Microsoft did announce an all-digital Xbox Series X and a 2TB Galaxy Black model in 2024—but neither was a new Xbox generation. They were additional configurations of the existing Xbox Series X|S family, with the same advertised Series X performance and different storage, disc-drive and design choices.
The 1TB Digital Edition launched with an announced U.S. ERP of $449.99, while the disc-equipped 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition was announced at $599.99. Microsoft later said the 2TB model would be sunset in 2026, so its current availability is likely limited to remaining stock.
What Microsoft announced
On June 9, 2024, Microsoft announced three additional Xbox configurations for the 2024 holiday season. The announcement focused on storage, appearance and price choice—not a faster processor, newer graphics architecture or successor platform.
| Model | Storage | Disc drive | Launch color | Announced U.S. ERP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series X – 1TB Digital Edition | 1TB SSD | No | Robot White | $449.99 |
| Xbox Series X – 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition | 2TB SSD | Yes | Galaxy Black celestial finish | $599.99 |
| Xbox Series S – 1TB | 1TB SSD | No | Robot White | $349.99 |
Microsoft’s announcement is documented in its official Xbox Series X|S console-options post. Prices were U.S. manufacturer’s suggested figures and were not universal international prices.
#1 Best Overall
- FASTEST, MOST POWERFUL XBOX — Experience next-generation performance with 12 teraflops of processing power, delivering smoother gameplay, richer worlds, and faster responsiveness than any previous XBOX.
- TRUE 4K GAMING UP TO 120 FPS — Enjoy breathtaking visuals with true 4K resolution, HDR, and frame rates up to 120 FPS, plus hardware-accelerated ray tracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF GAMES — Play thousands of games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX, with many titles enhanced for better visuals and performance on XBOX Series X.
Is the all-digital Series X less powerful?
No. Microsoft described the 1TB Digital Edition as having the same advertised speed and performance as Xbox Series X. It remained in the Series X performance tier, with support for up to 4K resolution, fast SSD loading, Quick Resume and gameplay targets of up to 120 frames per second where a game and display support them.
Those are capability ceilings, not guarantees that every title runs at native 4K or 120 fps. Resolution and frame rate vary by game, graphics mode, developer implementation and display. The major hardware compromise is the absent optical drive, not a weaker CPU or GPU.
What “all-digital” changes
The 1TB Digital Edition cannot read physical Xbox or movie discs. That excludes Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox game discs, as well as Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray movies. The drive cannot be added later as an official upgrade.
Rank #2
- What's in the box: Xbox Series X console, 1 Xbox Wireless Controller - Carbon Black, Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, Power cord.
- Equipped with AMD's Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures, DirectX ray tracing delivers true-to-life lighting, shadows and accurate reflections to create dynamic, living worlds.
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6 w/320 bit-wide bus; Memory Bandwidth: 10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6 GB @ 336 GB/s; Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVME SSD
- Gaming Resolution: True 4K; Performance Target: Up to 120 FPS; High Dynamic Range: Up to 8K HDR; Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray; HDMI Features: Auto Low Latency Mode, HDMI Variable Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync.
- Bundled with HDMI_Cable
You must obtain games through digital purchases, subscriptions, downloads or cloud access where available. A digital purchase is tied to your Microsoft account and storefront access; a Game Pass installation is subscription access and can become unavailable when a title leaves the catalog. Digital-only ownership also removes used-game prices, lending, borrowing and resale.
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Who fits the Digital Edition
- Players who already buy games digitally or mainly use Game Pass.
- Households with dependable broadband and generous data allowances.
- Buyers who want Series X-class performance at the lower announced 2024 price.
- People who do not need a Blu-ray player or an existing disc library.
Who should avoid it
- Anyone with a substantial physical Xbox collection.
- Used-game shoppers or players who regularly borrow and lend discs.
- Movie buyers who use Blu-ray or UHD Blu-ray.
- Homes where downloading large games and updates is inconvenient.
What the 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition included
The 2TB Galaxy Black model combined double the advertised internal SSD capacity of the standard 1TB Series X with a physical optical drive. It used the same advertised Series X performance profile rather than offering a faster refresh.
- 2TB internal SSD (advertised capacity; usable space is lower because system software reserves storage).
- Optical drive for physical games and Blu-ray playback.
- Galaxy Black finish with a celestial effect.
- Matching controller with a Galaxy Black D-pad and Velocity Green back case.
- Limited quantities in select markets.
The premium over the announced $499.99 U.S. ERP of the standard 1TB disc-equipped Series X was $100. Its value depended on needing both additional storage and a disc drive, or placing meaningful value on the special finish and controller.
Rank #3
- BEST VALUE IN GAMING — Experience next-gen speed and performance in the smallest XBOX ever. The XBOX Series S delivers powerful all-digital gameplay in a sleek, compact design.
