With the next generation of consoles on the horizon, fans are still unsure which of Sony or Microsoft’s offerings will come out on top. While the PlayStation 4 has easily dominated this generation, the Xbox 360 was looked on by many as the prevailing console of the last generation, so it’s clear that either the Xbox Series X or the PlayStation 5 could rise to prominence at the end of the year. However, it looks as though Microsoft might just have a secret weapon to bring potential PlayStation 5 buyers aboard, and it would no doubt go down extremely well with fans.
A new leak posted over on Reddit appears to reveal that, alongside the base Xbox Series X, Microsoft could be releasing a cheaper Xbox Series S model that would sacrifice performance in favor of affordability. This would fall more in line with old rumors suggesting that Microsoft could be developing two next-generation consoles codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart, with the former being the Series X and the latter being the Series S.
The Reddit post, which shows a detailed analysis of the alleged Series S's specifications, was supposedly released after somebody uncovered a mysterious AMD APU. Testing the AMD, the user found that it housed a 4.0GHz octa-core processor, an unknown graphics processing unit, and 16GB of GDDRX memory shared between RAM (12GB) and VRAM (4GB). Essentially, it appears as though this could be a less powerful console than the rumored specifications of the Xbox Series X, running at 1440p and 60 fps. It seems, once again, that Microsoft could be looking to make the Xbox brand even more accessible. The full specifications can be seen below:
Although the leak should be taken with a grain of salt, this would be a smart move from Microsoft, especially as PlayStation has made massive strides this generation and cemented itself as the biggest console developer in the world. Xbox would be wise to find some unique selling point that would appeal to players, and a cheaper alternative to the Series X could be just that, especially as it seems this generation of gaming hardware could be more expensive than ever before.
Luckily, It seems fans won’t have long to wait before they discover more about both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. While the former will likely be discussed in more detail at this year’s E3, the latter is rumored to have a major PS5 reveal event next month. There’s no denying that the PlayStation 5’s reveal will be a massive moment for the console, but if Xbox has a cheaper alternative hidden up its sleeve, it will no doubt be a tough rival for Sony to overcome.