FIFA 22 launches this Friday, and with the release of EA Play's Trial and Ultimate Editions, some players are getting early access to the game. PS5 and Xbox Series X players are enjoying new features like the Hyper Motion Animation System but Xbox Series S soccer fans are not so happy.

On the EA forums and various Reddit threads, many Xbox Series S players have reported that the game is very blurry on the less powerful next-generation Xbox. This is believed to be due to a lack of anti-aliasing. As a result, out-of-focus images are displayed, and some players cannot even read the name or number on the back of a player's shirt during a game.

The problem is made worse by the fact that the rendering resolution of FIFA 22 on the Xbox Series S is only 720p, compared to FIFA 21's 1080p. Some Xbox Series S players have been concerned that the port of the previous generation console lacked some new features, including the aforementioned Hypermontion technology. Some have become fed up and play the Xbox One version of the game despite the lack of several new features, including the aforementioned Hypermontion technology.

Other reported problems include menus that were 60 fps on the Xbox Series X being displayed at 30 fps, frequent lag during online play, and input lag that scuttles easy scoring opportunities during games. Xbox Series S owners are understandably not happy with this situation.

Similar problems were reported shortly after the next-generation version of FIFA 21 was released in December 2020. There are threads on the EA forums and Reddit from last year filled with users complaining of the same issues, including blurriness and low resolution on the Xbox Series S.

EA responded to player feedback on the forums and stated that the development team is looking into the issue and will provide an update to players shortly; you can follow the EASF tracker to get updates.

A major question this issue raises is the long-term viability of the Xbox Series S. When Microsoft announced its entry-level next-generation console, there were concerns that it would be less powerful than its more powerful sibling, the Xbox Series X, and would not be able to target 4K visuals

The Xbox Series S has been on the market for less than a year at this point. It is not yet a year old, but already seems to be struggling to keep up with the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Resident Evil Village, F1 2021, and Control have also struggled with performance on the console to varying degrees.

The Xbox series is primarily designed for 60 fps at 1440p resolution, but the console seems to frequently miss this goal, with FIFA 22 in particular taking a major hit in resolution.

Developers themselves share concerns, with id Software suggesting that the console's low RAM is a "big problem," and Remedy developers claiming that optimizing games for the Xbox Series S is not an easy process.Metro Exodus" developer 4A Games has also expressed concern about the weakness of the console's GPU,

and has also suggested that the console's GPU is "too weak"

and that the console's GPU is "too weak"

These regular performance issues suggest that the Xbox Series S may not have a long-term future. Perhaps Microsoft needs to refresh the machine or concentrate on its flagship console, the Xbox Series X.

But at least for now, the Xbox Series S remains a very attractive machine; at $299, it is the least expensive next-generation console on the market and a great It's a great way to get access to Microsoft's excellent Xbox Game Pass service. Just don't expect next-generation performance levels.