The Xbox One S review – smaller and more perfectly formed

It may be something of a stopgap, but the XBox One S is still a lovely piece of kit with plenty to attract the first-time buyer

Microsoft's revamped Xbox One occupies a curious space in the current gaming generation. It's not because it's a sleeker take on the original bulky hardware - slimline consoles are nothing new, after all. Sega tweaked both the Master System and the Mega Drive, Sony offered at least one redesigned version of each PlayStation, and Microsoft itself introduced a svelte Xbox 360 previously.

Rather, it's the marginal power boost and hardware improvements that the Xbox One S enjoys over its predecessor that make it a strange beast. Now capable of supporting Ultra HD 4K video with High Dynamic Range colour, upscaling 1080p games, and with marginal CPU and GPU upgrades that potentially improve frame rates on more demanding games, the console straddles the line between discrete hardware generations.

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