Technology

Xbox Series S will launch at $299, Microsoft confirms

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Brad Sams

YouTuber Brad Sams on Monday leaked an image of the long-rumored Xbox Series S — a cheaper, less feature-heavy version of Xbox’s next-generation console the Xbox Series X — along with a price: $299. After a few hours of speculation, Microsoft tweeted a confirmation. 

Yep, the Xbox Series S is real. And yep, it’ll only cost $299. (Microsoft didn’t provide international prices, but that converts to about £230 or AU$420.)

“Next-gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever,” read a tweet from Xbox alongside the photo. The shot shows the Series S with a controller for scale. More features, the tweet promised, will be announced soon.

A cheaper, less powerful and digital-only version of the Xbox Series X has been rumored for over a year, and was known as Project Lockhart. After months of attention concentrated on the Series X and PlayStation 5 — we don’t know the price or release date for either of them — speculation on Project Lockhart was sparked by a developer leak in June. Last month, leaked packaging for the upcoming Xbox Series X controller showed compatibility with the “Xbox Series S.”

Brad Sams also tweeted footage of what appears to be comparison shots between the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X. According to a report from Windows Central, both consoles will be released on Nov. 10. The “more powerful” Xbox Series X will cost $499, according to that report. None of this was confirmed by Xbox.

Many people on Twitter have speculated that Sams’ leak was orchestrated by Microsoft — though if that’s true, midnight PT is a strange time to drop the news. Either way, the Series S’ price is a pleasant surprise to those anxious about the cost of jumping into the next generation of gaming. It ends a long staredown between Microsoft and Sony, who for the entirety of 2020 seem to have been waiting for the other to flinch first and announce the price of the new consoles. 

source: cnet.com