81508 Xbox Series X and S: Release Date, Specs, Design, Price & More – Updated Oct. 30 2020

Xbox Series X and S: Release Date, Specs, Design, Price & More – Updated Oct. 30 2020



The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are on their way to consumers and will be here in the near future, just in time for the holidays, and both with a price that reflects what they offer to the user.

Whether you’re someone who considers yourself a seasoned gamer who is used to buying consoles or you’re a parent looking to brush up for gifts, there’s lots more than price to learn about the Xbox Series X and its counterpart.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything there is to know about the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S, including price, release date, the specifications that power each console model, and more.

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At the end of the guide you’ll be as well informed about each version of the next-gen Xbox as anyone else. Which should help in making a decision on which one to buy. If you haven’t already made that choice.

What’s the price of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series?

Each console has a different price based on what they offer. In this case, the Xbox Series X (not to be confused with the Xbox One X) comes in at a price of $499, while the Xbox Series S is coming in at a price of $299.

There are some fairly significant differences between each version of the console. Hence the price gap.

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The good news is that each version of the console was engineered in a way to deliver a great gaming experience. So even if you go for the less expensive Xbox Series S, there’s still plenty of fun to be had.

Microsoft is also offering consumers the option to pay for the console over a series of monthly payments. Using a system called Xbox All Access, you can pay for the Series X in monthly payments of $34.99.

When do the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release?

Both consoles will launch on the same day – November 10. Both consoles are also currently available for pre-order if you can find a retailer who has any in stock.

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Just like with the PS5, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were notoriously hard to secure a pre-order for. Due to the nature of limited stock.

Retailers will be getting more stock in, though it’s entirely possible that again, like the PS5, that won’t be until release day when stock is allocated for the actual launch and not for pre-orders.

When that time comes you’ll either need to be in line at your local retailer of choice, or be quick with the mouse should you be purchasing online.

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What comes in the box?

Not a whole lot, honestly. You’re getting the basics here. But, it’s still everything you need to get the console up and running and start playing games right away if you want to.

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In the box you’ll get the console, one Xbox Wireless Controller, and an ultra high speed HDMI cable.

Do the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series have any accessories?

Yes. There are a number of accessories that you can pick up for both consoles. All of the accessories are interchangeable as well because they were designed to work with both.

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You of course have additional Xbox Wireless controllers you can pick up. In a variety of different colors no less. This includes new colors that were launched in conjunction with each next-gen console.

There’s also the new charging solution with the Xbox Rechargeable Battery + USB-C Cable. A new wireless adapter is also coming. And there’s now officially licensed expansion slots from Seagate that add extra storage to your console of choice.

There will also be a range of third party accessories coming from numerous brands.

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What games are available at launch?

Xbox Series X Games

There are around the same number of games available at launch it seems as the PS5. Which is still plenty to get gamers through those first few weeks after release day.

On November 10, gamers with the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S can play Bright Memory, NBA 2K21, Dirt 5, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Watch Dogs: Legion, The Falconeer, Observer: System Redux, Tetris Effect: Connected, Marvel’s Avengers, and Fortnite.

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Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases on November 13. So while not on release day, it’s only a few days later in the same week. There’s also a number of Xbox One games that will be enhanced for Xbox Series X through the Smart Delivery feature that will be available on release day as well.

This includes Gears Tactics, Gears 5, Forza 4, Sea Of Thieves, and Ori And The Will Of The Wisps. So far these are the only games that are confirmed for availability on the November release date. But there could always be some that weren’t mentioned.

What are the main features?

Xbox Series X 3D Spatial Audio

Starting with what some are going to consider one of the best features of the console, the Series X and Series S come with smart delivery.

This is Microsoft’s way of saying that you only have to buy your games once. This is for Xbox One games, and it won’t necessarily work for every game. But it should work for quite a few of them whether they’re disc or digital.

Both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are also backwards compatible with thousands of games from Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the original Xbox as well. And will support the full library of games that were backwards compatible on the Xbox One.

The Xbox Series X will also support 4K gaming, with gaming capabilities up to 8K if you have an 8K TV and are playing games that support 8K as well. The Series S doesn’t offer these fidelity options, but it does still come with the 3D Spatial audio which is another big feature of both consoles.

With the 3D Spatial audio players can feel more immersed than ever in the world of the games they play. There’s also support for 120fps gameplay.

What will the price be for Xbox Series X games?

The games seem to be following the same price range as they do on PS5. Which is $70 for some and as low as $40 for others, like the Falconeer.

This means you can expect the prices to be the same across the board, just like they were for the last generation of consoles. As mentioned before, $70 is the new normal for big budget AAA games on consoles. And there doesn’t seem to be any getting away from that.

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Keeping that in mind, games will always go on sale. And if you get the Series X, you can search for used games to save some more money.

What are the specs?

Let’s start with the Xbox Series X, because both versions are coming with slightly different specifications. The Xbox Series X comes with an 8-core AMD Zen 2 3.8GHz CPU, an AMD RDNA 2 1.825GHz GPU, 12.15 TFLOPS of power, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, support for 4K games at 60fps and up to 120fps, a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD, support for 1TB expansion card slots, a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive, and HDMI 2,1 support via one HDMI port.

