Xbox Court Leaks Reveal New Console, Handheld, And Much More
Earlier in the summer, PlayStation was hit with a major leak exposing its plans for a new PS5 Pro model, and now it's Xbox's turn. Last night, a series of court documents pertaining to the battle between Microsoft and the FTC were uploaded online. Unfortunately for Microsoft, said documents were not redacted as they apparently should have been, revealing a great deal of confidential information regarding future plans for the Xbox brand and Microsoft subsidiaries like Bethesda Softworks. As a result, fans have gotten an unparalleled peek behind the curtain at upcoming games, console refreshes, and even Xbox's first-ever handheld gaming system.
Though these documents date back to 2022 and mid-2020, and some of Microsoft's priorities may have shifted in the time since their creation, it's safe to say that these plans are legitimate. If nothing else, they provide a solid idea of what the Xbox-maker is hoping to do in the future. Fans on the internet are already wildly speculating about this very subject, so let's take a look at the biggest reveals from Microsoft's newest court leaks.
Xbox's handheld, Brooklin console, and Sebile controller
Perhaps the biggest headlines here are the reveals of a new handheld console and an updated version of the Xbox Series X, as mock-ups of both can be seen in a projected roadmap of Xbox's next decade of growth. Details on the handheld are a bit scarce at this time, but it appears to follow a similar design aesthetic to popular portables like the Steam Deck. It's got a sleek black frame and a wide screen to capture the cinematic quality of Xbox games on the go. No specific specs appear to have been revealed for this one just yet.
FTC Leaked Doc:
Huge: Xbox planned a handheld! pic.twitter.com/rmvzJVrXnI
— XB News (Not affiliated with Xbox) (@_XboxNews) September 19, 2023
Codenamed "Brooklin," the planned refresh of the Series X line boasts a more cylindrical design than its predecessor and is digital-only, similar to the Series S. According to Microsoft's documents, "Brooklin will deliver 4K Gen9 console gaming with more internal storage, faster WiFi, reduced power, a more immersive controller, and a beautiful redesign that elevates the all-digital experience of the Xbox ecosystem." With 2TB of storage, this machine seems designed specifically to blow competing discless consoles out of the water.
The console is expected to ship with a similarly overhauled controller, codenamed "Sebile," which Xbox refers to in the document as "the world's best controller." Sebile appears to incorporate several design elements that fans have been clamoring for from a pack-in Xbox controller, including greater haptic feedback, swappable thumbsticks, and a rechargeable battery that comes standard. According to these plans, Microsoft hoped at one point to announce the new Xbox in mid-2024, but that's not all that these papers revealed about Xbox's console dreams.
Xbox is still betting big on cloud gaming
According to these internal docs, Xbox will continue to invest in cloud gaming in a huge way. Not only does the graphic for the Sebile controller mention that it's built to play "direct-to-Cloud," but it sounds like the company's next major console generation will place a heavy emphasis on cloud technology. As Microsoft details in these documents, the company hopes to "Develop a next generation hybrid game platform capable of leveraging the combined power of the client and cloud to deliver deeper immersion and entirely new classes of gameplay experiences."
To that end, Microsoft also lists a "Thin OS" as the delivery system for these experiences, which would seem to imply that gamers might expect a cloud-based Xbox handheld at some point in the future. But what will they be able to play on it? Well, Microsoft also provides an answer for that question in these documents. As it turns out, some major franchises may be about to make their triumphant returns.
Documents reveal unannounced Xbox games from Bethesda
Another of the documents to make its way online last night was a roadmap of future games in Zeniax Media's development pipeline. These include new installments in the "Dishonored" and "Doom" series, as well as remasters of beloved games such as "The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion" and "Fallout 3." A sequel to "Ghostwire: Tokyo" is also apparently in the early stages. Perhaps even more exciting, the documents also refer to a few untitled games bearing some intriguing codenames: "Project Platinum" and "Project Kestrel." It's unclear if either of these games have since been announced, due to their mysterious titles.
— Game Pass Tracker on 𝕏 (@gamepasstracker) September 19, 2023
It should be noted that these plans date back even further beyond the docs discussing Brooklin and Sebile, so it's entirely possible that some of these titles are no longer in the works. After all, COVID-19 disrupted a great number of projects in the video game industry and Microsoft has since acquired Bethesda and its parent company, ZeniMax Media. However, if all of these games are still on the docket, then fans can look forward to quite an exciting year ahead of them. According to this document, ZeniMax Media originally had plans to release them before the end of Fiscal Year 2024.
As with everything in the gaming industry these past few years, Xbox's plans are no doubt still in flux. However, these documents should give fans a decent idea of what the gaming giant has been cooking up behind the scenes.