Topic: RDR2 on Series S?

Hey y'all
I'm looking to get a Series S. I am not finding Red Dead Redemption 2 for the Series S, which is my main attraction to even getting a new console. A Best Buy agent says that it is out of stock and will get restocked by next month but... ngl I'm not too convinced, especially because I can't find it anywhere else.
Gamepass is exceeding my budget, so that's not much of an option.
Please can anyone help me find a link that leads to a legit Series S RDR2 digital download?
The other thing I was thinking is that maybe I can buy it directly on the console... can I?
Please help me out with this. I'm aspiring to buy a Series S over an Xbox One, but if I am not getting my main attraction i see no point in buying something more expensive, plus Xbox One is fairly relevant. But still I'd prefer a Series S.
Thanks y'all

@RDDMarston you buy the game via the Xbox Marketplace, on the console. Just connect your Xbox to the internet and you will find the game pretty easily from there. Its quite regularly on offer, so I wouldnt buy the game at full price now.

The Series S is digital only, so you cannot buy the game on disc and play it on Series S. The Series S plays the Xbox One S version of red dead 2, it hasn't been upgraded to perform better on Series S, but the newer console is faster, so it does have vastly improved loading times.

I would personally highly recommend the Series S over the Xbox One.

@RDDMarston As @BowsersBuddy explained RDR2 never had a 'Series S/X' (or PS5 for that matter) release so you'll need to buy the Xbox One version but at least the Series S can play basically EVERY XB1 game as well as 'next' gen Only releases like Starfield, Forza Motorsport and the 'majority' of games releasing in the Future. Microsoft themselves have moved on from XB1 Game development.

The Series S is Digital Only so you can find RDR2 in the Xbox Store. With Smart Delivery, you get the version (if a specific one exists) for your Hardware. FH5 for example would install a specific Series S version to you but RDR2 is a Last gen game and the Series S will play the XB1 versions (not XB1X versions if they exist) in BC with XB1 settings - but throw more resources at it so it runs better.

The XB1 is 10yrs old and 'obsolete' moving forward. The only way to play 'some' games releasing in the future will be via Game Pass Ultimate Cloud streaming and that's limited to around 250 or so titles. It won't get native versions of Starfield, Forza, Perfect Dark, HB2 etc and certainly won't offer '60fps' in those games that did get Series S versions.

Its your money, you that has to justify your decision and live with it but if you have the option of buying a 'newer' Current Gen console over a last gen, out of production and basically obsolete as most devs have moved to developing for new gen hardware only, especially one that has BC with that OLD gen so not only plays ALL the same games - often at 'locked' frame rates and/or minimal use of DRS because it has better Hardware to run the games - but also going to give you the ability to play 'new' games too for the foreseeable future.

Choice is yours at the end of the day, but a Series S will play RDR2 better than an XB1 even if its via BC and still playing the XB1 version - it won't drop frames or resolution as frequently, will load quite a bit quicker etc etc...

Also worth remembering this. Xbox have moved onto the current gen exclusively now. Only third party games will be on Xbox one, and they too will likely move on at some point in the not too distant future: https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/06/xboxs-internal-teams-ar...

