Xbox Series S Rumors
A report from Eurogamer claims there will be an announcement in August of the rumored Xbox Lockhart or Xbox Series S. Sources in the report say the lower-priced and lower-powered next-gen console will get its own reveal, likely in an Inside Xbox-esque showcase. Microsoft has not yet announced an event for August but will be holding its next Xbox 20/20 showcase on July 23 where it will reveal some of the first-party games coming to the Xbox Series X.How Much Will the Xbox Series X Cost?
There's been no official word from Microsoft on how much the Xbox Series X will cost. We did a deep dive on the Series X specs and estimate it has about $1,000 of hardware in it. Thus, we think it could cost between $450-600 based on the hardware alone.When Does The Xbox Series X Come Out?
During Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference, the company revealed the Xbox Series X will launch in Holiday 2020.What Are The Xbox Series X Specs?
In March 2020, Team Xbox revealed the official specs for the Xbox Series X which can be seen below:- 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
- I/O 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
Phil Spencer posted on the Xbox blog, detailing some features coming to the Xbox Series X. A "Quick Resume" feature will allow players to load "suspended state" games almost instantly and let you quickly navigate through multiple games without having to endure enormous load times.
In March 2020, Xbox revealed an official tech demo for its Quick Resume feature showing off the Xbox Series X load times vs the Xbox One X. The Xbox Series X will have 12 teraflops of GPU power, which is four times more than the Xbox One and twice as much as the Xbox One X. For those not familiar with the term, a teraflop is a measure of how many complex calculations a machine can handle every second. Essentially, it allows for higher-quality graphical output.
The Xbox Series X will have ports for Networking (Ethernet), HDMI out, Seagate Storage Expansion Card, and three USB 3.1 ports, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. However, the console will not have an optical audio port like previous generations, meaning both visuals and audio will run through the HDMI cable.
Director of Program Management Jason Ronald explained in a post on Xbox Newswire how the Xbox Series X's velocity architecture should improve the console's performance beyond what's expected from its hardware. Smaller game downloads, the virtual elimination of loading times, and the ability to render larger and more dynamic worlds in video games were a few of the benefits outlined.
It sounds like Microsoft's next-gen console is going to be pretty powerful. We actually broke down how the Xbox Series X's power compares to current PCs.What Does The Xbox Series X Look Like?
At The Game Awards 2019, we got our first look at the Xbox Series X. In what looks like a matte black finish, Microsoft's fourth-generation console features a power button with the signature Xbox symbol at the top that lights up white when pressed on. There's metal mesh across the top of the console that gets backlit with an Xbox green glow.In January 2020, images of the Xbox Series X reportedly leaked on Twitter. The leaked images showed a mysterious port on the back of the Xbox Series X console.A few weeks later, Team Xbox officially revealed the purpose of the Xbox Series X's mystery port was in fact for extra storage. To be specific, the mystery port will house a proprietary NVMe 1TB SSD, which can be purchased separately and plugged into the console for those who want extra storage. The NVMe SSD will only be required for Series X titles, and USB 3.1s and external HHDs can still be used to play last-gen games.
The Xbox Series X will support discs and is "roughly as wide as an Xbox One controller." Phil Spencer also confirmed the Xbox Series X was "designed to be as quiet as possible", sporting a large fan designed to push out "high volumes of air" from the top and keep the console cool.
In March 2020, Microsoft revealed the official size of Xbox Series X, which comes in at 151mm x 151mm x 301mm (5.94in x 5.94in x 11.85in). According to The Test Driver's Austan Evans, the series X is only a little bit bigger than the average banana.
Banana for scale. @Xbox pic.twitter.com/xIXLD32Mkr
— Austin Evans (@austinnotduncan) March 16, 2020
What Are the Confirmed and Rumored Xbox Series X Games?
