The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have finally arrived. The Series X is a big, expensive affair that packs top-of-the-line performance into a black, boxy chassis. The Series S, on the other hand, is more limited in scope, although its compact size and inexpensive price are an advantage.

Either way, there are two options when it comes to buying a new Xbox console. (Don't bother with the Xbox One S or Xbox One X at this time. Both the Series X and Series S are fully backward compatible, and the price difference is not worth the waning technology.) Don't get me wrong, the Xbox Series X has better specs, performance, and future-proofing. But the question is not "which console is better" but "which console is better for you."

If you can afford it and want to show off your 4K HDR TV, the Xbox Series X is the way to go, but the Series S is not without its charms. Read on to find out how these two systems are positioned and how to get one or both in your home.

The price of the Xbox Series S is one of the few in its category that definitely beats the Xbox Series X. Simply put, the Xbox Series S costs $300 while the Series X costs $500 (prices vary by country, but the difference is comparable). For now, however, the Series S is $200 cheaper than the flagship Xbox, which could make a big difference depending on your budget and current entertainment setup.

While the Xbox Series S has a clear price advantage, the Xbox Series X has a clear hardware advantage: the two systems have the same CPU, but different storage and RAM capacities. There are also significant differences in the GPUs of both machines; see the table below for a complete breakdown of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S specs:

In our tests, the Xbox Series X outperformed the Xbox Series S across the board The Xbox Series S has 4K upscaling and HDR capabilities, but it is nothing like having a native 4K display. while the Series S has much more limited support for ray tracing. Also, the Series X has much better rendering distance in optimized games.

Qualitatively speaking, the Xbox Series S looks and plays well on 4K displays; if you have a 1080p TV or 1440p monitor and plan to keep using it for a few more years, the Series S will easily sell. But if you have a high-end TV, save your money for the Series X.

The Xbox Series X also has a built-in 4K Blu-ray player, but the Xbox Series S is a pure digital console. This means that if you have a lot of physical media, such as movies, TV shows, and backward compatible games, the Xbox Series X has a huge advantage over the Series S.

The Xbox Series X is a pretty console, but there is no denying that it is quite large at 11.9 x 5.9 x 5.9 inches and 9.8 pounds. There is absolutely no guarantee that it will fit in an entertainment center, especially when placed horizontally.

This is where the Xbox Series S shines. This little white gaming machine (with a tasteful black vent on top) measures a mere 10.8 x 5.9 x 2.6 inches and weighs 4.3 pounds. One of the smallest and lightest game consoles in years, it fits perfectly in an entertainment center or next to a TV on a dresser; the Xbox Series S is easy to fit into any setup and easy to move around.

This makes the Xbox Series S an ideal secondary console to place in a bedroom, child's room, or guest room. In particular, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($15/month), save data can be carried over. On the other hand, owning one console for the living room is a luxury.

The interesting thing about the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is that they have more in common than differences. The game library, interface, controllers, backwards compatibility, app selection, and CPU are all the same: Gears 5, Yakuza: With sleeker graphics and faster load times, you can play "Forza Horizon 4" and "Like a Dragon" on both systems. Players will be able to play "Forza Horizon 4" and "Like a Dragon" on both systems. The Xbox Series X and Series S also support a "Quick Resume" feature that allows users to pause and resume multiple games in seconds.

In short, think of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S as two different configurations of the same gaming PC. One is more powerful and has some special bells and whistles, but can run all the same software, at least for now.

There is no denying that the Xbox Series X is the more powerful of the two systems and a better investment if you can afford it. However, there are a few situations where the Xbox Series S would be a wise purchase. The aforementioned "secondary console" case carries some weight; if you have a 1080p TV and have no immediate plans to upgrade, the Series S is the way to go.

Otherwise, get the Xbox Series X, even if you have to put off the purchase and save your money. It has more powerful hardware, better physical media capabilities, and is more future-proof and versatile than the Series S. Sure, $200 will buy you a lot of games, but you may just be putting off a more expensive purchase for years to come.