A new wave of documents has just leaked from the FTC v. Microsoft courtroom battle, which was supposed to be redacted, and it seems to have revealed a large part of Microsoft"s game plan for its Xbox business. One of the biggest leaks is the existence of a new Xbox console that"s meant to refresh the current Series X.
Ditching the current rectangular cuboid design, this upcoming Xbox Series X, Codenamed "Brooklin", looks to be going for a more cylindrical form, at least from the front angle seen in one of the leaked documents.
As this is a refresh of the hardware and not an upgraded "Pro" version, Brooklin"s performance should remain the same as the current Series X. However, shrinking the current 6nm die powering the machine has reportedly lowered the power usage by 15%. 2TB of internal storage, a USB-C port in the front for power delivery, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support are also listed as features.
However, the confidential document also reveals Microsoft is leaving behind the disk drive for this iteration, something that only the cheaper Xbox Series S has done for now. Microsoft may be opting to offer a separate disk drive for Xbox fans that want to stick to physical media or utilize their back catalogs, something that Sony is also rumored to be doing.
As for when people can get their hands on this refreshed Xbox Series X, another leaked document regarding launch timelines gives some targets Microsoft is hoping to hit in its 2025 fiscal year.
Per the leak, the new cylindrical Series X is planned for November 2024 with the same $499 price tag as the current console. While the Series S just recently received a small refresh with doubled storage capacity, the document may be alluding to another refresh (Codename "Ellewood") coming in 2024 just behind Brooklin"s launch as well.
UPDATE
Details regarding a next-generation Xbox Controller with haptics and an accelerometer, Microsoft"s long-term plans for its Xbox consoles through 2030, and even Bethesda"s launch schedule for upcoming games (including Fallout and Oblivion remasters) have also leaked from the same FTC source.