Latest news with #SeriesS
Engadget
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
The latest Xbox kitchen kitsch is a Series X milk jug for Canadians
We've seen a few Xbox-styled kitchen items over the last few years, from the Series X fridge to the Series S toaster. The latest one is probably not one for those of you in the US. Over the weekend, Xbox Canada revealed a Xbox Series X bagged milk pitcher styled after the Xbox Series X. Milk in a bag is a long-standing tradition in Canada, India, South America and several other parts of the world. The idea is that you plop a bag into a pitcher, cut off the corner and pour away, all the while taking great care not to spill any. There are practical benefits, such as bags taking up less space in garbage or recycling. But containers for bagged milk are typically boring white jugs. At least until now. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The Xbox Series X Milk Pitcher comes in white or black and it can hold up to 1.3 liters ( fine , if you insist, 2.75 pints) of bagged milk. That should give you enough fuel for your next Halo Infinite deathmatch battle or adventure in the Oblivion remaster. Sadly, there's no word as yet if Xbox Canada is going to sell this thing or if it's just a fun marketing gimmick. I get it, bagged milk confused me too before my first visit to Canada as a teen. But milk in a bag is as Canadian as poutine, Letterkenny , hockey games on frozen ponds and The Beaches. As one of Engadget's Canadian contingent, it's my civic duty to test this out. My email's in my bio, Xbox.
Tom's Guide
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I love my more powerful Xbox but the Xbox Series S still holds up in 2025 — here's why
This article is part of Tom's Guide's inaugural Gaming Week, an entire week of content dedicated to all things gaming. From insights into the latest hardware, guides to the best games you can play today, to the essential accessories we can't play without. Tom's Guide Gaming Week will guide you through the world of video games in 2025. If you're looking for the best graphics possible, higher frame rates and true 4K gameplay, then the Xbox Series S obviously isn't for you. Instead, you'd be better off with an Xbox Series X, a PS5, a PS5 Pro or even one of the best gaming being the least powerful console this generation, the Series S immediately left an impression on me back when it was first revealed and even to this day, it continues to impress me. From the original console's striking two-tone black and white design to the fact that it packs in many of the best features of the Series X like Quick Resume and backwards compatibility across four generations of Xbox consoles, there's a lot to like, especially when you consider its lower price. Even with Microsoft's recent Xbox Series X/S price hike, the Series S still delivers great value. It offers a more affordable way to dip your toes into the next generation of console gaming which makes it easy to recommend to younger and more casual gamers. Plus, there's an easy upgrade path to the Xbox Series X if you want better visuals or to make the most out of one of the best TVs. Though I know a lot of people wrote the Series S off at launch and many continue to do so, these are my favorite things about Microsoft's smallest Xbox yet along with why it could still be a worthwhile purchase in 2025 even with next-gen consoles right around the corner. At a time when the Xbox Series X and the PS5 were selling for $500, the Xbox Series S undercut both consoles with a launch price of just $299. Sure, you weren't getting as much storage, a disc drive and 10.3 or 12 teraflops of graphics power respectively, but you could still play all the best Xbox Series X games with some limitations. Now though thanks to ongoing tariff disputes between the U.S. and other countries, Microsoft has raised the price of the 512GB Series S from $299 to $379 and the 1TB Series S from $349 to $429. While many people (myself included) thought these higher console and accessory prices would be a deal breaker, fortunately you can still find both versions of the Series S for their original prices or even lower online. If you're in the market for a Series S though, you may also want to consider picking up a pre-owned console for even cheaper. GameStop has raised the price of its used Xbox consoles but there are plenty of other places to pick up a Series S, either online or in person. In the past, we've also seen significant discounts on new consoles and who knows, by the time Black Friday rolls around, it might be back to its original price or even lower. The Xbox Series S is limited to 1440p output, but still delivers fast loading, ray tracing, and high frame rates. It sports a GPU with up to 4 teraflops of output, 10GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD for storage. (There's no disc drive).Price check: $305 @ Walmart Although there were plenty of cross-gen games at the start of this console generation, most of them play significantly better than they did on the Xbox One. The more powerful Xbox One X is the exception here with its 4K performance in some titles but even then, the majority of games will load faster and run at 60 fps on the series S. There are loads of native Xbox Series games that you can play on the Series S too. From Microsoft Flight Simulator to Indiana Jones, there are some great first-party as well as third-party games you can play on Microsoft's smallest personal favorite feature of the Xbox Series X and the Series S is Quick Resume as it allows you to run multiple games at the same time without having to close them and then, you can instantly jump right back into where you left off the last time you played. With 10GB of RAM (versus 16GB on Series X), the Series S supports between 3 to 5 games in Quick Resume and