They say that it’s “better late than ever” and it’s certainly true for the Xbox.
After a slow start to this console generation, Microsoft is finally putting their billions of dollars to good use by releasing the most exclusive titles for the Xbox platform in quite a while, starting with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which are coming out later this year. With more first- and third-party exclusives in the pipeline, the only thing missing is something that may generate more hype and get people to reconsider buying a PlayStation 5 (or PlayStation 5 Pro).
If priced right, this might be where the supposedly upcoming all-digital Xbox Series X console comes in.
As shared by eXputer, Microsoft is preparing to roll out a new Xbox Series X variant with inverted colors. Instead of the all-black color scheme of the ninth-generation console, the new Xbox Series X will be white without a disc drive and an improved heatsink.
We’ve already heard about this all-new console as part of the FTC’s attempt at blocking Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard last year. We should note that Phil Spencer pointed out that “much has changed” since the documents leaked and that Microsoft Gaming will eventually reveal the “real plans.”
Given that it’s been some time since this happened, we might be nearing that point.
It’s unclear how much Microsoft will sell the all-white Xbox Series X but it’s safe to say it it will be sold at a much lower price, which means that the incumbent Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S may be getting price cuts as well.
Here’s the current retail prices of the Xbox console lineup:
- Xbox Series S – $299
- Xbox Series S (1TB) – $349
- Xbox Series X – $499
While the Xbox’s sticker price doesn’t put it below PlayStation, the reality is it retails at stores at a lower price due to discounts and promotions. If Microsoft adjusts the pricing of the Xbox to undercut PlayStation, it will slightly nudge prospective buyers to consider joining the green team instead.
The Xbox Series X might not have too many exclusives going for it compared to the PS5 but it has historically shown it’s the better platform, hardware-wise. Not to mention, the Game Pass remains just as impressive as ever. Finally, as Sony has already confirmed it isn’t cutting the price of the PS5 for the foreseeable future, it’ll be difficult for it to pivot and adjust its pricing if it gets undercut by $50 to $100 by its closest competition.
This won’t be enough to make Sony sweat especially with the PlayStation 5 Pro coming out soon. However, it should help the Xbox sell more units when it comes out during the summer, which could carry over through the holiday season.
An all-digital Xbox Series X hovering at the $400 price point bundled with a free trial to the Xbox Game Pass sounds like a killer of a deal.
Unfortunately, by the looks of it, it really doesn’t seem like Microsoft is planning a mid-generation console refresh like the PS5 Pro to go along with the refreshed Xbox Series X. This was already a given after it previously referred to the Xbox Series X as the Xbox One X of this generation, but it would’ve been nice to see the PS5 Pro have some competition.
