The new Xbox One S
About a week ago at E3, an annual trade fair for the video game industry, Microsoft announced the new Xbox One S (slim).
This new console is 40% smaller than the original Xbox One which came out in November of 2013. The newly announced console is what every Xbox gamer has been wanting since the original one. The original version that released in 2013 is big and clunky which caused some people to refer to it as a VCR machine LOL.
New specs and upgraded accessories
The new Xbox One S will have 3 different variants with memory capacity and price differences. The first and cheapest one comes in at the price of $299.99 and has 500 GB of internal memory. The 2nd version comes in at the price of $349.99 and has 1 TB of internal memory. The 3rd and final version comes in at the price of $399.99 and has 2 TB of internal memory. With video games starting to move away from discs and more towards digitally downloadable, it is important to have the extra memory. I myself have the original Xbox One with 500 GB of internal memory and I also have a 1 TB external hard drive plugged up to it. Without the EHD I would have ran out of space awhile ago on my console. Not only have the size and memory been revamped, but the new Xbox One S comes standard with HDR (High Dynamic Range) meaning that instead of the standard and narrow color range we are used to, HDR allows for a much wider range of colors making the image or video that we are seeing more realistic. Another new feature of the Xbox One S is that the power supply is now integrated inside of the console. This is a very good feature because it will remove the extra clutter that the power brick caused. Some of the other new features include the ability to watch videos and Blu-Ray at 4K resolution due to the upgrade in HDMI from 1.4 to 2.0.
The controller has also seen some minor enhancements which include textured grip, Bluetooth, and increased range.
Release date and conclusion
The 2 TB version of the Xbox One S will be released on August 31, 2016 whereas the other 2 versions of the console will release on December 31, 2016. I see this as a great marketing tactic; Microsoft knows that people will be getting their Christmas money and they have specifically released the cheaper versions around this time to take advantage of this. So in conclusion I think this is a very good move by Microsoft. Gamers have been wanting a smaller version of the Xbox One and Microsoft listened and responded. Also this will most likely force Sony to announce a new version of their PS4 to keep up with the competition. Thanks for reading and hit that upvote button! :)