The Xbox Series X/S are
home video game console
A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than ...
s developed by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
, succeeding the
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
. Along with
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
's
PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, the Xbox Series X/S consoles are part of the
ninth generation of video game consoles
The ninth generation of video game consoles began in November 2020 with the releases of Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S console family and Sony's PlayStation 5.
The consoles represent significant performance upgrades from the prior Xbox ...
.
Rumors regarding the consoles first emerged in early 2019, with the line as a whole codenamed "Scarlett" and consisting of high-end and lower-end models codenamed "Anaconda" and "Lockhart" respectively; "Anaconda" was teased by Microsoft during
E3 2019
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) was the 25th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
under the codename "Project Scarlett", and unveiled during
The Game Awards
The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who worked on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards ...
in December as Xbox Series X. On September 8, 2020, Microsoft unveiled the lower-end model, Xbox Series S.
As with the Xbox One line, the consoles utilize an
Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufact ...
(AMD)
CPU and
GPU
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobi ...
. Both models feature a new storage architecture based around
solid-state drives
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage. It i ...
to reduce loading times, support for hardware-accelerated
ray-tracing and
spatial audio
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to su ...
, the ability to convert games to
high-dynamic-range rendering
High-dynamic-range rendering (HDRR or HDR rendering), also known as high-dynamic-range lighting, is the rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in high dynamic range (HDR). This allows preservation of details tha ...
using
machine learning
Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence.
Machine ...
(Auto HDR), support for
HDMI 2.1 variable refresh rate
Variable refresh rate (VRR) refers to a dynamic display that can continuously and seamlessly change its refresh rate without user input.
A display supporting a variable refresh rate usually supports a specific ''range'' of refresh rates (e.g. 30 ...
and low-latency modes, and updated
controllers. Xbox Series X was designed to nominally render games in 2160p (
4K resolution) at 60
frames per second
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
(FPS). The lower-end, digital-only Xbox Series S, which has reduced specifications and does not include an optical drive, was designed to nominally render games in
1440p
1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a vertical resolution of 1440 pixels. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 1440 pixel vertical resolution is double the vertical resolution of 720p, and one-third ...
at 120 FPS, with support for 4K
video scaling and ray tracing.
Xbox Series X/S are
backwards-compatible
Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especially in ...
with nearly all Xbox One-compatible games and accessories (including
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
and
original Xbox games that were
made backward-compatible with Xbox One), with the ability for games to automatically benefit from performance and visual improvements enabled by the newer hardware. At launch, Microsoft encouraged a "soft" transition between generations similar to
PC gaming
A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-dete ...
, offering the "Smart Delivery" framework to allow publishers to freely and automatically provide upgraded versions of Xbox One titles with optimizations for Xbox Series X/S. Publishers are not required to use Smart Delivery, and may publish Xbox Series X/S-exclusive titles if they so choose. Developers such as EA do not use Smart Delivery and prefer to sell separate Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions.
Xbox Series X/S received praise from critics for the hardware specifications of the Series X in comparison to older Xbox One models, and Microsoft's emphasis on cross-generation releases, but believed that the games available at launch did not fully leverage the hardware capabilities of the consoles. Microsoft has not officially released sales data for the Xbox Series X/S but stated on July 27, 2021, that they were the fastest-selling Xbox models to-date, and it was estimated that Microsoft had shipped at least 14.6 million units of the two consoles worldwide by June 2022.
History
Initial unveiling and launch
Industry rumors of new Xbox hardware had started as early as June 2018, with Microsoft's
Phil Spencer confirming they were "deep into architecturing the next Xbox consoles" at that time.
The hardware was believed to be a family of devices under the codename "Scarlett", including a low-cost version following a similar scheme as the
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
family of consoles, with major emphasis on game streaming and
backward compatibility
Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especiall ...
.
By March 2019, further industry rumors had led to speculation of two consoles within the Scarlett family under codenames "Anaconda" and the low-cost "Lockhart" version.
Microsoft confirmed Project Scarlett at its
E3 2019
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) was the 25th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
press conference.
Microsoft said they wanted a "soft" transition from Xbox One to Scarlett, with Scarlett supporting backward compatibility with all games and most hardware supported on the Xbox One.
During a presentation at
The Game Awards 2019
The Game Awards 2019 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2019. The event was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Lo ...
, Microsoft officially revealed the design of Scarlett and its branding, "Xbox Series X", as well as a late 2020 release date.
Following the event, a Microsoft spokesperson stated that Xbox Series X constituted an entry in a fourth generation of Xbox hardware, which will be branded simply as "Xbox" with no subtitle.
Microsoft planned to go into detail regarding the hardware specifications and launch games for the Series X at both the 2020
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tuto ...
(GDC) and
E3 2020, but both events were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Microsoft scheduled online presentations over the same planned days in March 2020, while the company planned to reschedule its E3 presentation at a later time. Detailed specifications were presented by Microsoft,
Digital Foundry
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
, and
Austin Evans of Overclock Media on March 16, 2020.
