To redefine the modern workplace, Microsoft and Adobe have teamed up to offer innovative solutions to foster seamless collaboration, improved efficiency, and enhanced productivity for businesses worldwide.

As trusted leaders in business solutions, both Adobe and Microsoft have embarked on a partnership aimed at delivering cutting-edge work experiences. By integrating the capabilities of Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Sign with Microsoft Cloud solutions, these industry giants are set to change the way teams collaborate and work together.

Adobe’s comprehensive integration with Microsoft ensures that users can leverage the power of Acrobat and Acrobat Sign without leaving their preferred applications. Furthermore, businesses can explore these integrations with a 30-day free trial, without requiring a credit card, making it easier to assess the advantages for their specific needs.

Beyond the immediate efficiency gains, this collaboration aims to unify data, content, and processes to deliver enhanced customer experiences. By combining the insights and advanced capabilities of Adobe and Microsoft Clouds, businesses can offer reliable, secure, and optimized experiences that reach customers across various touchpoints.

Personalization takes center stage as cross-channel customer insights are consolidated into a single profile, streamlining content management, omnichannel campaigns, and customer analytics. This ensures that every interaction with customers becomes more meaningful and tailored to their preferences.

Moreover, the partnership empowers sales and marketing teams with a comprehensive toolkit for successful lead generation and account-based marketing, facilitating customer journey progression from initial engagement to deal closure.

For businesses seeking to scale content creation, the collaboration offers a flexible and extensible platform to create personalized content experiences for B2B and B2C customers across multiple commerce audiences.

Microsoft and the UK’s regulatory body the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are once again entangled in a review of a proposed Activision acquisition with a new deadline set for the end of October 2023, for a revised decision, but a resolution could come as soon as next week.

The Verge is reporting that a source familiar with the proceedings, believes a ruling from the CMA is likely coming down the pipe as early as next week which would be roughly 60 days after they undertook another review process but three weeks before Microsoft would have to pay out $4.5 billion to Activision as part of a renegotiated acquisition date.

After being granted an appeal from the UK’s Competition Appeals Tribunal following the CMA’s initial rejection and injunction of the Activision deal, Microsoft has since restructured its bid for ABK to better assuage the initial concerns of European regulators.

While Microsoft is still attempting to require most of Activision Blizzard it has proposed doing so without the direct control of the companies cloud streaming licensing rights. Instead of Microsoft being in sole control of game streaming rights, the company would off-load the responsibility of market pricing and accessibility to Ubisoft for 12 years while also being subject to the same terms and agreements as every other game streaming service available.

With the CMA centering much of its initial rejection of the proposed Activision acquisition on Microsoft’s potential monopolization of cloud streaming, the company’s restructured deal should go a long way in minimizing those specific concerns.

The CMA can issue its preliminary decision as early as next week but a formal yes or no on the $68.2 billion dollar deal still has a deadline of October 18, 2023.

Microsoft is testing folders in the recommended section in the start menu. Adding folders to the Recommended section in the Windows 11 Start menu would be a user interface change to improve the accessibility of recently added applications and suggested files. It was in Windows 11 build 23545.

This could be a useful addition for users who find the Recommended section useful, allowing them to organize their recently added applications and suggested files into folders.

This could be like a similar feature that was added to the Start menu a couple of days ago in Windows 11 build (22621.2359), which is the Start menu showing website suggestions.

It’s not uncommon for Microsoft to release Windows Insider Preview builds with hidden or unannounced features for testing and feedback from enthusiasts and developers.

Please note that these Insider Preview builds are intended for testing purposes and may contain experimental or unstable features that could change or be removed in future updates. Users who participate in the Windows Insider Program should be aware of this and provide feedback to Microsoft to help improve the operating system.

via Neowin

Microsoft Advertising has introduced a new video ad offering called Video and Connected TV (CTV) ads, allowing advertisers to create online video and CTV ad campaigns within the Microsoft Advertising platform.

CTV refers to any television set that is connected to the internet, whether it be a smart TV or an older TV that has been linked to an external streaming device like Netflix or Apple TV.

Microsoft has stated that users can now advertise their business on popular streaming platforms such as Max, Hulu, and Bloomberg, as well as on websites like MSN, Huffington Post, People, and the Wall Street Journal.

