Microsoft unveiled their next-gen powerhouse of a console earlier this year – the Xbox Series X. That was followed by the not-so-well-received “next-gen gameplay” showcase. Since then rumors and leaked documents have been surfacing online, pointing towards a second console which would potentially launch alongside the Series X at a lower price, while still harnessing next-gen capabilities.
Seemingly, the cheaper entry into next-gen gaming will also support real-time raytracing, like the Series X and PS5. This comes from the Senior Editor at The Verge, so there must be some veracity to it.
We previously reported that Lockhart, or supposedly the Series S, will be featuring the same CPU as its elder brother, clocked at the same speed. To put it into context with the competition, that makes even the less-powerful Xbox faster than the PS5, in terms of CPU power.
Aimed at 1080p/1440p users, Series S will have a 4 TFLOPS GPU and only around 8GB of RAM, compared to the 12 TFLOPS and 16GB on the Series X. Or atleast that’s what’s speculated currently. Seemingly developers will have a choice to target either 1080p60 or 1440p30. (Personally, I’d still prefer my smooth 60fps with a lower resolution.)
With 4K gaming still being a luxury, majority of gamers still have 1080p or 1440p displays. So Microsoft has a lot of potential to grab a majority of the next-gen market with Lockhart. Let’s see how that turns out.
The console is rumored to be revealed in August. Microsoft promised the July event would provide a first look at first-party next-gen games, but there was also an even planned for early June, which VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, who’s been the source of a lot of inside info about this year’s game reveals, dubbed “Xboxing Day.” This has seemingly been shifted back to August, suggesting a possible reveal for the Series S. Meanwhile, a July event focused on new Xbox Game Studios first-party games, is still happening.
The Pricing?
As far as the price is concerned, no next-gen console has an announced price yet. Though the PS5 is rumored to be priced around $499, with the disc-less Digital Version being a bit more pocket-friendly at $449. Considering Phil Spencer’s statements about Xbox going all out on the competition this gen, I expect the Series X to be priced lower than the PS5 around $399. Lockhart would then probably hit the market around $299.
Rumors suggest that the console will be an all-digital console selling for half the price of the Xbox Series X, but that sounds a bit too absurd to be believable.
What do you think about the Xbox Series S? Let us know in the comments.