Leaked Xbox Series X ‘Brooklin’ refresh looks like a drainpipe and ditches the disc drive

20.09.2023 - 01:37 / thesixthaxis.com / Xbox Series / Series X

With the leak of Microsoft’s ‘Roadmap to 2030’ document from unredacted court documents, we now know that the company is planning new hardware revisions of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, dubbed Brooklin and Ellewood respectively.

The Brooklin Xbox Series X refresh will make some big changes to the console’s design, stepping away from being a fridge-like tower in favour of being cylinder that will look more like a big of drainpipe, which Microsoft describes as being “adorable”. This shift means two things: the console will not have a disc drive, and it will probably roll away if you put it on its side.

This refresh will replace the original designs of Xbox Series consoles, so without a disc drive, Microsoft is waving goodbye to physical gaming.

Inside the console, the Brooklin Xbox Series X will not be a mid-gen upgrade like the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. Instead this is a more traditional mid-generation design refresh, though it does come with a good few improvements. The main chip will get a die shrink down to 6 nanometer that, alongside a new southbridge chip, will help to reduce power draw by 15%, and bring a new low-power standby mode that’s 80% more efficient.

The new Series X will also feature Wi-Fi 6E support, Bluetooth 5.2, and have a USB-C port on the front that was a glaring omission from the original Series X design. With no disc drive, the Series X will have 2TB of internal storage.

In general, Microsoft is pushing for more sustainable materials usage, increasing the amount of recycled plastic to around 30%, and making the packaging 100% recycled.

Microsoft are looking to hold onto the same price points that they started the generation with, as the Xbox Series S Ellewood – using the same Xbox Series S design but with the updated internals and 1TB storage – will come in at $299, while the Xbox Series X Brooklin will be $499.

As for when they will release, Ellewood is expected in late August or September 2024, to try and give it a little time as the new console release, before Brooklin arrives a few months later in November 2024.

Both will come with the revised Sebile controller, a revision that adds haptics, a rechargeable battery, modular thumbsticks and more interesting tech.

Source: Microsoft via FTC, Engadget