It’s been a few years since the Xbox Series X and Series S launch, and while the console hasn’t broken sales records, there’s a respectable number in the wild. It’s about time for a refresh, and Microsoft is delivering new all-digital versions of its consoles (say goodbye to the optical drive). You can order them right now.
Whether you should is another question entirely. Microsoft has been pretty open about the fact that the company envisions a future where “every screen is an Xbox.” PC gaming on Windows—whether on gaming laptops or handhelds—is just as important to the company as the living room console. You can even stream Xbox games through a Fire TV stick now. Still, there are plenty of reasons to buy an Xbox Series X/S. It’s the most convenient way to set up a Microsoft-centric gaming system to play from your couch. So, if you’re interested, here’s how to buy one.
Updated October 2024: We’ve updated the language for the official launch day of the Xbox consoles.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
What’s Different About the New Xbox Consoles?
Similar to the recent PS5 Slim, there’s not much of a difference in this mid-cycle refresh of the Xbox. The Series X and Series S have more or less the same hardware under the hood. But there are a couple of small changes.
The Xbox Series X loses the disc drive and gets a white coat of paint. As an unapologetic Xbox Series S-owner, I like the white look more, so it’s nice to see it available on the more powerful hardware. This “all-digital” Xbox Series X starts at $450, about $50 less than its predecessor, a decent trade-off if you never bought physical copies of Xbox games.
The smaller Xbox Series S never had a disc drive, so there’s no drive to eliminate. Instead, for this refresh, Microsoft doubled the storage from 512 GB to 1 terabyte. The price has also gone up by $50 to $350. Given how huge AAA games can get, this seems like a no-brainer, though it’s worth noting that you can easily increase the storage of the current Xbox Series X or Series S with an expansion card.
Finally, Microsoft is releasing a special, limited-edition version of the original Xbox Series X (which has a disc drive) with a unique “Galaxy Black” paint job. This one has a space-like pattern of white and green dots with a generous 2 TB of storage. This model costs $600 and ships when the other upgraded consoles drop in mid-October.
Microsoft also recently replaced the Xbox Game Pass for Console tier of its subscription service with a new offering called Xbox Game Pass Standard. This includes the same library of console games as well as online console multiplayer service. The catch is you won’t get access to day-one releases. You’ll have to wait for some time to play certain games after release. Microsoft’s FAQ says this could be “up to 12 months or more,” which technically includes all possible lengths of time, but it seems the average delay for new releases is likely around a year. This new tier costs $15 per month, while Game Pass Ultimate—which previously cost $17 a month—has been bumped to $20 monthly.