@BowsersBuddy Thanks for the response

@BAMozzy I really appreciate your response and your obvious effort into writing a good response.
So today in the afternoon (I just read these messages), I decided to purchase a refurbished Xbox One X from Walmart at $266 (plus tax) with a 3-year protection plan. Not only was the offer pretty good considering the price, but I can also get better graphics and more storage in comparison to the One S.
Since the Xbox One X came out in 2017, its basically the same age as the Nintendo Switch and since it's not as much as 10 years, I see more probability of a longer functioning time than the OG Xbox One that came out in 2013, even if it is refurbished.
If you have seen my other posts, I have posted a thread asking for help because my RDR1 disc stops spinning for some reason on my 360. This has gotten very annoying for me, not only because I lost 10+ hours of gameplay but also because I made a new account and I still was experiencing malfunctions. Twice. I don't have significantly big games as to classify it as an overloading problem, but I'm thinking its more of a console issue than a disc issue. Anyways, my Xbox 360 S refurbished has now approx. 13 months since I bought it and due to this incident I can say that I've been having issues with my console. Since I stocked up more on PS1 than Xbox 360 in that year, I feel that I don't have too many games to lose if I would have gotten a Series S. However, I am looking forward to also playing Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST other than Halo CE (which as for what I know are the best Halo games in the series) and I can get them considerably cheap on Lukiegames at times no more than $3-5. Additional to the collection factor (I really like collecting games). Due to the lesser expense of these games plus maybe some XBox 360 games that I can look up to or that are iconic and no available on any other console (unless at a higher price or Game Pass), I considered the disc drive as a driving factor. In other words backwards compatibility.
Additionally, I considered storage. The reason why I really considered buying an Xbox One or Series S in the first place is because I want more relevant games and want to play online, not miss out on superb titles (such as RDR2, Halo Infinite, and some Call of Duty games). If I want the better games, I need some good storage. The Series S has about 364 GB of usable storage, RDR2 has from 88-125 GB (or something like that) or storage, and I fear that sooner or later I may have some problems with this. Of course I can get the Seagate Storage expansion but I think that the price is A LOT. I could wait for the 1TB Series S and I'd have about 700-750GB of storage (but of course games are probably going to continue growing in GBs). The One X has 1TB of storage, and discs (not all but many to most) can help save storage. This means more games, and less fuss.
Additionally, I thought on the price of games. While game prices can go down on the Microsoft Store, I can still get new Xbox One games at a reduced price. Some are at clearance at Best Buy. I can get more games for $60 or $70, although eventually I'd consider CoD Modern Warfare 2 and the more popular and relevant games. I think that still since many games that are on the XBox One are on the X|S (Halo Infinite, CoD, RDR2, so forth) and new versions of these games may not be made till a while, I figure that relevancy is not a huge issue (especially RDR2 which next game in the series will come out after 2026).
I can still get top-notch graphics with the One X and fast gameplay, so I don't worry too much about this. I'm not even sure if my TV has 4K lol. Anyways, I maybe could list a few more reasons but I think this is enough. A bit too much even considering how long this post is. So my plan is use the One X for a few years, probably like 3 years or so, and by then the price of a Series X will most likely go down. I generally have more trust on physical games even though digital games are very convenient, and I really value backwards compatibility if you know what I mean. By then I could upgrade to a Series X without having to spend $500 out of my pocket. I don't think that I'll get a PS5 (unless I can get a very good bargain or I change my mind) even though Astro's Playroom is superb.
Thank you very much for reading this, and I appreciate your involvement.

@RDDMarston Each to their own...

I have an Xbox One X and whilst it was a 2017 model, it was also discontinued in 2020 (like the XB1S) and LIKE the XB1S, will not be getting games like Starfield, Forza or even Flight Simulator that released a few years ago on Series S/X hardware.

Graphics is NOT just about the Resolution and whilst the One X may beat the Series S in terms of Resolution, the Series S can trounce it performance with 'up to' 120fps and/or deliver truly next gen graphical options - like Ray Tracing and of course Next gen Game Engines like UE5. The CPU is Significantly better in the Series S and we haven't seen many games yet pushing the GPU features (like VRS, Mesh Shading etc etc that the One X can't handle. The One X is also built on the OLD GPU Architecture so whilst it is 2017, its tech is significantly older. Its CPU is a very over-clocked XB1S CPU and designed for 'notebooks'. The CPU of the Series S is the same as in the Series X offering much better speed, newer architecture and Multi-threading too.

In most '60fps' modes on the XB1X, you are looking at 40-50fps in most 'demanding' areas because CPU is the bottleneck. In terms of Visual Quality, the XB1X often has lower Graphical settings - more pop-in, lower 'density' of objects etc etc than the Series S - but you do get higher 'resolution'. Take Forza Horizon 5 as an example - 30fps on XB1X, 60fps on Series S with higher density and overall 'better' graphical presentation on HD TV's.

