After a year of anticipation and speculation, images, prices and release dates for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were leaked online, with the details then officially confirmed by Xbox.
Popular Microsoft leaker Brad Sams took to Twitter and shared images and renders of the the Xbox Series S alongside an estimated price of £249 (US$299) and a release date of early November. Both of these have since been officially confirmed, with the official release date for both consoles marked as 10th November).
These images showed off the Xbox Series S’s slim and compact design, making it the smallest Xbox ever.
Hello Xbox Series S https://t.co/hQoDBRHt7d pic.twitter.com/2MIF5I6YHO
— Brad Sams (@bdsams) September 8, 2020
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
After an initial response that implied they had been caught out, Xbox finally made it official with the following tweet:
👀 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
Xbox Series S specs have been revealed
And if that wasn’t enough, there was even a video ad for the new console highlighting a number of features:
- Nearly 60% smaller than the Xbox Series X
- Custom NVME SSD powered by Xbox Velocity architecture
- 1440p at up to 120 FPS
- Directx raytracing
- Variable-rate shading
- Variable refresh rate
- Ultra-low latency
- Custom 512 GB SSD
- 4K streaming media playback
- 4K Upscaling for games
no point holding this back now I guess pic.twitter.com/SgOAjm3BuP
— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) September 8, 2020
Overall the small but powerful Xbox Series S looks to be an incredibly fast and compact, all-digital gaming experience, packed full of all the next-gen tech you could want from a smaller console. The video also unsubtly hints that in order to fully enjoy the Series S, you’ll need to subscribe to the Ultimate Xbox Game Pass, which costs an additional £10.99 per month.
Xbox Series X price and release date
It wasn’t long before Xbox jumped back onto Twitter to confirm the price and release date of the Xbox Series X. Both consoles will be released on 10th November, with pre-order sales starting as early as 22nd September for a price of £449 (or US$499).
This is the tweet…
Xbox Series X: $499 (ERP)
Xbox Series S: $299 (ERP)Release date: November 10
Pre-order starts September 22: https://t.co/Dz5bRsAuwQ | #PowerYourDreams pic.twitter.com/MadZl4OOKJ
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 9, 2020
Pay just £29 per month for a new Xbox Series X with the Xbox All Access program
If £449 is a big out of your budget there is an alternative. The Xbox All Access program, which is upgraded from the Xbox One generation, gives you an Xbox Series X console and a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ulitimate for just £29 per month for 24 months. You could also get the Xbox Series S on the same plan for £21 per month for 24 months.
Since the gaming subscription is set to be a big part of Xbox’s future releases, this is a great way to get in on the action now. The bundle also includes Xbox Live Gold, the Game Pass service (with 100+ games to download), and EA Access with its free games and bonuses.
The best broadband for gaming
Like pretty much every games console these days, the Xbox Series S will rely heavily on a good broadband connection in order to get the most out of your console.
