Microsoft has confirmed the existence (and price and release date!) of the Xbox Series S, a smaller, cheaper version of the next-generation Xbox Series X. The console will launch Nov. 10 for $299. The pricing information was first reported Monday night by Microsoft insider Brad Sams on YouTube.
Following the leak, Microsoft confirmed the price of the Xbox Series S in a tweet published early Tuesday morning. “Let’s make it official,” Microsoft tweeted from the Xbox Twitter account, alongside a photo of the console. It said more information on the console is coming “soon.” In a trailer for the Xbox Series S published later on Tuesday, the company announced the Nov. 10 date.
Let’s make it official!
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP).
Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. pic.twitter.com/8wIEpLPVEq
The console pictured in Microsoft’s tweet is clearly slimmer than the Xbox Series X, with a big circular fan prominently on the side. (You can’t miss it.) There also appears to be no optical disc drive, which aligns with earlier reports.
Microsoft confirmed the leaked Xbox Series S technical specifications in the reveal trailer, saying that the console is designed to play games in 1440p resolution at up to 120 frames per second. The Xbox Series S is an “all-digital” console — it contains only a 512 GB solid-state drive, no optical drive — and will support next-gen technology such as DirectX ray tracing, variable-rate shading, and variable refresh rate video output. It will offer 4K playback for streaming services, like the existing Xbox One S does, and will also upscale games to 4K. At “nearly 60% smaller than Xbox Series X,” the Xbox Series S is “the smallest Xbox ever,” said Microsoft.
The Xbox Series S was seemingly confirmed in August by some Xbox controller packaging that was published online. Despite being a badly kept secret, the Xbox Series S was never acknowledged by Microsoft — until now. In the image published by Microsoft, the company notes the Xbox Series S is “next gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever,” which is what people were expecting: a lower cost Xbox console that’s an equivalent to this generation’s Xbox One S.
The Xbox Series X is the higher-end, flagship console — and it’ll be priced that way. Microsoft has not announced a release date or pricing information for the Xbox Series X. In August, Microsoft confirmed that its Xbox Series X is scheduled for a November release date — but no specific date was given.
Update: According to a Windows Central report, the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X will be released on Nov. 10.
Update 2 (12:43 p.m.): We’ve updated this article with release date information, courtesy of Microsoft’s Xbox Series S reveal trailer.
In addition, Microsoft has announced international pricing for the Xbox Series S in tweets from its various regional Xbox accounts. The console will have a suggested retail price of CA$379.99 in Canada, €299.99 in Europe, and £249.99 in the U.K. The Xbox Japan Twitter account has not yet tweeted about the Xbox Series S; we’ve asked Microsoft for pricing in that country, and will update this article when we hear back.
Asked about the Xbox Series X price earlier on Tuesday, Microsoft declined to comment.
Update 3 (12:54 p.m.): We’ve updated this article with confirmation of Xbox Series S technical specifications, courtesy of the reveal trailer.