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Xbox Series S Price, Release Date, Specs, Games, and News
The all-digital console just might have the edge over Xbox Series X
By S.E. Slack S.E. Slack Senior Strategy & Editorial Director, Lifewire.com California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo S.E. Slack has 30+ years' experience writing about technology. She has authored 12 books, thousands of articles, and worked for IBM and Microsoft. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 19, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Release Date Pricing Latest News Features Specs and Hardware Games and Compatibility Wireless Controller Headset The Xbox Series S from Microsoft is the companion console to the more powerful Xbox Series X. Billed as the smallest Xbox ever, it plays only downloaded games and doesn't support 4K gaming. Still, it packs a pretty delightful punch. Read our full review of the Xbox Series S When Was the Xbox Series S Released
The Xbox Series S was released on November 10, 2020. Xbox Series S Price
Microsoft is making the Series S available in two different ways: You can purchase it separately for a flat $299 or you can bundle it with Xbox All Access. If you choose to bundle, it will cost you $24.99/month for two years. That gives you the console plus 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The Latest News about Xbox Series S
You can get more gaming news from Lifewire about the Xbox Series S, other systems, games, and a variety of other related topics. Here are some of the latest stories involving the Xbox Series S. How to Stream Xbox Series X or S to Your PC Why The Xbox Series S is Worth Your Time (and Money) How to Set up Your Xbox Series X or S Console Xbox Series S Features
The console comes only in white and includes a wireless controller. If has the same CPU as the Xbox Series X with the three key differences: a slightly slower GPU, less memory, and the lack of a disc drive. That puts the Series S focus on frame rate over resolution, which is what Microsoft says more of its customers want. Even though the GPU is not as fast in the Series S as it is in the Series X, it's still four times faster than the Xbox One. You can scale up games for 4k on TVs and there's full hardware support for graphics, including ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading. The primary difference between Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is in resolution. Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S: How to Pick the Console Right for You Xbox Series S Specs and Hardware
The xBox Series S is an all-digital gaming console powered by an 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU. It delivers more than 40 times the I/O bandwidth of an Xbox One for faster load times, steadier frame rates, and Quick Resume for multiple titles. Xbox Series X-at-a-Glance Frame rate 1440P at up to 120fps Optical drive None. Digital only. System on a Chip Custom 7nm Enhanced SoC Expandable storage 1 TB expansion card Internal storage 512 GB SSD Memory interface 10GB GDDR6 Memory bandwidth 8GB @ 224 GB/s or 2 GB 56GB/s IO throughput (raw) 4.8GB/s, (uncompressed) 2.4GB/s CPU 8-core AMD Zen 2 CPU @ 3.6 GHz/3.6GHz with SMT enabled GPU 4 TFLOPS GPU architecture AMD RDNA 2 GPU 20 CUs @ 1.565GHz The back of the Xbox Series S console. Jeremy Laukkonnen Xbox Series S Games and Backwards Compatibility
Microsoft is offering 'thousands' of digital Xbox One and Xbox 360 digital games to use on the Series S. That means when you see a game in the digital store for the original Xbox, the Xbox 360, or the Xbox One, you can play it on the Xbox Series S. However, some enhancements found in other consoles might not be available in the Series S. For example, while you can play some games in 4K on the Xbox One X, system memory limitations of the Series S could limit that same experience even though you can play the same game on both consoles. However, the vast majority of Xbox games are compatible with the Xbox Series X and S. Most Xbox One gaming accessories are compatible as well. The Wireless Controller
The Xbox controller has been redesigned in several key ways. New technology between the console and the HDMI television connection sends information more frequently between the two, which shaves off time and makes gameplay more responsive. It now fits a wider range of hand sizes and includes rounded bumpers, a tactile dot pattern on triggers and bumpers, carefully sculpted grips and a new D-pad. The D-pad now has a slightly deeper dish for your thumb and the angles are tuned differently so that you can use the D-pad with minimal movement. The controller is also designed for cross-compatability between Xbox Series X and Xbox One, plus PC, Android, and iOS. It remembers multiple devices so that switching is easy to do. One interesting nod to modern times is the Share button. With it, gamers can easily grab screenshots or record videos to share with others. Read our full review of the Xbox Series X/S controller The Headset
The console does not come with a headset. However, multiple manufacturers are already claiming their headsets will be compatible with the Xbox Series S. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Xbox Series S and X Backwards Compatibility How to Use External Controllers on Steam Deck How to Add and Use an External Hard Drive with Xbox Series X or S Xbox Series S Review: Impressive Hardware, Tiny Package Xbox Series X vs Xbox Series S: How to Pick the Console Right for You iPhone 13: Release Date, Specs, Price, and News PlayStation 6: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors PSVR 2: News and Expected Price, Release Date, Specs; and More Rumors PS5 vs. Xbox Series X: Which Console Is Right for You? How to Move Xbox One Games to Xbox Series X or S How to Connect an Xbox to Google Home How to Speed Up Xbox Series X or S Downloads How to Live Stream on Twitch The 5 Best Accessories for the Xbox Series X/S Amazon Luna Price, Release Date, Specs, Games, News, and Rumors The 8 Best Current Gaming Consoles of 2022 by Lifewire Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies