Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday that the company will be releasing all-digital versions of its Series X and S consoles this Christmas season.
Included in this is a brand-new white Xbox Series X, which was made public earlier this year after some absurdly grainy photos that appeared to have been taken on a manufacturing line surfaced. The white Xbox Series S is a digital-only console without a disk drive, in contrast to the original Xbox Series S. It will cost $449.99, which is $50 less than the current model, and offers 1Tb of storage space.
Bond stated, “Our goal is to make Xbox the best place for you to play by pushing the technical boundaries in our upcoming hardware, bringing your games into the future with our commitment to game preservation, and empowering you to play your games anywhere you want on Xbox consoles, PC, and cloud.” Xbox also includes games from its own studios in Game Pass at launch. “This is what Xbox is all about, and we’re working hard on the next generation,” the statement reads.
Additionally, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox Series X – 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition today. Though it will only be offered in a few areas and in limited quantities, this new Series X with twice the storage will have a distinctive look and cost $599.99/€649.99.
Although it’s for smarter minds than mine to solve, several fans have questioned why Microsoft would release an all-digital Xbox Series X without include a 2 TB SSD. The Special Edition console is the best of the lot; it features a distinctive paint scheme that is subtly associated with the Xbox brand. Aesthetically, the controller has also been modified to resemble the console unit.
Microsoft is expected to disclose the pricing and anticipated release markets of these consoles in the upcoming months.