Microsoft confirms compact, $299 Xbox Series S next-gen game console

Microsoft has confirmed via its official Xbox Twitter account that a discless, tiny Xbox called the Series S will be released alongside its forthcoming Xbox Series X. The Series S was initially leaked late Monday, first by Brad Sams on Twitter, and also by Walking Cat. The Xbox account tweeted an image fo the same small design dominated by a large, round vent grill, and said that the estimated retail price at launch for the new version of the console will be $299.

The original leak from Sams also includes the $299 price, and Walking Cat’s leaked trailer video inlaid more details – including noting that the console is 60% smaller than the forthcoming Series X, but that it includes a high-speed 512GB  NVMe SSD, with performance offering up to 1440p resolution at 120FPS, along with 4K upscaling. It’ll also support DirectX ray tracing.

https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/1303252607759130624

There have been rumors about the Series S landing along with the Series X, which Microsoft made official first all the way back in December 2019 (what even was 2019, was it real?). While Microsoft didn’t confirm any of the leaked specs or performance from the trailer, that definitely looks like an official Xbox teaser Walking Cat came across, so I wouldn’t anticipate any surprises there.

Microsoft also didn’t share anything about Series S availability or pre-orders. The launches of both the next-gen Xbox and the PS5 from Sony have been extremely drawn out across massive drip campaigns, and pre-order and availability specifics are still being held close to the chest, much to the frustration of gaming fans. Hopefully this leak and subsequent confirmation means we’re getting close.