Xbox Series S
- Manufacturer
- Microsoft
- Released
- 2020
- Generation
- Gen 9
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $299
- Media
- Disc
About Xbox Series S
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in Microsoft's Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Series X and lower-end Series S are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, which also includes Sony's PlayStation 5, released the same month.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
Lineage
Pricing
Launch price (2020)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $299
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £449
Controller
Xbox Wireless Controller (all revisions)
Launch titles & exclusives
(Shares all Series X launch titles — same software platform): Assassin's Creed Valhalla · Dirt 5 · Gears Tactics · Yakuza: Like a Dragon · Watch Dogs: Legion
None standard; various bundles included Fortnite + Rocket League digital codes
Shares all Series X exclusives (cross-generation development requirement): Halo Infinite · Forza Horizon 5 · Forza Motorsport · Starfield · Hellblade II · Avowed · Indiana Jones and the Great Circle · Hi-Fi Rush (originally) · Sea of Thieves · Pentiment
Still in production (active platform)
Carbon Black Series S (2022, 1TB); limited regional variants; specific Halo Infinite Series S not produced
Hardware specs
- Os
- Xbox System Software
- Cpu
- Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2, Series X: 3.8 Hertz, GHz, 3.66 GHz with Simultaneous multithreading, SMT, Series S: 3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT
- Gpu
- Custom AMD Radeon RDNA 2 architecture, Series X: 52 CUs at 1.825 Hertz, GHz, 12.155 TFLOPS, Series S: 20 CUs at 1.565 GHz, 4.006 TFLOPS
- Ram
- GDDR6 SDRAM, Series X: 10 GB/320-bit & 6 GB/192-bit (16 GB total), Series S: 8 GB/128-bit & 2 GB/32-bit (10 GB total)
- Power
- Built-in power supply (both consoles)
- Sound
- Custom Project Acoustics 3-D Audio, Dolby Atmos, DTS (sound system)#DTS:X, DTS:X, 7.1 surround sound
- Weight
- 1.93 kg (4.25 lb)
- Dimensions
- 151 × 275 × 63.5 mm
- Display Output
- All models: 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 4K resolution, 4K
- Storage Internal
- Western Digital, WD SN530 NVM Express, NVMe Solid-state drive, SSD w/ custom ASIC supporting PCIe 4.0 x2, Series X: 1 TB (Black, Halo Edition, SpongeBob Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition) / 2 TB (Galaxy Black Special Edition), Series X All Digital: 1 TB (Robot White), Series S: 512 GB (Robot White)…
Hardware revisions
- Original Xbox Series S(2020)
4 TFLOPS RDNA 2 GPU (1/3 the Series X), 1440p target, 512GB SSD, $299 launch — the 'budget next-gen' positioning that defined the platform
- Carbon Black Series S 1TB(2022)
doubled SSD capacity, $349
Launch colorways & special editions
- Carbon Black Series S 1TB (2022)
- Gilded Hunter Bundle (Fortnite, Rocket League content)
- Starter Pack Bundle (Game Pass trial)
- Holiday gift bundles
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- none
- Custom firmware
- No public CFW; Dev Mode same as full Series family
Reception & legacy
Mixed — praised for the $299 price as a 'next-gen on a budget' value pitch; criticized by developers (notably Larian's Swen Vincke and others) for the 10GB RAM constraint that requires every game to support split-memory-budget builds
Larian Studios publicly fought with Microsoft over Baldur's Gate 3 Series S split-screen support in 2023 (Microsoft later relaxed feature-parity rules); developer complaints about the platform holding back Series X versions; some publishers cite it as the reason Xbox has had cross-gen-only releases through 2024
Pioneered the 'budget next-gen tier' that Sony has not matched; Game Pass + Series S became the affordable on-ramp to current-gen gaming that arguably defined Xbox's market position this generation; controversial among developers but commercially significant
References
More from Microsoft
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Xbox Series S in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Xbox Series S, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Here's What The Mafia: Definitive Edition Upgrade Looks Like On Xbox Series X
A first look at the long-awaited upgrade. Today's the day for the free Mafia: Definitive Edition upgrade (for digital owners of the game) on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and I've personally been eagerly awaiting its arrival for the past 24 hours. If you haven't managed to locate it yet, you'll...
1986 Amiga Classic Gets Rebuilt With Two New Game Modes For Xbox Series X|S
It's called Defender of the Crown: The Legend Returns. We've had a whole bunch of really interesting indie releases on Xbox this week including Wild Blue Skies and Duskfade, and another one is a remake of a 1986 Amiga classic that's just launched on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The game we're...
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Take a look at how the Xbox versions measure up. Hardcore FPS Hell Let Loose: Vietnam launched yesterday to some generally favourable review scores, and so we thought to share footage from both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of the game. As has become fairly custom for these...
Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Star Fox 64 Successor 'Wild Blue Skies'
A real mixed bag. We've been keeping a close eye on the Star Fox 64 spiritual successor Wild Blue Skies for quite some time now, and the game has literally just released for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at a price of £13.99 / $14.99. So, is it worth it? That's very hard to say at the moment, as...
Roundup: All The Xbox Reveals From The Kinetic Publishing Showcase 2026
Including the follow-up to Her Story and Immortality. Last night treated us to the first ever Kinetic Publishing Showcase, and all five games in the broadcast were actually confirmed for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S as part of it, along with Xbox Play Anywhere support for all of them. The...
Six Years On, Mafia: Definitive Edition Might Finally Be Getting A 60FPS Xbox Upgrade
It's just been rated for Xbox Series and PS5 by the ESRB. When it comes to games that we always wish had received a 60FPS upgrade for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Mafia: Definitive Edition is towards the top of the list, and now it finally might be getting one in the near future. Various fans...