Starting in May and running until launch, Microsoft planned to have additional digital events around the Xbox Series X and its games as part of an "Xbox 20/20" series. This included an Xbox Games Showcase on July 23, 2020, featuring games principally from its first-party
Xbox Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
.
On July 16, 2020, Microsoft announced that it had ended production of the Xbox One X and all-digital version of the Xbox One S in preparation for the new products.
The existence of the Xbox Series S had been speculated prior to the E3 2019 reveal based on a "Project Lockhart", a second, lower-end console that accompanied Scarlett. Confirmation of the Xbox Series S naming was affirmed through early Xbox hardware accessories that some had been able to purchase. Microsoft officially announced the Series S console on September 8, 2020, revealing that it would also be released alongside the Series X in November 2020.
Microsoft pointed out that the Series S had been discreetly placed in the background of previous Xbox announcement videos featuring Phil Spencer during July 2020.
Console Hardware
When Microsoft's Xbox development team started work on the successor to the Xbox One consoles around 2016, they had already envisioned the need to have two console versions similar to their Xbox One X and Xbox One S models to meet the needs of different markets. By developing both units in concert, they would be able to make sure games developed would be able to be played on both systems without exception. As has been tradition with past Xbox projects, the consoles were given code names based on cities. The Xbox Series S was named Project Lockhart, based on the city of
Lockhart, Texas
Lockhart is a city and the county seat of Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 14,379.
History
The city of Lockhart is named after Byrd Lockhart, an assistant surveyor of Green DeWitt and rep ...
, which Aaron Greenberg said was known as "the little city with the big heart".
For the high-end console, the Xbox Series X, Microsoft's primary goals were to: at least double the graphical performance of the
Xbox One X
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts o ...
as measured by its
floating point operations per second (FLOPS), and to increase CPU performance four-fold compared to Xbox One X while maintaining the same acoustic performance from the Xbox One consoles.
As the engineers collected power requirements to meet these specifications, they saw these parts would draw a large amount of internal power (approximately 315
W) and would generate a significant amount of heat.
This led to the decision to split the components onto two separate
circuit boards
A printed circuit board (PCB; also printed wiring board or PWB) is a medium used in electrical and electronic engineering to connect electronic components to one another in a controlled manner. It takes the form of a laminated sandwich struc ...
; one would house the CPU/GPU, memory, and power regulators, and a second board would act as a
Southbridge board for slower
input/output
In computing, input/output (I/O, or informally io or IO) is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, possibly a human or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals ...
(I/O) functions. The boards mounted on opposite sides of an aluminum chassis helped to create air channels for cooling. The remaining components—the
heat sink
A heat sink (also commonly spelled heatsink) is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium, often air or a liquid coolant, where it is dissipated away from the device, th ...
, the
electric shielding, the
power supply
A power supply is an electrical device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. The main purpose of a power supply is to convert electric current from a source to the correct voltage, current, and frequency to power the load. As a ...
, the
optical drive
In computing, an optical disc drive is a disc drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only r ...
, and the
cooling fan—were then arranged in a ''
Tetris
''Tetris'' (russian: link=no, Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appro ...
''-like fashion, according to principal designer Chris Kujawski, to achieve a compact form factor, resulting in the tower-like structure.
To meet the acoustics factor, the system includes numerous sensors for controlling the speed of the fan, and the large open top was necessary to ensure good air flow through the system.
While certain elements like the optical drive, air flow requirements, and heat sink size fixed certain dimensions in the overall form factor, they were satisfied they were able to end up with a square footprint for the unit.
Xbox Series X
Xbox head Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft was prioritizing high frame rates and faster load times over higher resolutions; the Series X achieves this via the better-matched capabilities of the CPU and GPU.
The Xbox Series X is powered by a custom 7 nm
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
Zen 2
Zen 2 is a computer processor microarchitecture by AMD. It is the successor of AMD's Zen and Zen+ microarchitectures, and is fabricated on the 7 nanometer MOSFET node from TSMC. The microarchitecture powers the third generation of Ryzen proce ...
CPU with eight cores running at a nominal 3.8 GHz or, when
simultaneous multithreading (SMT) is used, at 3.6 GHz. One CPU core is dedicated to the underlying operating system.
The integrated
graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, m ...
is also a custom unit based on AMD's
RDNA 2
RDNA (Radeon DNA) is a graphics processing unit (GPU) microarchitecture and accompanying instruction set architecture developed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). It is the successor to their Graphics Core Next (GCN) microarchitecture/instruction ...
graphics architecture. It has a total of 56 compute units (CUs) with 3584 cores, with 52 CUs and 3328 cores enabled, and will be running at a fixed 1.825 GHz. This unit is capable of 12
teraflops of computational power.
