Microsoft's 2024 Xbox Series X Refresh Leaks, And The Changes Are Huge
The newest Xbox Series X design, codenamed "Brooklin," has been leaked according to documents obtained by The Verge pertaining to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft's ongoing court case. Legal proceedings aside, the newest iteration of the console makes some drastic changes if it's coming to fruition.
From the outside, the design is all new. Shaving down the sharp corners, the new Series X will be shaped like a cylinder, instead of an angular mini-fridge. Leaked designs call to mind the "trashcan" shaped Mac Pro computer that Apple released several years ago. Taking a cue from the lower-priced Series S, the new Series X will supposedly be digital-only, eschewing a disc drive entirely in favor of now 2 TB of storage, according to The Verge.
Microsoft
With the new console comes a new redesigned controller as well. The new two-tone design, internally named "Sebile," has modular thumb-sticks, lift to wake features, and an onboard accelerometer. Most importantly, it comes with a rechargeable battery pack out of the box, so you don't have to fumble with opening a pack of AA batteries 30 seconds before your "Rainbow Six Siege" game ends.
The controller's price has been purportedly leaked at $69.99, and the refreshed Series X will reportedly be priced around $499. With that said, in the hours following the leak, Xbox head Phil Spencer said in a tweet that "so much has changed" since the "old emails and documents" were put together, indicating that at least some of the rumored details may no longer be valid.
Microsoft's all-digital future
The Series S is getting a fresh coat of paint as well. "Ellewood," as it is codenamed, will have the same price as the current model ($299) and will come packaged with the updated controller. Internal storage is boosted from 512 GB to a full terabyte, and it boasts a lower power draw and faster Wi-Fi over the previous generation. Reportedly, both refreshes will be on shelves in 2024 — with the Series S launching in September, and the Series X in November.
For the deal hunters out there, Microsoft reportedly says that the current 512 GB capacity will be priced at $199 on Black Friday before it goes to the big GameStop in the sky and reaches the end of its service life. Leaked documents reveal that Microsoft wants to move towards an all-digital platform for its console games as quickly as possible. While it may strike a fatal blow to the used games market for contemporary consoles, it makes sense on a larger scale as PCs have shipped for years without a disc drive.