There has been an upheaval with the prices of Microsoft’s next-gen gaming consoles, the entry-level Xbox Series S, and the high-end Series X. Rumors have been flying around giving away various numbers, but Windows Central has come now with what they call definitive figures. So, according to their “reliable” sources, the Xbox Series S is going to cost $299 with a $25 per month Xbox All Access option, while the Series X will retail for $499.
This makes perfect sense, actually, as PS5 is expected to launch with a price tag of $499, too. The Series S will essentially undercut it by $200, providing a good option for those on a tight budget.
As for the release dates, this was determined to be November 10, 2020, for both consoles. The rumors for PS5 point to November 20, 2020, so the two are going to be close, as they always are.
Besides all that, there are quite a few pieces of the puzzle that are still missing. The Series S and the hardware that’s going to power the console remain a mystery. Still, many believe it’s going to be roughly as powerful as the Xbox One X. Thus, it is expected that the Series S will be focused on 1080p gaming. In contrast, the Series X is going to be a 12 teraflops beast capable of running AAA titles at 4K/120FPS.
Just yesterday, we had a different leak that isn’t consistent with what Windows Central is reporting right now. A “Pringles” contest in South Africa that involves an Xbox Series X as a prize has revealed an estimated value of R621,000 per 46 consoles, which gives us a price of RS13,500. That would be over $800 for the Xbox Series X, which is way above what was rumored and expected.
Looks like Pringles, of all brands, broke the Xbox Series X price for South Africa. If my maths checks out, this puts the XSX at around R13,5K locally? Unsure if that's excluding tax. https://t.co/luosSEa8Qi pic.twitter.com/UsDe2tfcAB
— Cavie (@CaV1E) September 4, 2020
The 2020 battle of the console wars is shaping up to be a heated one, with very powerful machines priced aggressively in a peculiar period of home-bound isolation. COVID-19 is expected to spike at unprecedented levels in the upcoming months in the northern hemisphere, so people will stay inside looking for something to do with all that spare time they’ll have.
That said, game consoles should have a fantastic market performance this Christmas, even with all the economic difficulties and the rising unemployment rates.