What just happened? A leaked court document has seemingly revealed Microsoft's plans for future Xbox consoles. First off, the company is working on hybrid machines that it says would leverage the "combined power of the client and cloud to deliver deeper immersion and entirely new classes of game experiences." The document also claims that the console will be optimized for real-time gameplay and creators, and will offer enhanced capabilities beyond what the client hardware can offer.
Curiously, Microsoft is considering moving away from AMD (Zen 6) and looking at Arm for the CPU of its next-gen game console. Depending on the company's decision, the GPU will either be co-designed with AMD (Navi 5) or license AMD IP (Navi 5). Some of the features of the new console could include next-gen Raytracing, Dynamic Global Illumination, Micropolygon Rendering Optimizations, ML-based Super Resolution, and more. The documents also reveal that the 10th-gen Xbox consoles could launch in 2028.
While the next-gen Xbox consoles are still some way away, Microsoft is prepping to launch a redesigned Xbox Series X (codenamed Brooklyn) next year with new features. The new console is expected to come without a disc drive and could have 2TB of storage and a powered USB-C port in the front.
The document accessed by The Verge also reveals other aspects of the device, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. The device could also be more power efficient, as the PSU will have 15 percent lower capacity than the existing model. It could have the same $499 MSRP as the current Xbox Series X, and is expected to launch in October-November, 2024.
Alongside the new Xbox Series X, Microsoft is also working on a refreshed Xbox Series S (codenamed Ellewood) with 1TB of storage, and a targeted launch timeframe in August-September, 2024. In addition, the document also suggests that 'Edith,' possibly a codename for the existing Xbox Series S, will be discounted to $199 for Black Friday before being discontinued. The company is also planning to end-of-life 'Starkville' before the Brooklyn launch, but it's not immediately clear what that device might be.
A leaked render suggests that the new console could be more cylindrical than the existing model, and it will also have an accompanying controller (codenamed 'Sebile') with a built-in accelerometer, cloud support, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, and 'Xbox Wireless 2' connection. Other features include a rechargeable and removable battery, modular thumbsticks, and a lift-to-wake function.