Gaming companies have been struggling with leaks for years. In February 2022, Rockstar Games was hit with a shocking breach when over 90 early development videos of GTA 6, its rumored next big game, were dumped online on GTAForums by a hacker. We’ve already had a few leaks during the ongoing FTC vs Microsoft case. In June, Sony presented a document from PlayStation chief Jim Ryan in the court, which detailed its revenue from Call of Duty games, as well as the cost of making AAA titles. Now, another goldmine of leaks has surfaced during the case, and it is being called the “biggest leak in Xbox history”.
Here’s everything about the big leak.
Xbox leak: Microsoft’s plans for new consoles, games
A court document was leaked during the ongoing FTC vs Microsoft battle over the company’s proposed acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard. The document sheds light on Microsoft’s plans for an all-digital Xbox Series X, its next-gen console, a new controller to compete with Sony’s DualSense, as well as future games.
1. Next-gen Xbox console
In the leaked documents, there is information about Microsoft’s plans for its next-generation Xbox console, and it could support ‘Cloud Hybrid’ games. As per an IGN report, the rumored Xbox console could “enable new levels of performance beyond the capabilities of the client hardware alone”. In a leaked screenshot, we can see that it could be powered by an ARM64 CPU, as well as an AMD GPU. It could get features like Dynamic Global Illumination, Next Gen DirectX Raytracing, and ML-based Super Resolution.
Interestingly, the document also lists a $99 consumer handheld device that could feature “ThinOS”. Could Microsoft be taking PlayStation’s route and planning to introduce a handheld accessory for its next-gen Xbox console? The leak certainly hints towards it.
As per the leaked documents, Microsoft could also be planning a mid-generation refresh for the Xbox Series X. In its plans is a new all-digital Xbox Series X console codenamed ‘Brooklin’. It features a cylindrical design, not too dissimilar from Apple’s earlier iteration of the Mac Pro. It might also get a bump up in terms of storage. Since it is rumored to be an all-digital console, Microsoft could bump up the storage to 2TB, and the RAM to 16GB. Other leaked features include lower power consumption, Wi-Fi 6E support, and more. It could come with the same $499 price tag.
Microsoft is also reportedly working on a refreshed Xbox Series S, which is codenamed ‘Ellewood’. It would feature 10GB RAM. The leaked document reveals that Microsoft could launch both of these consoles in Summer 2024.
3. New controller
To compete with PlayStation 5’s much-lauded DualSense controller, Microsoft is reportedly working on a new controller that would feature “precision haptic feedback”. Codenamed ‘Sebile’, this new Xbox controller would get modular thumbsticks, mobile app features, quieter buttons, and a lift-to-wake feature. It would come with a rechargeable as well as swappable batteries. The leak also suggests a new “Direct to Cloud” feature that could potentially help reduce latency.
4. Upcoming games
The leaked documents also shed light on upcoming Xbox games. Remasters for Fallout 3, and Oblivion are reportedly in the works, while a sequel to Ghostwire: Tokyo could also be launched in the near future. Moreover, new Dishonored and Doom titles are also in development.