It has been predicted that by 2024, individuals will spend an average of 3.5 hours daily consuming digital video content. This trend is not limited to any platform and includes smart TVs and smartphones. Around 90% of Generation Z individuals in the United States participate in second-screen internet and TV activities, indicating a potential opportunity for advertisers.

Microsoft’s audience intelligence fuels video and CTV ads by leveraging various first-party data points and permissions. This includes search and web activity from Bing and our browser, Microsoft Edge, content interests from Microsoft Start, demographics, and more.

Microsoft Advertising employs advanced machine learning algorithms to create targeted audiences based on various factors such as consumer product and brand preferences, purchase history, content preferences, and geographical location. By leveraging this approach, advertisers can effectively reach their best potential customers.

4 out of 5 consumers read the news online while watching TV, emphasizing the potential for advertisers to target audiences engaged in such multi-screen behaviors. Hence, utilizing video ads seems to be a wise approach, as ad spending is predicted to increase significantly in the upcoming years.

In summary, Microsoft Advertising’s Video and CTV ads offer precise audience targeting and user-friendly integration, enhancing advertisers’ capabilities. However, increasing competition and potential ad saturation pose challenges, necessitating ongoing innovation for success.

via SearchEngineLand

Microsoft has announced a new update for its Windows 11 applications, introducing advanced AI capabilities to optimize Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in both the Camera and Snipping Tool apps. This development promises to streamline the user experience by effortlessly extracting and copying text from images or screenshots.

The Camera app, in particular, is set to undergo a remarkable transformation. With this update, users can now scan text directly through the camera lens, significantly benefiting tablet users. Microsoft’s proprietary AI technology, potentially influenced by their collaboration with OpenAI, powers the OCR capabilities of the Windows Camera.

In addition to text scanning, the Camera app will also offer an option to redact sensitive information before sharing edited images. This feature takes into account the growing need for data privacy and ensures that users have complete control over the information they share.

Meanwhile, the Snipping Tool has already rolled out its “Text Actions” feature, leveraging the AI capabilities of Windows 11 to identify text in captured screenshots. This feature enables users to select and copy text directly from images. To take advantage of Text Actions, users need only click the designated button in the toolbar.

Upon clicking the button, Microsoft’s system will automatically highlight selectable text, which users can effortlessly copy using the mouse. To further enhance efficiency, the Snipping Tool also provides convenient shortcuts like Ctrl + A and Ctrl + C for copying text from scanned images.

Excitingly, both the Snipping Tool and the Camera app will soon offer an additional feature—the ability to conceal or redact sensitive details such as email addresses or phone numbers before sharing edited screenshots. This feature ensures that users can confidently share information without compromising privacy.

With these advanced AI capabilities integrated into the Windows 11 applications, Microsoft aims to revolutionize the OCR process and provide users with an efficient and seamless experience. Whether it’s scanning text through the camera or extracting text from screenshots, Windows 11 users can now enjoy enhanced convenience and productivity.

Microsoft announced that the Exchange Web Services (EWS) API for Exchange Online and Office 365 will be retired in approximately three years. EWS is a cross-platform API that allows developers to create apps capable of accessing email messages, meetings, and contacts. These resources can be retrieved from various sources, including Exchange Online, Exchange Online as part of Office 365, and on-premises editions of Exchange.

The Exchange Team stated, “Today, we are announcing that on October 1, 2026, we will start blocking EWS requests from non-Microsoft apps to Exchange Online.” They assured users that while the EWS components will continue to receive security updates and certain non-security updates, there will be no changes to the product’s design or features.

This retirement only applies to Microsoft 365 and Exchange Online, with no impact on Outlook for Windows or Mac, Teams, or other Microsoft products. It’s worth noting that the retirement of EWS also applies to the EWS SDKs for Java and . NET. Microsoft advises developers to switch to the Microsoft Graph API, which will provide access to Exchange Online data.

However, the company acknowledged some feature gaps between EWS and Microsoft Graph, including no access to archive mailboxes, lack of folder-associated information and user configuration, and no Exchange Online management capabilities for third-party apps.

The Exchange Team is actively working on closing these gaps, but developers may need to find alternatives for features that won’t be included in the Graph API. Despite the inconvenience this may cause, Microsoft believes that retiring EWS will ensure more secure, reliable, and performant experiences.

They will publish regular communications to aid affected tenants in identifying EWS usage and encourage the adoption of Microsoft Graph for a wider range of useful and intelligent features.