These are the games announced for the Xbox Series X. Below is the list with smart delivery titles bolded and exclusives italicized.- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Battlefield 6
- Bright Memory Infinite
- Call of the Sea
- Chivalry 2
- Chorus
- Cris Tales
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Cygni: All Guns Blazing
- Demon Turf
- DiRT 5
- Destiny 2
- Dying Light 2
- Far Cry 6
- FIFA 21
- Fortnite
- Gears 5
- Gods and Monsters
- Gothic Remake
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hitman 3
- Hyper Scape
- In Sound Mind
- Madden NFL 21
- Marvel's Avengers
- Metal Hellsinger
- MicroMan
- Moonray
- NBA 2K21
- Nth^0 Infinity Reborn
- Observer (System Redux)
- Outriders
- Party Crasher Simulator
- Planet Coaster
- Pragmata
- Psyhotel
- Rainbow Six Quarantine
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Recompile
- Resident Evil: Village
- Scarlet Nexus
- Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
- Scorn
- Soulborn
- The Ascent
- The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
- The Medium
- The Sims 5
- The Second Extinction
- Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2
- Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
- Vampire the Masquerade - Swansong
- Warframe
- Watch Dogs Legion
- WRC 9
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
In March 2020, The Coalition announced that Gears 5 would receive an "optimized" version for Xbox Series X. The optimized version will be free to those who currently own Gears 5 thanks to Smart Delivery. According to The Coalition's tech director Mike Raynor, optimizations include improved contact shadows, software-based ray tracing, and visuals up to 60fps.
Microsoft has been accumulating studios, perhaps in anticipation of the future console generation. Microsoft announced it acquired five studios (Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Playground Games) and founded a new Santa Monica studio during E3 2018. Revealed during X018, an additional two studios (Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment) joined the Xbox family. At the E3 2019 press conference, Double Fine Productions was officially added to that stable.
Xbox Series X Backwards Compatibility and Smart Delivery
Microsoft confirmed the Xbox Series X will support backwards compatibility with all games available on the Xbox One from day one, including all original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles. Phil Spencer also said Microsoft aims to support a "Play Anywhere" feature, which would allow gamers to cross-play on Xbox One and Windows PC platforms.Additionally, the Xbox Series X will feature "Smart Delivery," which will give players easy access to all digitally purchased Xbox One games on the Xbox Series X, so they won't have to purchase the same game twice. This feature will be available for all exclusive Xbox Game Studio titles, including Halo Infinite, as well as any third-party developers that decide to opt-in. Cyberpunk 2077 is one game already confirmed for smart delivery, along with Gears 5.
Project xCloud
Just before officially announcing Project Scarlett, Microsoft announced that its game streaming platform Project xCloud is coming in October 2019. Xbox head Phil Spencer also announced console streaming, which allows Xbox One owners to stream their games from their console and play it on their mobile device or tablet.Last year, we went hands-on with Project xCloud and found that so far, it seems like a pretty good service. Be sure to check out our Project xCloud review if you want to hear more about it. There were some recent rumors about Project xCloud exclusive games, but Microsoft has since clarified its original comments, saying that it has "no plans for cloud-exclusive content at this time."Xbox Series X Controller: How Does It Compare to the Xbox One Controller?
The Xbox Series X controller looks very similar to that of the Xbox One and was partially inspired by the Elite Series 2 controller. Notable new features with the new Series X controller are a Share button and a hybrid d-pad similar to the Elite Series 2. In the announcement post from Microsoft, the company noted the controller's "size and shape have been refined to accommodate an even wider range of people."The Xbox Series X controller will be easier to hold than previous iterations for those with smaller hands. The team achieved this by "rounding the bumpers, slightly reducing and rounding parts around the triggers, and carefully sculpting the grips."
The controller will include a "tactile dot" pattern on the bumpers and triggers that aren't found on previous controllers. The D-pad has also been optimized to allow for easy pressing of up, down, left, right, which will make sweeps and diagonals easier as well. The new Share button on the controller will record screenshots and videos without the need for on-screen menus. Additionally, the controller will remember Bluetooth devices that have been connected in the past, allowing for simple pairing and faster connection.A USB-C port has also been added to the controller to allow for easier pairing and connection. Lastly, it's been confirmed that the Xbox Series X controller will work on an Xbox One and vice versa. Additionally, it will be compatible with PCs, Android, and iOS devices and will be included with every Xbox Series X purchase.
Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.