this should be more than enough for most people.I personally like how I can be playing through a longer story-driven game like Metaphor Refantazio and then jump out of it and into a title that's more pick up and play, like the skateboarding sim Session, without missing a beat. Then when I'm done, I can go right back to the first game I was playing. One thing that rarely gets mentioned about Quick Resume is that your console's power doesn't affect it. For instance, one time I turned on my Series S after a power outage and much to my surprise, my Xbox and the game I was previously playing were exactly how I left them. At just over 10 inches long and 6 inches wide when positioned horizontally, the Series S is tiny for a home console. Here it is next to the 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox but if you want another visual comparison, it's about the same size as Valve's Steam Deck on its side. Despite its small size, the Series S packs in a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU clocked at 3.4 GHz, a custom AMD RDNA GPU clocked at 1.56 GHz with 4 TFLOPs of graphical power, 10GB of GDDR6 RAM and a custom 512GB NVMe SSD. You get a single USB-A port up front, two USB-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 port and a storage expansion port around back. Even though the Series S comes in two storage sizes now (it didn't at launch), you can always save a bit by going with the 512GB version and then upgrading your console's storage capacity with a Storage Expansion Card from Seagate or Western Digital. They were quite expensive initially but over the past year or so, I've seen the 512GB, 1TB and even the 2TB one available at steep discounts. While it is designed to target a resolution of 1440p, the Series S can go lower and output video at 1080p as well as higher with upscaling to reach 4K. If you plan on playing the console at your desk with one of the best gaming monitors, the Series S can go up as high as 120 fps at 1080p if your display supports higher refresh rates. From the moment I first unboxed my Series S, I imagined slipping it into a backpack to take with me on a trip or even over to a friend's house as it's really that small. Another thing that makes this console very portable is that unlike past Xbox devices, it has an internal power supply which means you don't have to haul around a bulky power brick with you. Just like the Series X (and even the PS5 and PS5 Pro), the Series S uses a standard IEC C7 power cord. They are very cheap online and I actually picked up a few so that I can easily move my Xbox from my desk to the TV in my living room or even out to my garage TV. If you're bringing the Series S with you, you just need a power cord and an HDMI cable which makes the whole package very light indeed. Instead of going this route though, I ended up trying out one of the coolest Series S accessories back when I first got the console. The xScreen as the name suggests is a small portable monitor that attaches to the back of the Series S. You just flip it up when you want to play and then when you're done, you can close it like the lid of a laptop. There are other attachable monitors for the Series S but I really like the xScreen since it plugs directly into the back of the console and is powered by one of its USB-A ports. As it stands now, there are 600-700 native Xbox Series games you can play on the Series S. However, thanks to the inclusion of backwards compatibility, you can play thousands of Xbox One games, hundreds of Xbox 360 games and even dozens of original Xbox games, all on the same device. Since the Series S is a digital-only console, you'll be buying most if not all of your games from the Microsoft Store. The company frequently has sales and sometimes, you might even get a notification that some games are on sale just for you. This actually happened to me when I booted up my Series S to take one of the pictures for this story. Then there's the elephant in the room, Xbox Game Pass. There are multiple pricing tiers available but if you just want to play on your Series S, you're looking at paying $10.99. Game Pass gives you access to 300-400 games at a time that you can download and play on your console. New games are added each month and the best part is that big first-party Xbox Series games typically release on the service on day one. This way, instead of paying $69.99 to play a brand new game like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you can do so through Game Pass instead. Besides Microsoft's weekend sales and big sales events, being a Game Pass subscriber also gives you access to even more discounts on games. Likewise, it also includes online play and other perks too. If you're willing to pay twice as much each month, you can get Game Pass Ultimate which lets you play on your Xbox, PC and even on your smartphone over the internet through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Like the Series S, Game Pass was initially written off by many but now, it's become the best value in gaming and one of the main reasons you might pick up an Xbox (or a gaming PC) over a PS5. The Xbox Series S is limited to 1440p output, but still delivers fast loading, ray tracing, and high frame rates. It sports a GPU with up to 4 teraflops of output, 10GB of RAM, and this upgraded model has 1TB for storage. (There's no disc drive). Price check: $387 @ Walmart Deciding which Xbox Series console to get or even if you should buy an Xbox now that Forza Horizon 5 and many of the best Xbox exclusives are coming to PS5 is something you'll have to make up your own mind on. Still, there's a lot to like about the Series S and the Series X. If you want a whisper-quiet device and don't have a collection of physical Xbox games from previous consoles, I'd recommend either the Series S or the Series X Digital