Xbox Series X/S rumours, info and Leaks

Games
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Xbox All Access will be “critical” for launch of Xbox Series X, says Phil Spencer

The subscription plan, Xbox All Access, is going to be “critical” to both the launch of the Xbox Series X and the generation as a whole according to Xbox boss, Phil Spencer.

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Spencer made the comments during a Gamelab Live stream where he answered several questions about the Xbox Series X and Microsoft’s plans. Spencer was asked about the Xbox All Access payment program, which currently offers players an Xbox One console and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for no upfront cost, but a monthly subscription fee instead. This saves the consumer from shelling out hundreds of dollars in a single transaction — which could be beneficial for those who don’t want to pay the upfront costs of a Series X console.

As reported by gamesindustry.biz, it seems that Microsoft could be pushing the subscription service more in the future. “Xbox All Access is going to be critical to both our launch for Xbox Series X as well as just the overall generation,” Spencer said.

“The response that we’ve seen where we’ve tested All Access has been great, but as you said, it’s been limited in terms of the market. So you’re going to see a much broader market and retailer support for All Access. And as you said, it matches a model customers use for many other devices they buy. And if you have services attached to those devices that people love, it just becomes an easier way to bring a great product to customers.”

Spencer says it’s all about offering choice to the consumer. “We should also understand the global economic situation we’re going to see this year. We’re seeing it today. And I think having more pricing options for consumers is frankly just a thoughtful thing for us as an industry to think about.”

Current Xbox All Access subscribers can upgrade to the Xbox Series X when it launches. Digital Direct is another feature that is currently used with all Xbox All Access bundles — Digital Direct replaces digital game keys and ties content included in bundles to the console itself.

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If a subscription to own service is available I would likely buy my consoles this way.

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Xbox Series X launch was originally planned for August — report

According to a new report, Microsoft initially had plans to launch both the Xbox Series X and the rumoured second Lockhart console much earlier than the holiday 2020 period that’s currently being advertised.

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The report comes from journalist Brad Sams over at Thurrot who says long before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Microsoft was originally planning to launch the Xbox Series X in late August with a second console following in mid-October. Thurrot says plans have been “adjusted since the conception of the hardware” but hasn’t given a reason as to why that might be. Project Scarlett was announced to launch during holiday 2020 way back in June 2019, so it’s believed that these plans came before that announcement. Thurrot also says that Lockhart was supposed to be announced in June, but cannot verify latest reports suggesting the “Series S” console will be revealed in August. However, the report does state that an announcement will be coming soon.

Thurrot also believes that Lockhart will be a similar shape to that of an Xbox One S or Xbox One X and is basing this information off a Microsoft policy that requires employees and developers to disguise the console if they travel with it. For the Series X, Microsoft asks employees to put the console in a PC tower or something similar to that shape. According to Thurrot, Lockhart can be disguised in an Xbox One X/S cover, meaning Lockhart will not be the same shape as the Series X.

Recent reports have suggested that Lockhart or the “Xbox Series S” will be revealed in August. Although Microsoft is yet to say anything on a second console, rumours and leaks seem to be springing everywhere. Mentions of the word “Lockhart” have appeared in Microsoft’s latest game development kit notes.

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Xbox Series X games could see a price increase with $70 becoming the new standard for AAA

According to research company IDG Consulting, other publishers are considering following 2K Games’ approach with NBA 2K21 and raising the price of Xbox Series X and PS5 games. We could see $70/£65 become the standard price for a AAA Xbox Series X game in the future.

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2K Games recently announced that NBA 2K21 would cost $69.99/£64.99 on the Xbox Series X, which is a $10/£5 price hike compared to an Xbox One copy. Speaking to gamesindustry.biz, IDG CEO Yoshio Osaki said, “IDG works with all major game publishers, and our channel checks indicate that other publishers are also exploring moving their next-gen pricing up on certain franchises.”

Osaki says that game pricing has remained the same since around 2005, while other entertainment industries such as TV and film pricing has seen an increase, “The last time that next-gen launch software pricing went up was in 2005 and 2006 when it went from $49.99 to $59.99 at the start of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation,” Osaki says, adding, “During that time, the costs and prices in other affiliated verticals have gone up.”

Game production costs have increased significantly over the past few years, as noted by ex-PlayStation boss Shawn Layden who believes the current AAA development model isn’t sustainable for next-gen. Osaki echoes Layden’s comments, saying that game production costs have increased by 200% to 300% depending on the studio and IP, but retail prices for games have remained at the $60 mark.

