The $300 Xbox Series S is the most popular game console on Black Friday 2021, not the PlayStation 5

According to the Adobe Digital Economy Index, an unusual video game console is leading sales on one of the busiest shopping days of the year: Microsoft’s $300 Xbox Series S console.

Though Sony’s PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, and Nintendo’s Switch OLED models are still the most popular, chip shortages and high demand have made them practically impossible to come by.

The Xbox Series S, on the other hand, is currently available at a number of stores, including GameStop and Best Buy.

The Xbox Series S was one of the best selling items for Black Friday 2021 among the “over one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites” assessed by Adobe.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Series S is only $300 (at least $100 cheaper than the competition, and up to $200 less in some circumstances) and can handle the biggest titles of the season: “Forza Horizon 5,” “Halo Infinite,” and “Call of Duty Vanguard.”

The Xbox Series S is a “all digital” console, similar to Sony’s PlayStation 5, which comes in two versions. It does not feature a Blu-ray disc drive to play games. The Xbox digital marketplace is the only means to purchase games, and they run off the console’s hard drive.

The Series S is the entry-level Xbox system, and it is substantially smaller than the $500 Xbox Series X.

The Series S is one of the most affordable options for consumers who want access to some of the most popular current games when paired with Microsoft’s phenomenally popular Game Pass subscription service.

The fact that the console doesn’t use cutting-edge technology has been a sales stumbling block for it in the past year among early adopters of the latest PlayStation and Xbox console generations. That weakness now looks to be a selling point for Black Friday customers.