If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t particularly excited about the Xbox Series S when it launched. As a huge physical media nerd (ask anyone who knows me about my movie collection) with shelves full of discs and cartridges, the idea of a digital-only future terrifies me. But it has to be done, and the Xbox Series X was sold out when I wanted to upgrade. That also means that as we head into Amazon’s big Prime Day sale, a nice little slice of a 1TB Xbox Series X console is suddenly very tempting.
Currently you can find the console for $449.99 (was $499.99) at Best Buy – but that’s not all, a free $50 gift card is also included.
If you care even a little bit about physical Xbox games, the Xbox Series X is really your only option in this space, so $50 off is nothing to sneeze at. Considering Microsoft so rarely puts first-party consoles on sale for any amount, and that when they do, stock is relatively low, this is an awfully tempting option ahead of the official Prime Day gaming deals.
$449.99 is admittedly still a decent chunk of money for a purchase that’s supposed to be entertainment. If you’re not that into physical media or otherwise not that interested in gaming, it’s hard to imagine spending that much money when you already own, say, a PS5 or even a Nintendo Switch OLED. (Not to mention a gaming PC.) But if you’ve been waiting for the right time to upgrade from, say, the Xbox One, this moment right here seems like a perfectly good one.
Should you buy the Xbox Series X?
Whether it’s right for you ultimately comes down to personal preference. However, the Xbox Series X has some advantages that its competitors don’t. Even within the Xbox family of consoles, the Xbox Series X is the only one that lets you play physical games that are compatible with the Xbox Series X/S.
The Series X is also famously the more powerful console in the modern Xbox family. Developers have been saying for years that the Series S is a bit problematic due to the Xbox’s compatibility requirements, and Baldur’s Gate 3 famously had to forego split-screen to work on the less powerful machine. The Xbox Series X is simply a more powerful machine.
I’m admittedly probably an outsider here, as I still want a Series X as a Series S owner, but it can be argued that anyone who’s a serious gamer will likely want to upgrade to the Series X in the future, as bigger and better games will continue to require bigger and better hardware. Eventually, the Xbox Series S will simply lock people (like me) away from the hottest games. Personally, I’d rather upgrade now than wait until I realize I can’t play a game I care so much about the way I want to, and $449.99 is a solid price for that peace of mind.
We also include all the best Prime Day PS5 deals and that the best PC deals for Prime Day for more options. Or check out the latest Prime Day deals on gaming laptops for more mobile gaming.
