Every year after Thanksgiving a flurry of steals and deals takes America by storm, and discounts involving the newest gadgets—including pricey, hard-to-find video game consoles—enjoy a special level of anticipation. This Black Friday, the new Xbox Series S has beaten out every other console on the market.
According to the Adobe Digital Economy Index as reported by Business Insider, the Xbox Series S has proven itself the underdog this year, having unexpectedly overcome competitors from Sony, Nintendo, and even from within Microsoft. Based on “over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites” that occurred during Black Friday 2021, Adobe calculated that the Xbox Series S was the best-seller.
Since its release about a year ago, the Xbox Series S has somewhat lived in the shadow of its fancier, more expensive counterpart, the Series X. While the Series X boasts nearly twice the storage, 4K compatibility, a disc drive, and a more powerful processor, the Series S forces gamers to own all their titles digitally and can’t manage quite the same level of graphical fidelity. The Series S is also smaller and less than half the weight, which can be a pro or a con, depending on one’s priorities.
Though the Xbox Series X (pictured) is more powerful, the Series S is more affordable—and far easier to find. (Photo: Billy Freeman/Unsplash)
Though the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch OLED have hoarded the limelight throughout most of 2021, a limited barrier of entry makes the Xbox Series S a far more accessible option. Hopeful gamers can easily find the Xbox Series S in stores and online, while the other consoles have been rendered tough to find by supply chain issues, like the ongoing global chip shortage. They don’t have to resort to buying from scalpers, who drastically inflate the price of available stock just because they can. There’s also something to be said about the more affordable pricing of the Xbox Series S, which comes in at $300. (The next-cheapest hot console is the $350 Nintendo Switch OLED; prices rise pretty quickly from there.)
The chip shortage impacting console availability—and that of virtually everything else—isn’t expected to end until at least mid-2022, meaning the Xbox Series S may continue to enjoy the spotlight a little longer. The holidays prove a unique challenge-turned-opportunity, too; though many people try to get their holiday shopping done during Black Friday, the season for giving isn’t over yet, and supply chain issues are anticipated to continue as the year comes to a close.
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