Last year, as part of Microsoft’s battle with the FTC, documents were released revealing that the company was planning a “brilliant all-digital” Xbox Series X console in 2024.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at the time. Responded in a roundabout way to leaks on social media, called the document “old” and noted that “a lot has changed.” If a new report from leaker eXtas1s is to be believed, that appears to be the case, and Microsoft isn’t planning a particularly ambitious revamp of its flagship console.
According to a report by eXtas1s writing for Exputer (based on “classified footage” of the console), the new console sounds like the equivalent of Microsoft’s PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. That means nearly identical hardware, minus the disk drive, at a (supposedly) lower MSRP.
Importantly, this means that buyers will have a new reliance on digital media. While this may not be a big deal in the Xbox ecosystem, the all-you-can-play Game Pass service gives you access to the console’s top games for a monthly subscription fee.
The promised new cylindrical design is gone, and leakers suggest that the color of the all-digital Xbox Series X will simply change from black to white. This mirrors what Microsoft did with the larger Series S, which switched from white to black when it debuted last June.
In addition to a new design, leaks from last year mentioned a front USB-C slot, improved Wi-Fi, reduced power consumption, and a new controller, none of which are mentioned in the eXtas1s copy. Is not …
Instead, all we’re promised is “improved heatsinks and upgraded Nexus cards.” The former could make the console run quieter, but it’s less clear what the latter means. Assuming eXtas1s is Spanish, maybe This translates into a “Nexus board”, a circuit board with power functions and LED lighting turned on. This is helpful, but not a huge upgrade, considering it can break as is.
eXtas1s speculates that the lack of a disk drive could drop the price by $50 to $100, allowing the console to sell for just $399.99. Of course, much of this will depend on how much internal storage is included. The first Microsoft leak promised an upgrade to 2TB, which would be important for a console without a disk drive, but there’s no mention of capacity in the Exputer part.
If this report is correct, we should find out soon, with leakers predicting a release date in June or July. However, “there may be some delays on that front as well,” Reeker added.
