We finally have answers for two of the most pressings questions around Xbox’s next-generation consoles: how much will they cost, and when can we buy them?
Xbox Series X will cost AU$749 / NZ$799 (RRP), while the less-powerful Xbox Series S will be AU$499/NZ$549 (RRP). Both consoles launch on November 10, with pre-orders opening September 22.
In addition, the Xbox All Access program—which lets people get a new console and a Game Pass Ultimate subscription on a 24-month payment plan—will be extended to include the new consoles (but still exclusively available to Spark customers). To get an Xbox Series X this way, you’re looking at $52 a month, while the Xbox Series S plan is $39 a month.
Microsoft’s hand was forced slightly, at least in terms of the Xbox Series S, by a leak earlier this week. On September 7, tech site Thurrott shared a promotional image for the Series S—which hadn’t been officially announced yet—with a US$299 price tag. In a masterclass in using memes for damage control, the Xbox social media team confirmed that this was real, and officially announced the smaller console.
As you’d expect, this lead to plenty of speculation about what the more powerful Series X would cost in comparison. I’m not sure when Microsoft was originally planning to announce the price and release details, or if the leak resulted in them bringing the full announcement forward. Regardless, with pre-orders opening in a couple of weeks, the originally-planned announcement can’t have been too far away.
All of this means that Microsoft has been the first to break a stalemate between themselves and Sony over price and release dates for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Both next-generation consoles were announced in 2019, and until now, both had been pencilled in for an unspecified “Holiday 2020” release date without any concrete price information.
There’s still no price or date for PlayStation 5, but those details can’t be too far away—especially now that Xbox has set targets to aim for.