Rumor: Microsoft is going to reveal a cheaper Xbox Series X model next month. Bro, the first model ain’t even fucking out!

The Xbox Series X ain’t even launched, and there’s already rumors of a cheaper model. This ain’t new, as there have been rumors for a while about both PS5 and Xbox Series X launching with both a base and cheaper model. But, I’m beginning to think these rumors are legitimate.

Gizmodo:

Microsoft has been providing a slow drip of Xbox Series X info following its official announcement late last year. Now, a new round of rumors may provide some clues about Microsoft’s next Xbox event and some insight about a cheaper, entry-level version of Xbox Series X.

The Xbox Series X lineup will allegedly be similar to the current Xbox One offerings, which include the more powerful Xbox One X and the more affordable Xbox One S. According to Windows Central, Microsoft is working on a cheaper version of the Xbox Series X codenamed “Lockhart.” In lieu of an official name, many have dubbed this less powerful next-gen Xbox the Xbox Series S.

While Lockhart is expected to support next-gen games and experiences, rumors say its performance tops out at just four teraflops, which would be significantly less than the 12 teraflops Microsoft has been claiming the flagship Xbox Series X can churn out. That means in order to hit that combination of price and speed, Microsoft would almost certainly have to cut or decrease support for fancier features like 4K video output, a 120Hz refresh rate, ray-tracing, or onboard storage.

Apparently, development for Lockhart is getting closer to production-ready, with Windows Central claiming that some Xbox employees will soon be able to take home pre-production prototypes for extended testing. But perhaps the biggest impact of this info is that when combined with recent rumors regarding upcoming Surface devices including the Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3, it seems Microsoft may be prepping to hold a joint Surface and Xbox hardware showcase sometime in May.