Xbox Series S: Microsoft confirms price and release date

Image source, Microsoft

Image caption, The Xbox Series S will launch in early November

Top Stories

Microsoft has confirmed that it will release a second next-generation console after a leak prompted it to unveil the Xbox Series S.

It said the machine would be the "smallest Xbox ever".

The , US and French Twitter accounts are among those to have subsequently confirmed local .

Company watchers have said the advertised price is significantly lower than had been expected.

Microsoft has said the machine is set to cost 拢250/$299/鈧249. It is 拢50 more than the lowest-priced version of the firm's existing Xbox One range.

Top Stories

The company has yet to give a launch date or price for the larger and presumably more powerful Xbox Series X.

Top Stories

Beyond a photo that appears to show a large air vent on the Xbox S's side, Microsoft has yet to reveal how exactly the console will differ from its larger sibling.

But there has been speculation it will:

  • only run digital downloads rather than discs
  • have a less powerful graphics card and therefore be unable to run some games at higher resolutions, and be unable to show off some lighting effects
  • have less internal storage

The move might help Microsoft woo consumers who might otherwise wait for the price of the Xbox Series X and Sony's PlayStation 5 machines to fall before deciding which platform to adopt.

"The Xbox Series S in my view, represents a great value compromise in a world of ever-increasing costs for cutting-edge technology," commented Adam Campbell, founder of POC in Play, an organisation that promotes people of colour working in the gaming industry.

"It could be a real winner for the average gamer and an advantage against Xbox鈥檚 main rival."

Sony has previously said it plans to sell a version of the PlayStation 5 without a disc drive but has yet to say how much it will cost.

Image source, Sony

Image caption, Sony has yet to price its new PlayStation line-up

Microsoft already offers an "all digital" version of its current console.

Although the firms sell them for a lower cost than those with built-in disc drives, they can quickly make up the shortfall because owners are dependent on their online stores, from which they take a cut.

Microsoft's announcement comes days before the launch of a service that will let subscribers play top-end Xbox games on Android smartphones.

However, xCloud's subscription cost and the fact that Apple has not allowed it to work on iPhones could be stumbling blocks for the experiment.