Today, Microsoft officially unveils the white Xbox Series X model. The new console option will be fully digital and will not come with a disc drive. It has the same internal design as the Xbox Series X and offers the same performance for current Xbox titles. Later this year, this new white model with 1TB of storage will be offered for $449.99.
During today’s Xbox Games Showcase, Xbox president Sarah Bond unveiled the new white Xbox Series X along with a 2TB “Galaxy Black” version of the original Xbox Series X. Additionally, a 1TB Xbox Series S in white is available for $349.99.
There’s a white option coming shortly for the Xbox Series X. Picture: Microsoft
The external white coating of the new Xbox Series X is identical to the “robot white” of Microsoft’s $299 Xbox Series S. Microsoft may have improved the heatsink that cools the Xbox Series X, according to leaks of the white model, but we may need to wait for teardowns to verify that.
When the Xbox Series X with the new Galaxy Black special edition releases later this year, it will retail for $599.99 and include a disc drive. In a blog post, Xbox hardware chief Roanna Sones states, “This new special edition Xbox Series X delivers the same speed, performance, and features of Xbox Series X, but with twice the storage and a unique design.”
The discovery of a white Xbox Series X seems to provide confirmation that Microsoft has withdrawn or delayed the updated Xbox Series X system that surfaced in documents related to the FTC v. Microsoft lawsuit last year.
The Xbox Series X update, codenamed Brooklin, was a more cylindrical console than the current model and was not expected to have a disc drive. According to internal documents from Microsoft, the system was referred to as “adorably all digital” and was expected to come with an Xbox Wireless 2 connection and a new controller. Microsoft had announced that the $499 Brooklin console would be available for shipping in November.
In September of last year, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer addressed rumors that the updated Xbox Series X design had leaked, raising the possibility that Xbox hardware plans had changed. In a September post on X, Spencer wrote, “It is hard to see our team’s work shared in this way because so much has changed and there’s so much to be excited about right now, and in the future,” “We will share the real plans when we are ready.”