While the Xbox Series X will be the headlining Xbox of the new generation, there may be an entry level "Xbox Series S" as well. And new leaks have revealed key information about these two consoles, as well as a variety of potentially exciting new Microsoft products.
WindowsCentral says that we should expect Microsoft to reveal the new Xbox console(s) in May, alongside new Surface products and a new pair of Xbox-branded headphones. It also states that the Series S is apparently undergoing home testing with Xbox staff, which points to the console nearing completion, and the likelihood of an impending reveal.
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The Xbox Series S, also known by its codename "Lockheart," is rumored to come with a 4-teraflop GPU. That's much less graphical power than the 12 teraflops of the Xbox Series X, but more than the 1.3 and 1.4 teraflops of the Xbox One and Xbox One S respectively.
The Xbox One X, Microsoft's current highest-end console, packs 6 teraflops of power, suggesting that Microsoft is keeping with its S and X naming convention for standard and advanced performance.
The Series S will also allegedly boast NVME memory for faster loading and is capable of limited ray-tracing for more immersive lighting. The Series X uses the same memory in its own SSD, and is boasting full-blown AMD ray tracing among its arsenal of new processing tricks.
WindowsCentral says that we should also expect new Surface devices sometime next month, including the rumored Microsoft Surface Go 2. It also claims that Microsoft is working on a pair of wireless headphones for the Xbox, although it's currently uncertain whether this new set of cans will aim for a similar premium price point to the existing Surface Headphones or at a more accessible one.
Since E3 2020 was cancelled, one industry analyst believes that the console reveals of both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X will take place in May. We may also see some games revealed at Xbox's event, like the rumored reboot of Fable and the upcoming Hellblade 2.
We don't have any pricing or availability information for the future Xbox consoles or the PS5, but hopefully these alleged impending reveal events will fill us in. We're expecting a price range near $500, perhaps with the Xbox Series X being more expensive and the PS5 being slightly cheaper. Both will likely appear in November of this year, assuming there are no major delays.
