It’s been many years since Microsoft released a new generation game console, and starting November 10, the wait is finally over with the official release of not one but two consoles, including the “Xbox Series X” and “Xbox Series S.”
The Xbox Series X is the most powerful console ever released priced at $499 featuring a custom 8-core AMD zen 2 processor running at 3.8GHz, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, AMD RDNA 2 graphics with 12 teraflops and 52 compute units clocked at 1.825GHz, custom PCIe 4.0 super-fast NVME 1TB Solid-State Drive (SSD), and Blu-Ray disc drive.
With this hardware configuration, the console offers unmatched 4K graphics at 60fps out-of-the-box, but it also supports up to 8K resolution at 120fps. In addition, the Xbox Series X includes Ray Tracing, which is a new technology that enables more realistic lighting changes dynamically inside the game.
On the other hand, the Xbox Series S is a smaller and more affordable console priced at $299. Similar to its bigger brother, the Series S offers an 8-core AMD zen 2 processor and AMD RDNA 2 graphics, but slightly tweaked down to a 3.6GHz for the processor and 4 teraflops and 20 compute units clocked at 1.565GHz for the graphics processor. Also, this console comes with less memory (10GB of GDDR6 RAM) and half of the storage (PCIe 4.0 NVME 512GB SSD). Furthermore, since this is the All-Digital version, this console doesn’t come with a Blu-Ray disc drive.
However, even with the tweaked down hardware, the Xbox Series S is well equipped to play next generation games – just not in native 4K. This hardware configuration allows 1440p gameplay with support for up to 120fps, hardware-accelerated DirectX Ray Tracing and Variable Rate Shading.
See also Xbox Series X vs. Xbox Series S: which one you should buy.
Where to buy Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
If you have been waiting for one of these consoles, you can order them from many retailers around the world, including the Microsoft Store and Amazon.
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series S
Alongside these retailers, in the United States, you can order the consoles at Best Buy (X) and (S), Newegg, Target, Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, and Gamestop.
In Canada, the consoles are also available at the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, EB Games, The Source, and other participating retailers.
In the United Kingdom, you can order at the Microsoft Store, GAME, Amazon, Dixons, Currys PC World, Argos, John Lewis, Smyths Toys, VERY, AO, Tesco, Simply Game, Shopto and other retailers.
In Australia, the new Xbox consoles are available at the Microsoft Store, JB Hifi, EB Games, Telstra, Harvey Norman, and other retailers. In New Zealand, you may be able to find the next gen consoles at the Microsoft Store, JB HiFi, EB Games, Spark, and other retailers. Also, across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the console can be found at the Microsoft Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt, GameStop, FNAC, Elkjøp/Elgiganten, among participating retailers.
It’s worth pointing out that due to the pandemic and demand, it could turn out difficult to snag a console on launch day. Also, a lot of retailers like Target and Best Buy are only making the console available through the online store front.
Xbox All Access program
In addition, Microsoft also has the Xbox All Access program, which allows you to get the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S and Game Pass Ultimate for monthly payments of $35 and $25 (for 24 months) respectively with no upfront cost.
If you’re interesting on upgrading your gaming experience without having to pay the full price upfront, you can apply to this program in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, and Sweden.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.