Xbox One S/X versus the Series S/X, PlayStation, ROG Xbox Ally: The Console Upgrade Myth (Part 1)

New hardware dominates the conversation, but older consoles aren’t done yet. From gaming PCs to Xbox, and PlayStation, last-generation favorites like the Xbox One S/X and PlayStation 4 Pro continue to offer compelling reasons to play—even alongside the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5.

A week away from Christmas of 2025, I’m seeing a pronounced appetite for used, lightly used, and like-new gaming devices. The trend mirrors the early pandemic period, when perceived supply constraints fueled a similar rush toward secondary markets. This might have to do with price increases and the fear of tariffs further increasing prices. Or is there something more?

Table 1 sets the tone for a closely examined, detail-oriented discussion about the Xbox One S/X versus the series S/X.

Table 1. Xbox One Vs One S Vs Series S

Category	Xbox One (Old)	One S (with Blu-ray drive)	One X	Series S (Nov 2020)
Starting Price	Old - much cheaper	$267 (New prices remained same 3yrs)	$449 initially (Good only if bought used)	$300 (512GB) Prices went up $380. (1TB $350 to $430). Need separate SSD or external HDD
Starting Storage size	500 GB HDD	1TB HDD	1TB HDD	512GB SSD (NVMe SSD high-speed PCIe 4.0 drive), but only 364GB usable – Some Games still struggle as they are much larger! (eg. Wild Hearts)
CPU	Custom Jaguar CPU @ 1.75GHz, 8 cores	Custom Jaguar CPU @ 1.75GHz, 8 cores	Custom CPU @ 2.3 GHz, 8 cores	>>
GPU	Custom GPU @ 853 MHz, 12 CUs, 1.3 TFLOPS	Custom GPU @ 914 MHz, 12 CUs, 1.4 TFLOPS	Custom GPU @ 1.172 GHz, 40 CUs, Polaris features, 6.0 TFLOPS	4 TFLOPS
Memory	8 GB DDR3 @ 68 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM @ 204 GB/s	8 GB DDR3 @ 68 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM @ 218 GB/s	12 GB GDDR5 @ 326 GB/s
RAM flash	8GB	8GB	8GB
Size console	34.3cm x 26.3cm 8cm	40% smaller (29.5cm x 23cm x 6.5cm)	Similar: 0.5cm wider, 1 deeper, 0.5 thinner	Much bigger!
PSU (power consumption)	220W, External (External brick)	120W, Internal	245W, Internal
Heating			Most tightly packed console	Very powerful processor, silent cooling,
Power brick		No power brick	No power brick
Weight	7.8lbs	6.4lbs, Lighter	2 lbs heavier than Xbox One S	4.25 lbs (1.9kg)
Display & Blue Ray Drive	1040p (30fps) Blue Ray Drive	1080p (30fps Gaming) 4K HDR (Video) Blue Ray Drive	4k (60fps Gaming) 4K HDR (Video) Blue Ray Drive	1080p (60fps Gaming) 4K (Video) NO
Game / Blue Ray Drive	Yes - Blue Ray Drive	Yes - Blue Ray Drive	Yes - Blue Ray Drive	NO
Kinect virtual	Yes - port	Yes - External adapter	Yes - External adapter	NO
Heating up		Less heating than PS4		Heats up
Racing controls Accessory		Racing steering Racing pedals		Price is higher
Virtual controls Accessories		Kinect sensor bar & adaptor		NO (Alexa / Google Assistant integrate for basic controls- from Kinect era.
Games – Old games vs game-pass subscription costs		Most games are available. DVD drive! backward-compatible titles for Xbox 360	Most games are available.	Restricted to playing with game pass– Subscription costs (Old One X instead?)
Performance for the games		Games from Xbox 365, Xbox One, and Xbox One S perform great.		Less power than Series X (16GB) leads to compatibility issues and an inability to match Series X's capabilities - as developers maintain parity.,
Miscellaneous and OS related		"all-in-one" entertainment hub – with HDMI pass-through for cable boxes, SPDIF optical audio output,		Heavy advertising and games shared with Series X result in significant space and load. Quick Resume has been blamed recently for saving issues in games.

I consciously overlooked the Xbox One S Digital, as I feel it’s not a great value proposition and is intended to be a subscription-based business model for Game Pass. I like my consoles and would love to play these games into the foreseeable future.

 Do I still stand by my Xbox One S over the newer Series models?

Let me confess that I bought the Microsoft Xbox One S when rumors of the Series S/X launch were circulating. Now I had a feeling they would pull the plug on the One S with the new launch. There could be a shortage of One S units. So, after having my eyes on eBay for a few months, I decided to take the plunge and bought my One S at Walmart in early 2019. That was a little over a year before Series S was available. Looking back, some of my intuitions were true, some not so much!

Yes, Microsoft did pull the plug on the Xbox One S They kept the Xbox One S Digital edition, which is diskless. While most Xbox One video games are region-free, an Xbox One S console in the US should play Xbox One games released in other countries.

