TGO Daily | September 9, 2020 | Xbox Series S Announced
We’re only two months away from the next generation of consoles, and only today do we have the slightest indication of a price and release date. It’s been a wavy few months, but I imagine details will be picking up soon.
I hope you’re excited. You may not be getting one for yourself, but these are our markers for new technologies, and developers pushing the boundaries on what they can do. Usually that means better games for us!
Until tomorrow,
Adrian
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Xbox Series S announced — cheaper next-gen console
In the middle of the night last night, Xbox officially announced the Xbox Series S — a second next-generation console arriving alongside the Series X. The device has been rumoured for a long time, with the announcement spurred by a leak via Thurrott.com.
Of special note is that the console is going to be $300 USD, a cheaper alternative to the reported $500 price point of the Series X. That will make a lot of people happy. It is also all-digital, meaning it has no disc drive, acting as a successor the “Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.” With services like the Game Pass, this has become far less of an issue. In shape, it is the smallest Xbox ever, apparently 60% smaller than the Series X. You can see the technical specs in the image above, but I’m seeing it be compared to the current-gen Xbox One X (where the Series X will be the best tech they can offer).
Both consoles are expected to launch on November 10th, and will feature financing options — $25/month for Series S, $35 for Series X, offered worldwide. More details will be arriving in the future to answer any leftover questions.
Xbox’s reaction to the leaks:
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity announced — BOTW prequel
In another out of the blue announcement, Nintendo has just announced a brand new Zelda game called Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity — a new entry in the Hyrule Warriors series, and a prequel to Breath of the Wild.
Developed by Koei Temco, it takes place 100 years before the events of BotW. If you’re unfamiliar with Hyrule Warriors, it’s Zelda-themed Dynasty Warriors. The core gameplay loop has the player fight hordes of enemies hack-and-slash style, while solving puzzles and unlocking skills/weapons. It’s worth treating this as a spin-off ala Cadence of Hyrule.
Age of Calamity will not interfere with the BotW sequel that was announced last year, which is still being developed. Instead, it’s arriving on the Nintendo Switch on November 20th.
Among Us hits 1.5 million concurrent players
A game that has been seeing a major resurgence in recent weeks is Among Us, a social deduction game (ala “Secret Hitler,” “Mafia,” “Werewolf”) set in space. This past weekend, the developers mentioned that they hit 1.5 million concurrent online users across all platforms. For a tiny team on a game that hasn’t seen major traffic in the last 1.5 years, that’s a big deal.
The recent popularity is attributed in large part to Twitch streamers. This genre of video games are popular, but Among Us in particular is well suited for streamers due to its short play time and simple mechanics.
If you’re interested in checking it out, the game plays best with a group of friends, but you can also matchmake solo. It’s pay-what-you-want on itch.io, $5 on Steam, and free on mobile. It has full cross-play.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 getting updated version to PC and Switch
If you haven’t got enough of Planet Coaster, the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (2004) is officially going to be getting an updated and “complete” version. Brought to the standards of 2020, it’ll have some updated controls and graphics.
It’ll be handled by Frontier, who are the original developers, and it will have all content bundled in. This means it will include 300 coasters/rides, 500 scenery items, 60 shops, and 20 animals.
It’s heading to PC (Steam+Epic Store) and the Nintendo Switch on September 14th.
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Anyone feeling this too?
I totally get the feelings of “resentment” if you plan on buying a console on day 1. All the info being withheld can make it hard to plan for that kind of purchase. On the other hand, if you don’t have the info you need, don’t buy it yet! Wait until the new year rolls around and you can make an educated decision when some time has passed :) I dunno, what do you think?
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DCCLXXXVI