It's been a big week for next-gen consoles. On Monday, the Xbox Series X provided its fans with a plethora of new features and confirmed its specs. Today, the PS5 specs were revealed, and now, it seems the Xbox Series X seems to be raising the ante by narrowing down its release window.
Prior to this, it's been a stated fact that the PS5 and Xbox Series X would release in the fall 2020. This suggests a release date as early as September or as late as December, and that's without the coronavirus delaying either next-gen console. Now, it seems there's a chance Xbox Series X fans may be able to pick up their console by Thanksgiving 2020.
An Xbox product page website displayed a Thanksgiving release window for the Xbox Series X. This could theoretically mean that it will actually launch on that day, but that seems unlikely. The more plausible scenario is that, by "Thanksgiving 2020," Xbox means the month of November and likely late that month. Chances are, Xbox would also want the console out by Black Friday for the consumer holiday, so at the very least, fans can expect its full launch prior to and no later than November 26, 2020.
It should be noted that this has since changed to Holiday 2020, but this slip may still suggest a Thanksgiving release window. After all, this slip wouldn't likely exist if there wasn't some truth to it, and a November release date is a realistic expectation.
Perhaps what is the most interesting about this reveal is that it flies in the face of the current coronavirus pandemic. While nothing has been announced delaying the consoles, many have expected it due to the ongoing gaming events being delayed or canceled, as well as work-from-home policies adopted across the industry. For example, while the Final Fantasy 7 Remake is still set to drop on its release date, Square Enix recently announced that many may not get their hands on it day one.
It's possible that Xbox Series X's possible Thanksgiving release window will follow suit. Consoles may be available then (otherwise, it doesn't seem likely that Microsoft would make this slip), yet it's possible that there's not enough supply to meet demand. Either way, it's uncertain for now, but hopefully, an exact release date is provided at Xbox's digital E3 replacement. Fans now know when the month they need to have the funds ready, at the very least.
The Xbox Series X releases Holiday 2020.
Source: Xbox