I have a feeling demanding games like GTA VI will have a rough port on Series S. Memory is a main concern for me, and also 4 Tf GPU means low resolution, probably internally 720p 30 fps with FSR2 is my guess.

Also I want to know what internal resolution is in Starfield on Series S. Since Digital Foundry already found out XSX was 1296p I assume Xbox Series S internal resolution could be in 640p-720p territory.

The slowdown in new GamePass adoption only reflects the lackluster 2022 and early 2023 for Xbox. No reason for me to believe the pace won't pick up again once heavy hitter releases and the release schedule stabilize, which should begin this holiday by all indications.

Of course, nobody is arguing that every Series S / X owner is a subscriber, still, it's part of consumer acquisition, and no doubt Series S eases the process up to some capacity.

Internal resolution of 720p might happen for GTA VI and it would not be an issue. immortals of Aveum renders at 720p internal for Series X and PS5 and 486p for the Series S. The devs clearly went berserk with a design choice that sacrificed resolutions for other things LOL.  It might seem low for the S, yet it's actually low across the board, and it is still a stable and playable experience on the S, which is all Series S needs and all which Series S is about.

For Starfield, if we apply the same ratio as immortals, it would be closer to 900p but immortals also have lowered many other settings so my guess is between 720p and 900p. (Starfield also benefits from a longer optimization period and less platform to support).

Apparently Series X beat Series S 55:45 so far this year in the US. This is in line with Microsoft's statements and NPD reports. MS stated that they've significantly improved Series X production this year, and yet combined Series S/X sales notably declined YOY. Meaning Series S's decline must have been steep. It's getting outsold like 5:1 in its biggest market, by the more expensive platform.

Series S will go down as one of the most overestimated consoles of all time.

For me, there's no logic supporting dropping the Series S that's not akin to killing a fly with a tactical nuclear weapon.
For the amount of issue and "damage" it can do by existing VS the disaster it would create to eliminate it, just let it be.

And this is only when looking at the worst side of things which I believe some here focus way too much on with exceptional cases and then use hyperbole and slippery slopes to justify a need that doesn't actually exist to kill the series S or make it seems like it was actually a bad idea. All the while completely ignoring the benefits of such systems.

The series S is not only about a lower price point, it is also a way for MS to ensure the game in its ecosystem can be played on a wider range of hardware when it comes to PC. Now there are laptop APUs able to play even the latest title decently. their also the rise of PC handhelds like Steam Deck, Ayaneo, Rog Ally, GDP Win2, upcoming Lenovo Legion GO. While MS did not target those specifically with the S, such basic laptops APU market had already been speculated for a few years and because PC is such an integral part of the MS ecosystem it completely makes sense to ensure games can be played and can be played decently on an as wide of a range of possible hardware as possible.

For those who think the series X has a degraded experience as a result, it has not been shown to be the case by any titles up to this point. Even with the latest BG3, the series is said to have all the bells and whistles. Even a title with ludicrous hardware requirements has Immortals, which, if the thought that Series S was holding back the X held any truth, should have been a limit case highlighting such degraded experience/ hold down of the Series X when compared to PS5 yet Series X have the same presets as ps5 and even manage to hold better framerate overall.

both solutions declined YoY this is simply a result of lackluster 2022 and 2023 up to now.

Series X production improvement was indicated in mid-June at an Xbox event, Shipping routes can take weeks to translate improved manufacturing to improved in-store stock so I would not read too much into it as far as estimating Series S market goes. By all logic, this holiday should give us a way more accurate picture of the state of Xbox overall, and with a bit of luck, a statement from Xbox would give us an accurate S/X ratio somewhere in early 2024.

Stop requiring feature parity right now. Stop selling Series S after holiday 2024. Stop requiring games to launch on Series S after 2026 (announce this at least a year ahead of time).

Devs will do their best to support Series S anyway, for as long as they can, because it will mean easy additional sales since they're already making an XBox game.

If Microsoft ever decided to keep supporting the Series S for all first party games and allow third parties the choice to do what they want, gamers could still play the new games through cloud streaming on the Series S just as they can on the Xbox One.

The Series S is the cheapest entry into this generation of gaming + with access to GamePass + Xbox exclusives. Simple as that, saying that it is just a "potential" entry point is irrelevant, IT IS an entry point. And that's value right there; you may not be interested in it, but there is no denying that it is a thing.

For the majority of buyers, it gave them:

- Ability to subscribe to GamePass and play the games (that's not a potential, it is an entry point to that).

- Access to this gen. games (even with less FPS, lower resolution, or some features disabled)

- And Xbox exclusives.

And it is still 100% true today for new buyers, so again, the value of the Series S is there for sure.

Look, what you've written here is not even remotely what you originally replied to me with.

I agree almost entirely with this current message of yours .

But, as true as this might all be, sales don't seem to suggest that being the cheapest entry point into this gen really means anything considering just how much better the PS5 is selling over the current Xbox.

So yeah, I think MS could retire the selling of Series S and focus entirely on the X, allowing for a more unified console push for the remainder of the gen. I don't think it'll hurt that much, if at all. 

I mean, is the Series S still outselling the X?  I honestly don't know so if you know then send me a link.