Microsoft is gunning for a return to greatness in the gaming space after the relative failure of the Xbox One compared to Sony's PS4 and it seems like they have a good shot: the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S compare very favourably to Sony's PS5, with a great design, powerful internals, and a deep bench of games.
The Xbox Series X and Series S launched earlier this month to solid reviews, just in time for some good Black Friday deals and discounts on the consoles.
The Xbox Series S is basically the little brother of the Series X, lacking a disc drive – which could easily be a good thing – and some of the high-end power of the X. What it does have however is basically everything else: Microsoft has worked hard to make the Series X competitive with a powerful GPU and SSD underpinning performance.
Microsoft has also learned from the mistakes of last time and made the new consoles backwards compatible with Xbox One games and loosening its restrictive game DRM policies. The Series X and S are the products of this reflection and better consoles for it in our opinion.
The main difference between the Series S and X is simple: price. The Series X clocks in at about $299/£249.99, basically half the price of the X and PS5, and Microsoft is offering a nifty subscription bundle that gives you Xbox Game Pass and a Series S for $24.99/month or £20.99/month. Sony might well have met its match.
BLACK FRIDAY SALES AROUND THE WEB
- Amazon.co.uk – massive savings every day
- Argos.co.uk – cheap Lego, toys, phones and more
- AO.com – huge sale on electrical appliances
- Currys.co.uk – Black Tag sale is live now
- Dell.co.uk – big savings on laptops and desktop PCs
- eBay.co.uk – knock-down prices and voucher codes
- Very.co.uk – deals on electricals, fashion and home
- Lovehoney.co.uk – up to 50% off sex toys and lingerie
- Goldsmiths.co.uk Black Friday sale – up to 50% off watches and jewellery
- John Lewis Black Friday sale – mega savings plus the John Lewis guarantee
- Le Creuset Black Friday sale – premium cookware gets tasty discounts
- Nike Black Friday sale – new sneakers at sneaky low prices
- ASOS – up to 70% off everything
- Schuh Black Friday sale – save big on shoes, boots and trainers
- The White Company White Weekend Sale – quality bedding at reduced prices
- Simba – up to 40% off mattresses and sleep bundles
- Amazon.com Black Friday Deals – new deals every day for a week
- Walmart.com Black Friday sale – cheap 4K TVs, games consoles and more
- eBay.com Black Friday sale – bargain prices and voucher codes
- Dell.com Black Friday sale – cut-price notebooks, monitors and more
- Target.com Black Friday sale – save on clothing, appliances and furniture
- Nordstrom.com Black Friday sale – refresh your winter wardrobe for not much money