Please Microsoft, unveil Xbox Series S already

It is now September of 2020 and Microsoft is still to announce Xbox Series S. But here we are, again, with the Xbox Series S name popping up on official Microsoft products out in the wild.

The Xbox Series S is now being name-dropped by Xbox Game Pass trial codes given out with Xbox controllers, as spotted by Twitter user BraviaryBrendan (thanks MSPowerUser).

"Unlimited access to over 100 high-quality games on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows 10," the Xbox Game Pass card states.

This is the same branding - "Xbox Series X|S" - seen last month on boxes of next-gen Xbox controllers which popped up a little early.

Xbox Series S is set to be a lower-powered version of the beefy Xbox Series X. Eurogamer understands it will be offered at a significantly cheaper price point. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge its existence.

Back in June I reported the console had once been planned for an E3 2020 reveal. Then E3 2020 was cancelled, and plans changed. Microsoft's next plan was for an August unveiling, something which was still the case at the beginning of last month, until the decision was made to push it (and some other attached announcements) back further until September.

Microsoft is in a difficult spot with its Xbox Series S reveal. One of the console's key selling points will be its lower price point compared with Series X and Sony's PlayStation 5. But Microsoft is not yet ready to say how much the Xbox Series X will cost either - and it would prefer to hear how much Sony wants for a PS5 before doing so.

The alternative option for Series S - one that may wind up being the more appealing as the weeks dwindle away - is Microsoft simply picks a competitive Series S price and lays that out there first, before nailing its Series X pricing later, after Sony.

We're likely now just 10 weeks away from at least one next-gen console launching. You wouldn't think it, would you?