“Even with the increase to $69.99 for next-gen, that price increase from 2005 to 2020 next-gen is only up 17%, far lower than the other comparisons. $59.99 to $69.99 does not even cover these other cost increases completely, but does move it more in the proper direction,” says Osaki.

“Not every game should garner the $69.99 price point on next-gen, but flagship AAAs such as NBA 2K merit this pricing more than others,” Osaki added.

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The Xbox Series X team has shared a deep dive into Xbox Velocity Architecture, and how it will “power next-gen gaming experiences unlike anything you have seen before.”

The video above shows some of the highlights of Xbox Velocity Architecture. Over on Xbox Wire, Jason Ronald, director of program management for Xbox Series X, says “if our custom designed processor is at the heart of the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Velocity Architecture is the soul,” and that the innovations it enables will “will unlock new gameplay experiences and a level of depth and immersion unlike anything you have previously experienced in gaming.”

The Xbox team says it means that load times are “virtually eliminated”, and that it allows for “instantly resuming multiple games” and “larger, dynamic worlds at higher speeds.” According to Ronald, the Xbox Velocity Architecture should do away with a lot of current-gen issues, such as the need for developers to rely on having your character squeeze through “narrow pathways, hallways, or elevators” to “work around the limitations of a traditional hard drive and I/O pipeline.” It’s made up of four main parts: the custom NVME SSD, hardware accelerated decompression blocks, a new DirectStorage API, and Sampler Feedback Streaming or SFS. The SSD, for instance, is described as the “foundation” of this Xbox Velocity Architecture, and “designed for consistent, sustained performance as opposed to peak performance,” while the SFS is a “brand-new innovation” allowing for “significantly more memory” to “make your game richer and more immersive.”

As a result of the improvements introduced with the Xbox Velocity Architecture, the Xbox Series X team expect “significant innovation” from developers through the next generation of consoles. It seems as though this Xbox Velocity Architecture should result in a drastic change, since Ronald says “this revolutionary new architecture enables entirely new scenarios never before considered possible in gaming.”

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Xbox Series X game file sizes will be kept “as small as possible”, says Jason Ronald

According to the director of project management for the Xbox Series X, Jason Ronald, next-gen game file sizes on the console will be made “as small as possible” thanks to some of the capabilities the Xbox Series X and Microsoft’s partnership with developers to keep file sizes small.

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In an interview with IGN, Ronald was asked about the Xbox Series X’s 1TB SSD and how much space would be occupied by things like the OS and system files. Ronald said, "We’re not ready to share the final numbers because we’re still finishing up the user experience and whatnot, but that’s part of the reason why we have things like hardware decompression as an example because we want to be as respectful as possible and make sure the actual game footprint on that drive is as small as possible.

“We have other capabilities that we’ve provided to developers as well so that developers can be more intelligent about what assets actually get installed. so, as an example, if you’re a primarily English speaking player, maybe you don’t have to download other languages or audio files so that we can once again reduce that footprint overall.”

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Ronald later revealed in follow-up questions that Xbox Series X game sizes all came down to the type of game the developer was making and that keeping file sizes low isn’t a certification requirement, but Microsoft is working closely with developers to find the right solution.

“At the end of the day it doesn’t benefit anybody if games are massively huge, and if it’s a really long download time, so it’s more of a partnership with us and the developer as opposed to a strict certification requirement.”

One of the most notorious games known for its large file size is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The overall size of the game has swelled to around 200GB. The game receives frequent large updates that only takes up more space on players’ hard drives, and although the developer is aware of the issue, things are unlikely to change.

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Xbox Series X: Seagate’s storage expansion card site has now gone live

The site for Seagate’s Xbox Series X storage expansion card has now gone live, promising “additional game storage at peak speeds” and a “high-fidelity experience”.

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The site lists a 1 TB capacity, a Custom PCle Gen4x2 NVMe flash memory, and a three year warranty. There’s a message from Seagate’s senior VP, Jeff Fochtman: “Seagate is thrilled to be a key player in next-generation gaming. With a new standard in performance, games will be more dynamic, visually stunning, and more immersive than ever. Seagate’s Xbox Series X Storage Expansion Card technology delivers additional game storage at peak speeds, replicating the console’s internal SSD experience. We are proud to join forces with Xbox and can’t wait to help gamers immerse themselves in the high-fidelity experience.”

