With more details expected to come over the coming days and weeks, as of today, the console pricing wars have begun! First off the rank is Microsoft, taking to their social media platforms and announcing the price of their next-generation console. Similar to the dual-offerings for the PlayStation 5, two versions of the Xbox Series X will be available – the base model ‘Xbox Series X’ and the smaller digital-only ‘Xbox Series S’.
The Xbox Series S bills itself as delivering “next gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever”, and will be priced at a mere $299.00 USD. The capabilities (listed below) provided by Microsoft are reminiscent of the capabilities of the Xbox Series X, although the small 512GB SSD won’t get players too far after purchasing a few games.
Xbox Series S means next-gen performance
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
💪 All-digital gaming experience
💪 1440P at up to 120FPS
💪 4K upscaling for games
💪 DirectX Raytracing
💪 Variable Rate Shading
💪 Variable Refresh Rate#PowerYourDreams pic.twitter.com/hw7K11kADV
Xbox Series S means next-gen speed.
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
⚡ Custom 512GB NVME SSD
⚡ Powered by Xbox Velocity Architecture
⚡ Faster load times
⚡ Steadier frame rates
⚡ Quick Resume for multiple games
⚡ Ultra-low latency #PowerYourDreams pic.twitter.com/g4AWwBJnAo
Outside of a rumoured $499.00 USD price point, we have received no formal pricing information on the Xbox Series X. However, we do know that both the S and X variant consoles will be going on-sale from 10 November 2020 – with potential variance from this date between regions. Therefore, it is time to start preparing for the console’s release in two months – along with the PlayStation 5 around that time as well.
Will this lower price barrier to entry see Team Xbox gain some of the ground in sales numbers it lost this generation to the PlayStation 4? Time will tell…