Rumour: Xbox Series X digital-only console | Now certified in South Korea

Eurogamer wrote:Microsoft is reportedly preparing to launch a new white, digital-only version of its top-end Xbox Series X console in "June or July" this year.

An "adorably all-digital" Xbox Series X refresh, planned for a 2024 release, first surfaced as part of a mammoth leak of official Microsoft documentation during last year's court battle with the FTC. However, Xbox boss Phil Spencer later insisted "so much has changed" since the plans detailed in the leak had been drawn up, leaving the all-digital console's future uncertain.

But now, noted leaker eXtas1s (writing for Exputer) has claimed that not only are Microsoft's all-digital Xbox Series X plans still alive, the console is set to release "sometime between the upcoming months of June and July" - although "chances for a slight delay" remain.

Pure Xbox wrote:The rumour originates from insider eXtas1s (Twitter), who speculates that the console could also be "$50-$100 lower" than the normal Series X, considering its all-digital nature. However, the report is keen to note that pricing info isn't known at the time of publishing.

Other enhancements are set to include "an improved heatsink" and "an upgraded Nexus card" over the base Xbox Series X - improved internals would make sense considering the original system is almost four years old at this stage.

It appears to be a fairly mild revision albeit a step down the path to an all-digital future.

I'd hope it has an external disc reader option like the PS5 revision, but not looking too likely they'll do that considering the Series S selling a lot better and the production of physical games for the system seemingly winding down.

Not that I'm really planning on getting this revision, but if I ever had to replace my Series X it'd be nice to get one of the newer models.

Kriken wrote:I'd hope it has an external disc reader option like the PS5 revision, but not looking too likely they'll do that considering the Series S selling a lot better and the production of physical games for the system seemingly winding down...

Yeah, it'd be nice to see a disc drive available, but I guess that they're heavily leaning into the all-digital future. I actually like the idea of all-digital... if the benefits were more equal for the consumer rather than the platform holders. However, I think we're well on that path now.

I would think this new system would be quite a bit cheaper than the current Series X, recognising the lack of a drive and the potential for greater profit from digital downloads. I wonder how the pricing will fit with the existing Series S?

Another thought... I wonder if Microsoft would continue to produce the Series X (disc), Series X (digital), Series S (1Tb digital) and Series S (500Gb digital) alongside each other? It would seem that maybe they'd slim that down and perhaps go all-digital? I can't imagine that they'd continue manufacturing the original Series X once the newer model arrives.

I strongly dislike the phrase “adorably all digital” it’s a console, what’s adorable about it? Not saying pieces of technology can’t be good looking bits of kit, but I don’t think anything the size of the Series X can be called adorable! Maybe the GBA Micro could be, that was tiny.

I would have bought a digital Series X if it was an option at launch. Can't even remember the last time I used a disc.

more heat than light wrote:I would have bought a digital Series X if it was an option at launch. Can't even remember the last time I used a disc.

It does feel like Xbox is way further down the line in being all-digital than PlayStation and Switch. Digital sales are, of course, increasing on all formats but Xbox seems to be far more prominently digital than the others. And, to be fair, Microsoft seems to be better at keeping access to your past purchases, too.

Having said that, we all know that digital access eventually disappears for consoles. PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS... it feels odd to think that even the most popular systems can see their stores/access taken away; especially when you look at the money spent on digital titles.

jawa_ wrote:

more heat than light wrote:I would have bought a digital Series X if it was an option at launch. Can't even remember the last time I used a disc.

It does feel like Xbox is way further down the line in being all-digital than PlayStation and Switch. Digital sales are, of course, increasing on all formats but Xbox seems to be far more prominently digital than the others. And, to be fair, Microsoft seems to be better at keeping access to your past purchases, too.

Having said that, we all know that digital access eventually disappears for consoles. PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS... it feels odd to think that even the most popular systems can see their stores/access taken away; especially when you look at the money spent on digital titles.

I don't know about the others, but I'm pretty sure the Xbox 360 shutdown is just for new purchases, people will still be able to download stuff they've bought.

The 360 is almost 19 years old. Keeping a store open for that long doesn't seem to bad to me. It's like moaning in 2009 that Game was no longer stocking Megadrive games.

I'll change my mind on all of the above if/when MS stop 360 owners from downloading their past purchases though.

Moggy wrote:I don't know about the others, but I'm pretty sure the Xbox 360 shutdown is just for new purchases, people will still be able to download stuff they've bought.

The 360 is almost 19 years old. Keeping a store open for that long doesn't seem to bad to me...

Yep, it's good that MS will still allow 360 game purchases to be downloaded. That's digital done right!

Moggy wrote:..It's like moaning in 2009 that Game was no longer stocking Megadrive games...

I'm not sure about this comparison. If you bought a Mega Drive game then the cart is very likely to still work today. Once digital storefronts are closed, your game only lasts as long as the particular console it was downloaded to. It's frustrating to think that - for example - the games I downloaded to my Wii and Wii U are lost once these specific consoles break.

I'm happy to go all digital, if they stick to their end of the bargain and keep up persistent storefronts and perennial backwards compatibility.

Let's face it, in the current climate, I don't trust these companies to not shut off access to games after half a dozen years. They'll enjoy an all-digital future as all of digital purchases are finite or have online elements that disappear after a while.

If they want to go all digital, purchases have to persist across consoles and generations. MS have been pretty good at having a through line from the original Xbox all the way to the Series. With Sony, you can usually play PS3 digital purchases still.

