Both the Xbox Series S consoles are priced at $299.99, making them cheaper than the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. However, while both consoles have cheaper price points, both have their specific pros and cons.
For gamers who are looking for an excellent playing experience without breaking the bank, deciding between the two can get tricky. Should they choose the next-gen Xbox Series S, or the wildly popular Nintendo Switch?
Why the Xbox S is the Best Cheaper Console
More Powerful Games
As all diehard gamers will tell you, the Nintendo Switch is hindered by its lack of power. While it's true that the Switch has ported some first-person shooters, as a whole, the console simply can't handle giant open-world games or fast-paced, graphically challenging gameplay. That's why games like Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Far Cry, and Red Dead Redemption aren't on the Switch. The console simply doesn't have the power. For any gamer looking to play the newest cutting-edge games, the Xbox S is the obvious choice.
Xbox Game
One of Microsoft's biggest selling points right now is its exclusive game subscription service, Xbox Game . Instead of having to buy each game, Game allows players to pay a monthly fee and have unlimited access to a large library of games, consisting of both new AAA titles, as well as retro classics.
Popular games on offer right now include Halo: Infinite, Back 4 Blood, Dead by Daylight, Doom Eternal, and more. For gamers who are always craving variety and want something new, it's a great option that's revolutionizing the way people see the industry.
More Powerful Memory
Both the Xbox S and Switch are noted for their lack of memory. For the Xbox S, additional memory can be added through an Xbox-specific Seagate memory card. The specialized memory cards are much larger than a typical SD card and get inserted into the back of the console.
They have a high price point (a 1T memory card will cost over $200) but they're worth it for gamers who don't want to see a diminished performance in their game. Xbox and Seagate state that games saved on the Seagate cards don't suffer from impaired graphics, latency, load times, or framerates. They're designed to work seamlessly with the Xbox X/S new features.
Cross-Play
Standard on all new Xbox consoles is their cross-play abilities with the Xbox One. If a gamer buys an Xbox X/S but wants to play a co-op Halo mission with their friend who has an Xbox One, they can seamlessly do so thanks to Microsoft's cross-play. It's a smart move that Xbox has made and is part of their plan to keep the One an active part of the Xbox family.
This kind of technology isn't available for the Switch - for example, Mario Kart 8 isn't cross-playable between the Switch and Wii U. On certain games, cross-play even works between Xbox consoles, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch, such as game likes Apex Legends.
Smart Delivery
Another technological move that puts the X/S ahead of the game is the new Smart Delivery feature. Since Microsoft has stated that the Xbox One will be an important part of the Xbox family for a few years to come, the company is giving players some peace of mind when buying new games.
With Smart Delivery, players only need to purchase a game once. They will then be able to get that game on any new console, at that new console's performance rate. For example, say an Xbox One player buys Borderlands 3, but within the next year, they an X/S. They will be able to the X/S Optimized version of Borderlands 3 for free. Conversely, if someone buys Borderlands 3 on an X/S, they can also to an older Xbox One and play on that console for free.
Why the Switch is the Best Cheaper Console
The Nintendo Exclusives
While the Switch might lack many of the biggest names in gaming, it also has its own library of unique and highly-praised exclusives. Some of gaming's most famous mascots are Nintendo-exclusives, like Mario, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Samus, Kirby, and more. The Switch is the only console where gamers can play award-winning exclusives like Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and the Pokemon franchise. Plus, with 2022 promising a Breath of the Wild sequel and an exclusive Star Wars game, it's clear that the Switch is a true contender in the console wars.
Portability
It's true that the Xbox S is the smallest Xbox ever (and packs a major amount of graphical and processing power for its size), but it looks massive compared to the extremely small Switch. Plus, the Switch can be taken off its dock and played in handheld mode, making it the ultimate console in versatility and portability. The Switch is great for frequent flyers, the subway commuter, or any student who may have downtime between classes.
Gaming Variety
Influenced by the popular Wii console, the Switch kept the motion gaming aspect that Nintendo has become popular for. This means that the console s a wide range of fun and unique gaming experiences that can't be found on other consoles. For example, Ring Fit Adventure helps players work up a sweat by hooking up the JoyCon to a ring-shaped resistance band.
The game Arms allows players to rekindle their old Wii Boxing days by fighting opponents using motion controls. And in Surgeon Simulator, gamers can make a wildly hilarious (and bloody) attempt at performing an operation on various patients in need. The Switch's variety has a quirky charm that the other consoles simply can't compete with.
Physical Option
One of the reasons the Xbox S is so cheap is because it's an all-digital console, meaning there's no disk drive and all games must be ed virtually. While this is great for the environment, it leaves some gamers feeling like they're missing out.
For those who still enjoy having a physical copy of their game and love being able to line their shelves with their treasures, the Switch is the better option thanks to its game cartridges. The cartridges themselves are also technological marvels, considering that something only 1-inch long is able to hold the entire game of Breath of the Wild. Using physical game cartridges also helps keep the Switch's limited memory freed up.
Cheaper Memory Option
The Xbox S is built for performance, whereas the Switch is built for accessibility. While the Seagate memory card for the Xbox S is more powerful, it's also quite expensive. The Switch is known for lacking internal memory, coming with only 32GB, a small portion of which is used up by the system.
But fortunately, external memory for the Switch is nothing more than an SD slot. A gamer could go buy a 256GB SD card for $50 and never have to worry about memory again. If a player decides to virtual games for the console, an SD card will be a necessity.
