Well, this is certainly going to set tongues wagging for the next few weeks in more ways than one.

Today, Microsoft have officially revealed that the Xbox Series X will launch in November. This had been widely speculated and falls in line with previous console launches.

The current thinking is the console will drop on November 5th / November 6th due to a recent controller listing that has been sold a little earlier than expected.

We will surely get a final date and price at Gamescom at the end of the month. But there is a catch. And it is a big one.

Halo Infinite will no longer be an Xbox Series X launch title and has, in fact, been delayed until 2021.

As far as we currently know, this leaves Xbox Series X without a major first party game launching with the console. PlayStation 5 will receive Spider-Man Miles Morales and there is a rumour a further title will be announced shortly.

Microsoft have reassured players that there will be plenty to play on the console at launch and throughout the rest of the year with more than 50 new games optimised for Series X.

They highlight new releases such as DiRT 5, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon as ones to watch out for. Interestingly, Cyberpunk 2077, a game Microsoft have shared extensive marketing with in the past, was not mentioned.

They’ve also reconfirmed new games for Xbox Series X like the excellent looking The Medium and Tetris Effect: Connected, both launching with Game Pass. And talked about major upgrades for existing Xbox One titles like Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4 and Ori and the Will of the Whisps.

Xbox Series X highlighted features include the four generations of backward compatibility, hardware-accelerated Direct X raytracing, up to 120 frames per second, faster loading times, Quick Resume for multiple games, and Smart Delivery.

And from September 15th, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play more than 100 games on the cloud on an Android phone or tablet.

It all sounds very exciting and great, but one wonders how much a lack of Master Chief at launch will affect the console’s fortunes when it launches in November.

More as we get it.