# Microsoft Xbox Series X: specs and price

**Price (US):** $499 at en.wikipedia.org (US launch MSRP (November 2020), 1 TB; raised to $649.99 in 2025 due to tariffs), as of 2026-06-27. A sourced, dated price of record — other retailers (incl. Amazon) may be lower. Among the 18 game consoles we track it is #6 cheapest of 18; category median $649.
**Brand:** Microsoft
**Released:** 2020-11
**Deskmark:** Bronze Deskmark — pay-blind category standing 60/100, #13 of 18 in class (independent, computed from sourced data, never for sale).
**Price tracked since:** June 2026

## Specifications

| Spec | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Price (US) | $499 |
| Brand | Microsoft |
| Released | 2020-11 |
| CPU | Custom AMD Zen 2 8-core @ 3.8 GHz |
| GPU (TFLOPS) | 12.155 |
| RAM (GB) | 16 |
| Storage (GB) | 1000 |
| Max resolution | 4K |
| Max (fps) | 120 |
| Optical drive | Yes |

## Where it stands

At $499, the Microsoft Xbox Series X is #6 cheapest of the 17 game consoles we track, where the median is $599. On the spec sheet, its GPU of 12.155 TFLOPS is above the median of the 13, its storage of 1000 GB is above the median of the 15, and its RAM of 16 GB is at the median of the 18.

## What reviewers say

Two whitelisted hands-on reviews (TechRadar, Tom's Guide) rate the Series X highly: both measured dramatic load-time cuts (Sea of Thieves 100s to 35s; RDR2 88s to 38s), praise its quiet, powerful hardware, Quick Resume and backward compatibility. Both flag a launch exclusives gap and a barely-changed Xbox One UI. Digital Foundry and RTINGS not used. (Based on 2 reviews, 2 lab-tested, 2023-05-17–2024-09-04.)

Praised: Very fast SSD load times, verified with timings across multiple games; Quiet, cool-running yet powerful hardware, near-PC performance; Best-in-class backward compatibility across Xbox generations; Quick Resume for instant switching between suspended games.
Flagged: Thin lineup of true exclusives, especially at/near launch (leans on Game Pass); UI/dashboard barely changed from Xbox One, no next-gen overhaul; Generational graphics leap over Xbox One X underwhelming; Large and heavy console body.
Disagreement: Both testers agree on strengths and weaknesses. Nuance: Tom's Guide (2024) warns the generational graphics jump over Xbox One X 'isn't earth-shattering' and awards Editor's Choice as the library matured, while TechRadar (2023) still frames exclusives as lacking without Game Pass.
Sources: TechRadar (2023-05-17, techradar.com), Tom's Guide (2024-09-04, tomsguide.com)

## Frequently asked questions

**What do reviewers say about the Microsoft Xbox Series X?**

Two whitelisted hands-on reviews (TechRadar, Tom's Guide) rate the Series X highly: both measured dramatic load-time cuts (Sea of Thieves 100s to 35s; RDR2 88s to 38s), praise its quiet, powerful hardware, Quick Resume and backward compatibility. Both flag a launch exclusives gap and a barely-changed Xbox One UI. Digital Foundry and RTINGS not used. Praised: Very fast SSD load times, verified with timings across multiple games; Quiet, cool-running yet powerful hardware, near-PC performance; Best-in-class backward compatibility across Xbox generations; Quick Resume for instant switching between suspended games. Flagged: Thin lineup of true exclusives, especially at/near launch (leans on Game Pass); UI/dashboard barely changed from Xbox One, no next-gen overhaul; Generational graphics leap over Xbox One X underwhelming; Large and heavy console body. (From 2 tester reviews, 2 lab-tested.)

**How much does the Microsoft Xbox Series X cost?**

The Microsoft Xbox Series X has a US price of $499 (US launch MSRP (November 2020), 1 TB; raised to $649.99 in 2025 due to tariffs), as of 2026-06-15.

**How does the Microsoft Xbox Series X compare on price?**

At $499, the Microsoft Xbox Series X is #6 cheapest of the 17 game consoles we track, where the median is $599.

**When was the Microsoft Xbox Series X released?**

The Microsoft Xbox Series X was released 2020-11.

**What are the Microsoft Xbox Series X's key specs?**

Microsoft Xbox Series X (Microsoft): cpu Custom AMD Zen 2 8-core @ 3.8 GHz, gpu tflops 12.155, ram gb 16, storage gb 1000, max resolution 4K. Full sourced spec sheet verified 2026-06-15.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Series_X_and_Series_S (en.wikipedia.org, accessed 2026-06-15)
Corroboration: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/consoles/xbox-series-x (accessed 2026-06-15)
Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/product/game-consoles/microsoft-xbox-series-x/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, the Microsoft Xbox Series X price of record was $499 as of 2026-06-15 — https://frontdeskreview.com/product/game-consoles/microsoft-xbox-series-x/
License: CC BY 4.0. Price history: https://frontdeskreview.com/data/price-history.jsonl