Since its release in 2020, the Xbox Series S has been the subject of debate over its value within the current hardware generation lineup due to being less powerful than the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. It turns out, Microsoft's $300 Series S is more popular than the Series X.
The revelation was spotted in the big Xbox court document leak that has taken the internet by storm this week. One of these documents focuses on Xbox's April 2022 gaming results. While the document is heavily redacted, one slide shows the "Console Sell-In Mix". As you can see in the screenshot below, the document reveals that 74.8% of Xbox Series owners own the Series S, with the Series X on 25.1%. As mentioned, these numbers are from early 2022, so may have changed since then.
Update 10:23am PT: It's worth pointing out that while we don't know exactly what period these documents refer to (April 2022 sales alone, quarter to date, or year to date), they're emblematic of a greater trend. Both Mat Piscatella of Circana and Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners told IGN their firms estimate the current split between Xbox Series X and S is closer to 50/50, with the S having a slight lead over the X. (Original story continues below)
While this split seems surprising at first glance given the lower power of the Xbox Series S (it's designed to normally render games at 1440p resolution and 60 frames per second, with a lack of 4K gaming and no disc drive), it should not be entirely surprising from a consumer perspective.
The Xbox Series S is the most affordable console out of the three home systems available in the ninth generation of gaming. Costing $299 (or $349.99 if you buy the 1TB model), the S is a console capable of playing next-gen games like Starfield, even if not at the highest graphical settings. It's an appealing pitch to most people who care more about the games and less about peak performance.
The Series S is also ideal for parents who want to get their kids the latest gaming console yet cannot justify spending $500 on a Series X. The lack of a disc drive makes this even more enticing as a kid-friendly console, if only because kids do not need to worry about losing or damaging discs as all the games are digital. This does not even factor in how the Series S is arguably the more portable-friendly ninth-generation console and even has its own exclusive external display accessory that connects to the rear of the console.
This revelation is among many coming out of the Xbox court documents this week, from Microsoft's plans to release a mid-generation Xbox Series console refresh next year to Bethesda's release schedule, and a hybrid next-gen Xbox slated for 2028. Check out our roundup if you want to read about all the major revelations from the FTC vs. Xbox court document leaks.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
