The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S might have a third next-gen console family member, as rumors now suggest that Microsoft is also working on Xbox Series V, which would occupy the middle slot in the company's future offerings as a compromise between the power of Xbox Series X and the reduced cost of Xbox Series S. While discussion about next-gen consoles had previously felt much more balanced, recent weeks have skewed far heavier towards Xbox Series X thanks to Microsoft's reveal of the console's release date, November 10, 2020.
A few days later, Microsoft dropped another bombshell announcement on consumers, finally unveiling the Xbox Series X price - and with it, the much more affordable tag on Xbox Series S, too. The consoles are $499 for Xbox Series X and $299 for Xbox Series S, with the latter an all-digital offering that gives up some of the sheer technological prowess of the Xbox Series X for a sleeker, more affordable package. The announcement has been so well-received by the industry that new rumors have suggested Sony is considering a complete revision of the PS5 price model to better compete with Xbox, which would be a win for both Microsoft and consumers who want cheaper devices from all parties.
A new rumor began circulating today late last night that suggests Microsoft has even more plans for the Xbox Series X console family. According to Twitter user Idle Sloth, there will be a third Xbox device offered in next-gen: Xbox Series V. The console appears positioned between Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in the image the user provided, and that's its rumored functionality, too. Xbox Series V will reportedly be more powerful than Series S but less so than Series X, and based on the image, it would appear the console is also digital, as it lacks the disc drive that is shown so prominently on the $499 console version.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the rumor - it's strange that Microsoft didn't simply announce the third console version alongside the other two, for one, although that could be explained by Xbox Series V's obvious place as a middleground for consumers not swayed by the other two offerings. It would neatly tie into a long-standing loose end from previous Xbox rumors, though, which is what makes it worth paying attention to. Xbox Series X and Series S were two of three projects leaked under codenames - Anaconda and Lockhart - which made an appearance during an Xbox One operating system update. The last one, Edinburgh, has yet to have something tied to it.
If the rumor of an Xbox Series V are indeed true, it seems almost a certainty it will be $399 USD, exactly in between the other two devices. More curiously, however, is just who the console is for. Middle-of-the-road approaches rarely work when it comes to technology - people who want to shell out money will go for the power of Xbox Series X, while those looking to save money will likely take the $200 savings of Xbox Series S. Perhaps there will be more to it than simply a "more powerful Xbox Series S but less powerful Xbox Series X," but, until the rumor is confirmed, it isn't worth losing too much sleep over either way.
Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are scheduled to launch on November 10, 2020.
Source: Idle Sloth/Twitter
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