After several leaks and rumours Microsoft finally made it official -- the Xbox Series S will be the company's all-digital wallet-friendly counterpart to the powerful Xbox Series X. Outside of its striking design and form-factor that makes it 60% smaller than the Series X, lets break it down.

But first, the reveal trailer, which admittedly makes pretty impressive usage of the big circle vent thing.


Okay, let's get to it.

• The Xbox Series S is the smallest Xbox console to date
  
• It will render games at 1440p at up to 120Hz (or 120 fps) with HDR enabled
  
• Games will upscale to 4K for 4K-displays
  
• Media streaming up to 4K HDR will be supported for streaming services like Netflix
  
• It supports Variable Refresh Rate technology for smooth performance even if there's a dip in performance
  
• The Series S supports next-gen tech like DirectX Raytracing and Variable Rate Shading
  
• It will feature a custom 512GB NVMe SSD for fast OS performance and quick loading powered by Xbox Velocity Architecture
  
• Advanced Seres X features like instant and seamless game switching will be supported
  
• It's underlying technology is built on the same cutting-edge AMD Zen and RDNA architecture as the Series X, but cut-down for 1440p
  
• It's a disc-less all-digital console
  
• It's out November 10 and will cost $299 USD

As of writing we don't have local AUD pricing but at $299 USD it's a very competitively priced next-gen entry-point. Especially if you pair it with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Although it's being widely reported that the raw power of the Xbox Series S is less than that of the discontinued Xbox One X -- 4TF versus 6TF (the Series X is a monstrous 12TF) -- it's worth noting that things like Variable Rate Shading and full DirectX 12 Ultimate support should make it the more powerful of the two. Throw in fast storage and a 1440p 60-fps target for most games seems likely... which is impressive.

No doubt the idea here is to offer a 1440p version of the Series X's native 4K output at a much lower cost. And on that front the Xbox Series S makes a lot of sense as we head into the next-generation of gaming consoles.