[DigitalToday AI Reporter] Xbox Series S is priced $250 cheaper than Series X, highlighting a digital-only design without a disc drive and lower hardware specifications.

On Oct. 11 (local time), IT media outlet Engadget reported that Series S starts at $500, while the Series X model is $750.

In the console market, a trend has emerged in which prices do not fall even after time passes since launch. Xbox's latest lineup was released about 6 years ago but has recently seen prices rise. The PlayStation 5 has also risen twice in a year, and Nintendo's Switch 2 also saw a price increase in 2026. A "RAMmageddon" crisis, referring to a global shortage of computer memory (RAM) and the resulting price surge, is cited as background.

The biggest difference between the two is whether they have a disc drive. Series S is a digital-only device. Series X also has a model with the disc drive removed, but it is only $50 cheaper and the rest of the hardware specifications are the same.

They also differ in storage. The base Series S offers 512GB, and choosing the 1TB model requires an additional $100. Series X has 1TB of storage as standard. A 2TB Series X model was also released, but Microsoft discontinued it in 2026. Both products can expand storage through a rear expansion card.

The performance gap is also large. Series X targets 4K resolution with 12 teraflops (TFLOPS), while Series S supports up to 1440p in most games at about 4 teraflops. Both devices support up to 120 fps. Both CPUs are custom AMD Zen 2-based chips, but Series X runs at a higher clock speed. The GPUs are also based on AMD RDNA 2, with Series X featuring 52 compute units (CU) and Series S 20 CUs.

The memory configuration is also different. Series X has 16GB of RAM, of which 10GB provides bandwidth of 560GB per second and the remaining 6GB provides 336GB per second. Series S uses 10GB of RAM in total, with 8GB supporting 224GB per second and the remaining 2GB supporting 56GB per second.

The choice depends on how users play games. If they do not buy physical games and mainly use Game Pass, the lack of a disc drive on Series S may not be a major drawback. Series S is also about 60 percent smaller in volume than Series X, making it more space-efficient. By contrast, Series X is more suitable for those who use discounted disc sales or want to collect boxed games. If 4K resolution is not essential or users do not often play graphically demanding games, Series S may be enough.

Another option is to wait for next-generation devices. Microsoft plans to send alpha hardware from its "Project Helix" device line to developers in 2027. The final product may be released at least 1 year after that.