The unit ships with 16 GB of
GDDR6 SDRAM
Graphics Double Data Rate 6 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (GDDR6 SDRAM) is a type of synchronous graphics random-access memory (SGRAM) with a high bandwidth, "double data rate" interface, designed for use in graphics cards, game conso ...
, with 10GB running at 560GB/s primarily to be used with the graphics system and the other 6 GB at 336 GB/s to be used for the other computing functions. After accounting for the system software, approximately 13.5 GB of memory will be available for games and other applications, with the system software only drawing from the slower pool.
The Xbox Series X target performance is to render games at
4K resolution at 60 frames per second, with the CPU being about four times as powerful as the Xbox One X CPU and the GPU twice as powerful. The Series X can support up to 120 frames per second and can render up to
8K resolution.
The Xbox Series X's console form is designed to be unobtrusive and minimalistic. It has a footprint, is high, and weighs ;
though it is configured in this vertical orientation, the unit can also be used on its side. Its forward-facing features present only the main power button and an
Ultra HD Blu-ray
Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...
drive.
The top of the unit is a single powerful fan. Spencer stated that the console is as quiet as the Xbox One X.
The Series X includes an HDMI 2.1 output, the storage expansion slot, three
USB 3.2
USB 3.0, released in November 2008, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. Among other improvements, USB 3.0 adds the new transfer rate referred to as '' ...
ports, and an
ethernet port
Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 19 ...
.
The console does not include an infrared blaster or HDMI pass-through like the Xbox One line, supporting
HDMI-CEC instead. An earlier leak had suggested a
TOSLINK
TOSLINK (from ''Toshiba Link'') is a standardized optical fiber connector system. Also known generically as optical audio, its most common use is in consumer audio equipment (via a "digital optical" socket), where it carries a digital audio st ...
port for digital audio, but this was eliminated in the final design.
However, the console still has an IR receiver integrated into its controller pairing button next to the front USB port.
Xbox Series S
![Xbox Series S with controller](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Xbox_Series_S_with_controller.jpg)
The Xbox Series S is comparable in its hardware to the Xbox Series X, similar to how the Xbox One S relates to the Xbox One X, but has less processing power. While it runs the same CPU with slightly slower clock frequencies, it uses a slower GPU, a custom RDNA2 with 20 CUs at 1.55 GHz for 4 TFLOPS, compared to 12 TFLOPS of the Series X. It ships with 10 GB of RAM, with 8 GB running at 224GB/s primarily to be used with the graphics system and the other 2 GB at 56 GB/s to be used for the other computing functions, and a 512 GB SSD storage unit with a raw input/output throughput of 2.4 GB/s.
It does not include an optical drive, thus all games and software must be obtained
digitally via
Microsoft Store
Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform app ...
. It is intended to render games nominally at
1440p
1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a vertical resolution of 1440 pixels. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 1440 pixel vertical resolution is double the vertical resolution of 720p, and one-third ...
, with support for a 4K
upscaler, at 60 frames per second, although it can go as high at 120 frames per second at this resolution. It starts at $299.99.
Selected games can support native 4K resolution output on the Series S, such as ''
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
''Ori and the Will of the Wisps'' is a platform-adventure Metroidvania video game developed by Moon Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. Announced during E3 2017, the title is a direct sequel to 2015's '' Ori and the Blind Forest'', and wa ...
''.
Otherwise, the console has the same functions as the Xbox Series X, including ports, expansions, and game support.
Microsoft designed the Series S to easily fit inside of a small bag or backpack for portability and travel usage.
The Series S unit is about 60% smaller by volume than the Series X, measuring in its vertical orientation. In this orientation, its large side surface features the major exhaust port for active air cooling, similar to the top surface of the Series X; additional vents are then located on the top of the Series S. Like the Series X, the front of the Series S features one USB port and a controller pairing button with an integrated IR receiver. The rear of the console includes the power connector, one HDMI port, two additional USB ports, and an Ethernet port. Like the Series X, the Series S can also be placed horizontally with the exhaust port facing upward to maintain airflow. The Series S launched in a matte white case along with a matching controller, distinguishing it from the matte black that the Series X uses.
Common features
Xbox Velocity Architecture
![Xbox Velocity Architecture logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Xbox_Velocity_Architecture_logo.svg)
Both consoles use a new storage solution, the Xbox Velocity Architecture, that includes hardware and software components to improve transfer speeds within the console, reduce the size of digital downloads, and give developers more flexibility.
Central to this is the internal storage, a custom
NVM Express
NVM Express (NVMe) or Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification (NVMHCIS) is an open, logical-device interface specification for accessing a computer's non-volatile storage media usually attached via PCI Express (PCIe) bus. The ...
