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Original poster

Xbox series s or x?

13 replies

elonmusk · 08/12/2023 21:38

I have bought my son a series s, but am having doubts. He's 10 years old and has been playing a very old Xbox one for about 18 months. I've bought the series s because I presume that when he's a teenager he'll probably want to upgrade again, but I've only just realised series s doesn't take discs

For all of you who understand consoles, was my original thinking right, or should I bite the bullet and get series x now??

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SugarCookieMonster · 08/12/2023 21:55

Xbox series x is backwards compatible so he’d be able to play most games on the new one. Double check yourself if any of his favourites are on the list that aren’t compatible.

If he doesn’t have many games for the Xbox one and your happy to buy digital only games for the foreseeable then I think he’d be ok with the series S.

If you know he’ll want to play his existing games and people will want to buy him physical copies of games in the future, the series X may be better.

Only other major difference is visual quality as the X series is great if you have a 4K tv. Also just to note you can’t USB external disc drive to the Series S to get around the lack of disc drive.

Original poster
elonmusk · 08/12/2023 22:06

This is a great reply @SugarCookieMonster, thanks! I guess he can still play the discs on the old Xbox one, so am thinking series a and just get game pass.

If I do this then he can get other presents which will be more fun for him on Christmas Day.

But his best friend is getting PS5 so I don't want him to be disappointed!! It's hard to decide!!

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SugarCookieMonster · 08/12/2023 22:16

I think that’s a great idea, the new consoles seem to come out every 3-5 years so I’d definitely go with the cheaper option while you can!

The PS5s also come in disc/no disc versions so his friend may well have the same experience!

I do wonder if it’s more the older generation of gamers who prefer discs to digital only. Kids are much more comfortable with digital content but us oldies like to hoard our tangible items 😂.

DH is a collector of games consoles 🙄, so I’m often dragged in to lengthy pro vs con discussions.

gamerchick · 08/12/2023 22:20

Always get the option of the disc.

It's a shame it's different to his best friend though. Pals have fun playing together

gamerchick · 08/12/2023 22:23

I do wonder if it’s more the older generation of gamers who prefer discs to digital only. Kids are much more comfortable with digital content but us oldies like to hoard our tangible items 😂

Well I like to actually own my games. For as long as I want them. Discs can be traded in, they can be loaned to friends.

Original poster
elonmusk · 08/12/2023 22:24

@SugarCookieMonster - great, I think that's my decision made. I really am clueless about these things, despite the fact that I won the xbox one at a work event sponsored by Microsoft back in 2013! He doesn't appreciate he's currently playing with an antique!

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Original poster
elonmusk · 08/12/2023 22:26

@gamerchick yes, I think I would want to own the disc as well, and it's better for gift giving. But I think he's likely to want to upgrade in a few years so I'm loathe to splash so much money. His friend lives next door so they're in and out of each others houses playing, and his cousin who doesn't live nearby has Xbox so that's an important factor!! Decisions, decisions!

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gamerchick · 08/12/2023 22:36

It's up to you. Benefits of a disc far outweigh digital downloads. If you lose your account for some reason, you've lost everything. You never actually own digital downloads.

To me it's a false economy. But it doesn't matter..if he's playing on a old machine atm he'll be happy anyroad Grin

slipperypenguin · 09/12/2023 00:45

We had this debate a couple of years ago and settled on the X and don't regret it. It's a little more expensive up front but the kids have enjoyed being able to play their old games on it easily (as easy as it sounds being able to play them on the old Xbox one realistically that won't happen and he won't want to switch between consoles). Also the games on digital tend to be more expensive and not as discounted as the physical ones as you often get deals in game/smyths/Argos whereas digital your restricted.

Lastly, there's a big second hand market on games with trade ins which you can't do digitally

yoshiblue · 09/12/2023 18:00

I've just bought a disc PS5 for us. Having researched, you have access to discounts only on disc versions as well as taking advantage of digital offers. The disc version will pay for itself quickly.

I saw you said your son's BF is getting a PS5, are you sure its an XBox he wants?

Fairyjuice · 09/12/2023 18:12

I think the game pass is the way to go since you already have an old Xbox to play the older games on. We have the series s with game pass and it's great cos ds (and everyone else in the family) have a big selection of games to play with the subscription. The only thing I would say is to buy an external harddrive or you might be stuck for storage space.

Original poster
elonmusk · 09/12/2023 18:21

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still undecided! I've been surreptitiously asking questions today. He definitely thinks digital is better than discs, but I'm not thinking about PS5 as well! Can they play cross console with each other?

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Original poster
elonmusk · 09/12/2023 18:22

*now thinking about PS5!
He's been talking about how great play station is... watch this space!!

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