In conclusion, developers using the EWS API are advised to begin transitioning to the Microsoft Graph API ahead of the retirement deadline. While some feature gaps exist, the tech giant says it is committed to addressing them and providing a seamless experience for users.

Yesterday saw the biggest leak in Xbox history thanks to documents in the FTC v. Microsoft case that were accidentally made public.

The leak included over a hundred documents and files, including internal emails. Among the information made public was the reveal of an all-digital Xbox Series X releasing in 2024. Microsoft’s plans for the next generation of Xbox were also made public, entailing a cloud hybrid console.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer posted on social media to address the leaks.

We've seen the conversation around old emails and documents. It is hard to see our team's work shared in this way because so much has changed and there's so much to be excited about right now, and in the future. We will share the real plans when we are ready.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) September 19, 2023

As Spencer alludes to in the post, much of the info is from a few years back, so many details are likely to have changed.

In other Xbox related news, Starfield has now been played by more than 10 million players worldwide. Bethesda’s epic space RPG has accomplished this feat less than three weeks after its full release. Bethesda Game Studios posted on X (Twitter) thanking all those who have played Starfield so far.

Thank you to more than 10 million #Starfield explorers for creating the biggest launch in Bethesda history. pic.twitter.com/pTOQrxvOtB

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) September 19, 2023

Starfield is the biggest game launch in Bethesda’s history. The game has seen a huge amount of success so far, which is unsurprising given the level of hype and anticipation that surrounded its release.

This week started off with a bit of a bombshell for Microsoft as news of the company’s EVP and chief product officer Panos Panay’s departure leaked via an internal memo drafted up on his behalf.

Despite the face of Microsoft’s Surface hardware efforts leaving the company, computing devices from the company will continue to be a business for the foreseeable future, albeit less about hinges and fabric keyboards and more about integrating dedicated processing units and pushing artificial intelligence to sell products.

The End of an Era

In a short but concise email crafted by Microsoft’s EVP of Experiences and Devices Rajesh Jha, employees were made aware of the seismic changes that are going to occur within the Windows and Devices department starting with Panay’s departure.

Moving forward, we will double down on our strategy. These changes will be effective immediately with Panos’ help in the transition.

Build silicon, systems and devices that span Windows, client and cloud for an AI world. This team will be led by Pavan Davuluri, who will report directly to me. Brett Ostrum, Nino Storniolo, Linda Averett, Ken Pan, Ralf Groene, Aidan Marcuss, Carlos Picoto, Stevie Bathiche, Robin Seiler, Ruben Caballero and Anuj Gosalia will move to report to Pavan with their teams intact. Windows planning and release management will continue to be in this team. Our commitment to Surface and MR remains unchanged.

Build experiences that blend web, services and Windows for an AI world. To this end, Shilpa Ranganathan, Jeff Johnson and Ali Akgun will directly report to Mikhail Parakhin and form a new Windows and Web Experiences Team, moving with their teams intact.

Yusuf Mehdi will take on the responsibility of leading the Windows and Surface businesses with our OEM and Retail partners.

As Microsoft reorients itself following the upcoming departure of its chief Surface hardware champion, Panay will begin decorating his new office across town as part of Amazon’s Alexa and Echo division.

According to Bloomberg, Panay has been tapped to run Amazon’s devices group which consists streaming sticks, Kindle e-readers, Alexa powered computers, tablets, clocks, mirrors as well as the echo brand of speakers and audio products.

Panos’ departure from Microsoft after 19 years feels abrupt, especially given the company’s upcoming Surface hardware event in New York this Thursday, which Panay will no longer be attending.

The sudden news of Panay leaving Microsoft has led to many speculating on the future of the Surface hardware division given it perceived stagnant development and distribution status as of late. Despite a through line being draw by beleaguered Microsoft hardware fans and critics alike that connect declining revenues and profit to a full “going out of business” fire sale of the Surface division, I believe the company still plans to produce its flagship hardware and with significant investment in the future.

Partnerships & Contracts

Yes, over the past few quarters, Microsoft’s Surface division has slipped from its $2b earnings record but remains roughly 4% of the company’s total revenue and accounts for about $7B of the bottom line. Additionally, Windows 11 adoption seems to have stalled out of the gate with fewer people jumping from Windows 11 than did from Windows 8 to Windows 10 measuring similar timelines.