(NVMe)
SSD. On the Series X, this is a 1 TB SSD (802 GB available)
with a raw input/output throughput of 2.4 GB/s. An on-board compression/decompression block includes both the industry standard
zlib
zlib ( or "zeta-lib", ) is a software library used for data compression. zlib was written by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler and is an abstraction of the DEFLATE compression algorithm used in their gzip file compression program. zlib is also ...
decompression algorithm and a proprietary BCPack algorithm geared for
game textures, and it gives a combined throughput as high as 4.8 GB/s.
Within the software, a new DirectStorage
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...
within
DirectX allows developers to fine-tune priority to input/output aspects with other processing threads. The software provides sampler feedback streaming that aids in loading multiple textures in segments to deal with
level of detail rendering, rather than having to read these textures as a whole before using them.
The Series S includes a 512 GB SSD (364 GB available)
with similar custom hardware and software specifications.
All SSD storage on the architecture use a
PCI Express 4.0 x2 link.
Developers at
The Coalition found that, without any changes to their code, ''
Gears 5'' loaded four times faster on Xbox Series X than Xbox One X due to the higher throughput on memory and storage and that they would be able to increase this further once they incorporated the new DirectStorage API routines.
The consoles support external storage through a proprietary SSD
expansion card
In computing, an expansion card (also called an expansion board, adapter card, peripheral card or accessory card) is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot (also referred to as a bus sl ...
inserted into the back of the console, which was manufactured exclusively by
Seagate Technology on launch and limited to a 1 TB size when first released. Later versions included 512 GB and 2 TB versions and were released at the end of 2021. As with the Xbox One, the consoles will also support external USB storage, but only
backward compatible games (which can also be transferred directly from an Xbox One console) will be able to run directly from external USB storage. Xbox Series X- and S-native games must be stored on the internal SSD or an expansion card in order to be played, but they can be moved to a USB storage device to save disk space for other games.
The DirectStorage API was released in March 2022 for Windows-based computers for
graphics cards that support DirectX 12 and NVMe SSDs, though games must be programmed to take advantage of the DirectStorage API. DirectStorage was planned to be a built-in feature along with Auto HDR for
Windows 11
Windows 11 is the latest major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system, released in October 2021. It is a free upgrade to its predecessor, Windows 10 (2015), and is available for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 ...
at release in late 2021, as well as offered within Windows 10.
Video and audio rendering technologies
Both the Series X and Series S support real-time
ray-tracing and support the new features of the
HDMI 2.1 standard including
variable refresh rate
Variable refresh rate (VRR) refers to a dynamic display that can continuously and seamlessly change its refresh rate without user input.
A display supporting a variable refresh rate usually supports a specific ''range'' of refresh rates (e.g. 30 ...
(VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) that are currently being incorporated into newer televisions.
The console will have dedicated audio hardware acceleration. A feature called "audio ray tracing" will use the graphics ray tracing processors to process spatial audio in the same manner to improve the audio immersion for the player.
Another goal for Microsoft was to reduce the effects of input latency in order to improve responsiveness, adding support for HDMI 2.1 Auto Low Latency Mode and Variable Refresh Rate features, and "dynamic latency input" technology—a new input pathway that allows developers to incorporate potential controller lag into their games.
AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution, an image upscaling technology competitor to
Nvidia
Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...
's
deep learning super sampling
Deep learning super sampling (DLSS) is a family of real-time deep learning image enhancement and upscaling technologies developed by Nvidia that are exclusive to its RTX line of graphics cards, and available in a number of video games. The goal o ...
(DLSS) to enable higher resolutions and framerates, was added to the Xbox Series X/S in June 2021.
Both consoles support
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the ...
and
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...
technologies. Dolby Vision was initially limited to streaming apps at launch, but was released for games in September 2021.
Comparison
The following table is a comparison of the major components of the fourth generation of Xbox consoles.
Xbox Wireless Controller and Accessories for Xbox Series X/S
![Xbox Wireless Controller, Model 1914 'Shock Blue'](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Xbox_Wireless_Controller%2C_Model_1914_%27Shock_Blue%27.jpg)
Both the Series X and Series S ship with an updated version of the
Xbox Wireless Controller
The Xbox Wireless Controller is the primary game controller for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S home video game consoles, also commercialized for its use in Windows-based PCs, and compatible with other operating systems such as macOS, Linux, ...
which was aimed to be more ergonomic to fit a larger range of hand sizes. They include all the same key buttons as the past controllers: two analog joysticks that can be depressed, a
circle pad, four action buttons, two system buttons ("View" and "Menu"), the main Xbox home button, two grip triggers (left and right), and two shoulder buttons (left and right). The new controller adds a "Share" button alongside the "View" and "Menu" buttons; pressing "Share" once takes a screenshot, while holding the button begins a Game DVR recording.
Microsoft found that by aiming the size to fit an eight-year-old's hands, they were able to make the design fit a larger section of the population; it thus features more sculpted grips, and has reduced and rounded trigger buttons.
