Xbox Series S on sale for $249 at Target — and comes with a free extra controller

The availability of Xbox Series X restock has greatly improved in recent months. But if you’re looking to play next-gen games without forking over $499 for Microsoft’s most powerful next-gen console, its smaller counterpart, the Xbox Series S, is the ideal alternative. 

This surprisingly small machine was already a snip at $299, but right now the Xbox Series S is on sale for $249 at Target. That’s a pretty fantastic $50 saving and brings the console down to its lowest ever price.

Target is sweetening the pot even further by offering a free Xbox Wireless Controller with purchase. This is the perfect freebie if you fancy indulging in some old-school couch co-op, or just want a spare controller for yourself. This deal is scheduled to run through Saturday, October 8.

Xbox Series S w/ additional controller: <a href="https://goto.target.com/c/221109/81938/2092?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fxbox-series-s-console%2F-%2FA-80790842" data-link-merchant="target.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$299 $249 @ Target
The next-gen Xbox Series S is limited to 1440p output, but still delivers fast loading, ray tracing, and high frame rates. It sports a GPU with up to 4 teraflops of output, 10GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD for storage. (There's no disc drive). Target is also throwing in a free second Xbox Wireless Controller to sweeten this deal even further. 

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Don’t let its size fool you, the Xbox Series S is an impressive little console. It’s capable of playing all the best Xbox Series X games, and its small profile makes it easy to fit in just about any entertainment center. The Xbox Series S is a far cry from the big-blocky design of its older sibling. 

While the Xbox Series S cannot match the raw performance and graphical power of the Xbox Series X, it’s still offers a large selection of top titles at 60 fps including Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, in fact, the Series S is even capable of playing a few games at 120 fps such as Halo Infinite. 

If you've not yet made the leap to a 4K TV set, you won't notice the difference in visuals between the Series S and the Series X, as the Series S renders in 1440p. But if you have, the Xbox Series S upscales content to 4K extremely well. The console is also able to play games from all four generations of Xbox including the Xbox 360 and original Xbox, which is ideal if you want to revisit an old favorite. 

The Xbox Series S also gives you full access to the Xbox Game Pass library, often referred to as the best deal in gaming. So, if you’re wanting to upgrade to a next-gen console, but are on a strict budget, it’s practically impossible to find a machine that offers the same level of value as the Xbox Series S.