Edition. This will depend on your budget and the display you'll be playing on though. Series S is great for older 1080p TVs or 1440p gaming monitors while the Series X is best paired with a 4K TV or monitor. Now if you have old Xbox games or even a big Blu-Ray or DVD collection, then the standard Series X makes the most sense. You get as much power as possible with the ability to play your old disc-based games as well as to buy new ones (often at a cheaper price) or borrow games from your friends. There is one final option if you don't want a game console taking up extra room in your house or apartment. Now that 'Everything is an Xbox', you can always play Xbox games over the cloud with Game Pass on your smartphone, laptop or even on your TV. For instance, Amazon's Fire TV devices now support the Xbox app which means all you really need is a Fire Stick and a decent internet connection. At the end of the day, the choice is yours as to which Xbox to get if you want one at all. The Series S may get a bad wrap online but it's a capable console and with the right games, is just as fun to play as anything else out there. Its less powerful internals might be a turnoff for some but with the rumored Xbox handheld becoming closer to a reality, Microsoft may have just set itself up perfectly for a portable Xbox.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Now that the Series S costs even more, I can't help but feel Microsoft wants us to look at handhelds and say, "this is an Xbox"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Future / Phil Hayton It might sound like the beginnings of a cheesy meme, but Microsoft's "this is an Xbox" strategy is now in full swing. Not only is the gaming giant pushing to transform its brand into a platform, but it has even just given players a reason to play Game Pass on gaming handhelds and other devices by increasing its console prices. Ironically, by proclaiming that almost every internet-connected device is part of its ecosystem, Microsoft still has me asking, "What actually is an Xbox?" Yes, it's a console like the Series X or S that can run Microsoft's games natively, but at the same time, even if we ignore the idea of running the system's library using cloud shenanigans, I can install and run every new Xbox game on a handheld or a PC. Prior to Microsoft's price increases, I merely put the decision to launch games simultaneously on console and PC for the greater good of versatility. However, now that the cheapest MS box, the Series S, costs $380, it now feels like a direct reason to pick up something like the Asus ROG Ally or Steam Deck OLED instead. Simply put, if everything is an Xbox, then you're arguably better off buying anything other than the box. Portable PCs are becoming better Valve Xbox alternatives Credit: Future / Phil Hayton Before I pitch the idea of buying a handheld exclusively for Xbox games, I want to clarify that the Series S is still relevant. As much as Microsoft wants to boldly claim that everything is part of its ecosystem, that's not strictly true unless you're exclusively talking about Game Pass. By sticking with an actual console, you're getting a level of backwards compatibility and optimization for new games that just isn't the same when taking a DIY approach on PC, even the company's app does have provisions for bridging the gap. That said, if you boil down the core point of an Xbox in 2025 to being able to play new games on day one, gaming handhelds boast a better value proposition. Yes, the Series S still has a better chance at running any recent releases at a better frame rate and resolution, but with some tweaks, the Steam Deck will provide playable results and provide portable freedom for $10 less than Microsoft's system. Frankly, I think it's bananas that a handheld can remotely keep up with a current-gen system. That's before we even start to explore the slightly more expensive Asus ROG Ally and future handhelds that will raise the portable performance bar even further. If you're big into performance metrics and squeezing the best frame rates out of your hardware, there is still room to argue in favor of a Series S, but to everyday players, the gap might not even be that significant. Credit: Future / Phil Hayton This actually became crystal clear to me a few weeks ago, when my partner and I decided to start playing Split Fiction. As an experiment, I actually decided to install the game on the Ayaneo mini PC AM02 - a tiny rig I keep in my living room that's armed with the same AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS chipset as many handhelds. To my complete amusement, I was able to run the chaotic sci-fi co-op caper at 1080p 60fps without any major visual drawbacks, and my other half figured I was using an Xbox since I was using the console's wireless controllers. The tiny machine boasts roughly the same performance levels as a ROG Ally, so you're talking about a setup that could match the experience as the Series S for not that much more if you pair it with a Steam Deck dock. Before running to your keyboard to shout at me, I know this isn't going to apply to every game. Optimisation is still a huge issue with any PC based machine, and the limited specs of handhelds and mini PCs can be a massive drawback. Still, all it might take is a new generation of devices kitted out with new Ryzen chips with FSR 4 AI upscaling abilities to clear the hurdle, and at that point, there will be fewer reasons than ever to buy a Series S. Xbox Cloud Gaming is creeping in Credit: Future It's easy to forget that Microsoft wants players to start playing Xbox games via the cloud. You could say that's why it's pointing at everything from Fire TV sticks to lightweight handhelds and saying, "this is an Xbox," since not having to buy an expensive system increases its chances of getting you