A cursory view on the state of the division Panay was tasked to oversee would understandably look bleak enough to justify a cynical parachute play from the executive as well as warrant speculation of the Surface line being wound down to allow the company to continue to focus on its currently successful pivot to AI, but there are some blatant nuances that should dissuade skeptics from attempting a premature grave dance for the Microsoft Surface business.

Starting with the less obvious, Microsoft recently renegotiated an extension of its partnership with the NFL where the company will continue to provide Surface hardware and support for the league that now includes the Teams communication platform. Yusuf Mehdi, CVP of Modern Life, Search and Devices managed to extend the original 2017 partnership between the two as well as tack on additional services and support, which is something he will be doing more of in his new role.

The original NFL partnership has led Microsoft into further robust contracts with other sporting leagues such as the NBA, PGA Tour, La Liga, and more. While commercial sales of the Surface hardware have succumbed to the global decline in PC shipments, contracts and partnerships with sporting leagues, airlines, hotels, research firms, education, courts, civil engineering contractors, US Congress & Senate committees, the Department of Defense, retail businesses and more, all remain a priority for Microsoft.

Selling an integrated stack solution from software to hardware is not only margin gain for Microsoft but embeds them within that particular business at several levels where they can edge out competitors such as Google, Salesforce, AWS and more. While Microsoft is mostly a software company, the possible exposed vectors to maintaining a thriving business become fewer when they can also pitch Surface Pro and Surface Pro support and maintenance programs to accompany a multi-billion-dollar Azure deal or vice versa, where they pitch Surface Laptops that can server as funnels into Office 365, Azure, PowerBI, OneNote Classroom, etc.

Where to put AI

As a tech journalist, I admit I get giddy over new hardware released from brands but must keep in mind the companies’ objectives as well, and Microsoft’s Surface line remains an endpoint solution disguised as reference devices.

Over the past few years, Panay has wormed his way into the minds of people covering Microsoft’s hardware efforts but its executives such as Medhi who have helped advance devices beyond the stage into meaningful business opportunities to spread the company’s evolving strategic business interest.

The original Surface served as trojan horse for Windows 8 for better or for worse, and over time the company has expanded the portfolio to try and push Windows 10S, Windows on ARM (WoA), Windows 11, and soon Windows 12 infused with AI displayed through its hardware with dedicated Neural processing units built into the silicon.

Microsoft has leaned heavy into AI, generative pre-trained transformers, conversational machine learning, large language models and quantum computing and its looking to infuse these technologies into its various platforms to help customers but more importantly widen its software margins while also securing dependency in the market.

Surface devices like the Surface Pro 9 powered by chips that can translate AI technologies on devices offer a compelling selling point that Microsoft is singularly at the forefront of. Last year Microsoft began pitching Windows Studio Effects which consisted of audio and visual features enhanced with AI to help isolate noise, improve image qualities, apply real-time filters and more.

Windows Studio features represents a baby step into the world of AI enhanced computing Microsoft would like to sell to customers, and to do so, it’s going to need to maintain its Surface lineup as constant threat to chipmakers to help push its AI ambitions forward. Microsoft’s OEM partners have provided similar proprietary solutions as Windows Studio Effects for years, but their disparate efforts have never been enough to coalesce and effort from Intel to dedicate and standardize development around. With the Surface being somewhat of a commercial success and embedded in several business vectors, Microsoft’s flirtation with Qualcomm and its Surface Pro 9 supporting those specific new Windows features may have been enough to get Intel to wrap up its development on similar SoC structures.

Microsoft having its own first party devices to test, pit against, and develop specific features for its various platforms becomes a net benefit in the standardization of Windows features and support from the OEMs who sell devices in the millions each quarter.

Microsoft needs somewhere to display its Windows 12 AI future and Surface devices will remain a home for that effort, even if they don’t sell gangbuster numbers.

What the future looks like

Despite my own personal bias for a “pumped” Panay presentation, his departure marks an opportunity for Microsoft to rewrite the narrative of the Surface line to align with goals from 2023 rather than its previously stated from 2013 as simply being reference design hardware. It’s clear that in 2023, OEMs took notes in 2013 and are now outpacing Microsoft when it comes to reference devices, specs, features, and computing experiences.

From single screen foldables to dual screen convertibles, OEMs are providing more computing options with higher end specs, dedicated feature sets and overall computing experience.

