The new generation of consoles is now in our hands. After years of rumors, we finally have all the data on the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft.
Precisely here we wanted to gather all the data on the Xbox Series whether they play with their console or not.
What models will there be of Microsoft’s next-gen consoles?
For a long time, Microsoft only told us about one console, although rumors have pointed to two different models for years, Project Scarlett and Project Lockhart.
In December 2019 we finally saw the first model of this new family of Microsoft consoles, and it was not until September 2020 that Microsoft came out with a second model. Thus, we have two bets aimed at different types of players :
- Xbox Series It is aimed at players who want to enjoy games at 4K and 60 FPS.
- Xbox Series S: Microsoft’s most affordable next-gen console, which will have a power of about 4 TFLOPS, a 512 GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and a 4K Blu-ray drive. It is aimed at players who want to enjoy games at 1440p at 60 FPS.
The two Microsoft consoles represent an unusual launch for the firm, which until now had launched only one console model that was later followed by special editions of the original. It happened for example with the Xbox One, of which we saw the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X, and the Xbox One S All Digital.
Now we will have two starting models from the first moment, something that allows Microsoft to bring the console closer both to those who are looking for more performance and to those who do not need as many features but still want to enjoy the rest of the advantages of the new generation, such as that storage unit with the so-called Velocity Architecture and features like Smart Delivery and Quick Resume.
What price are the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X?
Microsoft has already announced the launch prices that its new consoles will have, which are very different and differentiate the orientation of both consoles:
- Xbox Series S: 299.99 euros.
- Xbox Series X: 499.99 euros.
Although there are sacrifices in the Xbox Series S, the truth is that this Microsoft proposal allows access to many of the advantages of the new generation and for many users – for example, those who are going to connect it to a 1080p monitor or television – it can be a fantastic option if you don’t have that need to play at 4K.
There are also prices for different accessories, such as the new wireless controllers or storage expansion cards, which are nothing more than small M.2 NVMe SSD units with PCIe 4.0 interface and for which only their price in dollars has been published for now. It is high, but it is in line with units of this type, which are very recent and therefore expensive due to their performance and features:
- Xbox wireless controller: 59.99 euros
- 1TB expansion card: $219.99
What are the design of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series
It’s curious how Microsoft has chosen two noticeably different designs for the two consoles in its new Xbox Series family. The Xbox Series X has adopted a format that brings it very close to PC mini-towers.
That design provoked many comments when Microsoft unveiled it, especially for moving away from the traditional aesthetics of consoles. For Microsoft, however, the decision was coherent due to the design of its internal components and the approach to a cooling system that made having that extra volume a good idea.
Equally striking was the design of the Xbox Series S, which was somewhat closer to that of the current Xbox One S – the bets were on a “shortened version” of the Series -the giant talkie precisely stood out for that large ventilation grille.
The size of this console is spectacularly compact and represents 60% of the size of its older sister. Both have the power supply integrated inside the console, and both have, for example, an HDMI 2.1 port to take advantage of this new and promising standard.
Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X: all the features we know
We already have all the data from the spec sheet for these two consoles, and there are many standout features. For example, the processor of both consoles is identical, a promising eight-core chip developed by AMD but customized for these consoles. It operates at a frequency of 3.8 GHz and uses the Zen 2 architecture.
Along with these micros, the graphics card stands out, one of the main components that differentiates one console from the other. Both are again manufactured by AMD with RDNA2 architecture, but while in the Xbox Series reaches about 4 TFLOPS.
The difference in RAM between one and the other is also important, from the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory of the Xbox Series and 60 FPS.
|
XBOX SERIES S |
XBOX SERIES X |
|
|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
8 x Zen 2 cores at 3.8 GHz |
8 x Zen 2 cores at 3.8 GHz |
|
GPU |
4 TFLOPS |
12 TFLOPS |
|
ARCHITECTURE |
Custom AMD RDNA 2 |
Custom AMD RDNA 2 |
|
MEMORY / INTERFACE |
10GB GDDR6/128-bit |
16GB GDDR6/320-bit |
|
MEMORY BANDWIDTH |
8 GB at 224 GB/s |
10GB @ 560GB/s |
|
INTERNAL STORAGE |
512GB custom NVMe |
1TB NVMe custom SSD |
|
TRANSFER RATES |
2.4 GB/s (raw data) |
2.4 GB/s (raw data) |
|
EXTERNAL STORAGE |
NVMe SSD Cards |
NVMe SSD Cards |
|
OPTICAL UNIT |
No |
4K UHD Blu-ray |
|
PRICE |
299.99 euros |
499.99 euros |
Another of the crucial sections of the new consoles is the one that affects their storage system, another of the great revolutions of these consoles. We have SSD units in M.2 format with NVMe technology that use the PCIe 4.0 interface.
The drives have a capacity of 1 TB (in the case of the Xbox Series X) and 512 GB (in the case of the Xbox Series S), and allow transfers of up to 4.8 GB/s with compressed data. Both consoles feature an expansion port for cards like those already announced by Microsoft and Seagate, which will provide an additional 1TB of capacity.
Of course: the space available to the user on both consoles will be less than those figures. While on the Xbox Series That, of course, is going to raise some concerns for players with games that occupy a large disk size.
We will continue to be able to connect external drives and storage through the USB 3.0 port that both consoles include. These units will not allow us to play next-gen games from them directly, and we will have to store those games on the internal drive (or on expansion cards) to take advantage of the capabilities of said storage system and the Xbox Velocity Architecture.
