Currently have just an Xbox One (dont even know which model). Want to get the new NCAA game when it comes out and I know it will only be on S/X for Xbox. As someone who just casually games, and likely wont even play it as much as I probably think I will, Do I really need the X? Or should I be fine with the S? IIRC, the main difference was the disc drive and 4k? Anything else Im missing?

It's not even a question. The Series X.

Games on the series S are literally downgraded in graphical quality. I don't even know why they released that POS.

I don't personally care for the S... it will play all the same games but with limitations to resolution and/or framerates. But I have a really nice setup and play games often so I want the best. If money really isn't an issue for you and you happen to have a really nice OLED tv, I'd say get the X and enjoy.

But, when you say casual and you only mention NCAA, I lean towards saying just get the S. My son has the S in his room and plays on a 1440p computer monitor. He loves it because he doesn't really know or care about the bells and whistles he's missing. And honestly, the games I've seen him play all still look great.

One thing you could do... wait until NCAA releases. There will no doubt be Youtube videos showing the game's Series S performance. I bet a game like that would run just fine on the S, but it might be worth waiting.

X at this far into the generation. It's been on sale many times.

welp, sounds like an overwhelming X votes. THX!

(no i am not a kid - just more around the principal of getting something that I may not need, but sounds like needed here)

The only reason I would even consider a Series S is if I didn't own a 4K TV.

I have the S, and to be honest -- it sucks. I consistently have framerate issues with my games on the S.

Get the X for the extra horsepower.

Xbox S = Altima


Xbox X= McLaren 720

Comparatively, I'd say the S is worth about 60% of the X. It's still pretty great compared to the last generation. Have both s and x and if you start with the S, you don't realize what you're missing on a good tv

Follow up question: went with the X

Does it matter (performance wise) if I buy a physics copy of a game vs download it?

It doesn't matter. All physical games fully install to the hard drive anyway. All Series X / PS5 games require fast read speeds and loading game data from the ssd is much faster than reading from a disc.

Most games also have large updates that you have to download day 1. The only real advantage to buying discs is you can still trade them or sell them. I haven't personally bought a disc version in years.