The storage card was designed alongside the Xbox Series X, meaning “when you plug this storage card into any Xbox Series X console, you’re getting all the speed and power Xbox has dreamed up, with no compromise.” The site gives a few more details, such as that every game played from the storage card for Xbox Series X “plays at peak levels”, while Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games will also “experience improved overall performance”, and that Quick Resume will have the same speed between the expansion card and the internal SSD.

Seagate’s Xbox Series X Storage Expansion Card will launch in Holiday 2020. In the meantime, there’s a link to sign up for news and updates for it, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated too.

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Xbox Series X will have the “largest launch lineup for any console ever”, says Microsoft

According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the Xbox Series X will have the “largest launch lineup for any console ever”. Nadella made the claim during Microsoft’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday night.

“In content, we are delivering differentiated, first and third-party content to attract and retain gamers. Xbox Series X will launch this fall with the largest launch lineup for any console ever,” said Nadella. As noted by VGC, the CEO didn’t make any further comments on the topic, and it’s currently unclear if Nadella meant just new games or both new and older titles that can be played on the Xbox Series X via backwards compatibility.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently revealed that nearly all Xbox One games would be playable on the Xbox Series X at launch. Jason Ronald, the director of program management for new console, also stated that the Series X would be compatible with thousands of games when it launches this Holiday.

Nadella went on to talk about Xbox Game Pass saying that the subscription service is seeing “record subscriber growth across both, console and PC, and now includes content from more than 100 studios” and that there are nearly “100 million Xbox Live players around the world”. The Microsoft CEO adds “It was simply a breakthrough quarter for gaming. We saw record engagement and monetization, led by strength on and off-console, as people everywhere turn to gaming to connect, socialize, and play with others.”

In an investor press release, Microsoft said its fourth-quarter overall gaming revenue has increased by $1.3 billion or 64%. This was driven by growth in Xbox content and services. Xbox content and services revenue increased by $1.2 billion or 65%, “primarily due to record engagement, including strength from third-party titles, as stay-at-home guidelines continued”. Xbox hardware revenue also saw an increase of 49% in the quarter due to an increase in consoles sold.

Phil Spencer recently told Polygon, “we’re in the best launch lineup position that we’ve ever been on Xbox”. Hopefully, we’ll see some of the launch titles for Xbox Series X during today’s Xbox Games Showcase.

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Xbox Series X will launch this November

Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X will launch this November. Although a specific date has not been confirmed, the company has now committed to a month instead of the vague “Holiday 2020” previously announced.

A post over on Xbox Wire that also announced the Halo Infinite delay reads, “We have plenty to keep you busy until Chief arrives: There will be thousands of games to play, spanning four generations, when Xbox Series X launches globally this November.”

Although Halo Infinite has been delayed until 2021, Microsoft still states that there will be more than 50 new optimized for Xbox Series X games launching this year, including, “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Gears Tactics, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Watch Dogs: Legion.” Microsoft also highlights games currently in development for the Xbox Series X such as The Medium and Scorn, and that more than 40 existing games will be optimized for the next-gen console. The company also further reiterates its stance on backwards compatibility, saying, “thousands of games across four generations” will be playable.

The Xbox Series X will launch this November. No specific date, price or pre-order information has been announced.

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Xbox Series X could launch on November 6th, according to controller leak

Microsoft recently announced that the Xbox Series X would launch in November, but did not give a specific date. Now, an alleged new controller leak suggests that we could be getting our hands on the Xbox Series X and possibly the long-rumoured Xbox Series S on November 6th.

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Xbox Series X may
launch on November 6th. A tipster tells me boxes of the new controllers
have a do not open date of November 6th on them. These controllers
leaked earlier this week https://t.co/oyhlbg2SKo

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—
Tom Warren (@tomwarren) August
11, 2020

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According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, someone that has managed to get hold of the white Xbox Series X/S controller sent him an image of the shipping box the controller was packaged in. Warren says this box has a sticker that tells retailers not to sell or display the controllers until November 6th — something similar to what Microsoft has used in the past.

A forum post over on Resetera allegedly shows a user who has purchased one of these controllers and has registered it on Microsoft’s support site. They’ve found that the warranty expires on November 5th, 2021, which is exactly a one year warranty after the alleged November 6th release date. Microsoft reportedly usually only offers a 90-day standard warranty with controllers, but it could be offering an extended warranty this time around that would fall more in line with its console warranty.

