Cheaper next-gen Xbox Series S reveal set for August, reports say

Microsoft should reveal its cheaper next-gen Xbox Series S console sometime in August, new reports indicate.

@DeekeTweak

Published Jun 29, 2020 4:20 PM CDT
Updated Nov 3, 2020 11:43 AM CST

1 minute & 55 seconds read time

The cheaper, disc-less and lower-powered next-gen Xbox Series S will be revealed in August, sources tell Eurogamer.

Cheaper next-gen Xbox Series S reveal set for August, reports say 3

Following the huge next-gen first-party showcase in July, Microsoft will finally unveil the Xbox Series S at a special event in August. The news comes after a rather muted month of Xbox news in June. Microsoft had previously planned to reveal new tidbits every month for the rest of 2020, but instead of revealing anything in June, Microsoft focused on reiterating next-gen hardware info.

While Microsoft has yet to announce the Xbox Series S, we've been able to piece together info from reports stemming from 2018. The Xbox Series S (codenamed Lockhart) may release in 2020 to complement its beefier, more expensive older brother, the Xbox Series X. Microsoft is positioning Lockhart as the Xbox One S version of the next console generation.

Reports say the Series S will have a significantly weaker GPU with 4TFLOP of power, which is roughly 1/3rd of the compute perf found in the Xbox Series X's 12TFLOP RDNA 2 GPU. Onboard system memory is likewise expected to shrink to 10GB of GDDR6 RAM, 7.5GB of which is useable for games.

The Series S' CPU is expected to utilize the same 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU as the Series X, albeit with slight downclocks.

Reports also say the Xbox Series S will be digital-only and won't have a disc drive. This could reduce the price anywhere from $259 - $399, and the Series X is expected to sit at roughly $499.

Here's a comparison of what we've heard about Lockhart and Xbox Series X so far: