Xbox One S 1TB And 500GB Models Launching End Of August With ‘Madden’ And ‘Halo’ Bundles

The Xbox One S is set to launch on August 2 with a $400 launch edition that comes with a 2TB hard drive. While this is targeted towards early adopters who must have the latest hardware at release, Microsoft announced the lower-priced editions of the revised console Tuesday that come in Madden NFL 17 and Halo options.

The 500GB and 1TB Xbox One S bundles will hit North American stores on August 23 and are available to pre-order from your preferred retailer right now. A release announcement for Europe and other regions is coming soon.

The 1TB bundle features Madden NFL 17 and will cost $350 at release. It also packs in a month EA Access trial, Madden Ultimate Team Pro Packs and a promotional discount for the NFL Shop.

Meanwhile, the 500GB bundle includes a physical copy of Halo 5: Guardians and a download code for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It comes in at a more affordable $300 price.

Score bigger with the #Madden17 [E] Bundle, featuring 4K video and more: https://t.co/m3ier3ZoUR pic.twitter.com/GRgSIcnXcW

— Xbox (@Xbox) July 26, 2016

Those who are not happy with the 500GB and 1TB options can always expand their storage space with an external USB 3.0 hard drive. It is a straightforward plug-and-play arrangement that allows you to store games and other content beyond what is available inside the console. Some games even load faster with this arrangement.

The Xbox One S is the “slim” version of the console that is 40 percent smaller than the original version when you count both the console body and the power brick. Microsoft has re-engineered the console to make the power supply a part of the Xbox One S, which results in pretty significant space savings.

Expect a new controller in the box that adds support for Bluetooth. This enables the controller to connect easily to Windows 10 devices running the Windows Anniversary Update. Meanwhile, the wireless signal performance for the Xbox One has also been improved.

The new Xbox One S also supports Ultra HD Blu-ray, 4K video streaming, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting for both games and video. If you have a high-end HDTV that supports 4K resolution and HDR, you’ll notice some visual improvements in games as they are upscaled to the higher resolution.

Don’t expect the Xbox One S to render games in 4K. That is being saved for the Xbox Scorpio launch planned in 2017. The new console packs approximately 4.5 times the power as the existing Xbox One and Xbox One S.

Here are the official descriptions for both the new Xbox One S bundles:

“In partnership with EA SPORTS, we’re offering the Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Bundle for fans in the U.S. and Canada. Packed with everything a football fan needs to get ready for the season, the Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Bundle comes loaded with a 1TB hard drive to play all the biggest blockbusters in Xbox history, a full-game download of Madden NFL 17, seven Madden Ultimate Team Pro Packs and one month of EA Access for $349 USD / $449 CAD. And now for a limited time, when you purchase the Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Bundle, you’ll get a promotional code for 20 percent off your next order at NFLShop.com (bundles purchased at GameStop will include a physical copy of Madden NFL 17).”

“In addition to the Xbox One S Madden NFL 17 Bundle, we’re also offering the Xbox One S Halo Collection Bundle, the ideal way to dive into the world of Xbox One and the iconic Halo universe. The Xbox One S Halo Collection Bundle comes with a 500GB or 1TB Xbox One S, matching Xbox Wireless Controller and five games between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It’s perfect for those looking to relive the Master Chief’s epic journey or battle on the biggest maps in franchise history in Warzone multiplayer.”

As previously reported, Microsoft has seen declining revenue from the Xbox One due to price cutting and bundles. Sales also sagged during the last fiscal quarter as consumers presumably waited on the company to announce the anticipated new consoles during E3. The console industry will be keeping an eye out to see how the Xbox One S performs.

Will you be picking up an Xbox One S or will you wait for the Xbox Scorpio? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Xbox]