With June almost over, the gaming industry is anticipating what Microsoft has in store for its July presentation. While it was already announced that first-party software such as "Halo Infinite" will be the highlight, others suspect there is something else on the way. Last week, leaked documents from the company purportedly confirmed the existence of another next-generation console model. However, the latest rumours suggest that the Xbox Series S could be unveiled in August.

The premium model is already established as the Xbox Series X. As Xbox boss Phil Spencer hinted before, it was named as such to make it easier for the manufacturer to introduce other models down the line. For the longest time, the mystery console was assigned the name Project Lockhart, based on Microsoft's internal communication.

According to sources, the Xbox Series S was originally slated for a June 2020 reveal. However, some suspect that Sony's surprise PS5 debut prompted Microsoft to adjust its plans. The Verge is pointing out that Xbox engineers have likely been working on the second system in parallel to the more powerful Xbox Series X. The papers likewise noted that the devkits of the aforementioned machine give developers access to a "Lockhart" mode.

Sony, on the other hand, already confirmed that it will launch two models of the PS5, a standard and digital-only version. Performance-wise both are expected to be exactly on par with each other. Meanwhile, Microsoft's other platform might be slightly underpowered that its flagship sibling. So far, what has been listed on the documents indicate a 4-teraflop GPU and a usable RAM of 7.5 GB. For comparison, the Xbox Series X promises 12 teraflops alongside 13.5 GB of RAM.

Xbox Series X makes its debut
Microsoft surprised those watching The Video Game Awards 2019 with the reveal of the Xbox Series X. Photo: Microsoft

Analysts suggest that the company will likely announce the pricing for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in August. The former will be geared for high-end gaming that supports up to 8K with 120 fps. As for the latter, it should be able to manage a more modest resolution and frame rate instead. Aside from its capabilities, Microsoft is supposedly planning to undercut the PS5 when it comes to pricing as well.