Fortunately, fate decided that I would receive an
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friendly next-gen gaming alternative to the full-
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acceptable choice. The unassuming box delighted
us with its cute and compact design. The striking
white color scheme with its evocative circular
black fan looks like a console Ikea might have
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to rest years ago. So far, games don’t look
drastically better, and I’m sticking with my Elite
Series 2 controller rather than the new model.
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and Tekken 7, thanks to the SSD.
The sleek design comes with drawbacks. There’s
no disc drive, so while the console plays all my old
digital Xbox One games, I’m still using that Xbox
One as a Blu-ray player. The limited internal
storage means I need to rely on a tiny yet pricey
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Series S may hamstring my ability to play later
AAA games to their fullest potential on my 4K TV.
Still, when it comes to physical aesthetics, the
Xbox Series S knocks it out of the park.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Aesthetics matter. How attractive a console looks
may not be as important as how attractive its
games look, but it still shouldn’t be a complete
afterthought. These are expensive machines
meant to be displayed prominently in your home
for years and years, a home you may share with
other people who care more about timeless decor
than the newest Call of Duty. Even if these
consoles do eventually get redesigned (and
Jordan M
inor
@jordanwminor
