I’ve had this unit for a bit, but if I’m being totally honest, but with COVID and the world being closed, I haven’t felt a huge need to have my Xbox Series S wherever I am before Starfield released. It’s a game that’s very much on my mind all day, and I’m wanting to squeeze in any amount of time with it when I can.
Whilst I have devices such as the AYANEO 2S or Xbox Cloud Gaming on my Samsung TV, if you’re wanting to play portably, on a desk or on your bedside table, there really is nothing better than having an Xbox Series S and an Upspec xScreen.
The xScreen features a simple, yet genius design. It cleverly snaps onto the Xbox Series S, which is an impossibly tiny console in itself, and clips into the grille on the side using two hooks that can be tightened with an attached screw.
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The xScreen itself has a HDMI port attached as well as USB port, so that it can receive the signal from the Xbox Series S and also receive power from the USB port of the Xbox Series S, which you connect to power using the standard figure 8 cord.
It’s this simplicity in design, and the fact that you literally only have to carry around this singular cord with no external power brick or any other kind of trickery to connect that makes it so genius. Even with the screen attached, the Xbox Series S is still lighter than the Xbox Series X on it’s own, so it’s remarkably small and light given there’s a console and a screen in this combined package.
The actual screen itself is an 11.6-inch 1080p 60hz IPS screen that is fairly decent. It’s not the best screen that I’ve ever used, but it’s bright, quite vibrant and definitely serviceable for playing games away from your TV.
The unit has in-built stereo speakers as well, so if you don’t have any headphones, you’re covered. Both sound and things such as brightness/contrast as well as adding crosshairs and a few other extra bits and pieces can be controlled by buttons on the top of the screen that appear in a fairly basic OSD but do the job just well.
The xScreen quite cleverly takes advantage of HDMI-CEC as well, so when you close the lid, it’ll automatically turn the Xbox off, although the same can’t be said for opening the lid for some reason. Obviously, it’s recommended that you don’t continue running the Xbox with the screen closed due to vents being covered.
There’s also a range of accessories including a case that fits in the xScreen, your Xbox Series S, a controller and cords, feet to stand your Xbox Series S upright to give the screen some height, and coloured clips to give your Xbox Series S a bit of extra niceness.
Obviously, with the release of the Carbon Black Xbox Series S, it’s a little bit mis-match, although I actually quite like it, especially when paired with the Xbox Elite Controller Core edition, but the company says that it’s looking into releasing a black one as well, which will look super shmick.
