NBA 2K21 has validated previous claims that installation files of next-generation games will be 30 percent smaller on Xbox Series S than on Xbox Series X.
NBA 2K21 will weigh (via Twisted Voxel) around 122GB on Xbox Series X and 101GB on Xbox Series S. The difference actually comes down to less than 20 percent but does confirm the smaller file sizes on the all-digital console.
Microsoft had explained that the larger file sizes of Xbox Series X will be due to high-resolution textures and improved assets. Xbox Series S targets 1440p instead of 4K resolution, which relinquishes the need of including any high-resolution files. NBA 2K21 hence weighs less on Xbox Series S.
Going by that same metric, NBA 2K21 weighs about 90GB on Xbox One. The next-generation version of the game hence weighs nearly 10GB more on Xbox Series S and just over 30GB on Xbox Series X.
NBA 2K21 was released about two months back for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The new installment in the basketball simulation franchise will release on Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 on the day each next-generation console launches. These will feature various improvements in both visual and performance terms.
More recently though, NBA 2K21 was in the news for sneaking in unskippable real-world adverts. 2K Sports removed them after a storm of criticism reached the publisher. This was not the first time. 2K Sports pulled a similar stunt last year with NBA 2K20 and which saw a ton of criticism from players.
For what it is worth, NBA 2K21 actually looks stunning on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. It is possibly one of the few existing games that offer a stark contrast between current- and next-generation versions, and which is why the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions are slightly more expensive at $70.
