Last year, as part of Microsoft's battle with the FTC, a document appeared revealing that the company was planning an "adorably all-digital" Xbox Series X console in 2024

At the time, Xbox head Phil Spencer responded obliquely to the leak on social media, calling the document "old" and noting that "a lot has changed" If new reports from the leaker eXtas1s are to be believed, it appears that Microsoft is trying to make its flagship console refresh far less ambitious

eXtas1s' report, contributed to Exputer, is based on "top secret footage" of the console, making the new console seem like Microsoft's version of the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition

Importantly, this means that buyers will have a new reliance on digital media However, this may not be as big a problem for the Xbox ecosystem, since the Xbox has an unlimited play "Game Pass" service that allows users to access the console's top games for a monthly fee

Gone is the promised new-look cylindrical design, and leakers have suggested that the all-digital Xbox Series X will simply swap colors from black to white This mirrors Microsoft's change from white to black on the larger Series S, which appeared last June

In addition to the new design, last year's leak also mentioned a front USB-C slot, improved wi-fi, lower power consumption, and a refreshed controller, but no mention of these in the eXtas1s copy

Instead, all that is promised is an "improved heatsink and upgraded Nexus card" The former may make the console run more quietly, but it is less clear what the latter means eXtas1s being Spanish, it may be a translation slip for the "Nexus board" (a circuit board with power functions and LED lighting) Given that it could be damaged in its current form, this would be helpful, but would not be what one would call a significant upgrade

eXtas1s speculates that the lack of a disk drive could drop the price by $50 to $100, with the console selling for just $39999 The first Microsoft leak promised an upgrade to 2TB, which seems important for a console without a disk drive, but there is no mention of capacity in the Exputer article

If the report is correct, the leaker predicts a June or July launch, which should be known soon However, there may be "a slight delay on that front as well," Rieker added