After supposed leaks earlier this week, Microsoft has officially revealed the Xbox Series S, a budget alternative to the upcoming Series X. The tech giant has announced the new console with a price for both the Series X and Series S and a release date.
The console will be coming to Australia at some point, bringing with it some tremendous next-generation value for gaming and sporting amazing specifications, notably the removal of the disk tray. This means the console will rely entirely on digital purchases (which means you’ll need a decent NBN plan to get it working optimally!).
? Let’s make it official!
Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP).
Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. pic.twitter.com/8wIEpLPVEq
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
The Xbox Series S: Specifications, price and more
The Xbox Series S is a budget-friendly version of the upcoming Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s challenger to the PlayStation 5 and the flagship console coming from Microsoft. The biggest draw card of the Series S is the price: sitting at US$299, the Xbox Series S will cost you around $400 when it comes to Australia (final AUD pricing is yet to be confirmed). The second key feature is the removal of the disk tray: you’ll rely entirely on digital purchases with this console, such as with the Game Pass or the Xbox Store. With no way to put physical games on the console, everything has to be digital.
Update: The Xbox Series S will cost $499 in Australia, and the Xbox Series X will cost $749. Both consoles will be launching on November 10.
Being a budget console, the Series S cuts back on some graphics power, and won’t support 4K. The console will be locked into 1440P, unlike the Series X which can run at 4K, but both consoles will support 120 FPS – however, these factors are largely dependent on the games themselves. The Series S will have 10GB of GDDR6 memory on board, and 8 CPU cores with a Zen 2 processor, capable of 4 teraflops. Ultimately a casual gamer won’t notice a huge difference between this console and the Series X, so the Series S is worth considering if you want to get into gaming at a low cost.
Size-wise, the Series S console is 60% smaller than the Series X, and without a big column-shape will fit easier into your TV cabinet. The Series S will have 512GB of onboard storage in an SSD format – fast, but not a lot of memory. You’ll have just enough memory to have Modern Warfare and a few games installed, but you can extend this with a 1TB expansion card if you’re so inclined.
Getting a new console? Consider a new internet plan
There’s some great NBN plans out there for online gaming, and considering the Series S only has digital games, you’ll need a decent internet connection to support your gameplay – both in speed and in gigabytes.
Games are only getting bigger and sucking up more storage capacity, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare now taking up just over 200GB of storage space on PC. That’s a lot of download time on Australian internet, so make sure you get an internet plan that’s compatible with your downloading habits.
Gaming-ready NBN plans comparedThe following table shows a selection of published gaming-ready NBN plans from Telstra and Aussie Broadband on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest, and then by alphabetical order of provider. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner. Cheap NBN plans comparedNot every gamer needs the fastest internet, and some people like it cheaper. The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 25 and NBN 50 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner. NBN 100 plans comparedIf you’d like your gaming experience to have a little extra kick, these plans will do the job. The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 100 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner. NBN 250 & NBN 1000 plans comparedIf you want an NBN plan with some serious power, an Ultra fast NBN plan is for you – albeit more expensive. The following table shows a selection of published unlimited NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.
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When does the Series S come out?
The Series S and the Xbox Series X will be releasing on November 10 in Australia, priced at $499 and $749 respectively.
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