With the launch of the next generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles getting ever closer, more details and rumors are gradually leaking out about the specs and performance of these hotly anticipated machines. Also on the horizon however, is Microsoft’s budget oriented next generation console, the Xbox Series S, which has had its alleged specs leaked by Tweak Town, and by The Verge editor Tom Warren.
The reveal brought both positive and negative news for those considering the Xbox Series S. The good news is that the CPU is reported to be the same, an 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU able to run at 3.8 GHz, the RAM will be GDDR6 in both machines, and both will include a PCIe 4.0 solid state drive for storage. However, those hoping for budget 4k gaming are likely to be disappointed as the lower cost machine is believed to have much reduced graphics power, more suited to 1440p gaming.
While both machines will use RDNA 2 based AMD chips, the Xbox Series S is expected to have less than half the compute units (CUs) of the Xbox Series X, 20 CUs compared to 52 CUs, which will be running at a slightly slower speed, 1.55 GHz compared to 1.825 GHz. In addition, the Xbox Series S will reportedly feature less RAM, with 10 GB versus 16 GB in the Xbox Series X. Whether both sets of RAM will run at the same speed is not yet known. Similarly, the size and speed of the solid state drive in the lower priced console is unknown, which suggests it may be either slower, or of reduced capacity compared to the flagship machine.
Perhaps the most controversial detail reported in the leak is that the lower priced unit will not include a Blu-ray drive, similar to the lower priced PlayStation 5 model. Despite the popularity of downloaded games on console and PC, there are many gamers who still dislike the idea of a machine that cannot play disc based games, as it puts them at the mercy of a single game store, rather than having wider market choice. One mitigating factor may be the strong focus on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which negates the need to independently buy first-party, and some third-party games.
In the ever-increasing game of specifications, gamers will always be disappointed when a new machine’s components don’t meet their expectations. Yet, given the very high price points of most new console launches, it makes sense to have a lower priced alternative, especially when it appears that the cuts have largely been made in the right place. Although high-end gamers are chasing 4k and even 8k resolutions, for the average player, 1440p is a perfectly acceptable resolution, particularly if frame rates also manage to stay consistently high.
The lack of a disc drive though, is likely to make the Xbox Series S a no-go for some gamers, unless Microsoft can provide an inviting launch price, or attract these players to its Xbox Game Pass service instead.
Xbox Series X will launch in November, the Xbox Series S release date is not yet known.
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