The One X is basically an XB1S with a beefier GPU to boost XB1S Graphics up to 4k. Occasionally offer 1080/60 modes but still at XB1S settings (that's things like draw distance, object density, shadow/reflection quality etc etc). The Series S is basically the equivalent of the One S - a machine designed to deliver 'Next Gen' gaming but at a lower Resolution - perfect for those who don't own a 4k TV or that bothered about the 'resolution'. If you don't own a 4k TV, it makes even more sense to buy a Series S as it offers more Games and better performance.

I haven't mentioned the SSD yet or how easy it is to expand. The Series S also will come with a 1TB SSD so storage is less of an issue but that Storage is 'key' to why the XB1X is basically dead now. MS stopped making the XB1 (S, X and All Digital) back in 2020) and have stopped making games for it. Everything coming in the 'near' future - games like Starfield, Forza, Perfect Dark, Fable, Avowed etc etc will NOT be released on XB1X so its effectively an obsolete system now.

You don't get 'top notch' graphics on a One X and game-play is NOT often faster than the Series S. Only in a 'few' games that were released between 2017 and 2020 and received 'One X' support but never 'updated' or released specifically for Series S/X. In those, only because the Series S is BC to XB1S, therefore 'limited' by XB1S settings which isn't representative of the Hardware, the Series S tends to fair worse - but in general, games like FH5 or Elden Ring have better Performance (60fps - not 30fps as on XB1X) and a 'higher' quality visual presentation - just at a lower resolution.

Discs don't help with Storage on the One X either. Discs are nothing more than a way to deliver Software - like downloading. It still has to be installed onto the internal Storage to run. It doesn't matter whether you are 'downloading' to get the software installed on your Console or waiting for the game to be installed from the Disc. the only difference is that you need to put the Disc in everytime you want to play to verify you still 'own' the disc and therefore the 'licence' to play. With Digital, that Licence is locked to your account so you only need to sign in to verify you 'own' a licence. Buying Digital also means that when you do upgrade, all the Digital games you bought are also ready for you to download - don't need to 're-install' from Disc.

As for games and their Pricing. Yes I know Digital often is more expensive - especially at/near launch but they have great sales with 80%+ off and if you Sub to Gold and/or Game Pass, you get more sales/discounts and can play 'great' games until 'new' games drop in price. I won't pay $60+ for ANY game but then I don't have to because I have far too many 'great' games to play whilst waiting for sales and/or big price drops.

That 1TB on the OneX will still get filled up and with it being the Slowest HDD they can get away with, games take quite a LONG time to install and longer to load too. RDR2 can take over 2mins to load into but on a Series S, its generally under a minute.

Had I known you only have a HD TV, then the One X is even less attractive an option. Its literally a '4k' XB1S. The extra money was put into pushing XB1S games up to 4k but when 'supersampled' down to 1080p, only offer a 'small' advantage over the 900p or so XB1S version but the Series S on a 1080p screen looks very similar to the Series X version on a 1080p TV - the difference becomes more noticeable on a 4k TV where the Series S looks 'softer' due to upscaling to 4k but often looks more impressive. FH5 has a lot better PQ on a Series S than One X...

As I said at the start, each to their own. I have owned EVERY Xbox (and still own Every Xbox - from my OG, 360, XB1, XB1S, XB1X to my Series X). I can't tell you what's best for you or how to spend your money, but I do think you haven't really understood the difference between Resolution and Graphics or really looked at Performance in comparable games. Not those games in 'limbo', those released before the Series S/X that got OneX support but never updated to support 'new' Hardware. If Rockstar do upgrade RDR2, or re-release a Series S/X version (like they did with GTA), you'll still be stuck with the OneX release...

Anyway, its your money and your gaming, but I could never recommend a One X over a Series S - not even for owners of 4k TV's because the advantages like much better CPU, bigger Game Library as it plays everything the one X can, as well as the new generation games the One X can't, has much better loading times, Quick Resume and numerous other 'upgrades' over the One X that make it a better gaming system - significantly outweighs the negatives in my opinion.

