Microsoft capped off its Xbox Games Showcase with the reveal of a brand-new Xbox Series S console. Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase was an exciting flurry of brand-new game reveals, giving players glimpses of games like Fable 4, Avowed, and other big-time Xbox console exclusives on the horizon.
The Xbox Games Showcase was fittingly focused on new games that are in the works for Xbox consoles and PC. There were virtually no other types of announcements at the show, with the exception of the big reveal of a new kind of Xbox Series S console that dropped right before the showcase transitioned to the Starfield Direct presentation.
The new Xbox Series S console comes in a sleek Carbon Black color with a controller to match, as opposed to the currently-available white Xbox Series S console. The big selling point of the new Xbox Series S console is its expanded internal storage. Whereas the original Xbox Series S console only has 500 GB, the Xbox Series S Carbon Black console comes with a whopping 1 TB of storage. Gamers will have to pay extra for the expanded storage, as the Xbox Series S Carbon Black console will retail for $349.99 when it launches on September 1, as opposed to the $299.99 that the standard Xbox Series S console costs.
Xbox Series S Carbon Black Console Price and Release Date
- Release Date: September 1
- Price: $349.99
The Xbox Series S Carbon Black console doesn't appear to have any kind of power advantage over the currently-available Xbox Series S console. This means that Xbox gamers can expect it to be significantly weaker than the Xbox Series X. However, the fact that it's cheaper than the Xbox Series X and comes with 1 TB built-in may still make it a worthwhile investment, especially for those who have a fully digital library.
The Xbox Series S Carbon Black console will not have a disc drive. Like the original Xbox Series S console, the Carbon Black console is a digital-only machine, making it ideal for Xbox Game Pass. The lack of a disc-drive will no doubt be a dealbreaker for Xbox gamers that have an extensive library of physical games that they would want to play on the new machine, but it won't matter to others.
The new Xbox Series S Carbon Black console addresses one of the major shortcomings of the original Series S. Those that have yet to get an Xbox console this generation may very well want to consider picking one up, especially if they were impressed by the games shown at the Xbox Games Showcase event.
Xbox Series S Carbon Black launches September 1 for $349.99.