Gadgets

Xbox One S Teardown: Microsoft Ups the Ante

The Xbox One S is the console the people wanted. The console they deserved. Microsoft streamlined, improved, and essentially made a new system—one that still plays your hard-earned current-gen games. While the 8-year wait for the original Xbox One felt way too long, this 3-year update is curious. Even amidst current fanfare, rumors already point to another Xbox release for next year—one with Oculus-VR support. It’s starting to look like the breakneck pace of VR development might make these console teardowns more frequent, so we better get started.

Opening up the Xbox One S for the teardown
Opening up the Xbox One S

Xbox One S teardown highlights:

• Sadly, hard drive replacements still void the warranty, and need some tricky formatting. Luckily, the One S packs a sweet SATA III drive, an upgrade from the original’s SATA II. Plus, you can always add an external hard drive (thanks Microsoft!).

• Improved vibration dampening on the optical drive mount should make the One S run a little quieter than its big brother.

• A quick peek inside the restyled controller reveals remarkably familiar construction. Our guides for the original Xbox One controllers should do the job for both generations.

Want more of this One? Head on over to iFixit for our full teardown, complete with step-by-step disassembly images and analysis.