During Microsoft’s Xbox showcase, the new Xbox Series S Black with a 1TB SSD was announced.
Many saw this one coming, but Microsoft has now officially announced a black version of its Series S console with a larger SSD – the Xbox Series S Carbon Black. We’ve included the announcement ‘Back in Black’ announcement trailer for the Series S below. This new version of Microsoft’s entry-level console will launch on September 1 for $349.99 – $50 more than the regular Xbox Series S model with 512GB of space on the SSD.
Aside from the upgraded SSD inside the console, the black Series S is the same console as the older model. Of course, the additional space on the hard drive is nice to have, but with recent complaints about the Series S being the bottleneck for the current-gen titles from various developers, it would have been nice to see some other hardware upgrades as well.
“I wish garners understood what 60fps means in terms of all of the things they *lose* to make the game run that fast. Especially taking into account that we have a current-gen console that’s not much better than a last gen one”, a Rocksteady developer said last year.
“Series S GPU mostly. Multi-platform games always have to optimise for the lowest performer.”
He later added, “The Series S exists, though, and Microsoft won’t let you launch on one without the other. An entire generation of games, hamstrung by that potato.
On the other hand, we also had several devs saying that the Series S isn’t holding back the development of their games. “No, why would it? We’re not forced to make the Series X version look exactly like the Series S, so we’re not limited as developers”, Evil West’s lead producer said late last year.
“Meet the new Carbon Black Series S with 1TB of storage”, Microsoft writes on the official Xbox Wire. “Whether you’re looking to upgrade from your current console or are new to Xbox, the Xbox Series S – 1TB offers you another option within the Xbox family of devices. The bold Carbon Black color is the same sleek, modern matte finish as Xbox Series X and the Xbox Wireless Controller.”
Will you be picking up the new Xbox Series S Carbon Black model? Do the additional SSD space and black design warrant the extra $50, especially considering that the Xbox Series X sells for ‘only’ $150 more than that? Would you rather have Microsoft release a slim model of its Series X console instead? Or a different color for the Series X with additional SSD space? Hit the comments below.
In any case, the Series S Carbon Black will launch on September 1 for $349.99 and will become available later today for pre-order through the official Microsoft Store (at microsoftstore.com)
