Last month, gamers curious about what gameplay opportunities are coming to the Xbox Series X got a good look at titles coming at launch and in the years to come. The Xbox Games Showcase featured announcements regarding the since delayed Halo Infinite, intriguing horror games like The Medium and even a tease for the long-awaited Fable reboot. The presentation sought to alleviate concerns that Microsoft would, once again, be at a disadvantage due to a lack of unique and exciting exclusive games in comparison with the PlayStation 5.
However, with the console's launch only a couple of months away, there are still some major things we don't know about Microsoft's next-gen hardware and its launch. Let's take a look at these remaining questions.
Release Date and Price
The most glaring questions are still "When is the Series X coming out?" and "How much will it cost?" These are questions Sony still has not answered either, and it seems like the two companies are locked in a game of chicken waiting for the other to move first. Microsoft confirmed in a blog post published just after the Halo delay was announced that the console will launch in November, seemingly to confirm that the console is not also being delayed. Still, no specific date for launch or for when people can start pre-ordering the console has been confirmed.
It is true that the time between release date and price announcements and launch itself is getting shorter. The Nintendo Switch, the most recent major console launch, had its March 3, 2017 release date announced at an event held on January 13 of that year, though it should be noted that Nintendo had already said the console would be out in March. Still, with the Xbox Series X expected to cost more than previous consoles and the ongoing economic strife making a major purchase like this more difficult for many to justify, Microsoft (and Sony for that matter) need to rip off the band-aid soon.
Project Lockhart
While a recent leak seems to confirm that there will be a second model called the Xbox Series S (which is almost certainly the final name of the long-rumored Project Lockhart), we still haven't received official confirmation of the suspected lower-priced, lower-powered alternative to the Series X. It's also not clear what's actually different about the Series S. While there's a good chance it's an all-digital console without a disc drive similar to what Sony is offering with the PS5 and Microsoft already has with the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, what other changes there could be to bring down the price are unclear.
We don't know how much of a difference there will be between the models in terms of power and how the Series S will compare to the Xbox One X. With Microsoft already announcing that many of its first-party games will be released on both current and next-gen for at least the first year and smart delivery promising free next-gen upgrades to titles that support it, gamers may not see a reason to upgrade immediately if the difference is not substantial. And, again, price is also a question here, as a gap that is too large or not that substantial will impact which console some gamers go for. Fan likely don't have to wait much longer for these details, however, as Microsoft has been rumored to be announcing the Series S this month, and the leak only makes the news more likely to come sooner rather than later.