SAN FRANCISCO, July 1 — Microsoft's video game division appears ready to reveal its oft-rumoured, less expensive version edition of the Xbox Series X after a relatively muted June.

The Xbox Series X, first announced at E3 2019 as Project Scarlett and developed under the codename Anaconda, is thought to be launching alongside a second version of the same console, a less powerful and consequently less expensive edition currently known as Lockhart.

The Lockhart edition is expected to sit in between the current, souped-up Xbox One X model and the top-line Xbox Series X.

Though not yet formally announced, Eurogamer is backing VentureBeat's early June assertion that a big reveal would be coming in August (Microsoft reps challenged the idea that it had pushed anything back from June).

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Further, Eurogamer is claiming that the announcement will be for Lockhart, unveiled as the Xbox Series S.

Since the tail end of 2019, the Lockhart model has been understood as a replacement for the discless Xbox One S All Digital Edition.

Such a machine would dovetail with the Xbox Game Pass library subscription service and cloud gaming service Project xCloud.

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Following the cancellation of June's E3 2020 as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Xbox had embarked on a sequence of monthly spotlights for the Xbox Series X called Xbox 20/20. It began in May with a preview of games from partner studios.

Sony's PlayStation showed some of its hand through an early June games showcase, surprising viewers with its own two-model PlayStation 5 launch offering, one with a disc drive and the other without.

Both companies are yet to lock in a precise release date and launch price for the Holiday 2020 consoles. — AFP-Relaxnews