We’re now just a couple of months away from the release of the next-generation Xbox consoles. Microsoft revealed the Xbox Series X during last year’s Game Awards and has been trickling out information about the system ever since, including its games lineup, a look at the new Xbox Wireless Controller, the console’s build and specs, and details on backward-compatibility. This week, we’ve received even more concrete details on the Xbox Series X release date, preorder date, and price, and Xbox fans will soon be able to secure their new console early.
This week, Microsoft also revealed the Xbox Series S–a less powerful entry-level next-gen system. The Series S supports 1080p and 1440p resolutions and up to 120 frames per second. It will feature 4K upscaling and ray tracing. Critically, it is an all-digital console and comes with a 512GB solid-state drive.
The Xbox Series X and Series S will be available to preorder starting this month–here’s everything you need to know.
Xbox Series X and Series S release date
The Xbox Series X and Series S will release globally on November 10.
Xbox Series X and Series S pricing
The Xbox Series X will cost $499, while the more budget-friendly Xbox Series S will cost $299.
When will Xbox Series X and Series S preorders start?
Pre-orders for the Xbox Series X and Series S will start on September 22. Placeholder listings for Xbox Series X are live at Amazon and the Microsoft Store so you can bookmark the actual pages where the consoles will be available for purchase. You can also check out the general information pages at Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, and Target below. Some stores will allow you to sign up for Xbox Series X and Series S pre-order notifications so you receive an alert when the listings go live.
Xbox Series X placeholder listings (not live):
Xbox Series X/S hub pages:
What is Xbox All Access?
As an alternative to paying upfront, you’ll be able to take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox All Access program, which lets you pay for your Xbox Series X or Series S console over 24 months. If you opt for the Xbox Series X, you’ll pay $35 per month, while the Xbox Series S will cost you $25 per month.
Opting for Xbox All Access will actually save you money in the longterm, as the payment plan includes Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which comes with Game Pass for both PC and console, xCloud game streaming, Xbox Live Gold, and an EA Play subscription. The Xbox Series X payment plan will cost you $840 total, a $19 savings when you consider the console is $499 and Game Pass Ultimate over two years is $360. You’ll save even more with the Xbox Series S payment plan, which will cost you $600 total and save you $59 on the price of the console and Game Pass Ultimate over two years.
You can’t sign up for Xbox All Access just yet, but expect it to be available by September 22 when preorders go live. Xbox All Access will be available in 12 countries this holiday season, and in the US, you’ll be able to sign up at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Walmart, and the Microsoft Store.
- Read more: Everything to know about Xbox All Access for Xbox Series X and S
Xbox Series X overview and specs
Following the Xbox One X, Microsoft is poised to once again have the most powerful console on the market. Its GPU has 12 teraflops of power, which is about 1 teraflop more than what Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Super is capable of. The Xbox Series X is capable of displaying true 4K, performing up to 120 frames per second, and storing games on its 1TB custom SSD. Microsoft has also revealed how navigating the Series X interface will look, including a revamp of the current dashboard, phone integration, and more.
The Xbox Series X will make use of propriety expandable storage cards to extend the amount of SSD space the console has. It’s unclear if Microsoft will be the only company producing the special expandable storage (it’s currently working with Seagate to produce the cards).
The SSD storage will be required for Xbox Series X-only games, though you’ll still be able to use your Xbox One’s external hard drives. These external hard drives can be used to store and play backward-compatible games from the Xbox One X, Xbox One S, Xbox 360, and original Xbox. You can also store Series X games on these external hard drives and then transfer them to Series X storage to be played. Speaking of, every game playable on an Xbox One is also playable on the Xbox Series X. Microsoft also said that there won’t be any Xbox Series X-exclusives for the first year or two; Xbox One owners will also be able to play Microsoft’s new games for the next couple years.
Xbox Series X specs
- CPU: 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT)
- GPU: 12 TFLOPs, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, Custom RDNA 2
- Die Size: 360.45mm2
- Process: TSMC 7nm Enhanced
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Memory Bandwidth: 10GB at 560GB/s, 6GB at 336GB/s
- Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVMe SSD
- IO Throughput: 2.4GB/s (Raw), 4.8GB/s (Compressed)
- Expandable Storage: 1TB Expansion Card
- External Storage: USB 3.2 HDD Support
- Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray Drive
- Performance Target: 4K at 60fps – up to 120fps
As for the Xbox Series X controller, Phil Spencer said Microsoft didn’t feel like it needed to start from “square one” with a new controller. The controller launching with the system looks, at least at first glance, almost identical to the Xbox One controller.
“We think we have a good controller in the market today,” Spencer told GameSpot. “But there were certain things that we’ve learned through doing the Elite controller and just listening to fans. One of them is on the D-pad. We have a new hybrid D-pad that we’ve been working on and think is important.”
The controller also adds a Share button and keeps the rumble triggers and haptic feedback. It’s powered by two AA batteries as opposed to an internal battery that might lose performance and die over time. And you don’t have to own an Xbox Series X to use the new controller: It’s backward-compatible with the Xbox One. All Xbox One controllers, including both Elite controllers, are also compatible with the Xbox Series X. Be sure to check out our guide to the best Xbox One controllers that will be compatible with Xbox Series X.
Xbox Series S overview and specs
The long-rumored Xbox Series S offers a more budget-friendly option and next-gen performance in the company’s “smallest console ever built,” according to Microsoft. The digital-only console comes with a custom 512 GB SSD for fast loading times, instant game switching, and support for 1440p gaming at 120 FPS. This means the Xbox Series S is as capable of powerful next-gen gaming as the Series X, but it’s not intended for native 4K gaming. If you’re someone who primarily buys games digitally and subscribes to Xbox Game Pass, the Xbox Series S is made for you.
Xbox Series S specs
- CPU: 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT)
- GPU: 4 TFLOPs, 20 CUs at 1.565GHz, Custom RDNA 2
- Memory: 10GB GDDR6
- Memory Bandwidth: 8GB at 224GB/s, 2GB at 56GB/s
- Internal Storage: 512GB Custom NVMe SSD
- IO Throughput: 2.4GB/s (Raw), 4.8GB/s (Compressed)
- Expandable Storage: 1TB Expansion Card
- Digital-only: No disc drive
- Performance Target: 1440p at 60fps – up to 120fps
The Xbox Series S also comes with the updated Xbox Wireless Controller in Robot White, which will be available to purchase separately this holiday season.
For a more detailed breakdown of the two next-gen Xbox consoles see our Xbox Series S vs. Xbox Series X guide to see which system is right for you.
Xbox Series X And Xbox One News
- Xbox Series X And S Preorder Date, Price, Xbox All Access, And More
- Xbox Series X And S Pre-Orders Are Coming Soon
- Xbox Series X Releases On November 10 For $500
- Xbox Series X and S: All Confirmed Launch Games
- Xbox Series X: Release Date, Specs, Price, And Everything We Know
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