While we all sit on the edges of our seats, waiting for PlayStation to finally announce the PlayStation 5 Pro, Microsoft has decided that all this waiting around is actually quite boring, so they held an announcement of their own.
It may not be the Xbox Series X Pro or Xbox Series XXX or whatever nomenclature Microsoft is using these days, but it is a similar varietal range of new colours and minor updates that we’ve seen in the past from Xbox.
Announced by Sarah Bond at the Xbox Games Showcase, console fans can expect to see a new Robot White Discless version of the Xbox Series X that comes standard with a 1TB hard drive. Besides removing the disc drive, the internal hardware is exactly the same as the original Series X, although some online rumours suggest an updated heatsink has been added to the device.
Those who are more comfortable with the Series S’s price also have something to look forward to, as a 1TB version of the console will also be released. Again, the console’s internals are said to match the original, but a hard drive upgrade is always welcomed in an age where Call of Duty needs its own 3-bedroom house.
The most exciting announcement from the console lineup, though, is the new Galaxy Black Xbox Series X. It comes in a stunning black and speckled silver design, mimicking the starry night.
The console comes standard with a 2TB hard drive, a disc drive, and a matching Galaxy Black controller. No performance improvements have been made over the original console, either.
No firm release dates have been officially announced just yet, but Xbox has said “Holiday Season 2024”, so we should see them hit the shelves sometime around November or early December.
It may not be the performance-enhanced “Brooklin” console that leaked during the FTC vs Microsoft court case late last year, but these consoles may just be enough to keep the hype going as the team works hard on what Bond promises to be “the largest technical leap” in consoles.