The D-pad is a new concave design that senior console designer Ryan Whitaker said was a means to merge the normal D-pad style on the standard Xbox One controller and the version on the Elite variant to accommodate a range of playstyles.
Small tactile dot patterns have been added to the buttons to help players orient fingers on the controls.
The controller continues to use two
AA batteries
AA, Aa, Double A, or Double-A may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* '' America's Army'', a 2002 computer game published by the U.S. Army
* '' Ancient Anguish'', a computer game in existence since 1992
* Aa!, a J-Pop musical group
* D ...
, though a rechargeable battery pack is available as an accessory. Microsoft found from focus group studies that players were split nearly 50/50 on the use of batteries versus recharging and thus gave the controller the option to use either.
The controller uses the same wireless protocol introduced by the Xbox One, and is backward compatible with existing Xbox One consoles. Existing Xbox One controllers are also compatible with Xbox Series X.
The new controller also supports the
Bluetooth Low Energy standard allowing it to pair with mobile devices and other hardware supporting that standard, and has internal storage to remember those connections.
It uses a
USB-C
USB-C (properly known as USB Type-C) is a 24-pin USB connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector. The designation C refers only to the connector's physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the conn ...
connector for wired use and charging (with the optional battery kit) rather than
USB Micro-B.
Spencer said that the Xbox Series X will likely not have immediate
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
(VR) support at launch, and that they expect that any VR support will be based on the
Windows Mixed Reality
Windows Mixed Reality is a platform introduced as part of the Windows 10 and 11 operating system, which provides augmented reality and virtual reality experiences with compatible head-mounted displays.
Its flagship device, Microsoft HoloLens, w ...
components contained within the console's
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on J ...
components, but was otherwise not a focus of the console's development prior to release.
Console Software
Both consoles feature a similar
user interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...
(UI) to the Xbox One, but there has been a 40% reduction in memory use to improve its speed. According to the UI development team, the Home section loads in about half the time as it did on the Xbox One. Other changes include adding rounded UI elements, a more-readable font for text elements, rearrangement of certain aligned features, and improvements to the sharing functions. These changes were brought to the Xbox One system software, the Windows' Xbox application, and the Xbox mobile application around September 2020. Based on system previews, about 200 GB of space was reserved on the internal drive of the Xbox Series X for system files.
Xbox Series S and Series X support "Quick Resume", which allows users to suspend and resume up to three games at once. Games can also be resumed after a reboot of the console.
The March 2022 update added the ability to "pin" up to two games to Quick Resume, keeping them suspended unless otherwise closed manually, or the game must be updated.
As with previous Xbox consoles, Xbox Series S and Series X utilize the
Xbox Live platform for online services. It supports the
Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are video game subscription services from Microsoft. Both services grant users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, fo ...
service, which allows users to download games from an on-demand library on a subscription basis. In October 2021,
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly known as Project xCloud and colloquially known as xCloud) is Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming service. Initially released in beta testing in November 2019, the service later launched for subscribers of Xbox Game Pass ...
—a component of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which allows users to
stream games from Microsoft servers to Xbox consoles, PCs, and
mobile apps
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on des ...
—was upgraded from Xbox One S-based hardware to Xbox Series X-based servers, enabling faster server-side loading times.
Apps for various
streaming media services are available via Microsoft Store; coinciding with the launch of Xbox Series S and Series X, the
Apple TV app
The Apple TV app (also known as Apple TV, TV, and the TV app) is a line of media player software programs developed by Apple Inc. for viewing television shows and films delivered by Apple to consumer electronic devices. It can stream content ...
was released on Xbox platforms for the first time.
Microsoft allows all retail Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles to use an environment known as ‘Dev mode’, which provides developers with a sandbox environment to test their games and applications.
Xbox Series X/S Games
At launch of the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft positioned new games to be available for both the Xbox One and the new consoles.
Xbox Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
head Matt Booty stated that Microsoft wanted to ensure that those who buy Xbox One consoles prior to the Series X/S launch would still "feel that they made a good investment and that we're committed to them with content."
Spencer explained that this approach was about putting the player at the center rather than the console and not "forcing" users to migrate.
According to Spencer, this concept is enabled in part by many of the Xbox Game Studios subsidiaries having familiarity with developing also on personal computers, where there is a wide range of hardware targets to meet. The same approach in personal computer game development was taken to make Xbox Series X/S games that could scale down to perform well on the Xbox One consoles while still taking advantage of the new hardware.
Game developers were able to optimize existing and newly released Xbox One games as Xbox Series X/S versions to take advantage of improved Xbox Series X/S technologies, with higher graphics
throughput
Network throughput (or just throughput, when in context) refers to the rate of message delivery over a communication channel, such as Ethernet or packet radio, in a communication network. The data that these messages contain may be delivered ove ...
and faster
frame rates,
ray tracing, and support for the consoles' storage architecture. For some games, further game improvements from the Xbox One version to Xbox Series X version can be made with the capabilities of the Xbox Series X console; games with this support are marketed with an "Optimized for Series X" logo. Microsoft offered a distribution framework known as "Smart Delivery" that will automatically download Xbox Series X/S versions of backwards compatible games for the console when available; Microsoft has positioned this feature at publishers who plan to release Series X- or Series S-specific versions of games after releasing on Xbox One and to users migrating from an existing Xbox One to an Xbox Series console.
