Return of the Console Wars

By Austin Joseph
Money and Investing Writer

Microsoft has been moving quietly within the electronics space announcing its price for the Xbox Series X at $499, Xbox Series S at $299, and their new smartphone the Surface Duo. Phil Spencer, executive vice president of gaming at Xbox, appeared in multiple interviews throughout July with the Series S console hiding on his shelf behind him. Xbox did confirm this elaborate prank.

The Series S is a significantly smaller model with no disk drive and is a more affordable product. The Series X will have magnified graphics, higher processing power and storage, and ray tracing to produce realistic images. Microsoft will begin taking pre-orders on September 22. The consoles will officially be out on November 10 and there will be an expansion of Xbox All Access to 12 countries, which offers 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting at $24.99. Xbox All Access will allow users to pick their choice of Series S or the Series X model for purchase.

The Microsoft Surface Duo is a dual-screen smartphone priced at $1,400 that enables users to take a tablet approach. This isn’t your average android; it has two 5.6-inch displays and an 11-megapixel camera. The Surface Duo gives users flexibility in the way they hold this device.

With the news of Xbox releasing its new gaming systems, it seems the console wars is back in action. Back in 2014, Sony released its Play Station 4, and Microsoft released the Xbox One during the holiday season. We are witnessing this competition again. The Play Station 5 will be released on November 20. More details will be coming along the way this week such as the *pre-order date* and price, on September 16th. Sony is holding a special Play Station 5 and will be broadcasting a 40-minute digital showcase.

Investors will keep a keen eye on pre-orders during the quarter, comparing to the previous generation’s launch and Sony’s own product.

Contact Austin at austin.joseph@student.shu.edu