The existence of the Xbox Series S has long been rumoured, with leaks showing references to the budget console on the packaging for controllers, among others.
Now, after first being revealed in a leak by Brad Sams at Thurrott, Microsoft have confirmed the look and price of the junior Xbox model — which comes in at a surprisingly low $299 / £249 / €299.
In another leak, a Twitter account named 'WalkingCat' has seemingly dropped the Series S launch trailer, which reveals the console's features.
Coming in at roughly 60% smaller than the Series X, the console will have a custom 512 GB NVME SSD that promises 'incredibly fast load times' and 'seamless game switching.
The all-digital machine also promises 1440p resolution at frame rates up to 120 fps, DirectX raytracing, variable rate shading and refresh rates, and 4K for both streaming media and upscaling for games.
Between the rather low capacity of the SSD and the price, the Series S seems purposefully designed to push Microsoft's Game Pass as a defining feature, offering hundreds of games for a low monthly subscription.
Of course, there were bound to be a few jokes at the design of the machine from well-known industry analysts...
The $299 price point is an aggressive move by Microsoft, and now all eyes turn to Sony and the forthcoming PlayStation 5 price reveal.
The two companies' strategies have diverged markedly with these next-gen consoles, with Microsoft choosing to go down the route of machines of different specifications, and Sony offering two versions of essentially the same hardware.
No release date has been announced for either the Series X or Series S, with some leaks suggesting November 10.
Packaging for a new Xbox controller purchased online appears to confirm the existence of the Xbox Series S, a long-rumoured reduced-spec version of the Series X known under the name of Project Lockhart.
