Most Popular Console Bought On Black Friday Wasn't The PS5, Series X Or Switch

The most popular console bought on Black Friday this year was not the PlayStation 5, nor the Switch OLED, nor the Xbox Series X — it was the Xbox Series S, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. 

Isn’t that a turnup for the books? Adobe trawls "over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites" to crown the king of the castle on Black Friday, so this is hardly hyperbole. The Xbox Series S, intended to be the entry-level console for new gamers, uses a 512GB NVMe solid state drive which apparently allows for about four or five hefty games, though I’ve squished more smaller-sized indie and backwards-compatible games as well as Halo Infinite and Sea of Thieves into my one. 

Check out gameplay from Forza Horizon 5, one of our favourite games from this year, below!

The Series S targets 1440p with 4K upscaling and it has the same Xbox Velocity Architecture that gives the user features like Quick Resume — letting you hop from a number of ongoing games on the console without needing to shut them down.

One of the major draws of the Xbox Series X’s little sibling is the price. The PlayStation 5 is £449, the Xbox Series X is £449 too and the Nintendo Switch OLED is £379. Compare that with the paltry £249 for an Xbox Series S, add the monthly £8 for Xbox Game Pass with exclusive games arriving on day one, and you’re set for the next few years with a modest new-gen machine. 

Moreover, most people aren’t using their consoles only for gaming. Apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and more allow these devices to be turned into an entertainment hub for their users. I’m pleased with mine as it’s zippy enough to let me play Spotify while I cook and then settle into an episode of You and afterwards start playing one of the many, many, many titles available through Xbox Game Pass.

Cyber Monday promotions will likely ensure that the Xbox Series S is still ahead of its competitors. Both Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite, two of the biggest games of the moment, are playable on the console. In spite of the hype, Halo Infinite players are none too happy with the price of the custom content for their characters. 

Topics: Xbox, PlayStation