I’m secretly hoping that the leaked all-white Xbox Series X isn’t real

30.03.2024 - 11:07 / digitaltrends.com / Giovanni Colantonio / Series X / Nintendo

Xbox’s anticipated mid-generation console refresh might be right around the corner. Over the past few weeks, there have been some rumblings that an all-white Xbox Series X may be coming this year. That rumor kicked into second gear when Exputer posted photos it says it received of the device. The leaked images show a standard Xbox Series X with a white casing. The design is about the same, but there’s one key difference: It doesn’t have a disk drive. If the rumors are proven true, that’ll be the system’s selling point, potentially putting it at a lower price point than the current Series X.

The low-quality images are suspicious-looking, but there’s good reason to believe the device may be legitimate. The Verge corroborates the rumor, claiming it’s seen internal documents revealing some hardware changes coming with the console. The color swap also does match what Xbox did with its Series S, which got an all-black variant last year with an expanded hard drive. It’s very possible that we’ll see a white Series X on retail shelves come this holiday season. And as someone who enjoys collecting consoles, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.

I first caught wind of Xbox’s mid-generation refresh during a fiasco last year when Microsoft accidentally uploaded unredacted documents to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website revealing its future hardware plans. The most exciting nugget in that bunch was a page detailing a system code-named the Brooklin. The diskless system was said to be an updated version of the Series X with 2TB of storage and improved sustainability. Though what caught my eye was its left-field redesign, one that made it look like a Bluetooth speaker.

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While the design got some chuckles from cynics, I was intrigued. My current Series X is a bit of an awkward tower that doesn’t quite fit right in my entertainment center. I actually have it propped up on a speaker close by, which has made it easily accessible to my nosy cat who loves sitting on the system’s top vent. While the design is less gaudy than that of the PlayStation 5, I’d long hoped that a mid-generation refresh would give me something sleeker that would require less space and blend in with my entertainment center more easily.

If the rounded Brooklin has transformed into a white Series X behind the scenes, I’m afraid those hopes are dashed. A big white tower is sure to stick out like a sore thumb even if it’ll match my Nintendo Switch OLED dock (it would have also matched my PS5, but I’ve since customized my faceplates