The official Xbox Series S video confirms the information revealed by the leak.
The recently-leaked information, which also includes the design of the consoles, was revealed by Windows Central’s Jez Corden (Tech writer/Editor) and Zac Bowden (Senior Editor).
If you haven’t heard of Windows Central, all you need to know is that they’re owned by Future plc (formerly Future Publishing). If you’ve read any computer/console magazines or websites in the last 30 years, there’s a large chance it was a Future plc product – the company has been around since before the very first Playstation, so they know a good brand when they see it.
It’s unknown if Windows Central had permission to reveal any information about the latest Xboxes, but Microsoft don’t appear to have reacted in a negative manner so far. In fact, they confirmed the information in the Xbox Series S leak.
Xbox Series S
If you can’t watch the video above for whatever reason, here’s what it tells us about the Xbox Series S:
– Next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever
– Nearly 60% smaller than Xbox Series X
– Next-gen speed
– Custom NVME SSD powered by Xbox Velocity Architecture
– Incredibly fast load times
– Seamless game switching
– Next-gen performance
– All-digital gaming experience
– Next-gen frame rates (up to 120FPS)
– Better with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
– Play over 100 high-quality games
– Games optimized for next-gen
– All-digital
– 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
– Release date is November 10
But what does all that actually mean?
Here are the main takeaways from the video:
– The Xbox Series S will be incredibly quick, as it uses state of the art components.
– The graphics capabilities will match those of modern PCs.
– The phrase ‘all-digital’ tells us that the console won’t play physical discs (Xbox confirms this in the YouTube video description).
– It will release on November 10.
One thing the video doesn’t tell you is the price, which is in the YouTube video description: It will cost USD $299. All in all, the Xbox Series S appears to be a budget version of the Xbox Series X.
All of this also means that the leak regarding the Xbox Series S was correct, so it’s probably safe to assume that the Xbox Series X leaks are also correct.
Xbox Series X Date and Price
Leak-wise, little is confirmed about the Xbox Series X, but the most important information has been revealed: The release date is also November 10, and the price will be USD $499.
It’s suspected that the preorders should go live by the end of September at the latest.
And if you’re unable to afford the price upfront, don’t worry. Xbox will be offering a service called Xbox All Access which allows you to pay your chosen console off in multiple installments.
My favourite thing about all of this isn’t the actual reveal, though – it’s Xbox’s response tweet, using the popular Awkward Look Monkey meme:
What games can we expect for Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X?
Both consoles will have backward compatibility, so you can play all the Xbox One games you already have. This includes all the backward compatible Xbox One games (i.e. over 570 games from Xbox 360 such as Halo: Reach and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and more than 40 games from the original Xbox such as Morrowind and GTA: San Andreas)
It good to know that the those old games can still be played on the new Xboxes, but how about some newer release made specifically for the Xbox Series S/X?
It appears so far the two consoles will have the same game library, at least at launch.
Here’s a list of the games you can expect to play on either console, either at or near launch (worldwide releases only):
| Game | Genre |
|---|---|
| 12 Minutes | Adventure |
| The Ascent | Action |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | Action-Adventure |
| Balan Wonderland | Action-Adventure |
| CrossfireX | First-person shooter |
| Dead By Daylight | Survival Horror |
| Destiny 2 | First-person shooter |
| Dirt 5 | Racing |
| Dragon Quest XI S | Action |
| Forza Horizon 4 | Racing |
| Gears 5 | Third-person shooter |
| Gears Tactics | Turn-based strategy |
| Madden NFL 21 | Sports |
| Marvel’s Avengers | Action-Adventure |
| The Medium | Psychological Horror |
| NBA 2K21 | Sports |
| Observer: System Redux | Psychological Horror |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Platform-Adventure |
| The Outer Worlds | Action |
| Outriders | Third-person shooter |
| Puyo Puyo Tetris | Puzzle |
| Sea of Thieves | Action-Adventure |
| Tell Me Why | Adventure |
| Watch Dogs: Legion | Action-Adventure |
Can we expect news of a PS5 release date and price now?
This is just conjecture, but perhaps this is the kick in the pants that Sony need to release actual news about the PS5 now.
It would be very surprising if two things don’t happen in response to this leak:
1 – Sony should have some PS5 news come out very soon.
2 – The news should be that the PS5 will have a similar pricepoint to the Xbox Series X, and that it will be available by Christmas at the absolute latest.
