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Xbox goes back to black! Microsoft is announcing a new $349 Series S console with twice the storage space of the original model
Microsoft announced a new Xbox console on Monday, which will have twice the storage space of its predecessor.
Unveiled at the X Xbox Games Showcase for $349.99, the Carbon Black Xbox Series S will feature the same hardware power as the original model, but with one terabyte of storage.
The tech giant returns to its gaming console origins in 2013 with a matte black exterior – the first Series S was only available in white.
The Carbon Black Xbox Series S launches worldwide on September 1, but gamers can pre-order the system on Monday.
The Carbon Black Xbox Series S has twice the storage space of the original model and comes in matte black – the previous Series S only comes in white
Microsoft head of Xbox Phil Spencer said the company recognizes that “for some people around the world, $500 is too much for a console,” and the lower price of $349 is in hopes of enticing more people to try the system. to buy.
While Spencer didn’t name Xbox’s rivals, he seemed to be referring to Sony’s PlayStation 5, which starts at $459.99.
Carbon Black is about $50 more than the original Series S, but Microsoft said it has the same power.
The white 512 GB Xbox Series S can be had for just $250.
This includes a faster SSD for near-instant load times, a Quick Resume feature that allows gamers to quickly switch between different games, and plenty of internal power to run games at a smooth 120 frames per second – “all powered by Xbox Velocity Architecture,” Xbox shared in the announcement.
The added storage might just be what gamers have been looking for.
The bold Carbon Black color features the same sleek, modern matte finish as the Xbox Series X and Xbox Wireless Controller
“We’ve heard the feedback that the 500GB might be a limit for some people, and yes, we’ve heard the feedback on the expansion cards and we’re working on that,” Spencer said at a roundtable the company hosted after its big Xbox Games Showcase in Los Angeles.
“But we also wanted to make a console with 1TB in it. We continue to receive feedback on our console.
‘We continue to develop the roadmap of where [the] console is today, where it will be tomorrow, and frankly, where it will be for us in the future.”
gamers can also add an Xbox Game Pass Unlimited subscription (membership sold separately).
Carbon Black is about $50 more than the original Series S, but Microsoft said it has the same power. The white 512 GB Xbox Series S (right) can be had for just $250
According to the company, this will allow users to play new games built natively for Xbox Series S and X, such as Starfield and Forza Motorsport.
Microsoft also launched the new Starfield game this weekend.
Players must fend off pirates, navigate strange moons, build outposts and repair their starships in a space epic coming to Xbox this September after years of development and delays.
Microsoft gave its most detailed glimpse of the upcoming game at its Los Angeles event on Sunday.
The release could be one of the most significant in Xbox history as it looks set to attract gamers with a headliner similar to Nintendo’s latest Zelda game and PlayStation’s upcoming Spider-Man 2, said Mat Piscatella, a games industry analyst for market researcher Circana.