Leaker Claims Microsoft Is Readying An All-Digital White Xbox Series X
There is quite a bit of mystery and intrigue surrounding Microsoft's future Xbox hardware plans, both in the long-term and the more immediate future. As it applies to the latter, a fresh leak alleges that Microsoft is getting ready to release an Xbox Series X in white trim, and without an optical disc drive, making it an all-digital refresh of the the current hardware.
The rumor originates from eXputer, which claims to have heard the news from a sources close to the site with "confidential footage to confirm" the authenticity of the leak. Unfortunately, the site is not sharing the footage (possibly to protect the identity of the source), but it did say that the all-white Xbox Series X will make a debut likely sometime in June or July of this year, with a "slight delay" being possible.
Outside of the all-white design and ditching the optical disc drive, other alleged changes include an improved heatsink and an upgraded Nexus card. There's no mention of any other alternations, and assuming it's still called an Xbox Series X, we would presume the internal hardware would remain largely the same.
In other words, this is not a next-gen system that's on tap from Microsoft. We know that are plans to eventually release a next-gen Xbox, because Xbox president Sarah Bond recently confirmed as much during an official Xbox podcast.
"We’ve got more to come. There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday, and we’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap. And what we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation, which makes it better for players and better for creators and the visions that they’re building," Bond said.
It's also highly probably that Microsoft will adopt a dual approach to its next-gen hardware, offering both a disc and disc-less version as it did with the current generation. Phil Spencer, Microsoft's CEO of gaming, stated in a separate interview (with Game Files) that most Xbox customers are buying games in digital form, but that getting rid of physical media altogether is not part of Xbox's strategy.
Source: Microsoft/FTC
A next-gen Xbox is likely still a few years off, though. As for the more immediate future, it wouldn't be shocking if the latest leak turns out to be accurate. Previously, leaked documents that Microsoft filed with the FTC outlined an a "adorably all digital" Xbox Series X refresh codenamed Brooklin.
The document depicted a black, cylinder-shaped Xbox instead of a white one, along with an "all-new southbridge to modernize I/O and sustainability efforts," a die shrink for better efficiency, Wi-Fi 6E support, and several other odds and ends, as outlined in the document above.
Information about the refreshed console's pricing was not part of the leak, though eXputer reckons it could carry an MSRP that's $50-$100 less than the current Xbox Series X with 1TB of built-in storage.
