Microsoft Officially Unveils Budget Xbox Series S Console: Ray Tracing, 512GB SSD, 1440p Resolution and $299 Price

Over the past few days, rumors have been actively discussed on the network about the possible characteristics and cost of the younger sister of the top game console Microsoft Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S. Some insiders argued that the budget “set-top box” of the Redmond corporation will not receive an SSD, others, on the contrary, were 100% sure that the software giant will not deprive even a cheap device of a new chip of the next generation of consoles. Fortunately, the truth was behind the latter.

Meet the budget Xbox Series S console:

Below are the main features and differences between Series S and Series X:

• Price – $ 299 in the US and € 299 in Europe;
• Console dimensions 60% smaller than Series X;
• Custom 512GB NVMe SSD;
• Support for 4K video and upscale all content up to 4K;
• Target resolution in games – 1440p with frame rates up to 120 fps (most likely, we are talking about Microsoft projects);
• Low control delay;
• Just like Series X, Series S will support Ray tracing and Variable rate shading;
• Series S has no drive – the purchase and installation of games is available only from the Microsoft online store;
• The console is slated for release on November 10;

Now all that remains is to find out whether Sony is preparing a response to Microsoft’s potentially successful budget solution, or whether the Japanese company will leave this niche unattended.