Xbox Series X and Series S

The two consoles share a Zen 2-based eight-core AMD CPU, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, variable-rate shading, and a custom NVMe solid-state drive, but they allocate performance differently.¹ Series X has a 12-teraflop GPU, 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, a 1 TB SSD, and a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive. Series S has a 4-teraflop GPU, 10 GB of GDDR6 memory, and a 512 GB SSD; it has no optical drive and distributes games digitally.

Series X uses a tall, tower-like enclosure to support substantial cooling, whereas Series S is a compact white console with a large black circular exhaust grille. Both support HDMI 2.1 features, including variable refresh rate and output of up to 120 frames per second in compatible games, although actual resolution and frame rate depend on each title.

The consoles run the same Xbox operating environment and play the same current-generation library, with performance and visual settings varying by model. Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system can provide the appropriate version of a participating game for a player’s console, while backward compatibility preserves access to many Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox titles.²

Quick Resume keeps several games suspended so players can return to them with short loading interruptions. The SSD also enables much faster loading than the hard drives used by earlier Xbox consoles. Some older games receive automatic improvements such as higher resolution, steadier frame rates, or HDR through platform-level enhancements, but compatibility is not universal and disc-based backward-compatible games require a disc drive.

Xbox Game Pass is a separate subscription service that can be used on these consoles; it provides access to a changing catalog rather than defining the hardware itself.³

Series X and Series S represent a two-tier strategy: Series X emphasizes maximum image quality and physical-media support, while Series S lowers the entry price by reducing graphics performance, storage, and omitting the disc drive. Their launch prices were US$499 for Series X and US$299 for Series S.¹ Retail prices, bundles, and storage revisions can change over time.

The distinction matters most for demanding games and large digital libraries. Series X is better suited to 4K televisions, games with high-resolution modes, and users who buy or borrow discs. Series S can target 1080p or 1440p displays effectively, but its smaller SSD may require more frequent game management, and digitally owned games cannot be resold or exchanged as physical discs.

Both consoles support cross-generation multiplayer where a game’s publisher enables it, and both use Xbox accessories such as the Xbox Wireless Controller.

Several less visible features shape the experience more than headline teraflop figures. Series X includes a 4K Blu-ray drive, but neither console supports 3D Blu-ray playback as a defining platform feature; Series S cannot play game or movie discs at all. Expansion Storage Cards allow storage performance close to the internal SSD, while USB drives can store games and run backward-compatible titles but generally must move current-generation optimized games back to internal or expansion storage before play.⁴

Microsoft also promoted accessibility through features such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which can connect to both consoles and support specialized input devices.⁵ The consoles’ shared architecture lets developers scale resolution, texture detail, ray-tracing effects, and frame-rate targets rather than create entirely separate game ecosystems. Conversely, a game labeled “optimized” may use only some of the hardware capabilities, so the label does not guarantee a particular resolution or frame rate.

Quick Resume

A console feature that preserves suspended game states so supported games can be resumed with little loading.

Smart Delivery

Microsoft’s distribution system for supplying a compatible version of a participating game to the player’s Xbox console.

Variable refresh rate

A display feature that synchronizes screen refresh timing with a game’s changing frame rate to reduce tearing and stutter.

Ray tracing

A rendering technique that models the paths of light to produce more physically realistic reflections, shadows, and lighting.