Microsoft is planning a mid-gen refresh for its Xbox Series gaming systems, which also includes a new controller with gyro and haptic feedback. Codenamed ‘Brooklin’, the all-digital Xbox Series X has the same horsepower as the existing version, albeit without a disc drive. The console is cylindrical shaped and comes with a generous 2TB of storage (down from 1TB), which I suspect is an SSD. It will carry the same price tag of $499/Rs. 54,990 and is expected to drop by the end of October next year.
The leaked slides also promise faster Wi-Fi 6E for low latency and lower power consumption by 15 percent. Last month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer claimed in an interview that the company had no plans for a mid-gen refresh and that it was mainly focused on increasing storage space on the Xbox Series S, which currently stands at 512GB. Now we know that ‘Ellewood’, a refresh for the cheaper Xbox Series S, is scheduled for August 2024, priced at $299/Rs. 34,990 and an internal storage of 1TB. However, the form factor and other hardware capabilities remain the same with 10GB of RAM, which has been causing problems for developers lately. Larian Studios previously stated that the technical limitations of the Xbox Series S are preventing them from adding split-screen co-op to Baldur’s Gate 3, indirectly leading to a delayed release on the Xbox ecosystem.
“We’ve seen the conversation around old emails and documents,” Spencer acknowledged the leaks in a tweet. “It’s hard to see our team’s work shared in this way because so much has changed and there is so much to be excited about, now and in the future. We will share the real plans when we are ready.” As previously mentioned, the leak also included plans for ‘Sebile’, the new Xbox controller which, despite looking the same in appearance and layout as the existing wireless variants, includes some changes to improve immersion while gaming . There’s precise haptic feedback similar to PS5’s DualSense controller. Buttons will generally be quieter and the support for gyro should allow us to control the movements in the game by simply tilting the gamepad in certain directions. I assume all studios under Xbox will be asked to consider the latter feature for future titles.
The leaked documents also revealed that Xbox is planning its next-gen console for 2028, which is in line with Spencer’s comments during Activision Blizzard’s acquisition trial from June. As reported by The Verge, the company describes it as a hybrid gaming platform that relies on the cloud “to deliver deeper immersion and entirely new classes of gaming experiences.” Xbox appears to be eyeing AMD’s Zen 6 CPUs due to the console’s processing power and Navi 5 graphics. The roadmap indicates that hardware design will start next year, while the first dev kits will ship in 2027. Please note that these plans are always subject to change.
