Xbox Series X and Series S

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (referred on Microsoft's site as the Xbox Series X/S) are home video game consoles produced by Microsoft. They were both launched on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation of the Xbox console family, succeeding the Xbox One. The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, alongside Sony's PlayStation 5.

In early 2019, rumors regarding the consoles first circulated, with the entire line referred to as "Scarlett" and split into high-end and low-end models named "Anaconda" and "Lockhart," respectively. Internally, Microsoft was pleased with the two-console strategy for the Xbox One and planned to employ a similar approach for the fourth generation Xbox console, aiming for the top-tier model to at least double the performance of the Xbox One X.

The top-of-the-line Xbox One X was first previewed at E3 2019 under the name "Project Scarlett," and its appearance and design as Xbox Series X were revealed during The Game Awards in December. In September 2020, Microsoft unveiled the less expensive model, the Xbox Series S.

The Xbox X has more powerful hardware and supports higher display resolutions (up to 8K resolution), as well as faster frame rates and real-time ray tracing; it also has a high-speed solid-state drive (SSD) for quicker load times. The less expensive Xbox Series S has the same CPU as the more expensive console, but its GPU is considerably less powerful, it only has half the memory and internal storage, and it lacks an optical drive.

Both consoles are designed to work with virtually all Xbox One games, controllers, and accessories, including those from earlier Xbox consoles that are compatible with the backwards compatibility feature on the Xbox One. Microsoft positioned their own first-party games and a number of third-party titles at launch to be available for both Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in order to assist gamers transition between generations by providing them "Smart Delivery" distribution technology so they may freely provide additional improvements to an Xbox One game for either the X or S series.

The consoles are also Xbox One X Enhanced, which means they're backward compatible with the original Xbox One games. They're also HDMI 2.0b-ready, so you can connect them to any modern television or monitor that supports this standard (including 4K televisions).

Initial unveiling and launch

In mid-June 2018, industry buzz about new Xbox hardware began, with Microsoft's Phil Spencer stating that they were "quite far into the planning stages for the next Xbox consoles." The hardware was supposed to be a family of devices known as "Scarlett" (formerly known as "Genesis"), including a low-cost version with a similar strategy as the Xbox One family of consoles. With major emphasis on game streaming and backward compatibility.

•  Two consoles within the Scarlett family were said to be codenamed "Anaconda" and the low-cost "Lockhart" version by March 2019, further industry rumors fueled speculation of two consoles inside the Scarlett family.
•  At its E3 2019 press conference, Microsoft revealed Project Scarlett. Microsoft stated that it wanted a "gentle" switchover from Xbox One to Scarlett, with Scarlett enabling backward compatibility with all games and most hardware supported on the Xbox One. Microsoft officially unveiled the design of Scarlett and her branding, "Xbox Series X," during a presentation at The Game Awards 2019.
• Following the event, a Microsoft official stated that Xbox Series X was the first in a fourth generation of Xbox hardware to be called simply "Xbox" with no subtitle.
• At E3 2020, Microsoft had intended to hold online events on the same days as previously announced. The introduction of the Xbox Series X had been delayed. On March 16, 2020, Digital Foundry, Austin Evans of Overclock Media, and Microsoft revealed extensive details about the Xbox X Series. Starting in May and continuing through launch, Microsoft planned to host additional digital events regarding the Xbox X Series and its games as part of an "Xbox 20/20" series.
• On July 23, 2020, Microsoft will host an Xbox Games Showcase at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The event will feature games developed by Microsoft's first-party Xbox Game Studios and is intended to promote the new consoles. In preparation for the next versions, Microsoft announced that it was shutting down production of the Xbox One X and all-digital version of the Xbox One S on July 16, 2020.
• Prior to the E3 2019 reveal, there had been reports that the Xbox Series S was being developed, based on a "Project Lockhart," a second, lower-end console that went with Scarlett. The Xbox Series S name was confirmed through early Xbox hardware accessories that some had been able to purchase.
• On September 8, 2020, Microsoft announced the Series S console, which it said would be released alongside the Series X in November 2020. During July 2020, Microsoft highlighted that the Series S had been mysteriously hidden in Phil Spencer's previous Xbox announcement videos.