Xbox Series S Budget Console Confirmed By New Controller Packaging
Compared to Sony, Microsoft has been more forthcoming with details about its next-gen consoles. Actually, it has forthcoming with the Xbox Series X, which is set to be its next premier gaming device. It has been quite mum, however, when it comes to a rumored cheaper console that will take after its equally cheaper Xbox One S console. Now there seems to be confirmation that such an entry-level console is just around the corner and it will unsurprisingly be called the Xbox Series S.
When Microsoft first revealed the name of its next console, it talked about returning to just "Xbox", no "360", no "One", nothing. That said, it also talked about appending some "Series" designate different configurations, which is pretty much the same thing to most consumer's ears. Just as the Xbox One X is the high-end model of the Xbox One series, the Xbox Series X is also the high-end model of this new generation of consoles.
To no one's surprise, there's also an Xbox Series S, now "confirmed" in the packaging of a new white Xbox controller that claims compatibility with the Xbox Series X and the so-far unannounced Xbox Series S. Microsoft has long been rumored to be eying a "cloud-centric" Xbox console to take advantage of cloud streaming but the company has been coy about specific plans. It seems that all the pieces are now in place for that to happen.
The Verge lays out some of the core specs of this Series S console, which will at least share the same processor as the more powerful Series X. The "downgrade" will be in the 7.5GB of RAM and 4 teraflops of GPU performance. In contrast, the Xbox Series X boasts 16GB RAM and 12 TFLOPS.
Microsoft often doesn't launch consoles so close to each other, making the rumored August debut of the Xbox Series S rather unconventional for it. That said, it is likely trying to line it up with the launch of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription which will include xCloud game streaming that will be a perfect fit for the less powerful console.