Xbox Series X Gets A Discless Option And More Storage With Three New Consoles
This November will mark four years since Microsoft introduced its latest-generation Xbox Series X|S game consoles. Now as we head into this year's holiday season, Microsoft is expanding its console family with a trio of new SKUs that add more storage and color options to the fray, including an Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition.
The Galaxy Black model is a mild refresh of Microsoft's flagship console. From a hardware standpoint, it doubles the amount of built-in solid state drive (SSD) storage to 2TB while everything else stays the same—it features the same SoC delivering the same speed and performance as all existing Xbox Series X consoles, and it boasts a built-in Blu-ray drive.
Xbox Series X Galaxy Black Special Edition
Externally, however, the Galaxy Black model brings a custom color scheme to the console party that is...out of this world, in a manner of speaking (see what we did there?).
"Drawing inspiration from constellations and the spirit of exploration and adventure that outer space evokes, the special edition console in Galaxy Black features a silver, grey, and green celestial effect representing thousands of games and millions of gamers playing on Xbox," Microsoft explains.
That's mostly achieved with glittery specs adorning the sides. And that's all well and good, though the bump in storage is really the main appeal, especially considering that some triple-A games continue to grow in size.
All-Digital Xbox Series X Robot White w/ 1TB
In addition to the Galaxy Black variant, Microsoft announced a 1TB Digital Edition of the Xbox Series X. As the name implies, it ditches the disc drive and goes all-in with digital downloads. It's the first the Series X has been offered with a disc drive, and it's also distinguishable by a Robot White color scheme.
It's a sleek looking console, though it's a little curious that Microsoft is sticking with 1TB of storage on the all-digital model. We understand wanting to give the Galaxy Black Special Edition a distinguishing hardware trait, but it already achieves that with a Blu-ray drive. Ah well.
Finally, Microsoft introduced another Robot White version of its Xbox Series S with 1TB of built-in storage. The original Xbox Series S debuted with 512GB of storage, and then last year Microsoft offered a 1TB version in Carbon Black. Now that same console is available in a new color scheme, with the rest of the hardware remaining the same.
Here's how Microsoft is pricing its newest Xbox consoles...
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition: $599.99
- Xbox Series X 1TB Digital Edition Robot White: $449.99
- Xbox Series X S 1TB Robot White: $349.99
Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X 1TB sells for $449.99, the Xbox Series S 1TB Carbon Black sells for $349.99, and the Xbox Series S 512GB Robot White sells for $299.99. You can also find bundle deals.
Microsoft says preorders on the three new Xbox Series X|S consoles will open soon.