to subscribe. I'm still not convinced that tactic will entice players to completely switch to cloud gaming, and I really still view it as a secondary experimental way to access your library. But, if people end up priced out of buying a new console, it's easy to see why they'd turn to using cheaper devices to stream new releases as a last resort, broadband reliability be damned. Hilariously, that means handhelds like the Logitech G Cloud, a system I honestly used to think was a hard sell, is actually quite attractive compared to the Series S. Right now, you can grab the streaming device for $275 at Amazon, and if you're planning on just playing using that side of Game Pass anyway, it'll mean getting it for $105 less than a Series S. Look, I'm not saying the G Cloud is going to provide a better experience than the Series S. I'd still rather use Microsoft's cheapest Xbox to install games and dabble with streaming if it takes my fancy. However, that doesn't change the fact that cheaper systems like this that are built for cloud gaming are hovering above the price-hiked system like versatile vultures primed to pinch players. Will your next Xbox be a handheld? Probably Credit: Future / Phil Hayton It might sound like I'm saying Microsoft is going to lose Xbox fans to handheld makers due to the price hike. And, in reality, they are, but they're also herding players towards the same waters it's about to jump into. Microsoft has all but confirmed that it's making a handheld of some kind. At the moment, it looks like it'll be a collaborative effort between MS and Asus on something that looks like a ROG Ally but smells like an Xbox, and the main reason for that team-up is to gain Game Pass subscribers. Simply put, if you buy a ROG Ally now instead of waiting for the "Xbox handheld," Microsoft still has a chance of getting you on Game Pass. I mean, we're living in a time where you can now buy exclusives like Forza on PS5, so the idea that the primary focus is services rather than specific hardware makes sense. However, if it did have a preference for your device of choice, especially if you'd have previously bought a Series S, it'd probably be a Windows handheld. Keep in mind that the Nintendo Switch 2 is about to enter the scene with a bang, and its portable play becomes more desirable than ever, the last thing Microsoft will want is to be tethered to a living room setup. Already got Valve's handheld? Swing by the best Steam Deck accessories and best Steam Deck dock for useful add-ons. Alternatively, take a peek at the best gaming laptops for alternative mobile rigs.
IOL News
02-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Microsoft raises Xbox prices globally, following Sony
The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. Microsoft announced Thursday that it will increase Xbox console prices worldwide, citing "market conditions" just days after Sony made a similar move with its PlayStation 5. The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. "We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development," the company said on its website. While not explicitly mentioned by Microsoft, US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Washington's trading partners have cast a shadow over the gaming industry. Xbox consoles are primarily manufactured in China, which faces 145 percent US tariffs on numerous products under the Trump administration. In the United States, the entry-level Xbox Series S will jump from $299.99 to $379.99, a 27-percent increase. The premium Series X Galaxy Black model will now retail for $729.99, up from $599.99 previously -- a 22 percent hike. Additionally, certain new games from Microsoft-owned studios will be priced at $79.99, up 14 percent from the current $69.99. In Europe, the Series S will rise from 299.99 euros to 349.99 euros, a 17-percent increase. The Series S and X launched in late 2020 and have sold approximately 30 million units, according to industry analysts' estimates. In mid-April, Sony announced price increases for several PlayStation 5 models in select markets, including Europe but notably excluding the United States. PS5 consoles are also primarily assembled in China. AFP
Japan Today
01-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Microsoft raises Xbox prices globally, following Sony
Microsoft said it was raising prices in response to unspecified 'market conditions' Microsoft announced Thursday that it will increase Xbox console prices worldwide, citing "market conditions" just days after Sony made a similar move with its PlayStation 5. The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. "We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development," the company said on its website. While not explicitly mentioned by Microsoft, U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Washington's trading partners have cast a shadow over the gaming industry. Xbox consoles are primarily manufactured in China, which faces 145 percent U.S. tariffs on numerous products under the Trump administration. In the United States, the entry-level Xbox Series S will jump from $299.99 to $379.99, a 27-percent increase. The premium Series X Galaxy Black model will now retail for $729.99, up from $599.99 previously -- a 22 percent hike. Additionally, certain new games from Microsoft-owned studios will be priced at $79.99, up 14 percent from the current $69.99. In Europe, the Series S will rise from 299.99 euros to 349.99 euros, a 17-percent increase. The Series S and X launched in late 2020 and have sold approximately 30 million units, according to industry analysts' estimates. In mid-April, Sony announced price increases for several PlayStation 5 models in select markets, including Europe but notably excluding the United States. PS5 consoles are also primarily assembled in China. © 2025 AFP
