Xbox Series S reference appears on Game Pass free trial card

At this point, Microsoft really needs to officially reveal the Xbox Series S.

The tech giant’s often-rumoured, less powerful and presumably cheaper next-gen video game console has appeared yet again, this time on a Game Pass Ultimate trial code card included with an Xbox One gamepad.

Twitter user @BraviaryBrendan posted an image of a recently purchased Xbox controller that also includes a 14-day Game Pass Ultimate trial code card with a clear reference to the Xbox Series S.

“Includes Xbox Live Gold and unlimited access to over 100 high-quality games on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows 10,” reads the text on the card. @BraviaryBrendan also goes on to mention that he purchased the controller directly from Microsoft’s online store.

Rumours have been swirling for months that Microsoft plans to release a less powerful version of the Xbox Series X, with the most definitive evidence appearing back in June when an Xbox Series X development kit mentioned “1440p 60Hz” as a hardware variant, along with the codename “Lockhart.”

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/GX1rOYG5g7

— Brendan (@BraviaryBrendan) August 31, 2020

Here’s some tea to add onto this: I bought this controller directly from Microsoft online. Bruh momento.

— Brendan (@BraviaryBrendan) September 1, 2020

This leak was followed by a Series X controller appearing with branding, stating that it is compatible with the “Xbox Series X/S.”

Tech publication Tweaktown recently published a side-by-side comparison between the Series X and Series S based on leaked dev kit specs. If accurate, it looks like the Series S targets 1440p/60fps gaming instead of 4K/60fps like the Series X. The chart also mentions that the Series S features 4-teraflops of power compared to the Series X’s 12.15 teraflops.

To be fair, Microsoft’s marketing rollout has likely been thrown significantly off course due to COVID-19 and the recent delay of its flagship Xbox Series X title, Halo Infinite. Given so much marketing material for the Series S seems to be out in the wild already, the company likely initially planned to reveal the console at some point in August.

Though Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X is launching in November, it’s still unclear when specifically the next-gen console will release. The tech giant has not released pricing for the system, either.

Source: @BraviaryBrendan, Tweaktown