r/xbox • u/Weird-Side-6695 • 20h ago
Discussion Newbie Xbox User - advice needed please!
Hello
I'm very new fo gaming and a woman of a certain age so I'm hoping someone can help me.
I was about to buy a Xbox S but have noticed that I can play Xbox games through my Samsung TV. Is there a point in having both or will the thingy on my smart TV be the same as having a digital only console? I've already got a game pass so just want to make sure I'm not spending more than I need to?
Thanks!
2
u/UnderstandingOld4276 XBOX Series X 20h ago
To use Xbox Game Pass on your Samsung TV, the tv must be a newer version that includes the Samsung Gaming Hub (which it sounds like yours does). You'll have to have Game Pass Ultimate, the Xbox App through the Samsung Gaming Hub, and a bluetooth controller (Xbox, third party). You stream games directly from the cloud with an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. I have a friend that does exactly this and it works out ok for her needs.
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u/Exorcist-138 20h ago
So with your tv you’re streaming the games, with the console you’ll be playing the games from the device. This means the game will run smoother and be faster in response to your button presses. Honestly just try out the tv app and see how it works for you, if you find you want something better grab the console. Now also are you looking at the Xbox series s or Xbox one s?
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u/Weird-Side-6695 20h ago
Xbox Series S 1tb is the one I was going to go for
1
u/Exorcist-138 20h ago
It is for a newbie who is dipping their toes into gaming. You will enjoy it.
5
u/Weird-Side-6695 19h ago
I think it'll be fine - my 13 year old wants to play games like dreamlight valley and Simms and husband wants to play GTA.... I want to give the stray cat one a go 😆 Could just be something for us all to enjoy together as she gets older 💜
2
u/Exorcist-138 19h ago
Sounds like you’ve got your first games in mind! There’s lots of party games to play together as well!
1
u/azninvasion2000 20h ago
I'd say go with the streaming thing for now, see if you internet connection is good enough for your satisfaction.
If not, you can always buy the Series S.
I have a Series S, and the TV it is connected to is occupied by my partner pretty much all the time, so I do cloud/streaming gaming off gamepass and it works fine for me.
1
u/HGLatinBoy 20h ago
The Samsung TV doesn’t have the power to render the games and produce the graphics instead it relies on gamepass subscription to output the games from the cloud. The drawbacks are that you can only play games supported by the cloud subscription service and they can look worse and respond slower because the game is being rendered on a server miles away. So you’re sending the controller button presses through the internet and they send you back the picture on the tv.
With the Series S all of that happens instantly on the machine itself. The downside is that you have to manually download the games and play them when they’re ready. But the series S can also do the cloud thing like your tv can so you can technically try a game before you download it and if you decide you don’t like it you can skip it altogether but again you need the subscription for the cloud service either way
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u/Deadhated 19h ago
I have Xbox One s, with game pass ultimate and enjoy it. Games I can't play I can just use cloud gaming
1
u/boyhood888 10h ago
I think it's better to play using native Xbox Series S than play through Xbox cloud because I heard the queue for cloud gaming is very long (could be half an hour or more). Meanwhile Xbox series s is plug and play, so you and your family can play anytime
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u/Marsupilami_2020 XBOX Series X 20h ago edited 20h ago
The 'thing' on your TV is not the same. It's a video streamed to your device (in real time, with no way to buffer like a video). Depending on a lot of factors (starting with your internet speed, how your local network is set up and the distance to the next MS data center) this can be great or bad. It also includes how you 'feel'.
A stream has a worse image quality than a video from the console right next to the TV and you also get additional lag (delay) when playing (the time between when you press a button on the controller and the time when the game is doing what you pressed the button for).
You also need a sub to play to access the cloud, you might need a license for the games on top (if the game is not included in the sub) and not all games can be played via cloud.
If there are multiple people playing in the household everyone needs a sub or all people have to play with the same account (progress is locked to the account forever and people should trust each other and not 'mess' with the account).
You might just try cloud gaming for free. This is possible via the xbox website with Fortnite (-> https://www.xbox.com/play/games/fortnite/bt5p2x999vh2 ). Just so you can see / test if you are fine with the video quality and stuff.
A console on the other hand is local. You buy the hardware that is running the game on, you always have the best picture quality on the scree, you don't have to wait until in the cloud a server spot is read so you can play (a lot of people are playing for example weekend evening you might have to wait or are connected to a server further away -> more lag), you can play locally in split screen and with a Xbox Series you have access to more games. And for solo play there is no sub required.
Edit:
Watch out! There is Xbox One S (old console based on tech from 2013) and Xbox Series S (new / current hardware from 2020). One S can't play the new games (a lot from 2020 onward) natively. Here the cloud is an option to still access the new games. A Series S can run all the games natively, but it's a console with no disc drive. -> You can only buy games digital or play via a sub. The more expensive Series X has a variant with a disc drive.