Games

Xbox Series S revealed

After months of endless speculation, Microsoft finally confirmed the existence of the Xbox Series S.  Turns out the rumors were indeed true, and Microsoft is cooking up a cheaper companion to the Xbox Series X.  What’s different between the two platforms?  We have everything you need to know about the Xbox Series S.

Release Date, Price, and Pre-Orders

Even though the Xbox Series S was just announced, fans won’t have to wait long to get their hands on one.  The Xbox Series S is going to launch on November 10th, 2020, and pre-orders will open on September 22nd, 2020.  Just how much of your hard-earned dough will you have to cough up?  Believe it or not, the Xbox Series S is priced at a rather modest $300.

What’s the Difference?

The Xbox Series X is priced at $500, which makes the Xbox Series S’ $300 price tag pretty surprising.  What’s not so surprising is the difference in hardware between each platform.  Here’s a look at what’s inside the Xbox Series S.

  • CPU: Eight-core 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT) custom AMD Zen 2 7nm
  • GPU: 4 teraflops at 1.550GHz
  • RAM: 10GB GDDR6
  • Frame rate: Up to 120 fps
  • Resolution: 1440p with 4K upscaling
  • Optical: No disk drive
  • Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD

Now let’s compare that to the tech specs for the Xbox Series X.

  • CPU: Eight-core 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT) custom AMD Zen 2 7nm
  • GPU: 12 teraflops 1.825GHz (locked)
  • RAM: 16GB GDDR6
  • Frame rate: Up to 120 fps
  • Resolution: Up to 8K
  • Optical: 4K Blu-Ray disk drive
  • Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD

Side by side, you can see how Microsoft is making up the difference between the two platforms.  Xbox Series S will not feature a disk drive of any kind, making it an all-digital platform.  It also won’t be able to reach the same resolutions that the Xbox Series X can handle.  The other major difference comes from the GPU and RAM, where Xbox Series X has a considerable lead over Xbox Series S.


Recommended: STEALTH 600 & 700 GEN 2

The best-selling wireless headsets just got even better; the Stealth™ 600 & 700 Gen 2 feature massive upgrades to ensure that Turtle Beach gamers always have the definitive audio advantage.

Shop Now

The good news is that these power differences shouldn’t be too much of a hurdle for developers.  The same games are pegged to launch on Xbox Series X and S, but the experience will come with lower framerates and resolutions on Xbox Series S.  If you don’t have a TV capable of 4K and you’re fine with lower framerates, then Xbox Series S might be a no-brainer for you.

Which One is For You?

Xbox Series X and S come out on the same day, November 10th, 2020.  Consumers usually have just one option when it comes to hardware launches, but Microsoft is giving players the power of choice this time around.  For those who need the absolute best of the best in terms of resolution and framerate, Xbox Series X will be a must-have.  People who are willing to pass up the smoothest gameplay and a plethora of pixels should hop on the Xbox Series S.  The important thing to note is that no matter what version you go with, you’ll get multiple years of fantastic games from Microsoft and their partners. 


Read More: Everything You Need To Know About Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

After sharing a teaser trailer earlier in August, Activision has finally pulled back the curtain on Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War with a full reveal.


Kevin Cassidy has been covering all things Nintendo for over 15 years now and has been leading the weekly GoNintendo Podcast for just as long. Kevin is also quite passionate about pro wrestling, anime, comic books, and more! Follow Kevin on Twitter via @GoNintendoTweet.