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A new controller for a system that hasn't launched yet? That's interesting enough, sure. But the news comes when you turn the box.
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Notice "Xbox Series X | S" as a descriptor? That is legitimate.
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The controller works with existing Xbox One consoles, and one owner we've gotten in touch with, who goes by Zak S on Twitter, has offered praise: "The d-pad is one of my favorite parts to it."
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A second box was found in the wild.
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It, too, includes mention of the unannounced Xbox Series S.
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When contacted directly by Ars Technica, Zak S forwarded us images from the included manual. These include an apparent image of Xbox Series X, but not older consoles (or the still unseen Series S).Zak S
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The other side of the instruction manual.Zak S
Ars Technica can confirm that this is indeed the name of an upcoming, unannounced Microsoft product, based on conversations with people familiar with Microsoft's hardware plans. The Series S will apparently exist alongside the well-publicized Xbox Series X, which still doesn't have a publicly known date or price.
[Update: A Microsoft spokesperson offered the following statement following the publication of this piece: "We have a lot in store for Xbox in 2020 and can’t wait to share with you. However, we have nothing to announce at this time."]
S marks the spot—but questions remain
The controller itself was previously announced alongside Xbox Series X's reveal during the December 2019 broadcast of The Game Awards. While it bears a strong resemblance to the existing Xbox One controller, its general mold has been shrunk to better support a wider range of hand sizes. Functionally, it's identical, other than a new "share" button, while its d-pad has been updated to resemble one of the d-pad options found in the first-party Xbox Elite Controller line. One owner of the new controller, who goes by Zak S on Twitter, pointed specifically to the updated d-pad as "one of [his] favorite parts."
Zak S was kind enough to directly send Ars Technica photos of the new controller's instruction manual, which shows the power button of a console that looks like Xbox Series X, along with images of a laptop and a smartphone. These explain how to sync the new controller with compatible hardware, but the manual doesn't show older Xbox One models, nor does it show a possible alternate or smaller console design for Series S. Whether that means Series S will have the same monolithic shape as Series X remains to be seen.
When shown photos of the leaked controller, Ars' sources would go no further than confirming the existence of Xbox Series S as a product. We're still left assuming that it lines up with over a year of rumors about the codenamed "Lockhart" console, which would come in at a lower price than Xbox Series X and play its software with specific performance downgrades—perhaps a 1080p-friendly version of XSX's 4K resolution and "Velocity Architecture" aspirations, or a more direct focus on Game Pass-enabled xCloud game streaming.
Our suspicions about a Lockhart console grew when Microsoft pulled the Xbox One X off of store shelves last month, leaving a substantial performance gap for new console buyers between the current Xbox One S and the upcoming Xbox Series X.Xbox chief Phil Spencer has previously assured fans that existing Xbox One controllers and peripherals (other than Kinect) are forward-compatible with Xbox Series X software, making new-controller purchases less imperative for anyone already in the Xbox One ecosystem. This stands in contrast with PlayStation 5, as its next-gen games will require Sony's new DualSense controller.
Listing image by Zak S
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