At the end of the day, if you feel happy and get enjoyment from your new Hardware, that's all that matters - not my opinion or recommendations, not others opinions etc, its your money so I really hope you enjoy...

@BAMozzy Once again, I thank you for your time. I'll get it out clear: I am really looking at backwards compatibility. As I said my main purpose for getting this console is being able to update to more relevant games. I appreciate the clarification for the resolution term and sharing those pros of the Series S. Seriously, if it were not for discs I would be perfectly off with a Series S. My Xbox 360 is deteriorating and while it still works, I'm doubting on how much it will keep working. And yet the games aren't relevant anymore. I want to get an online and modern experience with gaming, saying a farewell to the 360 and a PS1 (partial since I'll probably keep using them). The Xbox One X gives me an assurance that I'll be able to play my past games, plus gives me backup in the case of malfunctions with digital, even though it can happen with discs (as I am experiencing with the 360). I don't really budge too much for the superb graphics. I am really interested in having neat games and good framerates, but I've been playing Halo CE on the 360 and even with like 30fps if not less I've been able to get smooth gameplay. I do understand the importance of good framerate (especially in battle royale such as Shell Shockers) but I feel that I can manage under 60fps.
The storage expansion btw on the Series S is only for games specifically for the X|S, not for the past generations. And its pretty expensive. I understand that I won't be able to play with Microsoft Flight Simulator or better, but I think that such a big investment is not much worth it. I can get more variety and value with $60 or $70.
As I said, I look forward to buying these newer models in the future when the prices go down. As for now, I stand with the One X.
Pretty cool that you have all XBoxs btw.
Regards.

@RDDMarston pleased to hear that you are happy with your choice, that’s all that matters really

@BowsersBuddy Thanks for the support. I thank y'all for helping me find a good console. In the end I get that y'all want the best experience for me o7

@BAMozzy Hey one question.
When it is said that Microsoft will no longer release games for the Xbox One;
1. Can I play all the games that would regularly be on the Series S on through Cloud Gaming on my One X (ex. Flight Simulator)?
2. If #1 is true, then can we continue getting newer games through cloud gaming from Game Pass?
The console is bought anyways, even though today I remembered Halo Master Chief Anniversary Collection... so if backwards compatibility was my deal then I had little to lose XD
Thx anyways.

PS. What I think about the graphics other than that I'm used to it (tho 120FPS would be worth it) is that since all Xbox One games emulate on the Series X as Xbox One X version, I don't worry too much in comparison.

@RDDMarston You can play some games through the Cloud, not ALL games through the cloud. MS are no longer making or 'expected' to release games on XB1 - even Forza Motorsport, which probably could be scaled down for XB1, isn't, even if it could run well enough on a One X, if its not coming to One S too, its not releasing for XB1 at all.

Game Pass has about 500 or so games you can play and around half of those can also be played anywhere via the cloud. However, the cloud library does change and whilst Flight Sim maybe playable today on cloud, it could be replaced tomorrow and never return so you can't guarantee anything with cloud.

Cloud may let you try some games you'll never get to own on that hardware, but you can only access them whilst MS decides you can via cloud - as long as the game is available and you have a subscription, you can play but MS chooses which games are available and when they leave Game Pass Cloud.

So in theory, you could well end up playing games like MSFS 24 , Starfield etc on your XB1 over Cloud - but you'll never 'own' them for that hardware and as such, you can't guarantee that you'll still be able to play. That doesn't mean ALL next gen games will be playable via Cloud or even All Game Pass games - although chances are all, if not most of Xbox first party games will be playable on cloud for a period of time at least.