While the Xbox One games are region-free, the physical disk drive isn't, which makes a difference when playing DVDs and Blu-rays. An American Xbox One can only play Region 1 DVDs and Zone A Blu-rays.

It plays all Xbox One-branded video games, as well as a growing number of backward-compatible titles for Xbox 360 and the original Xbox. All Xbox One-branded controllers work with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X.

The Kinect sensor, the special camera used for games and voice commands on the Xbox One, also works with both consoles. However, a Kinect Adapter (sold separately) is required to connect it properly. Only the original Xbox One console (not the Xbox One S or X) can connect to the Kinect without additional cables.

The Xbox One X came from an era when Microsoft was still interested in incorporating cable TV and smart assistants into its console, complete with SPDIF optical audio for home audio systems and an IR blaster for controlling television sets and external devices. The modern Xbox Series X|S consoles omitted these features as part of cost-cutting measures.

Some questions I needed answers for when I originally bought my One S which are equally relevant today:

Can you play Xbox One and Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One S/X?

This is a very common question, given that Xbox 360 and Xbox One have many games that still have a loyal following. This is true across almost all genres of games, and especially for Kinect games.

Yes, Xbox One games are compatible with the Xbox One S/X! I think this is the unique selling proposition for the Xbox One S/X. The Xbox One was the era where we had the best assortment of games. As I mentioned earlier, the Xbox One S/X beats the newer generation as the new generation consoles do not have many new games or games specifically release for those consoles.

Xbox 360 games do not work on the Xbox One S/X. Although there were great Xbox 360 games compatible with Xbox One consoles, they are not compatible with Xbox One S/X consoles. I have seen online videos that speak of workarounds and hacks, but do not think they work well.

Will Xbox One S consoles work in other countries/regions?

Your Xbox subscription, profile, and unlocked achievements should move with your account to the new country/region, subject to subscription availability and restrictions in that country/region. However, funds in your Microsoft account will expire when you change your account location.

It is possible to change the region on an Xbox One S/X console to play discs from other regions and countries. However, there is a limit on how many times we can change region on a particular Xbox One device – the limit, I think, is 4 times. There are videos online on how to do this, so I will not get into it.

Are Xbox One physical game discs region-free?

Almost all Xbox One video games are region-free, and an Xbox One S console in the US should play Xbox One games released in other countries. However, check for any mention of region lock on the back cover of the game disc before buying it. The Xbox One S console’s physical disk drive is region-locked and might not allow you to play DVDs and Blu-rays that are region-locked. But I guess you did not buy the Xbox to watch movies.

All game discs that I bought in the USA mentioned they are region-free. Game discs that I bought on eBay, which were shipped to the USA by sellers from other countries, also worked fine. Online game subscriptions might be region-locked if you want to reinstall from your profile. 

What is the equivalent of the Microsoft Xbox Console in the Sony PlayStation (PS) world?

This discussion is not over unless I make a quick comparison of the Sony PlayStation versus the Microsoft Xbox console. I love a few PlayStation games, and those games are not available on Xbox, but then I love some of the Xbox games as well. They both have loyal fans who have strong opinions, and so I will not wade into that. However, find below the Sony PlayStation equivalent line-up against the Microsoft Xbox line-up across the last three generations.

Table 2. Sony PlayStation versus Microsoft Xbox lineup across generations

Microsoft Xbox Console	Sony PlayStation (PS) Equivalent	Generation - variant
Xbox 360 (2005)	PlayStation PS 3 (2006)	7th generation
Xbox One (2013)	PlayStation PS 4 (2013)	Base 8th-gen consoles
Xbox One S (2016)	PlayStation 4 Slim (2016)	Improved hardware and slimmer versions
Xbox One S Digital (2019)		Cheaper disc-less version
Xbox One X (2017)	PlayStation 4 Pro (2016)	Mid-generation performance upgrades
Xbox Series S (2020)	PlayStation 5 Digital (2020)	Base 9th-gen consoles, disc-less Series S with reduced GPU/CPU specs PS5 Digital with full specs
Xbox Series X (2020)	PlayStation 5 (2020)	Flagship 9th-gen consoles

What about the 9^th generation consoles?

 Xbox Series S (Nov 2020) and PS 5 - (sales decline for both, and not much PS5 vs Xbox unlike earlier generation PS4 was superior)

·       PlayStation not much new Vs Xbox bought a lot of existing developers (Game Pass)

·       Most games can be played on the previous generations. Not many new games or exclusives.

