Before we discuss Xbox One S, let's talk about its predecessor, Xbox One. Personally, Microsoft should have designed Xbox One as One S. Xbox One has been released for three years, and it is indeed time for an update. This update of Xbox One S is good, and it has become smaller and more powerful. When Microsoft first released the Xbox One, they wanted to put everything into the console, such as cable TV, streaming media entertainment, games, etc. It seems that you didn't buy it to play games, and you made too big a step at a time. Because of this, the market performance of the Xbox One was not very good when it was released. The Xbox One looks like a tape recorder decades ago. It's bulky and it heats up like a diesel car.
Microsoft hopes that Xbox can become your entertainment center. By providing more high-quality games and simple and easy-to-use system interfaces, and now with the new Xbox One S, Microsoft seems closer to the goal. And this time, they did not force Kinect to be sold to you.
The Xbox One S will be launched this month. According to the model you choose, it will sell for $299, $349 and $399 (about 1982, 2313 and 2644 yuan). The new One S supports HDR, 4K Ultra clear Blu ray and 4K streaming video playback. I can't help but sigh that this host is so powerful and the body is so small.
(New and old Xbox One)
Microsoft claims that the One S is 40% smaller than its predecessor, which seems to be true. Compared with the old heavy and ugly brick, you will be more willing to put this new host in the living room. A white shell is wrapped with a black body, which is officially declared as "machine white".
It may be hard to describe how small the new One S is. Anyway, you can put it in any corner of the room. And now Microsoft has plugged the power supply into the body. Unlike the old Xbox One, which needs a huge power adapter, it only needs a thin power cord. After many years, Microsoft has finally overcome this defect. The old Xbox One needs a large area for heat dissipation. Of course, the One S also needs a ventilated area for heat dissipation. But after all, the body is now a large circle smaller, so you can put it under the TV cabinet. Note: don't put anything on the top of the body of the One S, because that is the position of the fan outlet.
Now there is an upright bracket available, which can easily place the One S vertically. If you buy a 2TB version of the host, this bracket is included with the machine. The 500GB or 1TB version requires an additional 20 dollars (about 132 yuan).
The new console is also compatible with the previous games. It can do everything that Xbox One can do. Microsoft has done a good job in compatibility. The new and old consoles can be compatible with the games that are being sold now or in the future. If you have an Xbox One now, don't worry about not playing the games that will be sold in the future. Then I think that users who want to buy a new One S should focus on these points - appearance and support for better video playback quality.
Yes, Xbox One S supports HDR and 4K video playback, but unfortunately it does not support 4K or VR games. It is estimated that the above two points will not be supported until the next generation console comes out. The next generation host, also known as Project Scorpio, will be launched in 2017. If you already have an Xbox One, you can skip the One S and wait for the new model next year.
Although One S can play HDR games, there is no game that supports this function at present, which is a pity. It is also a pity that Microsoft has chosen to use HDR 10 as the standard, and my TV does not support this specification. It seems that you can play HDR games only when you change TV sets. If you are a game enthusiast and are planning to change TV sets, Make sure the TV you are buying supports HDR 10.
Although my TV can't play HDR games, I can still watch 4K video on a blue disc or on Netflix. The difference from the ordinary 1080P can be seen at a glance. Although it is not as impressive as the HD format when it was first launched, it is really good. Xbox One S is one of the cheapest Blu ray players you can buy. It also supports 4K UHD disc playing. One of the reasons why PlayStation 2 sold well in the past is that it supports DVD playing. Microsoft also hopes to make One S sell better, but I don't think people will buy it because One S supports 4K Blu ray disc playing, After all, there are many 4K streaming set-top boxes for people to choose from, and these set-top boxes are cheaper than One S.
In my use experience these days, I found that the One S is not much faster than the old Xbox. After all, it does not use a solid state disk, so sometimes the loading speed is slow, my game level is poor, and I often hang up when playing Edge of the Mirror. Every resurrection has to wait a long time to load. In terms of technology, the performance of One S is indeed stronger than that of the old Xbox One, but it is not particularly obvious. However, when we tested the game War Machine, the frame rate of the intense battle scenes was quite good.
One S can be sold so cheaply because Kinect is no longer standard. Most people, including several friends of mine, think Kinect is not so important. In fact, there are not many games supporting Kinect. If you really want to use Kinect, You can purchase a connector to use Kinect (if you are an Xbox One user, you can also get a connector for free). If you really want to use Kinect on One S, it means that several more wires will come out, which will make your living room look messy.
If you really want to talk about the impact of losing Kinect, I think it is impossible to use voice control to control your Xbox. However, the new handle has a standard 3.5mm headphone interface. After you plug in the headset, you can still use voice control to command Cortana to perform various operations.
Now, you only need to say "Hey Cortana" to conduct voice control. Previously, you said "Xbox", but it was changed in the "Summer Update" system update. This update is also more focused on the improvement of games. After all, you must buy Xbox to play games. The existing system interface allows you to quickly find the games or video content you want to play.
The new handle mentioned above has been greatly improved. I think it is very successful. In addition to the new headphone interface, another major function is to support Bluetooth connection. Now the connection range is wider, but I don't feel it. Maybe it's because my room is relatively small. One advantage of adding Bluetooth connection is that I can directly connect to the computer, Instead of using a converter as before, Xbox Anywhere is a new feature that allows you to play Xbox games on your PC.
The color of the new handle is also the same as the "machine white" of the One S body, and there are some small changes in the material. Now it is easier and more comfortable to hold. In other places, it is similar to the Xbox One handle you are familiar with before, much better than the PlayStation handle.
The new Xbox One S has almost abandoned all the shortcomings of the previous model. Now it has a beautiful design, a compact body and a more reasonable price. If you are considering buying a game entertainment device, you can choose it as your home AV entertainment device. In addition, One S also adds an infrared sensor. One S is a very good game console. It also has various functions of audio and video entertainment. There are many streaming media software for you to watch video content. However, I can't say who will buy it now. Whenever I summarize my purchase suggestions for Xbox One S, I will draw the following three conclusions:
one If you already have an Xbox One, then I think you should have no reason to buy One S. You can use this big brick until the new console goes on sale next year.
two Next year, the new host will be a machine with more powerful performance. It is rumored that Project Scorpio will support 4K games and VR virtual reality content. No matter whether you have Xbox One or not, I believe you should wait. Anyway, next year is not far away from us.
three If you don't have an Xbox One, try to ask yourself if you are a loyal fan of Halo, War Machine and Extreme Racing. If your answer is "Yes", then I think you can buy a One S, no matter how low the price of the old Xbox One drops, I suggest you buy One S.
Of course, if you really want a 4K Blu ray player, or if you have a TV that supports HDR, or if you just want to throw away the big and ugly Xbox One, then I think you can buy the One S.
Translation and arrangement of pictures and texts
