Cheaper Xbox Series X "Lockhart" Model To Be Announced In August, Report Says

It's been reported for some time that Microsoft is planning to launch not just its next-gen Xbox Series X console, but also a cheaper, lower-powered model as well. The company has alluded to the possibility with its naming convention for the new line of consoles--which is known simply as "Xbox"-- but made no specific announcement regarding any models besides the Series X. That will change in August, according to a report by Eurogamer, which said that Microsoft had originally planned to announce the secondary console, codenamed Lockhart, as part of its Xbox E3 press conference during June. When that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its reveal plans also changed.

Microsoft announced that it would be doing monthly events leading up to the release of the console, named Xbox 20/20, starting in May. It is unknown when exactly the decision was made to move the reveal from June to August, but June will end without an Xbox 20/20 event. June instead had a series of Xbox Wire posts detailing how some next-gen titles would be taking advantage of the Xbox Series X and the announcement that Mixer is shutting down in July.

The rumored Xbox Series S reportedly has the same CPU as the high-end Xbox Series X, with a different GPU and less usable RAM. The console is also rumored to not have a disc drive and be cheaper than the Series X.

The next Xbox 20/20 event is set for some time in July and Microsoft has said that it will focus on first-party next-gen games. Only a handful of first-party Xbox games have been announced for next-gen, including Halo Infinite and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II.

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