Xbox Series X August event teased — and we could see Xbox Series S

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The Xbox Series X will get more backwards compatibility details next month, and possibly more

Xbox Series S
(Image credit: Reddit - u/jiveduder)

We're learning something new about Xbox Series X each month, as part of the Xbox 20/20 strategy laid out by Microsoft back in May. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, has hinted that August's big information session will focus on Xbox Series X's backwards compatibility. 

While Spencer hasn't said a word about Xbox Series S, Microsoft's theoretical cheaper, less-powerful Xbox Series X cousin, some speculators have decided to link the two up anyway, suggesting (or at least hoping) that "more information about backwards compatibility" also means "the reveal of a whole new console." There is a certain logic to this, although it's not easy to follow.

Information comes from Justine Ezarik's Same Brain podcast, as reported by IGN. Ezarik, who goes by the name "iJustine" on YouTube, interviewed Spencer about a variety of gaming topics. At one point during the discussion, Spencer said that he'd have more to share about how Microsoft will optimize older games for the Xbox Series X next month:

"I'm encouraged to be able to talk more about it - should be August," Spencer specified. "I think August we'll have more to say on that."

What Spencer said is straightforward enough: In August, we'll hear more about backwards compatibility. But this has led some to speculate that Microsoft must be planning a full-blown August event, in which the company will fully reveal the Xbox Series S.

Back in June, Eurogamer and other publications proposed that Microsoft would reveal the Xbox Series S in August. (There's no single, definitive source for this rumor; it seems to be one of those things that just got amplified through repetition.) Spencer said that the company will have news to share about backwards compatibility in August. Sharing news could mean an event, and an event could mean the reveal of a new console.

Yes, it's a very spurious line of reasoning. And yet a lot of people seem to believe it, if gaming sites and social media are any indication. 

None of this necessarily invalidates the possibility of an Xbox Series S reveal next month, but the backwards compatibility news, on its surface, doesn't seem to have much to do with a big hardware event. Sometimes, you really can take things at face value, especially since a big blog post on backwards compatibility would fit quite well with Microsoft's overall strategy of "one deep dive per month." We'll know for sure within the next 30 days or so, so stay tuned to Tom's Guide for the latest. 

Marshall Honorof
Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof was a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.