Xbox Series X: Microsoft scrambles to respond to leaked launch date

Sony may have just revealed the specs for the PS5 after keeping fans in suspense for months, but Microsoft has caused a stir, snatching the limelight away for a brief moment when the November release date for the Xbox Series X was leaked on its own website.

The console's new website details all of its specs, touching on its 12 Teraflops of power, and 120fps frame rate. Microsoft has been very open with fans, first unveiling the hardware at last year's Game Awards, and delving further into its specs last month, so there's no surprises there. The only nugget of information that could possibly grab everyone's attention away from the PS5 specs drop, would be the Xbox Series X release date from an official source, and that's exactly what happened. 

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At the moment, if you visit the site and scroll to the bottom of the page, it reads, "coming holiday 2020", but for a short while yesterday, it sported a Thanksgiving 2020 release date. Industry veteran, Geoff Keighley tweeted a screenshot of the site, but there was some confusion after analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed out that it seemed to be on the Indian website, and not on the US site. 

But before it snowballed too far, Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb tweeted, "An Xbox product page in some regions inaccurately listed the launch date for Xbox Series X as Thanksgiving 2020. We are committed to launching Holiday 2020."

There's some scepticism about the accident with regards to how it even happened, but a November window wouldn't be out of the question. Aside from the fact that Thanksgiving falls within the holiday window, Microsoft has historically launched its consoles in November.

Both the Xbox 360 and its successor, the Xbox One, released on November 22 in the US, while the Xbox One X - a premium model of the Xbox One X, as opposed to a next generation console - launched on November 7.  

The Thanksgiving November release date would fall in line with the previous Xbox console launches, and the leak came from an official source just as Sony grabbed the industry's attention by finally revealing the PS5 details we'd all been waiting for. It's easy to see why some might believe it's not an 'inaccurate' date.

Either way, Microsoft disrupted the hubbub around the PS5 and spread some excitement amongst its fans. Until they officially officially announce it, all we can do is speculate. But it will probably be November. 

Source: CNET