Today is a big day for Xbox fans as the new generation of Xbox consoles, the Series S and the Series X both went up for pre-order here in the UK as well as in the rest of the world. Pre-orders in the UK started at 8am BST this morning and the time to start is staggered across the world, 8am PT, 8am AEST and 8am NZST.

Series X

We knew the Series X was coming for a long time, Microsoft announced the console in December last year. The Series X replaces the existing Xbox One line up and has the best on paper specs of any console on sale now and dives head first into 4K gaming. The Series X is $499 in the US and £449.99 in the UK or Microsoft is offering ‘Xbox All Access’ and for £28.99 you get:

  • Xbox Series X console
  • 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

At 0% interest over 24 months and at the end, you keep the Xbox.

The Series X is best used with a 4K TV or monitor and supports HDR, HDMI 2.1 and 120Hz refresh rate. Microsoft is also only offering one storage option with the Series X, a 1TB SSD so no more spinning drives here, for expansion Microsoft is partnering with Seagate on the ‘1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card’ which works with the Series X and the Series S.

The Series X also retains the Disc drive on the front.

Series S

The Xbox Series S is the newest model, it was announced a few weeks ago and is much more affordable than the Series X. The Series X focuses on 4K gaming and for those who don’t need that benefit, that is where the Series S sits, it is much smaller, thinner and costs almost half what the Series X does.

The Series S is $299 in the US and £249.99 in the UK or Microsoft is offering ‘Xbox All Access’ and for £20.99 you get:

  • Xbox Series S console
  • 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

At 0% interest over 24 months and at the end, you keep the Xbox.

The Series S is also a disc less console, meaning you can play the games from Game Pass and or buy new games from the online store and download them. So why is the Series S so much cheaper than the Series X? – Well the Series S doesn’t focus on 4K gaming, instead it maxes out at 1440p – but it’ll still stream Netflix and other services in 4K. The Series S also has less storage, 512GB SSD but you can expand using the expansion cards, like on the Series X.

Ordering

Series X

Microsoft US

Amazon UK

Series S

Microsoft UK

Amazon UK

Both consoles will be available from 10th November later this year.

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