Xbox Series S Leaks Yet Again, This Time In Game Pass Code
Microsoft’s worst kept secret is starting to feel like a marketing ploy.
Microsoft’s supposed new budget console, the Xbox Series S, got leaked yet again this morning, making for the third time the company’s worst kept secret has hit the public eye before any official announcement.
I got a new controller for my Xbox since mine was broken. Interestingly enough, the Game Pass Ultimate trial code sheet mentions the unannounced @Xbox Series S. It’s definitely a thing. pic.twitter.com/GX1rOYG5g7August 31, 2020
The leak comes courtesy of Twitter user @braviarybrendan, who stumbled across some Xbox Series S promotional material in a new Xbox controller he bought. Packed in with the controller was a 14-day free trial code for Xbox Game Pass, which said “Includes Xbox Live Gold and unlimited access to over 100 high-quality games on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows 10.”
At this point, it almost feels like Microsoft is leaking the Series S on purpose. We first heard about this console back in June, when an Xbox dev kit leak referred to a 1440p @ 60Hz variant of Microsoft’s next Xbox codenamed “Lockhart.” Then in August, another controller leak showed branding that said it was compatible with “Xbox Series X/S.”
so @TweakTown did a great overview of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S specs. Here’s one of the missing gaps 😉20 CUs @ 1.550Ghz pic.twitter.com/S4qABfUOOxAugust 18, 2020
Tech site TweakTown has since mocked up a spec sheet for the Series S based on “info we’ve collected over years of reporting,” which Verge senior editor Tom Warren seconded on Twitter. According to the mock up, we might expect the Series S to have 4 terraflops of GPU power along with the same CPU and storage specs as the Series X.
Microsoft still has yet to officially confirm the console’s existence, or to give us any inkling of a launch date.
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Michelle Ehrhardt is an editor at Tom's Hardware. She's been following tech since her family got a Gateway running Windows 95, and is now on her third custom-built system. Her work has been published in publications like Paste, The Atlantic, and Kill Screen, just to name a few. She also holds a master's degree in game design from NYU.