Microsoft has exhibited an Xbox Series X prototype at the Xperion eArena show. The images bring us closer to a first real look at the Microsoft console, although it is unknown if the commercial version will be identical to what is shown or will have some final change that in any case would be minimal.
Microsoft prepares the launch of its new generation of consoles. And we speak in the plural since all the indications point to the commercialization of two versions Series X and Series S (respective code name “Anaconda” and “Lockhart”) as it had been handled from the beginning.
The Xbox Series X prototype images basically confirm what we knew about the design of the console. It is a vertical rectangle, smaller than you can imagine from the press images, with a width less than that of a control knob and a height two and a half times that of the controller.
The external design is imposed by a complete renovation, from scratch, of the entire interior of the console. Microsoft promises a huge performance boost over all previous Xbox with the SoC custom designed with the latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures from AMD, but also improvements in cooling and noise.
Thus, and for the first time in a video game console, the motherboard is divided into two parts to improve the operating temperature of its components. A passive heat sink built into the chassis, a steam chamber and a fan located on the top of the console are focused on this.
The design is designed so that three air flow channels evenly distribute the temperatures generated by the components. The external design has a lot to do with it to fulfill Microsoft’s promise: “the console does not heat up or make noise.”
- Halo Infinite won’t be at the Xbox Series X launch
- This is how the Velocity tech works in Xbox Series X
- Microsoft renames Xbox Game Pass: it’ll be “Game Pass”
For the rest, the Xbox Series X prototype shows us the power button and the USB port on the front, the fan grille on the top cover and the connections on the back, including the HDMI output, more USB ports or the slot for external SSD storage.
Once the new console interface is shown, we have two other important questions to know, availability and price. November 5 is rumored as the release date for the Xbox Series X, while the Xbox Series S wouldn’t be available until 2021. In terms of prices, the X will be around $500, while the S is expected to be below the $300 barrier.