As always, it’s a good idea to take this rumour with a pinch of salt, but we could potentially see the Xbox Series X launch in early November.

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Hang on a minute? The latest Xbox Series X reports had told us that the new Xbox console was going to be cheaper than the Sony PS5 when released in November 2020.

Those reports had been based on unsubstantiated comments from Reddit poster Dusk Golem, who apparently has being hearing insider information that not only was the Xbox Series X “far more powerful than the PS5” but that “Microsoft are ready to lowball Sony when it comes to price” of the console.

A more powerful console that was also cheaper? Sounds too good to be true.

Well, a brand new leak has just indicated that it could very well have been too good to be true , after all .

That’s because, as surfaced on Twitter by user @THTHEREDDRAGON, massively respected games industry writer, host and actor Alanah Pearce states that she has been sent a picture from a source at a retailer that shows that the price of the Xbox Series X is actually $599.

$599. Now that is not cheap . Indeed, it is the disastrously high price point that the Sony PS3 was launched at in the United States, and we all know how badly that went.

It was a price that was so high that it crippled the PS3’s launch in terms of sales and left Microsoft an open goal to go ahead and win the console generation, which it proceeded to do by a country mile with its Xbox 360 console.

So, if this leak is true, and Microsoft is going to “lowball Sony when it comes to price”, is Sony’s PS5 going to retail for even more than $599? That doesn’t seem right to us at T3 at all. Why would Sony, who has been burnt once before by a $599 price point, then proceed to launch a console that costs even more ?

The truth is, Sony wouldn’t, unless it was trying to commit console gen seppuku.

With that eventuality discounted, that leaves three likely things possible. Firstly, the $599 price point isn’t accurate, and the Xbox Series X will retail for less than that. The second possibility is that, actually, the PS5 and Xbox Series X will cost the same amount, be that $599 or (more likely) less than $599. And thirdly, and most worryingly for Xbox gamers, is that the Xbox Series X will cost more than the PS5.

Could the Xbox Series X be launched at a higher price point than the PS5, with the Xbox system put on the market for $599 while the PS5 launches at $499? Absolutely, as it is technically on paper the more powerful console. However, with Xbox still reeling from a brutal beatdown in the PS4/Xbox One console gen, we’re not convinced one jot that pricing the Xbox Series X above the PS5 is wise.

Microsoft need to claw back install base share this generation, and while the all-digital Xbox Series S will almost certainly help in that regard, to have your flagship console massively outsold by the competition due to a sky-high price point will definitely not help.

Right now, the pricing and release dates of all the next gen consoles remain up in the air, so here at T3 we advise gamers to take this latest leak with a big pinch of salt. Official prices for the PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will likely arrive soon, so until then we’re going to keep our fingers crossed and just look forward to playing great Xbox Series X games and PS5 games.

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Yep, it may be $599.99…

November is drawing nearer and that next-gen console launch is looming on the horizon, and there’s still no word from Microsoft about a price for the Xbox Series X. Nor has there been a hint from Sony on what the PS5 will cost, so that we could try to compare. Xbox head Phil Spencer has commented before that the Xbox team is aiming to avoid the “mistakes” made with the launch of the Xbox One, including the high price point. However, the most recent leaks led to new speculation about the price of the Xbox Series X, and suggest it could be pretty pricy.

The latest episode of the Kinda Funny Xcast featured game journalist Alanah Pearce, who discussed getting a message about a $600 price tag for the Xbox Series X from a retailer. This in itself might not seem much, but Halo Infinite fans have spotted something interesting in the Monster Energy/Halo Infinite promotion which seems to match this claim.

The fine print says that “The Total ARV of all 1st Prizes is $119,998.” There’s 200 1st prizes in total, made up of a copy of Halo Infinite and the Xbox Series X console. Halo Infinite fans have already done the maths to suggest that each prize will be worth $599.99. This could, on the one hand, suggest a $600 price tag for the console; and ties in with Pearce’s comments. However, this doesn’t take into account the price of Halo Infinite. Another $50-$60 subtracted from that would lower this suggested Xbox Series X price considerably; but as Sim31 points out, a $540 price point for the Xbox Series X doesn’t look as likely as either $499 or $599. Then there’s another part of that fine print:

The Total ARV of all 1st Prizes is $119,998. The 1st Prize and its manufacturer’s suggested retail price have not been released to market at the time of print of these Official Rules. Any difference between stated value and actual value will not be awarded.

