Microsoft
The US Federal Commerce Fee’s case in opposition to Microsoft did not finally block the corporate’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, however leaked paperwork from the case are giving us an unusually detailed take a look at Microsoft’s near-future plans for the Xbox. Courtroom paperwork published by the Verge embody a slide deck, full with renders, that element a mid-generation refresh of each Xbox Sequence consoles, plus a revamped controller with an up to date design and new options.
The most important adjustments are coming to the Xbox Sequence X. Codenamed “Brooklin,” the up to date console seems like a wedding of the unique boxy monolith that’s the Sequence X and the cylindrical design of Apple’s old “trash can” Mac Pro. The console can be all-digital, ditching its optical drive however stepping up from 1TB to 2TB of inner storage. The port on the entrance adjustments from USB-A to USB-C, and the console would come with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 upgrades.
On the within, the console’s CPU and GPU would use a 6 nm manufacturing course of as a substitute of the present 7 nm course of. As a result of the specs are altering, this implies energy consumption will go down, and the deck signifies that the console’s energy provide will likely be 15 p.c smaller than the present Sequence X (that measures out to round 270 W, based mostly on the 315 W capability of the present energy provide). An “all-new southbridge” will “modernize IO,” and a “new low-power standby mode” would use simply 20 p.c as a lot energy as the present console’s standby mode.
Microsoft
The refresh for the Xbox Sequence S is codenamed “Ellewood,” and it’s kind of much less thrilling. The Sequence S will get the identical “all-new southbridge” because the Sequence X, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 would spruce up its wi-fi connectivity, and the “low-power standby mode” would cut back energy consumption whereas the console is not getting used. There is not any point out of an up to date manufacturing course of for the primary CPU/GPU, nevertheless; the primary draw of the {hardware} can be a 1TB SSD improve on the similar $299 worth as the present 512GB mannequin (Microsoft at the moment sells a 1TB Xbox Sequence S for $349).
The deck signifies that each consoles can be accompanied by a revamped controller codenamed “Sebile.” Whereas the present Sequence X/S controller is similar to late-model Xbox One controllers, Sebile seems like a considerable revamp, together with a built-in swappable rechargeable battery (no extra juggling AAs or shopping for separate battery packs), “precision haptic suggestions,” an accelerometer, and “modular thumbsticks” that may be changed extra simply in the event that they put on out.
Microsoft
The slide deck features a detailed timeline for launch; the Sebile gamepad would launch in late Could of 2024 for $70, adopted by an announcement for the brand new console refreshes in June or July. The brand new Xbox Sequence S refresh would launch in late August, adopted by the brand new Xbox Sequence X in late October; new storage choices for each consoles can be introduced within the first half of 2025. Microsoft would use $199 Black Friday gross sales to filter out stock of the prevailing 512GB Xbox Sequence S, and each present consoles will go away after their refreshes launch.
