Xbox Series S: Price, release date, and everything else you need to know

If you’ve been following any console news from Microsoft, you’ve likely heard of the Xbox Series X. The Xbox Series X is their baby, their favorite child. It’s the console that will provide the most enhanced and immersive gaming experience. But what have you heard about the Xbox Series S?

Both of Microsoft’s new consoles pack quite a punch and are competitive options for buyers contemplating Xbox vs Playstation. If you want to read more about the Xbox Series X, you can read more here. In this article, we’ll go over everything we know about the Xbox Series S so far. We will update this page as we hear more about the Series S.

At a glance: What is the Xbox Series S?

The Xbox Series S is one of two upcoming next-gen gaming consoles from Microsoft. Compared to the Xbox Series X, the Series S is a smaller, less expensive console.

We’ll get into the details below, but here’s the short version: if you’re in the market for an upgraded console, but don’t want to spend $500 on the Series X, the Series S is a great option for you.

Xbox Series S specs

Although the Series S may not exactly rival the specs of the Series X, it provides a cost-effective alternative for people who want to upgrade, but don’t want to break the bank.

The Xbox Series S will be disc-less, so you are only able to play digital versions of Xbox games. For players who already own physical copies of previous Xbox generation games, the Series S might not be the best option. If you’re new to Xbox consoles though, the Series S is a great, compact option. You’ll save on space with the console itself and the lack of physical games crowding up your entertainment center.

Read more: Xbox Series S specs: 1440p gaming, high refresh rate, all-digital (Updated)

With the Series S console, you’ll experience immersion enhancements like DirectX ray tracing, variable-rate shading, and variable refresh rate. Games will run at 1080p to 1440p natively in 60fps, with support for up to 120fps in some instances.

The Series S comes with an eight-core 3.6GHz custom AMD CPU and a GPU with 4 teraflops of processing power. One of the best things about this console is that it’s still getting an upgrade from HDD to SSD.

The Series S will have a custom 512 GB SSD. While that is less storage space than the Series X’s SSD provides, you’ll have the ability to increase storage space with a 1TB expansion card. The SSD will allow your games to load and run faster, fast resume multiple games, and help support visual enhancements from the upgraded GPU, like ray tracing, lighting, and shadows.

But how do the Xbox Series S specs compare to Series X? Let’s take a look.

Xbox Series S vs Xbox Series X

In terms of resolution, the Xbox Series X is going to be better than the Series S. The Series X will support pretty much all games in 4K at 60fps, with support for up to 120fps. However, a lot of people don’t even have TVs that support 4K resolution.

If you have a 4K TV or you’re looking to upgrade soon, you’ll be able to get the most out of the Xbox Series X. If you have a 1080p TV and you’re not going to upgrade anytime soon, you can save $200 and get the Series S that will support that resolution.

See also: Should you wait for PS5 and Xbox Series X or buy a gaming PC today?

Though the Series S has a less powerful GPU and CPU, and a smaller SSD, the lower target resolution will demand less from games. As I mentioned earlier, the GPU has 4 teraflops of processing power. While this may seem significantly less powerful than the Series X that has 12 teraflops of processing power, it’s not actually that drastic.

The PS4 Pro’s GPU has just over 4 teraflops of processing power, and the PS4 is a pretty powerful console. The biggest difference in performance between the old consoles and the new consoles is going to be the transition from HDD to SSD. And the Series S has that covered.

So if you’re looking for the best of the best of next-gen Xbox consoles, the Series X is going to be what you’re looking for. Your games will look and feel the best on the Series X, especially if you have a 4K TV to play them on. But the Series S is still going to provide you with fast, crisp upgrades at a fraction of the price.

Xbox Series S design

The Xbox Series S will be the smallest console Microsoft has ever made. It’s estimated to be about 60% smaller than the Xbox Series X. It can easily fit into a backpack, so if you were so inclined, it would be easy to take it with you on road trips.

Because of its small size, it should require less power than the Series X and hopefully generate less heat. You’ll have the option to place the console vertically or horizontally.

In terms of design, Microsoft went with a sleek white look, kind of similar to the Playstation 5 design. The console is primarily white except for a large black circle that is part of the console’s cooling system.

Xbox Series S games

The Xbox Series S will have the same games at launch and after as the Xbox Series X. These are a few of the titles that are slated to release at launch:

If you purchase a subscription to Xbox Game Pass, you’ll be able to access a lot of Xbox games digitally whenever you want to. Think of it as Netflix, but for Xbox games.

It’s also likely, but not confirmed, that the Xbox Series S will take advantage of the features offered in Project xCloud. Project xCloud launches September 15th, 2020 as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It will allow you to play certain Game Pass games on your phone or tablet in addition to on your console.

Xbox Series S price, release date, and preorders

The Xbox Series S will cost $299.99, a whopping $200 less than the Xbox Series X, priced at $499.99. This low price is welcome news, especially during all this pandemic craziness.

Or, if you didn’t want to spend that large sum of money all at once, you’ll also have the option to subscribe to Xbox All Access. With Xbox All Access, you can get an Xbox Series X or Series S console and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate; plans start at $24.99/month for 24 months.

Both the Xbox Series X and the Series S are scheduled to release this holiday season on November 10, 2020. Also for both consoles, preorders go live on September 22, 2020.

Latest Xbox news

Looking for more Xbox news? Here are a few of the most recent highlights about Xbox Series S and Series X.

FAQs

Q: When is the Xbox Series S release date?A: The release date for the Xbox Series S is November 10, 2020. It will release alongside the Xbox Series X.

Q: What can I play on the Xbox Series S?A: You can play all of the same games at and after launch as you can on the Xbox Series X. Plus, if you have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass, you can play all the games available in that library.

Q: How much will the Xbox Series S cost?A: The Xbox Series X will cost $299.99. Or, you can avoid the large upfront fee by subscribing to an Xbox All Access plan, starting at $24.99/month for 24 months.

Q: When can I preorder the Xbox Series S?A: You can preorder the Xbox Series S as early as September 22, 2020.

Q: Which is better – the Xbox Series S or the Xbox Series X?A: This really depends on your own personal preferences. The Xbox Series S is cheaper and more compact, but it’s not as powerful and you can only play games digitally. The Xbox Series X is the most powerful console Microsoft has ever created and you can play both physical and digital games, but you’ll need a 4K TV to get the most out of it and it’ll set you back $499.99.

Read next: PS5 and Xbox Series X look great, but you might want to wait to buy one