Microsoft does not restrict the ability for developers to release games that are exclusive to Xbox Series X, but the company has preferred a "soft" transition more in line with
PC gaming
A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-dete ...
, where developers can target optimal play on higher-end hardware, but still allow the game to be played with reduced fidelity on lower-end hardware (such as older Xbox One consoles).
Initially, Spencer suggested that their first-party studios' games would support both Xbox One and Xbox Series X platforms for the "next couple of years",
but journalists observed that some of the first-party games introduced in the Xbox Game Showcase in July 2020 omitted mention of the Xbox One, and their websites later updated to omit mention of the Xbox One. While none of these games were believed to be launch titles, they were expected to be released within the window Spencer had previously suggested. This led to Aaron Greenberg, general manager of Xbox Games Marketing, to clarify that these games were being developed for the Xbox Series X first, leaving the choice of adding Xbox One support to their development studios as they went forward.
Microsoft has not placed any similar requirements on a soft transition for third-party developers and publishers, allowing them to offer Xbox Series X exclusives or other routes to upgrade from the Xbox One edition of a game, though ''
Video Games Chronicle
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' reported that Microsoft had urged publishers to keep the upgrade path free if they took that option.
CD Projekt RED
CD Projekt S.A. () is a Polish video game developer, publisher and distributor based in Warsaw, founded in May 1994 by Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński. Iwiński and Kiciński were video game retailers before they founded the company, whi ...
and
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...
have committed to using Smart Delivery for their upcoming releases.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
affirmed that ''
Madden NFL 21
''Madden NFL 21'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. It is an installment of the long-running ''Madden NFL'' series. It was released for Micros ...
'' will have a free update patch from the Xbox One version to the Xbox Series X version prior to the release of the next ''Madden NFL'' game.
The Xbox Game Preview program, which allows games to be released through an
early access
Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alph ...
model, continued into the Xbox Series X/S line with ''
Spacebase Startopia'' in January 2021.
Backward compatibility
Microsoft stated that the Xbox Series X and Series S would support all existing games playable on
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
(excluding those that require the
Kinect sensor),
including
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
and
original Xbox games currently supported through
backward compatibility on the Xbox One, thus allowing the new consoles to support four generations of games.
To achieve this level of compatibility, Microsoft announced in June 2019 that they would no longer be bringing any additional Xbox 360 or original Xbox games into the Xbox One backward compatibility program, and they would instead be using their manpower to make sure these older games were playable on the Xbox Series X. Backward compatibility is a launch feature, with Microsoft having put more than 500,000 man-hours in validating thousands of games from the supported Xbox One library; Spencer said in December 2019 that he himself had been helping to test backward compatibility games. As Microsoft neared launch, they reopened the means for players to suggest additional games to add to backward compatibility, stating "Resurrecting titles from history often presents a complex mix of technical and licensing challenges, but the team is committed to doing everything we can to continue to preserve our collective gaming legacy."
It is possible for advanced graphic processes options not originally programmed into these older games to be worked into the game when played on the console, such as automated
High-dynamic-range rendering
High-dynamic-range rendering (HDRR or HDR rendering), also known as high-dynamic-range lighting, is the rendering of computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in high dynamic range (HDR). This allows preservation of details tha ...
(HDR) support using
machine learning
Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence.
Machine ...
, framerate doubling, 16x
anisotropic filtering
In 3D computer graphics, anisotropic filtering (abbreviated AF) is a method of enhancing the image quality of textures on surfaces of computer graphics that are at oblique viewing angles with respect to the camera where the projection of the ...
, and resolution upscale.
Work done by the Xbox Advanced Technology Group prior to launch was focused on how far into the backward-compatibility library they could take these improvements, including into original Xbox games, adding in features like HDR or improving the framerate of games that may have been programmed to be locked at a specific framerate. Backward compatible games are supported under the Quick Resume feature as well. Cloud saves can be used to migrate from Xbox One, and Microsoft stated that it would also add free cloud saves to the Xbox 360 so it can be migrated to a Series S/X console as well.
Xbox Series S can play Xbox One games with improved performance,
texture filtering
In computer graphics, texture filtering or texture smoothing is the method used to determine the texture color for a texture mapped pixel, using the colors of nearby texels (pixels of the texture). There are two main categories of texture filtering ...