As a RDR2 fan, the Xbox One X is perhaps the best Console you could have purchased. The One X in general was a superb Console in terms of the Generation, even though that Generation was hamstrung by weak CPU's. There is a Period of time between 2017 and about 2020 that certain games got One X support and therefore look and/or play better than Series S offers via BC because its only BC with the One S so 'hamstrung' by One S 'settings' and RDR2 is one such game - although the Series X is now the best way to play RDR2 and many older BC games with Auto HDR, Res and/or Frame Rate boosts etc.

So yes you can still get access to some games via Cloud Gaming - with Compression artefacts and more 'lag/latency'. The Cloud app is still in Beta and not the 'best' option - but maybe 'good enough' if you have no other choice. On top of that, you have no say in what games are available on cloud or when your access may end as it stands right now. The service may 'improve', let you play games you own Digitally, not just the 'selection' chosen by MS, but right now, you can play 'some' next gen games like MSFS on an XB1 via Cloud but the Series S generally plays those same games Natively and with better visual quality and better performance

Anyway, enjoy your new Hardware - it is a 'beast' compared to a 360...

@BAMozzy Well I guess its worth to try it out, even if I don't own them XD
A pleasure to meet another Red Dead fan. In that case, I'm glad that I bought a better console (beats the One S' 1.6 or so Terraflops with One X having 6 Terraflops). Yea about that, I also saw in a video that the Series S most of the games run either 30fps or around 60fps in performance mode; very few times it is actually around 120fps.
Either way in the future I plan on buying the Series X|S (or a PS5 depending, even tho I'm more for Xbox).
Thanks for helping me out with this.

Anyway, enjoy your new Hardware - it is a 'beast' compared to a 360...

XDDDD Definetly!

@RDDMarston The Xbox One X benefits in particular with RDR2 because RDR2 never had a Series S/X patch but did get One X support.

As a result, the Series S is NOT being pushed hard at all as its only BC with the Xbox One version. To get RDR2 running on an XB1, the resolution is below 1080p and with some 'visual' settings on the lower side. Its not the 'fault' of the Series S hardware, its more the fault of the Xbox One S being so weak. If Rockstar did a RDR2 Next Gen Patch, like they did with GTA, then I'd bet you get a 'better' experience on the Series S - but as of right now, RDR2 is 'better' on the One X because the 'Series' S is only running the One S version.

But in fairness, there are games that can't run at '60fps' on One X but run smoothly at 60fps on a Series X and with 'higher' graphical settings on average, even if res is lower. There are 'cross-gen' games that are capped to 30fps on last gen, but are 60fps standard on the Series S - often with higher visual settings albeit lower res - more Density, lot less Pop-in etc.

As I tried to explain, there is a 'few' games that released on XB1 ONLY between 2017 and 2020 that supported the One X. Those 'One X' supported games are ONLY BC with the Series X so the Series X gets the '4k' res option in RDR2 but because the Series S is BC to the One S, its using One S settings, limiting the Res, the graphical settings and frame rates to the One S spec. Its not indicative of the Series S, more indicative of how 'bad' the One S was. In other words, its not a fair reflection on the Series S as its only running an XB1S version of the game, not a Native port.

I personally still couldn't 'recommend' the One X over a Series S in 'general' as I think its a 'better' gaming system with a 'bigger' Library that will only keep getting bigger as the XB1 is no longer being supported by developers/publishers. For the price, I'd say what you get by paying 'nearly' double for a Series X is well worth it too and probably the better investment to make 'today'. However, not everyone is the same, has the same budget etc etc, so I can't apply a 'general' recommendation to everyone and expect it to suit them.

RDR2 and the whole Backwards Compatibility situation on Series S is not ideal for those with Discs. Some games, like RDR2 would really benefit from being 'patched' to natively support the Series consoles (and PS5) and those games that are 'patched' are often better on a Series S but if you bought games on Disc, you'd have to buy it again digitally to play on Series S. Therefore, if you really can't stretch to a Series X, the One X is probably the best fit for you right now and RDR2 is great on it - better than a Series S - although the Series S smashes it in Loading times. You'll be waiting over 2mins to load into the game, its about a quarter of the time on Series S - not just the SSD, but the much faster CPU decompresses everything quicker too.

