Well, this was unexpected.
Thanks to poorly-controlled court documents that literally anybody can download and access, Microsoft’s plans for a mid-gen refresh of both the Xbox Series X and Series S and a brand-new design for its Xbox Wireless Controller have leaked.
The files were picked up by Resetera, where a link to the PDF uploaded by the US courts was found to have a ton of attached slides containing the unannounced information. It’s a genuine treasure trove of super-early information that we’re sure Microsoft didn’t want out there, but the proverbial cat has well and truly left the bag.
We won’t link to anything directly here, but for as long as they remain up you can see the images below from Twitter, showing off actual renders of the new Xbox Series X codenamed “Brooklin” which will seemingly sport more internal storage at 2TB, what looks like no disc drive, a front USB-C port, better network connectivity and improved efficiency for less power draw. Shockingly, it seems as though Xbox Design Lab is also going to be available for consoles.
Xbox Series X Refresh/mid-gen info leaked thanks to FTC documents https://t.co/3KHgiOnQJd
-Xbox Series X refresh digital only (2TB storage), target launch Oct 2024
-New Xbox controller with gyroSource from attachments in PDF https://t.co/tuikvo2h5F pic.twitter.com/fFzEbepHdl
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 19, 2023
Meanwhile the new controller will sport a redesigned look with better connection, seamless pairing with mobile devices and cloud services, haptic feedback, motion inputs, a swappable and rechargable battery and general build improvements.
The Xbox Series X refresh will seemingly cost the same as the current version with the controller pegged at $69.99 USD. The controller is slated to launch around the end of May next year with a new version of the Xbox Series S 1TB (codenamed Ellewood) coming next August and Codename Brooklin following in late October, and both followed by the announcement of “new storage options.”
