Leaked controller packaging seemingly confirms the Xbox Series S is real

While Sony has already dealt its hand with the reveal that there will be two PlayStation 5 SKUs, Microsoft is yet to officially confirm whether or not the highly rumoured ‘Xbox Series S’ will be sold alongside the Xbox Series X at launch. Well, this morning might see that change, as images of what appears to be a white next-gen Xbox controller started to appear on various social media sites.

Initially reported on by The Verge who also claims to have verified that the item is authentic, the photos classify the new gamepad’s colour as “Robot White” and makes clear mention of the Xbox Series S (codenamed Lockhart) on the back of the box. The images popped up on a resale site over the weekend where it was actually available for purchase. The most likely reason we’re seeing this now is that Xbox Series S dev kits are now out in the wild and someone slipped up.

This news comes quickly after a white Xbox Series X controller briefly appeared online despite Microsoft not mentioning any other colour outside black. All of these leaked instances would suggest that it’s now only a matter of time until the Xbox Series S is officially revealed, with many reputable outlets and analysts suggesting that it could happen as early as later this month.

The leaked controller itself appears to tout textured triggers, a revised D-pad and the inclusion of a dedicated ‘share’ button which we already knew about. Other than that it seems business as usual, with Microsoft yet again riffing on the Xbox 360’s much-beloved gamepad design.

So what exactly is the Xbox Series S rumoured to be? Similar to the current distinction between the One S and One X, this as yet unannounced console is expected to be slightly less of a power horse, launching with the same CPU included in the Series X but with only 7.5GB of RAM and roughly 4 teraflops GPU. The Series S will be pitched as a more affordable entry point into the Xbox eco-system and is expected to filly phase out the One line of consoles.