This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2020, CNET’s gift picks with expert advice, reviews and recommendations for the latest tech gifts for you and your family.
This isn’t how we wanted things to go down for the Xbox Series X debut, but this is 2020, so what did you really think was going to happen? Microsoft debuted the Xbox Series S back on Nov. 10, and it sold out more or less instantly. It has continued to sell out right away whenever a retailer has managed to restock.
Of course, it’s not hard to understand why: The Xbox Series S is not just a powerful update to Microsoft’s console franchise, it’s the smarter of the two new consoles to purchase. Priced at just $300, it’s the little brother of the $500 Xbox Series X It plays all the same games, but it’s capped at 1440p resolution (versus 4K on the Series X), lacks an optical drive, and only has half as much storage (500GB versus 1TB) — but that’s expandable with add-on drives, and Microsoft autoloads less-ambitious textures to better optimize memory space.
Our advice is that if you don’t have a 4K TV, this is the better console to buy because it’s affordable and doesn’t write a lot of checks your TV can’t cash.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
You might be wondering: When will there be enough inventory that most people can get the console they so desperately crave? Well, the news isn’t encouraging. Microsoft said on Nov. 16 that Xbox inventory could be tight through April 2021, and hasn’t had much to say on the subject since.
Most retailers, for their part, haven’t communicated to customers very clearly (or at all) about when they expect to have units for sale. Only a handful have been more up-front. Walmart, for example, has been keeping customers informed about when it’s dropping new inventory via Twitter. Antonline is doing much the same, just providing less lead time to get ready for the sale. The retailer is tweeting availability at the time of drop, engaging directly with customers and gamers.
At least one CNET editor was able to score the Xbox Series S on Amazon last month. Inventory has since disappeared, but if you’d like to try your luck, we’ve rounded up all the major retailers currently offering the console for sale. Keep checking back to this page because we will update this article when we know about an impending inventory drop at one of these retailers.
Xbox Series S: Check inventory restock
Here is Walmart’s Xbox Series S order page. The retailer occasionally notifies customers about inventory drops via Twitter.
Best Buy was the last retailer standing back during preorder day in September, but it’s just one of many stores now offering the Xbox Series S.
Amazon’s order page includes both versions of the next-gen console — the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
This is where to go to buy an Xbox Series S at Newegg.
If you would like to buy the new Xbox from GameStop, here is where to go.
Target has a page for the Xbox Series S, too.
Microsoft will offer the Xbox Series S for $300, or as part of the Xbox All Access plan, which includes the Series S and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and costs $25 per month for 24 months.
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Xbox Series X and Series S offer a fine-tuned, streamlined…
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