When tech companies say a product will launch in a particular month, rather than on a specific date, it usually winds up meaning the end of the month—but not with the Xbox One S. Microsoft’s new slimmed-down version of the Xbox One will hit the streets on August 2, the company announced today, in a launch that coincides with the release of the big Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
Unlike the powerful Project Scorpio console slated for holiday 2017, the Xbox One S largely features the same basic technical capabilities as the original Xbox One, but in a package that’s 40 percent slimmer than the original. It’s not completely identical, though. The Xbox One S integrates the console’s power supply, adds an IR blaster, and includes support for 4K and high dynamic range video. Games won’t be playable at 4K resolution, however—though Play Anywhere games that work on both the Xbox One and Windows PCs will start rolling out in September.
The story behind the story: Now for the bad news: The much-touted $299 price tag for the Xbox One S isn’t going to happen, at least at launch. Only the $399 2TB model will be available on August 2, with more details on the $350 1TB model and $299 500GB model coming at some point in the future. Between this and Nvidia limiting initial GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card sales to the pricier $700 Founders Edition, rather than options at the $600 MSRP, gamers sure seem to be getting gouged during big hardware releases this year.