Next-generation video game consoles deliver beautiful visuals. Too bad the boxes themselves are ugly as sin.
(Xbox Series S) After a truly strange year, game-related or otherwise, the next generation of video game consoles is here. No longer hypothetical concepts, you can actually buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Although I recommend you read our reviews before dropping $500 on either of these bad boys, console launch reviews only have so much value. Consoles succeed or fail based on the strength of the game libraries, and those libraries grow with time. However, there’s one thing about these boxes that not even the greatest game in the world can fix. With the exception of the humble Xbox Series S, next-gen consoles are super ugly. Keep It Simple I’ve stewed on this take since the PS5’s full reveal, but I wanted to wait until I got my hands on some hardware before making a final judgment. My fiancée and I nervously waited for whichever next-gen behemoth I would need to cram into our apartment for work purposes. The Nintendo Switch sits nicely at the edge of our TV stand, but even my original Xbox One takes up more space than I like. From the beginning, I’ve resented how big and dumb that brick is, despite playing some very good games on it. I feared this generation would be more of the same. Fortunately, fate decided that I would receive an Xbox Series S, Microsoft’s budget- and space-friendly next-gen gaming alternative to the full-fledged Series X. In retrospect, this was the only acceptable choice. The unassuming box delighted us with its cute and compact design. The striking white color scheme with its evocative circular black fan looks like a console Ikea might have made to take on the Nintendo Wii. Currently, it sits on top of my Xbox One, where the Wii U used to rest years ago. So far, games don’t look drastically better, and I’m sticking with my Elite Series 2 controller rather than the new model. Still, I enjoy how fast matches load in Injustice 2 and Tekken 7 thanks to the SSD. The sleek design comes with drawbacks. There’s no disc drive, so while the console plays all my old digital Xbox One games, I’m still using that Xbox One as a Blu-ray player.
