Microsoft reveals first disc-less Xbox Series X

Enlarge / Looking more like a refrigerator than ever before. (credit: Microsoft)

A new version of Microsoft's top-end Xbox Series X will launch without a disc drive for the first time this holiday season.

The new "Digital Edition" console option—which sports 1 TB of storage and an Xbox Series S-like "Robot White" color scheme—will be available "in select markets" for an estimated retail price of $449 (or €499.99). That price is just $50 less than the MSRP for the current, disc-drive-equipped Xbox Series X, which is currently on sale for $449 from the Microsoft Store.

Word of Microsoft's plans for a disc-drive free Xbox Series X first leaked last September, as part of the FTC's case against the Microsoft/Activision merger. But the new disc-free Series X bears little resemblance to the cylindrical "Brooklin" refresh shown in those leaked promo materials, which also touted redesigned internals and improved power usage. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said at the time that "so much has changed" from the "old emails and documents" in those leaks.