Following its leak yesterday, Microsoft confirmed its more compact take on next-generation gaming – and it’s hitting gamers in just the right spot, with their cash flow. Microsoft’s Next-Gen Xbox Series S console price was officially confirmed earlier today, with a $299 USD ($379.99 CAD) price point. What’s more, the next generation starts on November 10, though that date isn’t official for the more powerful Xbox Series X ($579.99 CAD). At least, not yet.
The leak didn’t come as a big surprise, as Microsoft is looking to make a splash against Sony and move gamers more into their direction.
The Series S is targeting 120 fps gaming at up to 1440p resolution and offering 512GB of storage. So far, it’s listing 100 games that will be set to run at high standards for the system, though many more are likely to be added in the months ahead.
The video, viewable below, notes that the system will include support for ray tracing, a variable refresh rate and 4K streaming. That should make games like Gears 5, Battletoads, Forza and Horizon 4 look better than ever, as well as third-party fare like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and DiRT 5.
The video also shows that the Xbox Series S is the smallest Xbox iteration ever and it will be 60 percent smaller than the Xbox Series X. It’s quite compact, mainly due to the fact it’s an all-digital platform with no disc drive. While that may turn off collectors, it will make the system more practical – especially for those of you that subscribe to the monthly Game Pass Ultimate program.
The 512GB of storage could prove to be an issue with gamers, but it is widely anticipated that a separate storage device will allow gamers additional storage at an additional price. That’s how previous models have done it, and Microsoft has paired with Seagate in the pass on compatible drives.
The system will be launched on November 10th, which is reportedly three days earlier than the proposed November 13th launch date for PlayStation 5. We’ll see what Sony confirms soon.
Again, pricing will make the biggest difference here. The larger console will sell for $499 USD, with optimal disc support and more storage space than the Series X. It’ll be for those that can truly afford it, while those on a budget can still thrive with the Series S.
This appears to be a nice game changer for the upcoming next-gen war. At this point, Sony is still working on organization for its PS5, as not everyone will easily be able to get their hands on one this holiday season. The Series S seems like more of a possibility for some.
Microsoft hasn’t launched a pre-order program for the Series S just yet but should soon. That leaves Sony in a state of flux in regards to making the PS5 available, as pre-orders are only open to those who sign up on the PlayStation website at this point in time. Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart don’t even know when the pre-orders will take place. Word has it that some retailers may even put the system into inflated packages to get the most out of gamers’ wallets. That’s a far cry from Microsoft’s plan here.
We here at the Game Butler have covered every single system launch since the Atari 2600. We have called the winners and the losers.
Right now, Microsoft seems to have the upper hand! We’ll see what happens in just under a month and a half!
Video Link:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1303252607759130624