Some additional information comparing the Xbox One S/X with the legacy console, the Xbox One

Table 6. Xbox One S/X vs legacy Xbox One - Additional information

Specifications	Xbox One (Old)	Xbox One S	Xbox One X
Internal Storage	500GB, 1TB HDD	500GB, 1TB, 2TB HDD	1TB HDD
HDR10 Support	No	Yes	Yes
Content Protection	HDCP 1.4	HDCP 2.2	HDCP 2.2
HDMI Out	1.4b	2.0a	2.0b
HDMI In	1.4b	1.4b	1.4b
S/PDIF	Yes	Yes	Yes
IR Receiver/IR Blaster Port	Yes	Yes	Yes
IR Blaster	No	Yes	Yes
Kinect Port	Yes	External USB Adapter	External USB Adapter
Ethernet	IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000	IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000	IEEE 802.3 10/100/1000
Wireless	Dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrums, compatible with IEEE 802.11/a/b/g/n networks	IEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz & 2.4GHz), 2x2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct for home networks
USB Port	3x USB 3.0
Video CODECs	HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VC1/WMV9
HDMI audio, encoded	Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0, 5.1, & 7.1; Dolby TrueHD w/Atmos (from games)
HDMI audio, passthru	Dolby TrueHD (opt. Atmos), DD+ (opt. Atmos), DTS-HR/MA (opt. DTS:X)
S/PDIF audio, encoded	Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, PCM 2.0
CODECs decoded	AAC, MP3, MPEG1, WMV
Accessories Radio	Dedicated dual band Xbox Wireless radio

 

How about the ROG Xbox Ally?

That’s too big to answer here.

Part 2 of this blog compares the ROG Xbox Ally with other options, including the Nintendo Switch V1/V2, OLED, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam Deck.

Which Xbox One S/X games do I own and play?

Two years back on the Microsoft-Xbox sale in June, I loaded up with a trove of online games when they had throw away prices on games for Xbox One S/X.

Word of Advice: A few of the games are slowly being pulled off the online stores, and will only be available if you have already downloaded it and have it on your Xbox profile (you have the option to reinstall games from your profile)

Table 5. Xbox One S/X games I own and play

Game	Genre	Kinect
Call of Duty - infinite	1st per shooting
Call of Duty - Ghosts	1st per shooting
Call of Duty -WWII	1st per shooting
Call of Duty -Black ops 3	1st per shooting
Call of Duty -Black ops 4	1st per shooting
Call of Duty -Black ops 4 - copy	1st per shooting
Fallout 4	Shooting story
Halo 5	Shooting story
Destiny	Shooting story
Destiny 2	Shooting story
Titanfall	Shooting story
Titanfall 2	Shooting story
Battlefield 1	Shooting story
Assassins creed - Online Key	Theme- story
Witcher 3	Theme- story
Fortnite Deep Freeze Bundle  2017	Theme- story
Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Skyrim
Dead Raising
Grand Theft auto - SanAndreas
Grand Theft auto 5	Theme- story
Elder scrolls - Morrow wind
Star wars Battlefront
FIFA 2014 - Messi	Football
FIFA 2015 - Messi other	Football
FIFA 2019/17 - Ronaldo/other	Football
UFC	Martial arts
UFC 3	Martial arts
PGA tour - Golf	Sports
Madden NFL Football	Sports
NBA 2K21	Basketball
Shape up	Fitness	Kinect
Zumba dance party	Fitness	Kinect
Just Dance 2017	Fitness	Kinect
Kinect sports rivals	Fitness	Kinect
Overwatch origins	Kids
Minecraft	Kids
Nickelodeon Kart Racers Racing New	Kids
Sonic	Kids
Rush: A DisneyPixar Adventure	Kids
Rare replay - 30 game collection	Kids
Destroy humans game	Kids
Trollhunters Defenders of Arcadia	Kids
9 Monkeys of Shaolin  (Digital key)	Kids
Ash of Gods  (Digital key)	Kids
Redeemer (Digital key)	Kids
Crossout (Network only)	Kids
Cars 3: Driven to Win	Racing
Horizon Chase 2	Racing
Burnout™ Paradise Remastered	Racing
NFS Rivals	Racing
Need for speed	Racing
NFS Payback	Racing
NFS Heat 2018	Racing
NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered
NFS Underground (xbox 360)	Racing
Dirt	Racing
Forza motorsport 5	Racing
Forza motorsport 6	Racing
Forza Horizon 2 - France & Italy	Racing
Forza Horizon 3 - Australia	Racing
Forza Horizon 4 -  UK (Xbox preinstalled)	Racing
The Crew 2	Racing
Assetto Corsa racing	Racing
Project Cars 2 - Simulation	Racing
Project Cars 3 - Arcade	Racing
Sid Meier's Civilization VI (digital)	Strategy
Forza motorsport 7	Racing
The Crew Motorfest	Racing
F1 racing	Racing
Nascar Heat 3 or 4	Racing
Gears of war	Shooting story
Dance Central		Kinect
Kinect adventures (Xbox One only)		Kinect
Motionsports		Kinect
Kinect joy ride		Kinect
Sonic free riders		Kinect
The biggest loser - workout		Kinect
Your shape - fitness evolved		Kinect