, and auto HDR support, but it does not support Xbox One X-specific enhancements. Microsoft is providing tools for developers to check the performance of their Xbox One games on the Series X and S consoles, which can suggest optimizations "as easy as changing three lines of code" to support the improvements in backward compatibility. In February 2021, Microsoft introduced FPS Boost, a feature for select backward-compatible games that the company said can improve the framerate of these titles on the Xbox Series X and Series S by two to four times. This is a feature that Microsoft's engineers must prepare for each game, with five games supported initially and more to be rolled out over time. Microsoft developed FPS Boost after finding that for many backward compatible games, the CPU and GPU on the newer consoles frequently entered their idle states even with the other enhancements in place, and so they sought ways to use the unused processing cycles to further enhance the older games' performance. As of May 2021, about 97 games were updated to support FPS Boost.
In March 2021, Microsoft started testing the Auto HDR feature with Windows-compatible games and computers that meet minimal requirements supported through DirectX.
Release and promotion
In March 2020, Microsoft stated that despite the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, they expected the Xbox Series X to ship by the end of 2020, though they were monitoring supply chains and the safety of their workers. Then, Spencer believed that while the hardware will continue to ship on time, games poised for the release window of Xbox Series X may be delayed due to the pandemic. By August 2020, Microsoft committed to a November 2020 release window for the Xbox Series X, affirming the console's release was still on track.
Both the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles launched on November 10, 2020,
with the Series X priced at , , and and the Series S priced at , , and . In China, the systems would release on June 10, 2021. Microsoft affirmed that 31 games would be available at launch, including those from its Xbox Game Studios and from other third-party publishers, in addition to those from its Xbox One backwards compatibility. While ''
Halo Infinite
''Halo Infinite'' is a 2021 first-person shooter game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the sixth mainline entry in the ''Halo'' series, following '' Halo 5: Guardians'' (2015).
The campaign follows the h ...
'' had been planned as a launch title when the Series X console was first revealed, Microsoft and
343 Industries
343 Industries is an American video game developer located in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the ''Halo (franchise), Halo'' series of military science fiction games, origin ...
opted to delay its release until after the console's launch due to production issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Microsoft will continue its
Xbox All-Access financing plans (which bundle the hardware, Xbox Live Gold, and Xbox Game Pass as part of a monthly payment plan) for the Series X. Current All Access plans with the Xbox One will include routes to upgrade to the Xbox Series X, and Spencer states that there will be similar upgrades from the Xbox Series X in the future. The All-Access option for the Xbox Series X option will be based on a 24-month plan at while the Series S will be based on a plan.
Upon reveal of the Xbox Series X's vertical form factor, a popular Internet
meme compared the design to a mini
refrigerator. In the lead-up to the console's release, Microsoft manufactured a limited number of refrigerators modeled after the Xbox Series X exterior, complete with a disk drive handle, green interior
ambient lighting, and the Xbox startup sound. Some were distributed to celebrities like
Snoop Dogg and
iJustine
Justine Ezarik ( ; born March 20, 1984) is an American YouTuber. She is best known as iJustine, with over one billion views on her YouTube channel. She gained attention as a lifecaster who communicated directly with her millions of viewers on ...
, and others were offered as part of promotional contests. In March 2021, in collaboration with Microsoft,
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
offered smaller mini-fridges modeled off the Xbox Series X to promote his line of Zoa energy drinks; Microsoft's Greenberg stated that this was a trial run to see if the Xbox mini-fridge would have potential sales options beyond this promotion. After followers of the official Xbox Twitter account helped the brand to win in a Twitter marketing vote-based championship in April 2021, Greenberg affirmed that Microsoft will proceed with producing Xbox Series X mini-fridges for purchase. Microsoft announced during
E3 2021
The Electronic Entertainment Experience 2021 (E3 2021) was the 26th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by the Entert ...
that these mini fridges would be available to purchase by end-of-year holiday period in 2021. Microsoft opened pre-orders for the mini-fridge in October 2021, with plans for distribution in December 2021 in North America and European markets.
Reception
At launch, critics praised the new console hardware and commented positively on its improved graphics, reduction of loading times, and strong backward compatibility support, but, due to the lack of any console exclusives, remained hesitant of the console's true power. Because of this, at launch, many did not feel these consoles truly represented the next generation of home consoles. The lack of significant launch-day exclusive titles designed to show off the new hardware capabilities, as well as the familiar controller shape and user interface, was considered by some to be disappointing given the next-generation focus of Sony's PlayStation 5. The Series X was generally considered the better unit when compared to the Series S, as the computation and space limitations of the latter made it a less user-friendly experience to navigate but still otherwise functional. ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
''
's Richard Leadbetter stated "I love the hardware in terms of what I can potentially experience with it and the expert implementation of many of its forward-looking features—but a console is defined by its games, and in that sense, I still feel that I barely know the machine at all." Keza MacDonald of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' said that while there is no immediate driving force to buy the consoles at launch, "there's not much to criticise: they do everything they promised to do, and they do it well." ''
Gamasutra
''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...
