The cheaper Xbox Series S will support ray-tracing, 120fps and upscaled 4K
Leaked video details the tech specs of Microsoft’s $300 / £250 next-gen console
Xbox Series S, the second, cheaper next-gen console revealed today, will support ray-tracing, and run games at upscaled 4K up to 120fps.
That’s according to a leaked promotional video, which confirms that the $300 / £250 console will share many of the features of the premium Xbox Series X model, which is expected to cost around $500.
Xbox Series S is an “all-digital” console which like Series X will include a custom NVME SSD (though at 512GB, compared to 1TB), powered by Xbox’s Velocity Architecture for “incredibly fast load times,” the video says.
Series S will also support Direct X ray-tracing and will run games natively at 1440p and up to 120fps. It’s also capable of running games at upscaled 4K and can stream media at the higher resolution.
In comparison, Xbox Series X is able to run games at “true” 4K and can also output 8K resolution for some content.
Finally, the video confirms Series S will support Series X features such as variable-rate shading, variable refresh rate and ultra-low latency.
Microsoft officially announced Xbox Series S on Tuesday, following an overnight leak from journalist Brad Sams, who revealed an image of the Series S console’s design along with confirmation of the $299 US price point.
In Europe, Xbox Series S will retail for €299.99, it was later confirmed. In the UK the console will retail for £249.99.
“This will be the true entry point for next-generation gamers, most likely on a 1080p display,” Brad Sams said in a video on Tuesday. “If you want the 4K experience, obviously you’re going to have to buy the Series X, but the Series S I think is going to be probably the primary seller for Microsoft.”
The $299 price point suggests Microsoft could mirror its Xbox One S / One X pricing and set the more powerful Series X at around $499.
Windows Central claims that both Xbox Series S and X will launch on Tuesday, November 10. According to a previous VGC report, Xbox Series X and S will launch before PS5.
Sony is also set to release a cheaper PS5 Digital Edition with no disc drive, although it will otherwise have the same specs as the standard console.