Joe Hindy / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Photos of what appears to be an Xbox Series X digital-only model have leaked.
- The tower looks just like a Series X but in white and without a disc drive.
- It’s possible this refreshed console could launch in the summer for a slightly lower price than the $499 Series X.
PlayStation fans are excited about a PS5 Pro possibly landing this year, but Xbox fans already have two distinct models of Microsoft’s ninth-gen console. The Series X is the “pro” model with all the best specs, while the Series S trims down some specs and removes the disc drive to deliver a more pared-down experience (and lower price).
However, a new rumor suggests Microsoft could smash together the two concepts and release a refreshed version of the Series X without a disc drive and in the Series S’s distinctive white colorway. The source of this rumor is Exputer, but the information has been corroborated by The Verge and other leakers.
You can see some alleged images of the refreshed console below:
The new console doesn’t stray too far from what you expect from Xbox, but looks aren’t the only possible change. Exputer suggests there could be a new heatsink and other “minor” hardware updates, but, most importantly, there could also be a new price. It’s estimated Microsoft could charge $50-$100 less for this digital-only version of the Series X.
Of course, that would make the Series S a hard sell. But who knows, maybe Microsoft is going to retire that model and replace it with this one. This is what Sony does with the PlayStation 5, with the standard disc-drive model and the digital-only model being very similar (or at least more similar than the Series X and Series S).
Exputer posits this new console could hit store shelves this summer.