The rumoured second next-generation console from Microsoft: the Xbox Series S has officially been confirmed by the software giant following leaks on Twitter. The company also released an official trailer for the console that gives us a good look at its design, capabilities and the games we can expect to play on it.
The Series S is shown to be 60% smaller than the more powerful Xbox Series X and is said to be the smallest Xbox. It will also come with a 512GB NVMe SSD and output games up to 1440p resolution at 120fps. The new console will also offer 4K upscaling for games, 4K streaming media playback and support for DirectX ray tracing.
On the outside, the Series S appears very slim due to its lack of an optical disc drive and features a large air vent on its side. The console is shown to be standing upright throughout most of the trailer, but Microsoft also showed the console can also be used in a horizontal position.
According to Microsoft, the Xbox Series S is priced at USD 299 (~RM1,248) and will launch alongside the more powerful the Xbox Series X in the U.S. on 10 November. There is no price announced for the Series X yet but some retailers speculate the console could cost as much as USD 599 (~RM2,500).
This is not the first time Microsoft released a disc-less version of its game console. Last year it unveiled the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which featured the same hardware like the Xbox One S but without the 4K Blu-ray drive. The USD 249 (RM1,039) console came with a 1TB HDD that was preloaded with digital versions of Forza Horizon 3, Sea of Thieves and Minecraft.
Since the Xbox 360 console, Microsoft has not offered official support for its console in Malaysia. There are however some local game shops still sell it. A check on game retailer Impulse Gaming shows the Xbox One S sold at RM1,199.
Both Microsoft and Sony have been extremely secretive about their next-gen game consoles. We suspect neither console maker seems eager to announce the price of their console first. Perhaps they are worried that the first out the gate would get undercut by the other.
In late August, Sony opened online registration for PlayStation 5 pre-orders, but it did not reveal the availability or price of the console. At least we now have an official date for Microsoft’s next-generation consoles, so will this force Sony to finally reveal the price and launch date of the PS5? We will just have to wait and see.
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