The Microsoft One S may look a lot better than its predecessor but not much seems to have changed under the bonnet.
The new Xbox streams and plays video in 4K Ultra HD but besides downloading the free upgrade to play Blu-Ray disks there’s not much content around to make the effort worthwhile.
No HDR games are due until next year, with Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4.
The Xbox case and controllers have a new look, with a retro white and black look.
The controller has a textured grip and a micheadphones jack for making voice commands via Cortana easier.
Remote control
Another downloadable update for Bluetooth makes the controller into a remote control for a laptop or PC.
The case is much smaller than the older Xbox design and can be stored flat or sideways like the old Wii, which is a big improvement in size and style.
The price depends on the version – from £249 to £349 ranging from a 500GB to 2TB version.
With Gears of War 4 later in the year thrown in, the price jumps to £399.
Some reviewers claim the new Xbox ups the performance of older games with an improved frame rate that makes action faster and sleeker.
Microsoft agrees this might be the case for some games or users but insists the improvement is patchy and was not considered good enough to become a selling point.
Waiting for Project Scorpio
The verdict?
The Microsoft Xbox One S looks and feels better than any previous version, but trading up for improved Ultra 4K HD video with a lack of content and no Kinect port seems a little expensive and a marketing move for Christmas.
Most gamers would be better keeping their money in their pocket and hanging on for next year’s Project Scorpio which promises to be a complete Xbox revamp rather than opting for a shiny, bright new console that fails to deliver much in the way of an improved gaming experience.
The software giant claims Project Scorpio will deliver the most powerful console ever with the highest resolution gaming with Ultra 4K.
Heralded as the console games developers asked for, the console will be out next year.
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