In a sudden turn of events, Microsoft finally announced Xbox Series S–a more budget-friendly all-digital version of its upcoming next-generation hardware. For several months, leaks and rumors have alluded to the existence of Series S, which seemed a natural progression for Microsoft given its current philosophy and methodology within the games industry. We even wrote up a feature discussing why Xbox Series S seems an essential move for Microsoft to make.
Regardless, if you’re here, you’re likely curious about what Xbox Series S entails. Below, we compile everything there is to know about Xbox Series S, including information on storage, price, release date, and more. We’ll update this article as more details are shared, so be sure to bookmark this page for your reference.
If you’d like a full rundown comparing the two console models, then check out our Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S comparison feature offering details to help you decide which one is right for you.
It’s All-Digital
The most important detail about the Xbox Series S is that it has no disc drive, which means your primary way of acquiring games will be via Microsoft’s digital storefront. Also, it’s worth pointing out that it only has 512 GB SSD worth of storage, so you’ll more than likely need to resort to the proprietary external SSDs needed to expand your available space. But even then, that has unique rules around what can or can’t be played from the external storage, which you can find out more about in our Xbox Series X/S external storage explainer article. Regardless, if you’re someone from an area with bad internet coverage, you may want to forego Xbox Series S entirely due to its digital-only focus.
While seeing Microsoft chase a cheaper model with no disc drive might seem like an obvious move to contend against Sony’s PS5 Digital Edition, we’ve actually seen Microsoft experiment with disc drive-less consoles in the past with its Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.
Name And Design
Xbox Series S’s name is an obvious continuation of Microsoft’s current naming scheme with its Xbox One family of consoles. The S in the name likely means “slim” or “small” and may refer to the console’s small form factor, which is about two Xbox and a half controllers tall.
Release Date
Microsoft announced that Xbox Series S is launching on the same day as Xbox Series X on November 10. When it comes to upgrading to the next-generation, consumers will have options with Microsoft’s family of Xbox consoles.
Price And Pre-Order Date
Xbox Series S costs $299, which comes in much cheaper from Xbox Series X‘s $499 price point. If you want to grab either console, pre-orders will go live on September 22 ahead of their November 10 launch.
However, there is another payment option called the Xbox All Access program, which allows you to pay for your console of choice in monthly increments instead of everything upfront. The service costs $25 per month for 24 months for Xbox Series S and $35 per month for 24 months for Xbox Series X. As an added bonus, Xbox All Access also gives you Game Pass Ultimate, which gives you an extensive library of downloadable games to play. And with the service incorporating EA Play (formerly EA Access) into the price, the value margin is certainly appealing.
Hardware Specs
As expected, Xbox Series S also does not offer as much performance and power as Xbox Series X. It features 4 teraflops of performance and an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU, an AMD RDNA 2 GPU, and 10 GB of Ram. It targets 1440p performance, rather than 4K, and comes equipped with 512 GB of internal storage.
Xbox Series S
CPU
8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU at 3.6 GHz3.4 GHz with SMT enabled
GPU
AMD RDNA 2 GPU20 CUs at 1.565 GHz4 TFLOPS
RAM
10 GB of GDDR6 RAM
Performance Target
1440p at 60 FPS, up to 120 FPS
Storage
512 GB SSD
Expandable Storage
1TB Microsoft expansion card slot
Optical Drive
No disc drive
I/O Throughput
Max Output Resolution
1440p with 4K upscaling
Max Refresh Rate
120Hz
Disc Drive
Digital Only
Price
$299 USD
Cloud Gaming
Microsoft Project xCloud
Backwards Compatibility
Yes (Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Dimensions
Smallest Xbox ever
Color
White
Release Date
November 10
How Will Games Perform?
The Xbox Series S plays the same games as Xbox Series X, so you won’t be restricted from any titles. As you might’ve intuited from the table above, Xbox Series S has the same CPU as the more expensive model and still supports graphical features like DirectX ray tracing, variable rate shading, and variable refresh rate. And if you’re a performance buff, then know that it’s also capable of displaying at 1440p at up to 120 FPS and 4K upscaling. With specs like that, your games will still perform well above Xbox One generation standards. For a full list of confirmed of Microsoft’s next-generation games, be sure to check out our Xbox Series X and S launch lineup.
Game Services
Microsoft’s big focus is on its services to consumers. As mentioned, Xbox Series S will feature full support of Microsoft’s subscription service Xbox Game Pass. You can also expect it to integrate the company’s cloud-based gaming service, codenamed Project xCloud, which is scheduled to launch on September 15. It’s bundled for free alongside an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and allows you to continue playing on your mobile phone or tablet devices.
Now Playing: Inside The Xbox Series S – Trailer
