Microsoft releases Xbox Series X specs, controller details

Update, Nov. 5: Read our reviews of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Microsoft plans to release the Xbox Series X later this year, and we're getting some more details now about the next-gen console. The company on Monday released three articles about the Xbox Series X, looking at the upcoming console's specs, its controller and reducing system latency. Some of the info had previously been revealed, but there are a few new bits of info gamers will want to know about. 

One article included the spec sheet for the Xbox Series X. Most of the details came out in February, including the RDNA 2 graphics card and Zen 2 processor that can produce 12 teraflops. 

"Xbox Series X is the biggest generational leap of SOC [system on a chip] and API design that we've done with Microsoft, and it's really an honor for AMD to be a trusted Microsoft partner for this endeavor," said Sebastien Nussbaum, corporate vice president and senior fellow, semi-custom products and technologies at AMD. "The Xbox Series X is going to be a beacon of technical innovation leadership for this console generation and will propagate the innovation throughout the DirectX ecosystem this year and into next year."

Another feature talked about prominently on Monday is the Xbox Series X's SSD drive. New to the system is the Xbox Velocity Architecture, which will let developers make use of up to 100GB of game assets instantaneously.

Microsoft released a video showing off the difference in loading times between the new console and older Xboxes, using the game  State of Decay 2 . While the Xbox One X takes approximately 50 seconds to load the game, the Xbox Series X takes just 9 seconds. 

The new Xbox controller will receive two upgrades over the previous version, although the appearance is somewhat the same. The first is an improved Dpad, which was generally considered one of the weakest aspects of the controller. The second is the addition of a Share button that replaces the need to enter the system's menu to capture and share content.

Another detail Microsoft mentioned was the actual dimensions of the Xbox Series X. The console will measure 151mm x 151mm x 301mm. 

Along with the size of the system, Microsoft also poked fun at its unique shape. When it was first revealed in December, some people on social media joked about how the Xbox Series X had a shape similar to that of a refrigerator. 

Microsoft tweeted Monday about the size of the console and used a refrigerator for scale. 

The Xbox Series X is set for release for holiday 2020, and there is still no price for it.

Watch this: Xbox Series X will have impressive backwards compatibility

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