Nintendo, well, they are horrendous and they'll be happy for you to make your 12th purchase of Super Mario 64 when the Switch 2 comes. Nintendo Switch Online could be a persistent, Netflix-style catalogue of their biggest hits, but it won't be. They'll probably reset it again when the next console comes out. And they'll keep printing old titles and slapping a high RRP on them.

Bet the Series X looks nice in white though.

jawa_ wrote:I'm not sure about this comparison. If you bought a Mega Drive game then the cart is very likely to still work today. Once digital storefronts are closed, your game only lasts as long as the particular console it was downloaded to. It's frustrating to think that - for example - the games I downloaded to my Wii and Wii U are lost once these specific consoles break.

The comparison was purely to the sale of games. I acknowledged my view would change if/when they stop the ability to download previous purchases.

Parksey wrote:I'm happy to go all digital, if they stick to their end of the bargain and keep up persistent storefronts and perennial backwards compatibility.

Let's face it, in the current climate, I don't trust these companies to not shut off access to games after half a dozen years. They'll enjoy an all-digital future as all of digital purchases are finite or have online elements that disappear after a while.

If they want to go all digital, purchases have to persist across consoles and generations. MS have been pretty good at having a through line from the original Xbox all the way to the Series. With Sony, you can usually play PS3 digital purchases still.

Nintendo, well, they are horrendous and they'll be happy for you to make your 12th purchase of Super Mario 64 when the Switch 2 comes. Nintendo Switch Online could be a persistent, Netflix-style catalogue of their biggest hits, but it won't be. They'll probably reset it again when the next console comes out. And they'll keep printing old titles and slapping a high RRP on them.

Bet the Series X looks nice in white though.

I feel like Nintendo are by far the worst offenders in this area as well, Wii to Wii U eShop? You had to pay a small upgrade to use the exact same VC game on the Wii U. Then coming from the 3DS and Wii U, to a unified system in the Switch, nothing carried over, again. I imagine it was the same for DSi to 3DS, but can't speak from personal experience as I never bought anything on the DSi digital store.

Nintendo have said they'll be sticking with the current Nintendo account system, so in theory we should be good to carry our purchases forward, its hard to believe them though when they've basically reset it with each new set of systems.

A side effect of the all-digital future is an increased effort from hackers to jailbreak consoles. Yes, you cannot buy new digital games for a PSP or 3DS for example but both consoles are so easy to hack you can maintain access to your purchases ‘manually’.

Downloading roms or titles you have already paid for but no longer have access to isn’t illegal

jawa_ wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't know about the others, but I'm pretty sure the Xbox 360 shutdown is just for new purchases, people will still be able to download stuff they've bought.

The 360 is almost 19 years old. Keeping a store open for that long doesn't seem to bad to me...

Yep, it's good that MS will still allow 360 game purchases to be downloaded. That's digital done right!

Moggy wrote:..It's like moaning in 2009 that Game was no longer stocking Megadrive games...

I'm not sure about this comparison. If you bought a Mega Drive game then the cart is very likely to still work today. Once digital storefronts are closed, your game only lasts as long as the particular console it was downloaded to. It's frustrating to think that - for example - the games I downloaded to my Wii and Wii U are lost once these specific consoles break.

MS will allow you to continue to download and redownload your digital xbox360 games beyond the closure of the digital storefront in July 24 to a xbox360. It's great that they're doing this as the numbers who will actually make use of this are likely to be very small.

I've only just seen that Monkey Man had mentioned this rumour about a digital Series X on Friday, within the Xbox Chat thread. Hey, go check it out there!

I don't have an issue with store fronts eventually being closed, but there needs to be protections in place that allow purchased titles to be downloaded in perpetuity. Apart from PT, Microsoft and Sony still allow you to download purchased or downloaded demos and games even if they've been removed from public sale. What Sony are going to do when the PS3/PSP/Vita Store is turned off is another matter - hopefully there will just be a 'download' tab. Worth noting you do actually need a PS3 to still purchase/redownload Vita/PSP titles.

jawa_ wrote:

Moggy wrote:I don't know about the others, but I'm pretty sure the Xbox 360 shutdown is just for new purchases, people will still be able to download stuff they've bought.

The 360 is almost 19 years old. Keeping a store open for that long doesn't seem to bad to me...

Yep, it's good that MS will still allow 360 game purchases to be downloaded. That's digital done right!

Moggy wrote:..It's like moaning in 2009 that Game was no longer stocking Megadrive games...

I'm not sure about this comparison. If you bought a Mega Drive game then the cart is very likely to still work today. Once digital storefronts are closed, your game only lasts as long as the particular console it was downloaded to. It's frustrating to think that - for example - the games I downloaded to my Wii and Wii U are lost once these specific consoles break.

You can just move your non backward compatible games to a working console if you have one.

BID0 wrote:You can just move your non backward compatible games to a working console if you have one.

Not if you're a Nintendo owner; the games are fixed to a single console.

jawa_ wrote:

BID0 wrote:You can just move your non backward compatible games to a working console if you have one.

Not if you're a Nintendo owner; the games are fixed to a single console.

Oh yeh that sucks, it's why I stopped buying Nintendo stuff because of the amount of games I lost on my 3DS. Luckily the Wii and GameCube are probably the easiest consoles to pirate games for.

A new Xbox console development model has been certified in South Korea and there are rumours that this is related to the next retail Xbox console.

The Xbox Series development model was rated in South Korea five months before the release of the retail model back in November 2020.

Source: Video Games Chronicle