'' Kris Graft and Chris Kerr said that "Microsoft has delivered two highly appealing entry points that can turn players into long-term customers, while at the same time erasing the idea of 'generations,' exposing people to more games, past, present and future."
In November 2021, Jordan Ramée of ''GameSpot'' acknowledged that Xbox Series X and S had begun to see higher-profile console-exclusive releases since their launch (such as ''
Forza Horizon 5'', ''
Psychonauts 2
''Psychonauts 2'' is a platform game developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2015 ceremony, and released on August 25, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S ...
,'' and the third-party titles ''
The Artful Escape
''The Artful Escape'' is a platform video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur, published by Annapurna Interactive for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was released on September 9, 2021, and released for PlayStation ...
'' and ''
The Big Con''), and that Smart Delivery was a "crucial" feature of the consoles—praising the system for being seamless and automatic unlike PlayStation 5, whose user interface "did not make it abundantly clear which version of a game you were choosing to download and play, occasionally resulting in players accidentally putting the PS4 version of a game on their PS5." He also felt that migrating from an older Xbox One was easier than migrating from PS4 to PS5, citing Smart Delivery, automatic synchronization of save data, and maintaining the same user interface.
Sales
Microsoft announced that the Xbox Series X/S was the biggest Xbox console launch, with more consoles sold in more countries in its first 24 hours than any previous Xbox. The record was previously held by the Xbox One, which sold more than one million units at launch. The Xbox Series S has attracted a higher percentage of new Xbox players than any previous Microsoft consoles. Microsoft's CEO,
Satya Nadella, would affirm in an earnings call on July 27, 2021 that the Series X and S consoles were the fastest selling Xbox consoles ever. Microsoft has not revealed the exact sales numbers of the Xbox Series X/S, having last revealed sales figure for Xbox consoles in 2014. However, estimates from industry analysts and exact sales from specific regions are available.
Daniel Ahmed, a Niko Partners analyst, has provided estimates for the worldwide sell-through of the Xbox Series X/S. The combined worldwide sales of the Xbox Series X and Series S would have reached 3.5 million by December 31, 2020. Sales would increase to 6.5 million by June 30, 2021, outpacing the 5.7 million units sold of the Xbox One and the 5 million units of the Xbox 360 in the same timeframe. Sales worldwide are estimated to have reached 8 million by September 30, 2021, and 12 million units by the end of 2021.
Certified sales data are available in certain regions through providers, such as GfK in Europe and
Famitsu
formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...
in Japan. In the UK, 155,000 units were sold on launch day, two-thirds of which were Xbox Series X consoles. Sales in the region would reach 310,000 by the end of 2020, and 1 million by the end of 2021. The Series X variety accounted for 43% of all the Xbox Series consoles sold over 2021 in the UK. There were 16,247 Xbox Series X and 4,287 Xbox Series S systems sold throughout Japan during the launch week, for a combined total of 20,534 units sold.
Sales in Japan would cross 116,000 in November 2021, outselling the lifetime Japanese sales of the Xbox One in under a year. There were 10,500 Xbox Series X and 3,600 Xbox Series S systems sold throughout Spain during the launch week for a combined total of 14,100 units sold. By the end of 2020, 30,850 Xbox Series X and S systems had been sold in Spain.
Shortages
The
2020–present global chip shortage
The 2020–present global chip shortage is an ongoing global crisis in which the demand for integrated circuits (commonly known as semiconductor chips) exceeds the supply, affecting more than 169 industries. The crisis has led to major price inc ...
caused the supply of Xbox consoles to fall short of demand. Upon launch, with high demand outstripping supply for both models, the consoles almost immediately sold out across all retailers and in all markets.
Spencer stated that they had gotten a later start on manufacturing the console in mid-2020 as they were waiting for key AMD chip technology to be in place, which reduced the availability of supply at launch, and though they had reached full production capacity by launch, they were still rushing to meet sales demand, as well as having made projections on proportions of Series X versus Series S sales. Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart has stated that shortages were likely to persist through the first quarter of 2021, but their supply chain was expected to be up to full capacity by the second quarter of the calendar year.
The shortage of supply at launch led to scalping on Internet marketplace sites, with consoles going for as high as . Starting in May 2021, Microsoft offered those in the Xbox Insiders program the ability to sign up for its Console Purchase Pilot program to be placed on a priority list to purchase an Xbox Series X or Series S directly from Microsoft, though only a limited number of units will be offered through this program.
Although Microsoft was unable to produce enough units to satisfy demand during 2021, the revenue from consoles increased over prior years, due to higher unit prices and large volumes sold.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Electronics, Video games
2020 in video gaming
2020s toys
Backward-compatible video game consoles
Computer-related introductions in 2019
Home video game consoles
Microsoft video game consoles
Ninth-generation video game consoles
Products introduced in 2020
X86-based game consoles
Regionless game consoles