Cloud is OK but can be AWFUL. I've played several games on my Laptop, XB1X and Series X via cloud, also tried on my RoG Ally whilst it was downloading something (big mistake) and most of the time its been OK - Some of the Compression, especially in gradients and shadows can be distracting, if not terrible, the lag/latency is 'manageable', but it also depends on your internet, My Series X is hardwired and the most stable option. Trying to play whilst downloading over wifi was impossible, It was more Seconds per Frame than Frames per Second LOL so I wouldn't recommend it to ANYONE as their 'only' way to play games.

Part of the reason I bought the RoG Ally was because its powerful enough to run games Locally and not have to rely on Cloud to play.

This may help too - you may want to invest in a SSD...

@RDDMarston you have picked a great game to play. I really, really enjoyed both red dead redemption games. The second one is quite different, but absolutely fantastic. It looks amazing on the One X, too!

@BAMozzy

To get RDR2 running on an XB1, the resolution is below 1080p and with some 'visual' settings on the lower side.

I get what you mean, although maybe it can improve with the SSD you recommended. Thanks for that by the way

But in fairness, there are games that can't run at '60fps' on One X but run smoothly at 60fps on a Series X and with 'higher' graphical settings on average, even if res is lower.

Yes, today I saw a video showing the list of games compatible for Series X|S 120fps mode, and that was a big list definitely.
Thanks for the advice and info dude

@BowsersBuddy Bummer how on my Xbox 360, my RDR1 disc just stops spinning in the middle of gameplay or during loadtimes... do you have any idea about what it could be?

@RDDMarston sorry I’m not sure - does the disc stop spinning in only the 360? Does it also do it if you put RDR1 in the One X?

If it’s only in the one console, I would assume it’s a hardware fault. There may be a repair person near you who can help, unless you are happy just playing it on the one x now instead!

@RDDMarston To get RDR2 running on an XB1, the resolution is below 1080p and with some 'visual' settings on the lower side.

I get what you mean, although maybe it can improve with the SSD you recommended. Thanks for that by the way

I think you misunderstood - the XB1 version (as in the base XB1), the devs had to limit the resolution and some visual settings to their 'lowest' values and as the Series S is 'Locked' to the Xbox One S in its Backwards Compatibility mode, it cannot 'access' XB1X settings.. Therefore, the Series S is not being pushed when playing RDR2 or those games released between 2017-2020 that received One X support. Games that released before the One X, games without the One X support, are basically the same on One X as Series S. If the game was 'capped' at 900p/30fps because the XB1 was 'weak', they are 900/30 on XB1X, Series S and Series X too.

All the SSD would do for you on an XB1X is 'help' with Loading and maybe some Streaming of assets as you have much faster Data transfer. Instead of games taking 2minutes to load, it can cut that in half - the Series S can still load things 'faster' though...

All I am saying is that the Series S is perhaps more of a Beast than the One X, especially in core areas. The GPU/RAM on paper seems 'weaker' but when its utilising 'modern' features - like Direct Storage, the Velocity Architecture, Mesh Shading, VRS, Hardware accelerated RT, Lumin/Nanite etc etc - things the XB1X can't offer as its old architecture, The Series S could be a 'beast' compared to One X, although with PS5/Series X hardware available, it does seem 'weak' but its half the price too...

@BAMozzy

Therefore, the Series S is not being pushed when playing RDR2 or those games released between 2017-2020 that received One X support.

Ok, now I get what you mean, since it's mainly just for loading. I'm assuming it also gives additional storage?

, The Series S could be a 'beast' compared to One X, although with PS5/Series X hardware available, it does seem 'weak' but its half the price too...

Yes, I agree. Series S is better than One X, and Series X dominates them both. That's an indisputable fact. And the PS5 digital edition is better than the Series S also in terms of mechanics (and in number of single-player exclusives). While I am happy that I chose Xbox, I will consider PS5 (at least digital) for the next time. Finally we got the scalpers out of the way
Thanks again for the help!