Thanks to its powerful hardware, the Xbox One X (Microsoft’s previous flagship console) boasts a library of “enhanced” titles that can be played in 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR. Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox One S owners will not be able to enjoy these same perks. While this is a definite bummer, it’s not particularly surprising considering the cheaper console’s weaker hardware and oft-advertised 1440p target.
The good news is that older/backward compatible games will still receive some level of enhancement on the Xbox Series S. These include improved texture filtering, faster loading times, better frame rates, and some level of HDR support.
“Xbox Series S was designed to be the most affordable next generation console and play next generation games at 1440p at 60 FPS,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Video Games Chronicle.
“To deliver the highest quality backwards compatible experience consistent with the developer’s original intent, the Xbox Series S runs the Xbox One S version of backward compatible games while applying improved texture filtering, higher and more consistent frame rates, faster load times and Auto HDR,” Microsoft added.
Microsoft hasn’t given a specific reason as to why the Xbox Series S can’t stand toe to toe with last generation’s flagship, but according to Digital Foundry, it has everything to do with a lack of RAM. The Xbox One X has 12 GB of RAM, while the Series S only has 10 GB of memory.
“I think this is something that maybe had not been considered by some folks,” Digital Foundry’s John Linneman said. ”If you’re playing an Xbox One game [on Series S], it’s not going to be the Xbox One X version of the game. You’re not going to get the 360 4K backwards compatibility or things like that.”