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I'm going to try and make this brief, because I think most people know the basics of a videogame console, but a lot of people will be interested in the differences between systems, and what makes this one new/unique.
I purchased the PS4 slim and the XBox One S on Black Friday when they were hugely discounted. I'm not going to be one of those guys that says that one is better than the other, because to be honest, they are so similar that 99% of what you see and do on these consoles is essentially identical.
This XBox is smaller than the original One. It also doesn't need a power brick any more which saves space. It's 7.1% faster, which really doesn't mean much, although it may smooth out some slight slowdowns in games. It now sports 4K upscaling and a 4K blu-ray player, which is pretty sweet. Other than those few tweaks, it's the same as the previous version, and not as powerful as the XBox One X.
I'll start with what I do like about this console. I've owned a 360, and since then I've always preferred XBox controllers for 3D games. The overall shape of it just feels more ergonomic to me, and I like the left analog stick being the primary control. The One controller is pretty similar to the 360 in shape and feel, so making the transition should feel right at home.
I like that these new consoles have the ability to take screenshots and share video. While it's relatively painless to do this on the One, it does lack versatility which I'll get into. All your activity in this area, along with achievements, are shared to your friends, and you can see their activity as well in a new area in the menus. I do prefer the old layout though, where you could see their avatar surrounded by their activity, instead of having everyone jumbled into one screen.
The online ecosystem is just as great as the 360. By paying for Xbox Live Gold you not only get access to this ecosystem, but you also get 4 free games every month with Games for Gold. 2 of these are One games and 2 are 360 games, but they are all playable on the One. Additionally, you can keep the 360 games even if you drop your subscription, although this doesn't apply to the One games.
This brings me to one of the huge selling points of the One: backwards compatibility. They have a huge list of games that's getting bigger all the time, including a few original Xbox titles. Not all of the games I want are on there, but it's far better than the zero games that the PS4 can play.
Now onto the things I don't like. To start, I don't care for the menu systems/home screens of either console. The XBox one makes things extra confusing. On your home screen you have the last application you used, and next to it are random applications or whatever other panels you want to pin to your screen. Then you scroll down for a detailed view of whatever you've highlighted. The confusion for me is that many of the basic things you'd want to do, such as viewing your game list, are presented in a very minimal block of text, or you have to access them from the Home button. It's not terrible, but it just seems like their home screen panels show almost nothing that I want to see and much of what I don't.
While the controller is great, and probably my favorite of the two consoles, it isn't flawless. The D-pad is a great step up from the 360 pad, but it's still awkwardly placed for primary use (which is a necessary compromise) and the buttons make an odd clicky sound that I find mildly annoying. This controller has added rumble motors for the triggers as well, which sounds good on paper, but in actual use it basically just feels like a little button vibrating your finger.
I don't care that this console only comes in white, but that's a minor complaint.
The only other thing I dislike about the console is the 500 GB hard drive. There was only a little over 300 GBs available when I booted this system up, which seems like a lot but when I downloaded a half dozen games I already owned, it was already full. Most games now require large updates and hard drive installations right out of the box, so this space fills up quickly. Fortunately you can get an external hard drive.
So that's it, I hope my review has been helpful. Overall I would certainly recommend this console to any gamer, casual or serious. If you can't decide between this and the PS4, I suggest you take a look at the exclusive games, your controller preference, and what system your friends have for online play. Don't let the fanboys try and sway you or tell you that one is junk and one is the best, because it's all up to preference.
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From the manufacturer
Ultimate 4K console
Play over 100 console exclusives and a growing library of Xbox 360 games on Xbox One S, the only console with 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, 4K video streaming and HDR. Stream your favorite films and shows in stunning 4K Ultra HD. Then play blockbusters like Gears of War 4 and Battlefield 1 with friends on Xbox Live, one of the fastest, most reliable gaming network.
The biggest games
Play one of the best console exclusives like Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2 and ReCore. Plus, all the biggest blockbusters this year like FIFA 17, Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2. And thanks to backward compatibility, enjoy a growing library of Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox One.
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