- UP TO 120 FPS GAMEPLAY — Enjoy smooth, responsive gaming with frame rates up to 120 FPS, powered by XBOX Velocity Architecture, a custom NVMe SSD, and DirectX Raytracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF DIGITAL GAMES — Play thousands of digital games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX with backward compatibility. Many titles are enhanced for better visuals and performance. Smart Delivery ensures you always get the best version for your console.
Why 2TB storage can matter
Modern shooters, sports games, racing titles, live-service games and open-world releases can consume substantial space. Extra capacity is particularly useful for Game Pass subscribers who keep a rotating library installed, players with slow broadband or data caps, and households that want to avoid repeated uninstalling and redownloading.
Internal storage is the primary place to run Series X|S-optimized games. Xbox Storage Expansion Cards provide additional high-speed storage suitable for those titles. A USB drive is useful for backward-compatible games and for storing optimized games, but optimized titles generally must be moved back to internal or expansion-card storage to play.
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Expansion-card capacities and prices change, so check Microsoft’s current Xbox storage accessories page rather than relying on an old price.
Rank #4
- CPU: Custom AMD Zen 2, 8 Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.66 GHz with SMT); GPU: Custom RDNA 2, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz, 12 TFLOPS.
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6 with 320-bit bus (10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s); Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 custom NVMe SSD, 2.4 GB/s raw, 4.8 GB/s compressed; Optical drive: Ultra HD Blu-ray.
- Gaming Resolution: True 4K; Performance Target: Up to 120 FPS; High Dynamic Range: Up to 8K HDR.
- HDMI Features: Auto Low Latency Mode, HDMI Variable Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync.
- What's Included: Xbox Series X – Halo Infinite Limited Edition; One Xbox Wireless Controller – Halo Infinite Limited Edition; Full-game download of Halo Infinite (coming soon); Power cord; Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. Nogtox PVT HDMI_cable
Release dates and market availability
- June 9, 2024: Microsoft announced the three configurations for the holiday season and separately confirmed the lineup in its Xbox Games Showcase recap.
- August 21, 2024: Pre-orders opened. Microsoft set October 15 as the initial release date and October 29 for select countries in its pre-order announcement.
- October 15, 2024: First announced launch date.
- October 29, 2024: Follow-on launch date for select countries.
- November 15, 2024: Microsoft said the new consoles were available in select markets, subject to country-level variation.
Availability and pricing always depended on country. The U.S. ERPs should not be treated as global retail prices.
How the models compare
| Choose this | Best for | Main compromise |
|---|---|---|
| 1TB Digital Edition | Digital buyers and Game Pass users wanting Series X performance for less | No discs, Blu-ray playback, used games or physical-library access |
| Standard 1TB Series X | Disc users who do not need 2TB | Less storage than the special edition; value depends on current discount |
| 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition | Physical-media owners and heavy installers who want maximum built-in capacity | $100 launch premium, limited quantities and no performance gain |
| 1TB Series S | Budget-focused digital players and secondary-room systems | Lower hardware-performance tier and no disc drive |
The Series X Digital Edition is not simply a larger Series S. Microsoft positioned Series S as the lower-cost, lower-performance option, while the Digital Edition retained Series X speed and performance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Should an existing Xbox owner upgrade?
There was no performance reason to replace a working Series X with either 2024 Series X configuration. Consider changing only for a specific need: moving from discs to digital, gaining substantially more internal storage, obtaining the Galaxy Black design, or replacing aging hardware. A Series S owner would gain Series X-class performance by moving to either Series X model, but should weigh the loss of a disc drive on the Digital Edition.
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- Experience richer, more luminous colors in games and video with High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology.
- Play over 100 console exclusive and a growing library of Xbox 360 games on the 40% smaller newly designed Xbox One S.
- Watch Ultra HD (UHD) 4K Blu-ray movies on your 4K TV and stream 4K video on Netflix and Amazon Video.
- Experience richer, more luminous colors in games and video with High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology.
What changed by 2026
Microsoft’s June 25, 2026 console price update said worldwide console-price changes took effect August 1, 2026 and that the 2TB model would be discontinued or sunset. That makes the 2TB Galaxy Black a 2024 product with potentially limited residual retailer stock, not an ordinary current model. A sunset announcement does not prove that every remaining unit disappeared immediately, so verify seller, condition, warranty and region before buying.
For current pricing and availability, check Microsoft’s Xbox Series X page and Microsoft Store. Do not copy the 2024 ERPs into a 2026 buying decision.
Quick Recap
Bottom line by buyer type
- Digital-first Series X buyer: The 1TB Digital Edition was the logical lower-priced configuration, provided the permanent loss of discs and Blu-ray was acceptable.
- Physical-library or storage-heavy buyer: The 2TB Galaxy Black offered the broadest capability, but its limited-market launch and 2026 sunset make remaining-stock checks essential.
- Disc buyer on a budget: A discounted standard 1TB Series X may be better value than paying for a special finish and extra capacity.
- Entry-price buyer: The 1TB Series S remained the cheaper digital option, but it was not equivalent to Series X performance.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
