Microsoft has launched a pre-order page for the Xbox Series X on its main site, but you still cannot order the next-generation console. Also, there is no mention of pricing yet.

However, this means that Microsoft has a head start on the PS5, which does not have such a page available. Sony recently updated its PS5 website with a statement touting the console's power and promising "compelling games."

In fact, Sony is rumored to be planning a major launch event on June 4, where it could unveil a set of PS5 games as well as the console itself. Sony's website may be a precursor to that event, suggesting that it will be a far more comprehensive showcase than Microsoft's May 7 event, which only showed off third-party games.

While there may be no mention of pre-orders or pricing for the console, the Xbox Series X pre-order page certainly gives potential buyers a good look at what they can expect from Microsoft's next-generation console. A series of sleek images detail the Xbox Series X's impressive internal design, from the split motherboard to the massive vapor chamber unit.

Comparatively, Sony only showed off the DualSense controller, with no hints about the console's design.

Microsoft's new web page also states that "games will play better" on the Xbox Series X. "Thousands" of Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox games will be supported by the Xbox Series X's Velocity Architecture on the Xbox Series X. The company is leaning heavily on the fact that "thousands" of Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox games will be supported by Velocity Architecture. This comprehensive backward compatibility will be one of the significant advantages the Xbox Series X will have over the PS5.

Both consoles are scheduled for a "Holiday 2020" launch, with further updates expected to appear in the coming months; with the cancellation of E3 2020, there will be no major physical event where Microsoft or Sony will announce a next-generation console as they did with the current generation consoles. None.

However, scheduled showcases (such as Microsoft's monthly Xbox 20/20 series) are shaping up to offer two interesting and reasonably different game consoles that will allow 8K gaming, ray tracing, SSD instant load times, etc. helping to build excitement for the next generation of consoles.