Microsoft Officially Announces the Xbox Series S, Reveals Price and First Look at New Console

The Xbox Series S is real. In the wee hours of the morning, Microsoft officially announced a next-gen console and, as Microsoft describes it, “the smallest Xbox ever.” Other than the first look at the physical console and the official confirmation that it was, in fact, a thing, Microsoft also confirmed that the expected retail price for the device is an aggressive $299.

This reveal follows months of rumors and reports that “Project Lockhart,” a cheaper Xbox Series X eventually referred to as the Xbox Series S, would be unveiled at some point. The official announcement early this morning seems to have confirmed much of this given that the official Xbox Twitter account followed up the reveal with emojis standing in for the codename: Lockhart.

As for why Microsoft announced the Xbox Series S in the middle of the night, it would appear that some marketing materials for the new console began to leak late yesterday showing off both the console’s existence in general and the fact that it would come in hot at $299. Rather than let folks stew for longer than necessary, it appears that the call was made to officially confirm the leaks as accurate.

At this point, there’s no telling exactly when the Xbox Series S might release as Xbox hasn’t said anything more than the above about the console. Assuming it is set to launch alongside the Xbox Series X, that would put it in the November launch window. The expected retail price for the Xbox Series S is, as noted above, $299. The Xbox Series X does not yet have an announced price attached to it. You can check out all of our previous coverage of Xbox right here.

What do you think of the Xbox Series S? Are you interested in picking it up when it releases? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!