The biggest leak in gaming history took over the internet last week. Much of the information — revealed from the FTC and Microsoft’s own court submissions — detailed Xbox’s plans for 2024 and beyond, including a new console planned to launch next year. However, this may not be the console many expected.
As detailed in the leaks, Xbox’s next console is focused on what Microsoft calls an ‘All Digital Future’ and the refreshed, discless, Xbox Series X — code-named ‘Brooklin’ — is not a Pro console like the Xbox One X mid-gen refresh. Instead, it’s more like the previous slim re-designs we have seen in prior generations – think Xbox 360 Slim, not PS4 Pro. It makes sense though, as it better aligns with the Game Pass and a cloud-based future Microsoft has long been steering us towards.
Adorably Digital Dimensions
One thing the new console is definitely not is a slim version of the X, at least from the visuals shown so far anyway. It’s not significantly smaller than the current ‘Tower of Power’ Series X, although it is less ‘edgy’ – not in a ’90s attitude kinda way, but rather its cylindrical shape and the same external vents at the top.
Furthermore, we examined the leaks extensively and discovered the following conclusions based on Xbox’s own internal roadmap. On the technical side, a new USB-C front port has been added, which will likely increase the port’s speed over the current model. SSD storage is also doubled thanks to a 2TB internal drive, meaning you can download and play even more games than the current model.
This is backed up by other technical improvements over the current console, such as the Southbridge chip, which is integral to the improvements. It’s the part of the motherboard that connects the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) in the North to the external access points in the South, which includes the new USB-C and rear external ports, LAN connection, Bluetooth devices, controllers, and improved Wi-Fi 6E card. This effectively brings the new Xbox inline with the PS5 and is better spec-wise than the existing Wi-Fi 5 set-up, or 802.11ac. Compared to current specs the new Xbox Project Brooklin offers much faster Wi-Fi speeds – approximately 40% more thanks to eight spatial streams as standard (think of them as lanes) compared to typically four with the current system.
This means it’s theoretically capable of speeds of 9.6Gbps versus the current 6.9Gbps, although real-world speeds will naturally be lower for both. In addition, the latency reductions of the new card and improved I/O within the Southbridge means less laggy online gameplay, plus it’s better at supporting bi-directional streams and multiple devices, offering a wider choice of wireless connection hardware. This is immediately apparent in the new Xbox controller, which likely has the same internet-focused hardware inside.
This means the controller can be connected directly to a remote server without a console, or even connected to the new machine via its improved wireless connectivity, improving controller latency. Bluetooth is also improved, upgraded to the newer and better BT 5.2 standard, plus the core of the machine – its AMD APU – works with a smaller and more efficient 6nm node, which is a big factor in the other improvement the Brooklin offers – power.
Less Power Drain, Same Speed
A big focus of the new machine is to reduce cost and power usage, with the reduced die and removal of the optical drive doing much of the heavy lifting. It is the exact same APU that powers the current Series X, offering identical performance but with increased storage:
· AMD RDNA2 GPU offering 12 Teraflops of Computing and Ray Tracing
· AMD 8 Core 16 Thread Zen 2 CPU
· 16GB GDDR Ram shared between
· 2TB NVMe SSD
Although the details shown so far do not drill down to the motherboard and memory specs, in all likelihood these will be reduced in size to cut further cost off the BoM (Bill of Materials) per unit. Although memory modules will likely be faster than the current GDDR6 set-up, they will almost certainly be clocked to similar speeds to maintain parity with all Gen 9 consoles, no matter how old they are. This is standard practice in manufacturing as older specs become outdated and more costly.
All this means power usage demands on the PSU reduces by 15% from 315w to approximately 270w. This planet-saving power reduction means the new console runs in standby mode at 20% of the current Series S, but still offers the same 4K and 120Hz options as the current Series X model. .
2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back
Although the changes focus on cloud, cost, and power improvements, it does not mean we pay any less for it. Coming in at the same $499 price as the current model, the specs we’ve seen so far do not make for a compelling argument for an immediate upgrade. On the one hand you gain double the storage with a welcome 2TB drive, but on the other you lose the optical disc drive and the route to physical ownership along with it, meaning any disc-based games you already own can no longer be played.
This brings us neatly onto what is seemingly the main focus of the new machine – to grow its audience and entice existing Series S owners to upgrade to the better, faster, and more efficient console and bring their digital library along for the ride. The problem here is the new console effectively offers less choice and in many ways value than the current Series X, because all backwards compatibility becomes limited to the games you own on the digital store rather than those also in your physical collection. Worse still, the catalog of games in the Xbox 360 digital store is decreasing, plus locking you out of your disc collection across three generations of Xbox consoles, which is not very appealing for the game collectors amongst us.
However, Brooklin does have other benefits: thanks to the faster Southbridge, improved Wi-Fi, and controller it should make cloud streaming and online games run better. Game Pass and cloud play should benefit from faster remote host connections when playing using XCloud, not to mention faster downloads and installs of local games. Similarly, there should be a noticeable improvement in UI speed, store browsing and switching games, but these increases are more refinements than significant improvements. The reality is the games will not play any differently from how they perform on the Series X. Which begs the question – are you ready for an all digital future?
