If I don't have a 4K monitor and don't plan on getting one anytime soon, is the X worth the extra $200? I'm still on the fence about getting a console, but I am looking into it.

1) What are the games that you want to play
2) Of those games, are there one or more titles that are exclusively available for only one console?
3) If no clear trend emerges here, are there any titles per #2 above that will clearly benefit from the X model over the S?
4) Can you wait with your console purchase for another year, or at least until after the holidays?
5) What's the next best thing that you could do with your $200.-?

Honest answers to those five questions will, I think, also reveal the answer to your original question.

he wants RDR2 obviously.

The S does upscaling 4K, the X is Native 4K.
The S has 8Gb memory, the X has 12
The S has cooling through the top, the X has cooling through the back.
The S has 2013 technology, the X has the new power supply and faster video card, equal to a GTX 1070
The S is not as sharp, and colors are a little muddy, as opposed to the X in screenshot comparisons.
The S is slightly larger than the reduced footprint of the X
The X also has 8Gb Flash memory in front of the HDD to allow for faster load times of recently used files.
The X will be a much better experience when you get a 4K TV. I am looking at a 55" TCL UHD 4K TV from Costco that is only $329 right now.
That said, I am playing it on my 2010 Sony Bravia 1080 screen, and Forza Horizon 4 is gorgeous. I can't wait to get the better screen. Woohoo!

If you can swing the extra $$, I would suggest you get it as the other stuff could change. And you are getting a faster smaller machine that will do all the games coming at 60FPS in 4K
Otherwise, I would surf Craigslist / 5 Mile to get the Xbox S, there are a lot out there. Just remember that they have to be a good deal to beat some of the retail pricing that is available.
(Like BH Video, Fry's, Walmart, Costco, Target) Costco has the X for $449

Try Walmart, 4k tv clearance before Christmas stock arrives.
Have 4 ,4k tv`s in our place. 75" to 43". One is my Monitor I type at. The 43".

The recommendation to get a 4K TV along with the XB1X is a bit disingenious since he stated explicitly that that's the thing that he doesn't want to do. Not only does it cost extra (which is hard to justify if you're thinking of whether to buy a console AT ALL (even if it is on sale at Walmart)), you also need the space in the house which may limit the external dimensions of the screen, and if the screen can't go above a certain limit, 4K resolution is kinda moot if you're too far away to recognize individual pixels even on a conventional Full HD resolution. A 4K TV will then also warrant new HDMI cables (which also cost extra), in short, you're proposing to solve the question for the optimal solution within a fixed budget by removing the budget constraint, d'oh.

IMO reveling in pixel count is utterly misleading for the question how much you'll enjoy playing games. The question is, which games do you want to play. If there are several of them that you can't get on an X-Box, then maybe the PS4 is the answer (like the new Spiderman game). Only if there is no clear favorite from the choice of games it makes sense to compare technical specs. A used XB1S may actually be a good choice if the owner throws in his old games. The money saved here could either be saved, or spent on some peripherals like another controller or whatever.

For most cases you won't notice the difference between the two. There are certain games which don't perform adequately on XB1 or XB1S, and have more acceptable performance on XB1X ~ a title I think fits this would be the recent KC:D by many accounts.

If you want to play *any* title which requires more hardware capability than the baseline can deliver then the upgrade may be necessary... otherwise, for the run of the mill, the additional features are not needed IMO.

You need to research what the console will do for you, with your requirements and software choices in mind.

Thanks, everyone, these are all things that will help me make my decision.

I haven't played a game on a console system since the Super Nintendo back in the early 90's.

Pretty much the same for me, but I guess I am looking for a kind of simplification that fits better with my retirement plan. A console will not call on me to download files and hack a game to make it work. As fun as it was to get Falcon 4 to work (and other games), I just don't want to do it anymore. I'm going to try to save for a Harley-Davidson and ride the south-east until I buy the farm.

So you’re basically saying that you’ve dumped PC gaming? That seems to be a pretty common trend on SimHQ lately.

I've always been a PC gamer and a console gamer with an emphasis on PC gaming. They are both tools and platforms that have brought me much enjoyment in this hobby. There are some very good games on consoles without question. I can't comment on the newer Xbox but I've been extremely happy with my PS4. Its been a great console. I'm not sure what your gaming tastes are letterboy but I'm super excited about RDR2! I myself to not have any 4K technology. Someday I would like such a monitor and tv as I've heard in some games it makes a significant difference but I'm still enjoying my PS4 console and Sony 46" HD TV I bought in 2014. Either way I hope you enjoy your new toys when you get them.

It wasn't a conscious decision, I just woke up one day and realized it's been over a year since I've played a game. I wanted to play FIFA, but was put off by the fact that you have to hack the game files to make a controller like the X BOx One controller work correctly. I have the X Box One controller, a Playstation controller, and a Logitech controller, and in all cases, I had to mess with the files to make the analog thumbsticks work correctly. I guess that's what is making me lean toward a console.

I'm sure it doesn't count since 98% of my games run under DOSBox, but I've put in more hours playing games on my PC the past couple of weeks than I have in years.

I'm trying to finally finish...

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Judgment Rites
Descent 1 and 2
Wing Commander 1 and 2
Subwar 2050
X-Wing and Tie Fighter

I'm about 25% to 50% complete on most of them.

In the queue is...

DI's Apache and HIND
F-14 Fleet Defender
Jane's Fleet Command

EDIT: Also playing an old favorite, Need for Speed: SE (also under DOSBox).

Well, for what it's worth, I bought an X Box One X and discovered that they have just as much of an involved "dance" when it comes to creating a Microsoft account that I immediately got tired of it. Screw this. Maybe I can only handle "Angry Birds" now."

Okay, lesson learned - do not drink until after you have all that crap set up. I slept on it and this morning at just after 9:00 I got on Microsoft's support chat and got a great tech to help me sort it out. There is a problem with "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" (came bundled with the XBox One X) redeeming codes and it took the tech about 2.5 hours to fix it. Kudos for that kind of patience and determination! So now I have FIFA 19, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and the original Red Dead Redemption. That's plenty to keep me busy!

You can grab used games on Craigslist or 5Miles for cheap!

Thank, Bill.

What was the 2.5 hour issue with Tombraider? Online related stuff? I don't do online with my PS4. The only thing I may do is get it connected to download patches and updates. If I can I do without as it seems console developers seem to come out with A LOT of post release updates which I find annoying.