Even so, we can use these units to store games from the current and previous generations of Xbox and also to save those new-generation games that we want to have available in the future. This will prevent us from having to download them again and allow us to reinstall them on the internal drives very quickly
Although it has been given less importance than other sections, the sound that these consoles will provide can be another of their assets to make the immersion in future titles greater than ever. Here the so-called 3D Spatial Sound will be of special relevance, which makes use of specific algorithms to improve the listening experience.
Added to all these new features is a new Xbox Series S model on sale from September 2023, the Carbon Black. Its technical specifications are identical to the first Series S, but its hard drive becomes a 1 TB SSD, with a consequent improvement in storage capacity. The price of this new console is 349.99 euros.
What will the controller of the new Xbox be like?
Considered by many to be the best video game controller in history, the controller of the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is a small revision of the one we already had on the Xbox One X or Xbox One S.
At an ergonomic level, the upper part has been slightly reduced and the shapes have been rounded even more to achieve a better fit for small hands.
The layout of buttons and sticks is identical, but there are changes, for example with the inclusion of a new share button and the renewed directional pad. This crosshead is an adaptation of what is presented on the Xbox Elite controllers.
The triggers now have a rough surface that improves grip, and there is another unique novelty: the use of a USB-C connector for charging. Although it will be possible to use rechargeable batteries, Microsoft has already confirmed that storms can continue to be used to give greater “flexibility” to users.
There are also improvements in the area of latency: Microsoft has integrated a system called Dynamic Latency Input that allows access to a faster connection between the controller and the console, which will favor the reduction of response times and joins the use of Bluetooth Low Energy technology that will be especially useful when connecting the controller to the phone and playing in the cloud via xCloud.
What will backward compatibility be like?
The Xbox One cemented an absolute commitment to backward compatibility: during all these years we have seen how not only new titles arrived on the Microsoft console, but also titles from the past that were released for the Xbox 360 or the original Xbox were reissued .
That will continue to be true on the Xbox Series S/X, which will allow you to enjoy that backward compatibility to the fullest. All players will be able to enjoy the games they already enjoyed on their console, but in many cases, they will do it even better.
That is thanks to the new graphical power of the console and the storage system based on the SSD unit, components that will allow maintaining fluid FPS rates and that will also speed up the loading of new levels or the game itself, for example.
Here features such as Smart Delivery will also allow the transition between one of the current Xbox One and the new Xbox Series S/X to be transparent for the user: if you buy – for example – FIFA 21 for the Xbox One now you will not have to buy it in the future if in the coming months you make the jump to the new models: the game will simply be available in your library and will also take advantage of the resources of the new machines.
What are the games available at launch?
The new Xboxes will arrive prepared for a whole new generation of video games, and of course, there will be some eye-catching titles that will try to boost the launch of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
The list of the launch games for the new Microsoft consoles is as follows, and although some may miss an exclusive title that is the perfect excuse to buy the console, the offer is certainly notable:
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Dirt 5
- Gears Tactics
- Tetris Effect: Connected
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- The Falconeer
- Cyberpunk 2077
- NBA 2K21
- FIFA 21
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
At Microsoft, however, they have already announced that in addition to these games, there will be others that are in development and that even if they do not arrive in time for launch, they will be available in the coming months. The perfect example is ‘ Halo Infinite ‘, but there are a few more that will undoubtedly begin to get the most out of consoles that can give a lot of themselves.
In addition to these new titles, on the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X we can enjoy optimized titles that will take advantage of the powerful hardware resources of these consoles. These improved titles will be the following:
- Forza Horizon 4
- Gears 5
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Tell Me Why
- Grounded
- Sea of Thieves
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Fortnite
- Hyper Scape
- Rainbow Six: Siege
There is an important point in this section of the launch: Microsoft made it clear that it would not have exclusive games for these consoles: the firm does not want to leave behind the players of the current Xbox One, and the titles that appear for the Xbox Series S/X will be Also available for the current generation.
This philosophy is different from what, for example, Sony has proposed with its PS5, but Microsoft’s strategy does not focus so much on the sale of more and more consoles – that does not seem to matter too much – as on achieving access to more players than ever. , but not through the new Xbox Series S/X, but through PC and mobile. As? Easy: with Game Pass.
Game Pass is Microsoft’s real console seller
Although the consoles are the clear protagonists of this next-gen platform, there is a component that has become more and more important in recent months.
This is Xbox Game Pass, and more specifically its most ambitious version, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the service that allows access to the “Netflix of video games” for both new, current and old Xboxes (Xbox One, Xbox 360) and that It also offers access to xCloud, the video game streaming service that competes with Google Stadia or NVIDIA GeForce Now.
Game Pass has been strengthening in recent times, and two announcements have helped make it a more attractive proposition than ever. The first is the purchase of Bethesda. The second is the agreement that will allow starting November 10 – when the consoles debut – Game Pass Ultimate users to have in their catalog all the games that Microsoft already offered plus another 60 games that come from EA Play, a service that joins forces with Microsoft and further enriches the offer.
What release date do the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X have?
Microsoft has confirmed that the new Xbox Series S and Xbox Series
The reservation process was activated on September 23, and the existing demand combined with the (probably) limited inventory has meant that in several stores there is no availability, especially of the Xbox Series X.
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
