Microsoft's £349 Xbox One S will go on sale on August 2

Photo Credits:Microsoft

Following its grand unveiling at last month's E3 conference, Microsoft has confirmed its Xbox One S console will go on sale on August 2.

Xbox One S is 40 per cent smaller than the original Xbox One - a reduction Microsoft has achieved despite integrating the hefty power supply into the console itself. The Xbox One S is now small enough to be used flat, or stood vertically on its side.

Another big change is that the Xbox One S will remove the dedicated Kinect port at the back of the console. The sleeker console will still support Kinect, but you'll need the Xbox Kinect Adapter for USB.

Beyond the new design, Xbox One S is the first console that allows you to watch Blu-ray movies and stream video in 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range (HDR). This boosts colour performance and offers a higher contrast ratio, and will be supported by games such as Gears of War 4 and Scalebound.

Xbox One S also comes bundled with the new Xbox Wireless Controller featuring textured grip, improved Xbox Wireless signal and added Bluetooth support. The controller can be purchased as a standalone item for $59.99 and will also be available on August 2. All Xbox One games, accessories and Xbox Live services will work with Xbox One S.

The 2TB launch edition Xbox One S will be available in limited quantities for $399 on August 2 in the following regions: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and United States. Xbox One S will also be hitting store shelves for additional markets later this year. This will cost £349 in the UK, or €399 in the rest of Europe.

For people looking for additional Xbox One S hard drive options, Microsoft said it will also be offering the console with 1TB and 500GB hard drives for $349 and $299, respectively. More details on the specific availability dates of these two options will be shared soon. In the UK, the 1TB will be available for £299 or €349 while the 500GB will set you back £249, or €299.

"Last month, we revealed a new member of the Xbox One family, the Xbox One S," said Microsoft in a blog post. "Today, we’re excited to announce that the highly-anticipated 2TB Xbox One S launch edition will begin hitting shelves in select regions on August 2."

This means all pre-orders will arrive on August 2, and for people who haven't already pre-ordered the console, they can do so through microsoftstore.com and select retailers. Microsoft did caveat this with the fact that availability is limited and demand is high so "you'll want to check with your local retailer for more information and pre-order your console soon."

Credits: Wired.co.uk

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