Updates: Well, the cat is well and truly out of the bag. Microsoft have now confirmed almost everything you need to know about the Xbox Series S console, its design, price and availability.
The Xbox Series S will be out on 10th November – almost certainly alongside the Xbox Series X – and will be priced at $299 / £249.99 / €299. It’s not sure if this is a fully global launch, but the date has been declared by US and UK Xbox accounts on Twitter and it’s in the reveal trailer.
The launch trailer digs into the capabilities of the device, which targets a 1440p resolution with upscaling for 4K, but allows for up to 120 FPS with variable refresh rate support via HDMI 2.1, and also features DirectX Raytracing support. The console includes a custom 512GB SSD, which is half the size of the one found in Xbox Series X.
Some elements are still unconfirmed, such as how powerful the CPU and GPU is in relation to the Xbox Series X, though all reports up to now point to the CPU being an absolute match and the GPU being cut down to 1/3rd the power. This alongside the SSD should allow for all Xbox Series X games to run with not compromises outside of the resolution and visual fidelity.
Microsoft initially responded to the overnight imagery and pricing leaks this morning with the following tweet, but that then spurred the leakers on to release the full reveal trailer, almost identical to the one above. The difference? Well, their said “coming November 2020” and Microsoft’s official one reveals the full release date for 10th November.
? Let’s make it official!
Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP).
Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. pic.twitter.com/8wIEpLPVEq
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
The original post follows:
The long rumoured, speculated and leaked Xbox Series S has seemingly been fully revealed over the weekend, with a number of sources popping up to reveal the console’s design and its all-important price point. So, let’s get that point out of the way. How much will it cost? $299.
The Xbox Series S is a more compact design that the Xbox Series X, somewhere between the the proportions of an Xbox One S, but with the depth of an Xbox Series X. The biggest space saving seems to come from the lack of an optical disk drive. The design is sure to be polarising, with a white body and a circular black vent on the larger face.
Brad Sams broke the story, and while he only had a single image as his proof, this was followed up by a snippet of video, potentially from a presentation or reveal of the console. He was further backed up by WindowsCentral.
— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) September 8, 2020
Windows Central also claimed that the Xbox Series X price would be a rather competitive $499, alongside the Series S $299. In both cases, Microsoft will also offer an Xbox All Access financing option, set at $25 per month for the Xbox Series S and $35 per month for the Xbox Series X.
And while all of this is kicking off, what has Microsoft got to say for itself?
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
The Xbox Series S is expected to be a lower powered version of the Xbox Series X, keeping many of the same attributes, such as the ultra-fast SSD storage and Zen 2 CPU, but compromising on the GPU side of things, reportedly only around the 4 TFLOP mark compared to the Series X’s 12 TFLOPs. Where the Xbox Series X is expected to deliver a native 4K resolution, higher frame rates and ray tracing, the cut back “Lockhart” could sacrifice these to reach a lower price point for those buyers without a 4K TV or without as exacting demands from their games graphics, while retaining the minimal loading times and enhanced game worlds that the CPU could provide.
Source: Brad Sams, WindowsCentral
Starman
That’s a great price, but seeing as I spent way too much on a xb1x last year its not for me. Its definitely an attractive option for people looking to go from this gen to next without spending so much.
Andrewww
I don’t think it looks worse than the PS5 really. And the price is definitely quite low. However, even if I ever considered getting an XBox, I doubt it would be this one. Currently the only game that interests me on XBox or PC is Flight Simulator, and I wouldn’t want to play that on a cheap toaster like this.
Now it’s time for Sony to put their cards on the table.
beeje13
That’s some very aggressive pricing right there, you’re getting a lot for your money, and many people will simply not be fussed that the resolution isn’t as sharp
MrYd
The problem for MS might be that they’ve not left a huge difference in price between the S and X models. If the PS5 ends up being the same price as the Series X, and the cheaper PS5 is somewhere in between, it could get interesting.
People might think the Series S looks like a bargain, but then how much more would they be willing to pay for something much more powerful? There might be a lot of people thinking “Oooh, the Series S looks good, but that digital-only PS5 isn’t that much more expensive for all that extra power”.
But then there’s a good chance they’ll then go on to think “I could pay extra and get a Series X or the full PS5, but that’s even more expensive, so maybe I’ll stick with the cheaper PS5”.
It looks like a nice aggressive pricing after Sony’s unexpected second PS5 model, and it’ll sell lots, but it could hurt the Series X sales and weirdly help Sony in some ways.
Personally, it’s very tempting as a second machine in a couple of years. But for a lot of people I think it might be a choice between the digital PS5 and Series S.
Of course, Sony might go mad and make the PS5 stupidly expensive, or ridiculously cheap. I think we’ll find out fairly soon.