Just the day before the announcement, Microsoft experienced a series of leaks hinting that Xbox Series S was in the pipeline. To satisfy people’s enthusiasm, it has officially confirmed that the $299 next gen Xbox Series S is coming Nov. 10, and it will be in the smallest Xbox ever.
Several days ago, Brad Sams, the executive editor of Thurrott, exposed a picture of the appearance and price of the next-gen Xbox Series S on his social account.
This reveal was officially confirmed by Xbox. Let’s take a look at the preview vid:
Hardware parameters
The first version of Xbox Series S is white, and the vertical side is equipped with black circular cooling area. Xbox Eeries S is a lightweight next-gen console which is 60% smaller than the better-performing Xbox Series X, adopting no CD drive design.
The console offers custom 512GB SSD that features a faster loading time and low latency. It will also include ray tracing support and 120fps gaming at up to 1440p resolution.
No CD drive disables the console from supporting 4K blu ray playing but enables it to support 4K media streaming, so you can treat it as an entry-level 4K set-top box.
Game list
About the game list, Xbox Series S is consistent with Xbox Series X. Microsoft shows some of them such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Destiny 2 and LEGO Star Wars in the promotion video.
For those who do not own an Xbox but are eager to experience their games, the lightweight Xbox Series S cannot be a better choice. It is compatible with most of the previous Xbox games, but 500 GB of storage might not be enough then.
Digital trend
Like the music and movie industry, the trend of game industry turning to all digital is inevitable, and the traditional CD-ROM of installation carrier becomes dispensable. Sony's PS5 already has a CD-free version, and Microsoft removed the CD-ROM drive from its game console earlier after turning the game business into a service.
Therefore, the all-digital Xbox Series S and Game Pass become an ideal combination: a $299 game console is affordable for most gamers who want to get next-gen games, and an additional monthly subscription to GP opens the door of the existed more than 100 old games and all the first party works of Microsoft to them, including Halo Infinite and Forza Motorsport 8.
About Xbox Series X
Since the next-gen new console has been revealed, there may be more gamers waiting for information of the more powerful Xbox Series X. According to some disclosed information, the Xbox Series X will include 12 teraflops of GPU performance, which is beyond PS5. The launch date and pricing have not been confirmed yet, but there are rumors that Xbox series X will retail for $499 and is expected to be released on November 10.