It also has 3 USB 3.1 ports, an ethernet port, Dolby Digital 5.1 support, DTS 5.1 up to 7.1 with L-PCM, and Dolby True HD with Atmos.

When it comes to the Xbox Series X, it uses the same CPU and GPU though they are clocked slower. It has 4 TFLOPS of power instead of 12, 10GB of GDDR6 RAM, a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD, support for 1TB expansion cards, no disc drive, and all the same ports as the Xbox Series X.

It has all the same sound capabilities, though it will only support up to 1440p resolution.

The Xbox Series X reportedly runs hot

The Xbox Series X may be more than a month out from release, but some press have already gotten their hands on early units for review.

Giving them the ability to test out the new console and see how it performs. While not a lot of detail has been shared yet, some information from new reports states that the console runs really, really hot.

What that means for anyone picking up the Series X is that you should make sure you have proper space for the console. Give it room to breathe so it can get as much air flow as possible. Tighter spaces with little air flow capabilities is not necessarily a good idea. Should these reports on heat production be accurate.

Expandable storage cards will come in varying sizes

Right now the only officially confirmed brand for the expansion cards for the Xbox Series X is Seagate. The card will hold an additional 1TB of games for your Series X or Series S. It’ll also cost $219.99.

In a recent podcast, Xbox’s Larry Hryb confirmed that more manufacturers would be making these expansion cards. And that they would come in varying storage sizes.

This means you won’t be locked in to buying a 1TB card. And ultimately that means you can spend a little less money to get more storage for games. The expansion cards will also go above 1TB. So there will be more expensive cards for those that want the most storage possible for their console.

Just be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it. Because with the 1TB cards already at $219.99, any cards that are more than 1TB are going to be vastly more expensive. That’s the price you pay for a vast amount of storage.

The minor bits

How big are the consoles?

Xbox Series X Xbox Series S

Each console is featuring a different design, but both are noticeably smaller than the PS5.

The Xbox Series X will measure 301mm tall, and 151mm wide and 151mm long. The Xbox Series S is a different story. It will be much smaller and take up quite a bit less space. The Xbox Series S will be 275mm tall, 151mm wide, and 65mm long. Keep in mind that these dimensions are based on the consoles standing and not laying down on their sides.

Can I transfer my save data?

Yes. Microsoft has confirmed that the Smart Delivery feature will allow save data to be transferred between Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions of games.

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So your save data is safe, and you can play as much as you want on Xbox One. Knowing full well that you can move it over to the Xbox Series X version.

Can I use my old controllers?

Yes. There shouldn’t be any problem with using the old controllers. They use the same connection technology as the ones that come with the new consoles. Though the new ones do have an updated design and one or two new features.

Razer’s current Xbox accessories will be compatible with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

On October 20, Razer confirmed that all of its current Xbox accessories will be compatible with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

That means if you have a Wolverine Ultimate controller laying around, you can use it with the new consoles. That does potentially mean though that Razer for the time being at least, has no intention of coming out with new accessories for the Series X and Series S.

Or at least not right away. Also worth considering is that Razer does plan to come up with some new accessories, and that it simply wants to make sure consumers who have the currently available stuff can still use it.

Samsung is giving away an Xbox Series X along with a giant Cyberpunk 2077-themed TV

If you didn’t see the news about this yesterday, check in on it because you just might come out with some nifty little surprises.

Samsung announced that in partnership with Microsoft and CD Projekt Red, it would be giving away a limited edition Cyberpunk 2077 QLED TV. You also get an Xbox Series X and a copy of Cyberpunk 2077.

When the game releases of course. This is a one of a kind TV, and there’s no way to buy one. So the only way to get a hold of it is to enter the contest.

You can read more about that here if you think you’ve got what it takes to win.

The Xbox Series X may have low-stock for a few months after launch

If you thought that pre-orders were bad, then there’s been some unfortunate details that have developed about the Xbox Series X.

According to Xbox Head Phil Spencer, stock for the Xbox Series X may be low for at least a few months after launch. Pre-orders for both the Xbox Series X and Series S and the PS5 were, for lack of a better description, absolutely terrible.

Pre-order pages were plagued with inconsistencies in webpage reliability. With many complaining that bots had something to do with stock running out as quickly as it did.

Regardless of all that, this should serve as a wake up call. If stock is expected to be low for a few months, meaning into the new year, then you may want to be prepared to try and snag one on launch day. That is if you mind waiting until it’s not too hard to get one.

Microsoft made a standard size fridge that looks just like an Xbox Series X and you can win it

If you’re an Xbox fan then Microsoft has the perfect fridge for you.

It’s a fully functioning standard size fridge that you’d find at your local Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy etc. Except it’s not just like those because it looks just like an Xbox Series X.

It even has green lighting on the inside that lights up when you open the fridge door. If this sounds like something you have to have, then you can enter via the instructions in the tweet below.

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