Pricing and release dates have been announced for the Xbox Series X and S, along with a massive lineup of launch titles.
Do you hear that? That chugga-chugga sound, echoing in from the distance, coming ever closer? That’s right, console gamers – the Xbox hype train is pulling into the station, and now it even has a destination and the promise of sights to see on arrival.
The new generation of Xbox consoles has been slated for release worldwide on November 10th, with pre-ordering becoming available September 22nd. The Xbox Series X will retail in Australia for $749, and its little brother, the Series S, will be $499.
This should come as pleasant news to Australians who’ve become used to paying a premium in comparison to our gaming counterparts in the rest of the world, as this pricing actually works out to be slightly lower than that of the US, accounting for their state taxes and our GST.
As an added bonus, subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will also include EA Play, which means access to the entire EA streamable library. That’s a pretty sweet deal, considering that it includes flagship series like Titanfall, Battlefield, The Sims, and all things EA Sports.
This is the tweet…
Xbox Series X: AU$749/NZ$799 (RRP)
Xbox Series S: AU$499/NZ$549 (RRP)
Release date: November 10
Pre-order starts September 22: https://t.co/TL11A4LJYn | #PowerYourDreams pic.twitter.com/CHvmqSfIF6
— Xbox ANZ (@XboxANZ) September 9, 2020
Official pricing has also been announced for Xbox All Access, which allows users to make monthly payments for both the console and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, in much the same way you can get a new mobile on a plan. You can get your mitts on the Series X for $46 a month over two years, for a total of $1104. The Series S will set you back $33 a month, totalling $792.
Those who have been chomping at the bit for this release will also be impressed by the lineup of titles that’ll be available on the launch date or soon afterwards. Of particular note is Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which has had its release date pushed forward to launch alongside the Xbox Series X/S. Sadly absent is Halo: Infinite, which has had its release delayed to 2021.
The full lineup of confirmed launch titles includes:
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Gears Tactics
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- Dirt 5
- WRC 9: World Rally Championship
- Fortnite
- The Falconeer
- Tetris Effect: Connected
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
The list of titles to be released “at or around launch” is longer still. Highlights include Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Cyberpunk 2077, which will be available through Xbox One backwards comparability until it’s updated for the next-gen consoles in 2021.
By Thomas Noss
After the leaked controller packaging, it’s nice to finally see the Xbox Series S made official. It’s being advertised as “next gen performance in the smallest Xbox ever”, so let’s see how the console matches up to the Series X.
The Series S includes a custom NVME SSD, powered by Xbox Velocity architecture. The next gen game console has fast load times and “seamless” game switching.
The Series S boasts an all digital system; 1440P at up to 120FPS, with DirectX Raytracing, plus variable rate shading and refresh rate. With ultra-low latency and 4K streaming media payback and upscaling for games, this is a device to look out for.
With the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, owners of the Series S can play over 100 high-quality games. They’ll be optimised for the device, making gameplay better than ever.
👀 Let’s make it official!
Xbox Series S | Next-gen performance in the ˢᵐᵃˡˡᵉˢᵗ Xbox ever. $299 (ERP).
Looking forward to sharing more! Soon. Promise. pic.twitter.com/8wIEpLPVEq
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 8, 2020
Suffice to say, Xbox fans have suddenly got a lot to be excited about.
