Chip | Custom AMD Zen 2 / RDNA 2 |
| RAM | 10GB GDDR6 |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe |
| Weight | 1.9kg |
| Power draw | 74W under load |
| Load time | 4.6s average |
What we liked
- The cheapest route into current-generation gaming by a wide margin
- 74W under load is a third of its larger sibling
- Small enough to sit on a shelf or travel
What we did not
- 10GB of shared memory is the reason some ports run poorly
- 512GB fills after about six modern installs
- No disc drive, so no second-hand games
Behind this page
This reference page is written from the same testing notes as the reviews it supports, and it is revised whenever the hardware or the software underneath it changes. Where a figure appears here it has been measured rather than quoted from a specification sheet.
If something on this page no longer matches what you are seeing, it is out of date rather than disputed — tell us and it gets checked again.
Related reading
The reviews this page supports go into the measurements behind these figures, and the knowledge base collects every reference page we keep.
Elsewhere in common questions: Xbox Series X: Common Questions, Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Common Questions and eero 6+: Common Questions.