Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Series S, a smaller and cheaper version of its flagship console, the Xbox Series X, with a price of $299. This post covers the announcement from September 2020: the price, the release date and how the Series S compares to the Series X.
In this article
The Announcement
Microsoft made the announcement on September 8, 2020, at 3:13 a.m. Eastern time, after a day of leaks. During that day, the first images of the Series S appeared online, together with the price and the release date of both new Xbox consoles. Later that Tuesday, Microsoft shared more details about the Series S and confirmed November 10, 2020 as its release date.
In a teaser trailer, Microsoft announced that the console would be all-digital, support ray tracing and run games at up to 120 frames per second, among other features. You can see Microsoft’s original post here:
Xbox Series S
🎮 All-digital next-gen console
🏃 Faster load times
📈 Higher frame rates
🌎 Richer, more dynamic worlds
🔥 Next generation gaming performance
🔎 In our smallest Xbox ever#PowerYourDreams pic.twitter.com/5GxCBiSVtOXbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
Xbox Series S at a Glance
- Price: $299 (estimated retail price)
- Release date: November 10, 2020
- All-digital: no disc drive
- Ray tracing support
- Up to 120 frames per second
- Faster load times
- The smallest Xbox ever
Xbox Series S vs Xbox Series X
There were rumors that the Series S would launch together with the Series X, which Microsoft first announced back in December 2019. The Series S is basically a stripped-down, less powerful version of the Series X. It doesn’t render games in true 4K and has much less processing power. It can still play next-gen games, but probably with less impressive graphics.
Price Compared to Other Consoles
The $299 price tag was the first confirmed price of the new console generation. It puts the Series S at the same level as the usual price of the major consoles of that time: the Nintendo Switch, the Xbox One and the PS4 all had versions that sold for $299. The newer Nintendo Switch Lite sold for $199.
What About the Xbox Series X Price?
Windows Central, which was first to report the Xbox Series S price and the November 10 release date, also reported the price of the Xbox Series X before Microsoft confirmed it: $499. According to Windows Central, both consoles would launch on November 10. Microsoft later confirmed both, and the two consoles went on sale on November 10, 2020.
Note: This article covers the launch in 2020. Prices have changed since then, so check the official Xbox Series S page for the current price.
Do you also game on a Windows PC? See how to enable Xbox mode in Windows 11.
