Detailed Xbox Series S Specifications Leak – Microsoft’s Affordable Next-Gen Xbox

Microsoft’s cost-effective Xbox Series S console will allow gamers to enter the next generation without insane hardware costs. With the same technology underpinning the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, inter-compatibility shouldn’t be an issue, with the only significant hardware difference between the systems being their graphics performance. 

Specifications for Microsoft’s Xbox Series S console have leaked, coming via Tweaktown and Tom Warren, a writer for The Verge. After completing some basic TFLOPS calculations, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S console will deliver gamers slightly under 4 TFLOPS of RDNA 2 graphics performance, using 20 RDNA 2 CUs at 1.55GHz. 

On the CPU-side, the Xbox Series S’ processor is identical to the Xbox Series X. This makes sense, as both systems need to be able to handle identical CPU loads to offer inter-compatibility. Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is designed to be a lower resolution Xbox Series X, and that means that its CPU needs to be strong enough to handle all Xbox Series X titles. 

Xbox Series S is said to contain 10GB of GDDR6 memory, a cutback which will reduce the memory bandwidth that’s available to the system. This cutback will be dealt with through the use of lower resolution textures in next-generation titles. This change should be difficult to notice given the Xbox Series S’ lowered game resolution targets. 

To lower production costs, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S console is said to lack a disk drive. This change would also reduce the size and weight of their low-cost console, which would in-turn offer Microsoft’s reduced shipping costs as well as a lower material cost for their next-generation system. That being said, lacking a disk-drive will cut 4K Blu-Ray support and make backwards compatibility with non-digital Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games impossible.