After a high-quality leak revealed the console in its entirety yesterday, Microsoft officially introduced the Xbox One S at its E3 2016 briefing in the past hour. It has a design that is 40 percent smaller than the current Xbox One. The size has been reduced by cutting out the bulky power supply, giving more space for the rest of the internals.
If you’ve had enough of putting your console flat on its base, the Xbox One S will come with its own vertical stand. You’ll be able to display it in whichever orientation works best in your room. Finally, the paint is now a bright white, giving it a very different look to the original Xbox One.
Microsoft’s Xbox One S, unveiled at E3 2016 13/06/2016
Microsoft
The changes aren’t purely cosmetic. There are a number of improvements to the internals that allow you to watch 4K Ultra HD video, including 4K Blu-ray disks, and play HDR games, giving you a route into improved visuals on next-gen Xbox games.
HDR allows games to incorporate a greater dynamic range in their graphics. This allows finer details in shadows and lighting to be retained in the final rendered image compared to standard dynamic range renders, creating a more realistic scene.
Rounding off the additions, the Xbox One S has a few other minor changes on the side. The USB ports have been moved to the front for easier access, alongside the controller pairing button, and the Kinect sensor port has been removed. It is still possible to connect a Kinect sensor, via a USB adapter, and Microsoft will be offering these for free to current Xbox One owners who upgrade.
Microsoft’s Xbox One S, unveiled at E3 2016 13/06/2016
Microsoft
To accompany the new console, the Xbox One controller has received a refresh. It now includes Bluetooth which gives it a greater wireless range and allows it to work with Windows PCs without a standalone dongle or cable. It will be shipped with the Xbox One S.
Phil Spencer gave The Verge an exclusive first look at the new console, explaining Microsoft’s motivation for creating it. “The Xbox One S for us was a realization that first, we want to make a smaller Xbox, but there was also some capacity that we saw growing out in the market around HDR and 4K video,” he said. “So we said, if we’re going to do an upgrade to our console, let’s go ahead and embrace some of the technologies that are coming and make those part of our core SKU.”
Microsoft’s Xbox One S, unveiled at E3 2016 13/06/2016
Microsoft
The Xbox One S will launch in August as a 2TB special edition priced at $399. It will then launch at $299 for the 500GB version and $349 for the 1TB edition. Microsoft is expected to announce a new console next year that will boast four times the performance of the current Xbox One, opening the door to 4K gaming.
Microsoft’s E3 briefing is currently ongoing. The company is expected to announce many more changes to gaming on Xbox and Windows 10, alongside a slew of new games coming to the platform.
It has already revealed it is converging the Windows and Xbox stores together, allowing purchasers of participating titles to buy a game once and play it for free on their console and PC. Achievements and save-games will automatically sync between devices for hassle-free gaming.
