The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the ninth-generation home video game consoles from Microsoft, released on November 10, 2020. Announced during E3 2019 and developed under the codename "Project Scarlett," they succeed the Xbox One family and emphasize faster loading, higher frame rates, and deeper integration with Microsoft services. For official details and announcements see Microsoft's console pages.

Hardware and design

The Series X targets high-end performance with a tall, monolithic case and includes a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, RDNA 2 GPU architecture with hardware ray tracing, and a high-speed NVMe SSD to dramatically reduce loading times and enable features like Quick Resume. The Series S uses a smaller, white rectangular design with scaled-down GPU power and a smaller SSD. Both support variable refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 features on compatible displays.

Key features and software

Both consoles share system features: fast resume across multiple titles, deep backward compatibility with many Xbox One and selected Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, and support for Smart Delivery so eligible titles run the best version for each console. They integrate with Xbox Game Pass and cloud services, and retain wide compatibility with Xbox accessories. Further technical and ecosystem notes can be found via Microsoft documentation.

Models compared

  • Xbox Series X — aimed at 4K gaming at high frame rates, includes a 1 TB internal SSD, optical disc drive, and the most powerful GPU/CPU configuration in the lineup.
  • Xbox Series S — a digital-only, lower-cost option optimized for 1440p gameplay upscaled to 4K on compatible displays, includes a smaller (512 GB) SSD and no disc drive, making it more compact and budget-friendly.

Origin, reception and significance

Originally unveiled at industry events under the Scarlett name, the Series X|S generation was praised for its fast SSD architecture, improved performance per watt, and Microsoft’s focus on subscription services and backward compatibility. Launch reception acknowledged strong hardware gains while noting storage management considerations because of game file sizes and the proprietary expansion card design.

Today the two consoles represent different tradeoffs in price, size, and performance within a shared ecosystem: the Series X for players seeking peak local performance, and the Series S for those prioritizing value and digital gaming. For further comparisons and updates see product and support resources.