Microsoft Launches Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Worldwide

Microsoft released the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S worldwide, beginning the company’s fourth generation of Xbox hardware. The launch occurred across multiple regions, including North America, Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia. The Xbox Series X launched at a retail price of $499, while the lower-cost, digital-only Xbox Series S launched at $299. Both consoles featured custom AMD Zen 2 CPUs and RDNA 2 graphics architecture, supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing, high frame rates, and fast load times enabled by NVMe solid-state drives. The Series X targeted native 4K resolution gaming, while the Series S was designed for 1440p resolution with a smaller, disc-free form factor. The consoles introduced features such as Quick Resume, allowing players to switch between multiple suspended games, and expanded backward compatibility with thousands of titles from previous Xbox generations. At launch, first-party titles available on 10/11/2020 included Gears Tactics, with other games such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Yakuza: Like a Dragon available as cross-generation releases. Microsoft reported that the Xbox Series X and Series S launch represented the largest in Xbox history at the time, with more consoles sold in more countries during the first 24 hours than any previous Xbox release. The 10/11/2020 debut placed Microsoft in direct competition with Sony’s PlayStation 5, which launched later that month. #XboxSeriesX #XboxSeriesS #Microsoft #VideoGameHistory #2020