This suggests that the price included in this Monster Energy promotion is more of a placeholder, especially since there’s been no hint at a price bracket from Microsoft.

It’s conflicting impressions all round, and it seems we’ll have to continue to wait for official word from Microsoft. The Xbox team has been pretty communicative about Series X specs and games, but November’s drawing near, and so hopefully we should be due some major next-gen news on pricing and pre-orders. We’ll keep you updated. What do you think? How much are you expecting to spend?

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https://youtu.be/YkbflbBmhl4

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Xbox Series S officially announced

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Microsoft has officially announced their lower-performing next-gen console: Xbox Series S.

First details, as well as a look at the console, was leaked by Windows Central and YouTuber Brad Simms. Once the leak happened, Microsoft officially announced the console as seen in the image above.

The console will launch in November for $299.

While Microsoft has not announced the specifications of the console, Twitter user @h0x0d0 has leaked the trailer for the Xbox Series S. The specifications are now leaked.

Specifications:

Here’s a leaked trailer:

This video shows the Xbox Series S as almost 60% smaller than the Xbox Series X, confirms it as an all-digital console, and focuses on its next-gen capability with fast load times, “seamless” switching between games, and next-gen frame rates. According to this video, the Xbox Series S has:

  • A custom 512GB NVME SSD “powered by Xbox Velocity architecture”
  • “Next-gen frame rates,” with 1440p at up to 120fps
  • DirectX Raytracing
  • 4K streaming of “media playback”
  • 4K “upscaling for games”

As a reference, this is what’s been said about the official Xbox Series X specs so far:

  • CPU: 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU
  • GPU: Xbox Series X: 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU
  • Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320b bus, 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s
  • Internal Storage: Xbox Series X: 1 TB Custom NVME SSD
  • IO Throughput: 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed, with custom hardware decompression block)
  • Expandable Storage: 1 TB Expansion Card (matches internal storage exactly)
  • External Storage: USB 3.2 External HDD Support
  • Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive

This leaked Xbox Series S presentation video also lists variable rate shading, variable refresh rate, and ultra-low latency, as well as placing a focus on the importance of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and those games which have been optimised for next-gen.

Both consoles are expected to launch on November 10, per the leaks.

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So why the fuck does a digital only console have only 512gigs in today’s 100 gig game world thats the dumbest thing ever

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@XBoxGamers

Xbox Series X & S: price, release, and pre-order confirmed

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Xbox has officially announced the details on the release date, the price, and the pre-orders for the Xbox Series X & S console.

In an announcement, the company revealed that the Xbox Series S & X will launch on November 10.

There are two editions of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Digital Edition.

In addition, the company also revealed the price.

  • Xbox Series X: $499
  • Xbox Series S: $299

On November 10, a new generation of console gaming begins. That’s when our vision becomes reality with the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation console gaming experiences, and the freedom to play your games with your friends, anytime, anywhere.

To empower you more than ever to jump into the next generation of gaming, today we confirmed: Xbox Series X, our most powerful console ever made, and Xbox Series S, next-generation performance in our smallest console ever built at a more affordable price, launch globally November 10, pre-orders start September 22.

Pre-orders will go live at retailers worldwide including Microsoft, Amazon, GameStop, BestBuy, and more starting September 22.

Check your local retailers’ site for pre-order information.

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Really curious to see what the difference of specs are between the 2 models. I can’t imagine it’s just the DVD drive. I hope that it is though.

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Both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will launch globally on November 10th, with pre-orders opening on September 22nd. The Xbox Series X will cost $499/£449 and the Xbox Series S $299/£249. However, both can be purchased via the Xbox All Access programme which has been expanded into 12 countries. You’ll be able to grab a next-gen Xbox and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting at $24.99 a month with no upfront cost. This also includes EA Play, formerly known as EA Access.

Xbox All Access will be available in 12 countries this holiday with more being added to the programme in 2021. The confirmed list of countries and retailers is below:

  • Australia at Telstra
  • Canada at EB Games
  • Denmark at Elgiganten
  • Finland at Gigantti
  • France at FNAC
  • New Zealand at Spark
  • Norway at Elkjøp
  • Poland at Media Expert
  • South Korea at SK Telecom
  • Sweden at Elgiganten
  • UK at GAME and Smyths Toys
  • United States at Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Microsoft Store, and Walmart

The Xbox Series X will launch on November 10th priced at $499/£449.