Microsoft launched their latest Xbox devices in 2020 almost alongside Sony’s PlayStation 5. Like the PlayStation 5 series too, there are two types of Xbox that you can get, one packs a physical disc reader while the other does not. They cleverly named them the Series X and Series S, the Series X is the thicker tower that packs a disc reader, while the Series S is the ‘slim’ version of the Xbox without a disc reader.
Obviously, the prices are different too. The Series X, packing a disc reader, larger internal real estate, and probably more efficient cooling, is the more expensive one. The Series S is the budget option of the two and only comes with 500GB of space. No matter, you still get all the power of the latest Xbox in a more compact and affordable body. You just need to buy games digitally and pick and choose what to install in your Xbox. You can even upgrade your 500GB SSD to 1TB SSD if you really want, but it might take some know how to do and you now have an extra 500GB SSD that you might not have a use for. The Xbox Series S also only comes in one colour option, white; boring.
While it did not make that much sense buying the Series S before, it might make a whole lot more sense today, after Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. They just announced the Xbox Series S Carbon Black edition, which will be available alongside the old one in white. While it now looks way cooler in its black guise, it is not just a cosmetic upgrade that we are getting with the new Xbox. You now get the option to buy the budget Xbox in Carbon Black with a 1TB SSD inside the console out-of-the-box too. Of course, it comes with a bump in price too over the regular Xbox Series S, a US$ 50 price bump to be exact to make it now worth US$ 349.99 (MYR 1,617*) for one.
This good news does come with a caveat though. The US$ 349.99 Xbox Series S Carbon Black edition will not be available immediately. It is only available later in the year in September 2023 in global markets. The pre-order has already started for the Carbon Black edition in available markets. Malaysia does not technically support the Xbox officially yet, but we do have the Xbox Game Pass which will also be supported on NVIDIA’s GeForce Now streaming service. More on the Xbox Series S Carbon Black can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.62 as of 12/06/2023 on xe.com