Xbox One X 1to Tomb Raider

Forget the Xbox One X, Here's Why Xbox One Due south is a Better Buy

The $499 Xbox One X is finally here, delivering on its promise of awesome 4K gaming and more power than we've e'er seen in a console. Merely information technology's not the best Xbox you can buy right now — that honor belongs to the $249 Xbox I S.

Image: Tom's Guide — Prototype: Tom'southward Guide

Microsoft's entry-level Xbox I isn't just easier on the wallet — it also shares many of the One 10's key features, and still reaps tons of benefits for folks with 4K and HDR TVs. Hither are 5 reasons why you should resist the temptation of Microsoft'due south shiny new high-end console and get an Xbox One S instead.

It's half the price.

This is an obvious bespeak, but an important one. The Xbox One S'due south $249 starting price is half the price of a $499 Xbox I X, significant you tin can put that extra $249 towards a ton of extra games, accessories, or, heck, a second Xbox One S. Almost Xbox Ane S bundles too include at least one gratuitous game. That difference is cost is especially significant, considering...

It supports 4K Blu-rays and streaming.

While the Xbox One S doesn't offer truthful 4K gaming like the 1 X does, it still has a ton to offering for folks with Ultra-Hd TVs. The 1 Southward plays 4K Blu-rays and supports 4K streaming for services such as Netflix and Amazon Video, making it arguably the best all-around entertainment machine you lot can become for the money.

Information technology also does HDR.

Gears of War 4. Image: Microsoft — Gears of War iv. Prototype: Microsoft

Ane of the Xbox Ane X's major selling points is its ability to play games in High Dynamic Range (HDR), which allows for brighter, richer colors. Judge what? The Xbox 1 Southward does that too. Microsoft's entry-level console offers HDR back up for titles such equally Gears of State of war 4 and Forza Horizon 3, meaning that folks with HDR TVs will still see a notable upgrade over the launch Xbox One.

It plays nonetheless games.

While the Xbox 1 X is more than powerful than the Xbox One S, the two consoles share the same exact game library. That means you lot tin can savor exclusives such as Cuphead and Forza Motorsport seven, big third-party hits like Shadow of War and Wolfenstein 2, and hundreds of backwards compatible Xbox 360 and Xbox games without having to beat out out $499 for Microsoft's highest-end console.

Microsoft has promised that there won't be any games that only piece of work on Xbox One X, so getting a One Due south is however a worthwhile (and cheaper) investment that volition handle at to the lowest degree the side by side few years' worth of Xbox games.

It'south virtually as sleek.

Xbox One X (left) and Xbox One S (right). Image: Tom's Guide — Xbox Ane 10 (left) and Xbox One S (right). Image: Tom'south Guide

You don't have to pay up to get a great-looking Xbox One. The Xbox One S is virtually identical in blueprint to the One X, save for the latter console's slightly slimmer frame, heavier weight and slick blackness finish. The I Due south tin slide into simply virtually whatever amusement center either standing vertically or laid flat, and comes in a variety of cool-looking special editions.

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Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom'due south Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, too as running the evidence on the news front. When not at work, yous tin usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Eagle is the all-time Avenger.