What Microsoft cans start doing is using the Surface device as standard bearer for a polished Windows computing experience expanding on things like haptic keyboards, noise cancellation software, high end webcams, on-device encryption, improved Windows touch support at the OS-level and more while spending less time on new ways to add hinges to device.

Yes, some OEMs offer solid computers already and many customers may argue that having Microsoft in the market is redundant but over the past 10 years the company has put in work to make Surface an aspirational brand and they can capitalize on that by polishing the experience.

Microsoft may not make another Surface Duo bet and the Surface Laptop Studio may be the last experimental design for the lineup, but providing a polished computer like the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop that offers competitive horsepower, a no-fuss, no bloat, full AI-infused computing experience that ties into the various platforms business already subscribe to may just be enough to keep an office of 10,000 or 100,000 seats from going with Lenovo or Dell, and that’s a future the company can control.

In a recent update to Microsoft 365 Roadmap’s Outlook, the company has announced changes to its feedback system, starting in October 2023. The feedback entry point for Outlook for Web will now be relocated from the bottom of the Help pane to the Help tab of the ribbon. This change is aimed at enhancing user accessibility and ease of discovery.

The updated feedback system promises a more streamlined experience for users, with added features such as diagnostics log collection, which will help Microsoft better understand users’ problems and develop solutions more quickly; and the capability to include screenshots and videos in feedback submissions. This not only simplifies the process of describing issues or suggestions but also expedites Microsoft’s ability to take action based on user feedback.

Additionally, users will have the convenience of searching for information related to their feedback. This includes updates on features currently in development, workarounds for common problems, and helpful how-to guides available in the Help section. These adjustments align with Microsoft’s overarching Feedback policy.

This change aligns with Microsoft’s general Feedback policy and is identified by Feature ID 169101. It was added to the roadmap on September 19, 2023. This update will apply to Outlook on the web and will be available for users across worldwide standard multi-tenant cloud instances in the General Availability release phase.

In short 

• Streamlined experience: The new feedback experience will be easier to access and use, which should encourage more users to provide feedback.
• Diagnostics log collection: This will help Microsoft better understand users’ problems and develop solutions more quickly.
• Ability to add screenshots and videos: This will allow users to illustrate their issues and feedback in more detail.
• Easier to find information about known issues and workarounds: This will help users solve problems independently without having to wait for a response from Microsoft support.

Before this, Microsoft announced an improvement in scheduling efficiency in Outlook for users dealing with multiple time zones.

We believe that the new Outlook feedback experience will be a valuable tool for both users and Microsoft. It will help users to get help for and solve any issues that they might encounter, and it will help Microsoft to improve the Outlook experience for everyone.

via Windows Report

The removal of some peer-to-peer (P2P) network services in Microsoft Windows 11, as highlighted in the Insider Preview Build 25951 version, appears to be part of Microsoft’s efforts to prioritize privacy and security in its operating system. 

P2P networking, while useful for certain tasks, can pose potential privacy and security risks due to direct communication between devices on the same network.

What is P2P networking?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking allows devices on the same network to share files and resources directly without relying on a central server.

When Windows 11 updates itself, it can download parts of the update from other computers on the internet or within your local network. This feature can potentially speed up the update process. However, it may also create certain privacy and security risks. To minimize the exposure to such risks associated with P2P networking in Windows Update, users can disable the “Allow downloads from other PCs” setting.

In older Windows versions, seeing other computers on your network was easy. Windows 11 has made it a bit complicated to do that. Users need to create a workaround by creating a “My Network” folder and adding shortcuts to their computers for network access.

These changes imply that Windows 11 will be more secure and private. However, sharing files and resources with other devices on the network may also be more difficult.

via GizChina

We know that the next generation of Xbox is (very) tentatively slated for a 2028 release. Aside from that, nothing was really known about what the next Xbox would actually be. At least, not until today’s huge Xbox leak—probably the biggest ever in the brand’s 20+ years.

The leaked information pertained to the FTC case against Microsoft’s merger with Activision Blizzard. Part of what has been revealed in the unredacted documentation is that Microsoft’s vision for the next Xbox is 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 game experiences.”

The slide above is from a leaked presentation titled “The Next Generation of Gaming at Microsoft.”  The slide also shows some specs and features for the next-gen device, and also mentions sub-$99 consumer or handheld devices.

It strongly suggests a scenario in which cloud and console converge to create gaming experiences. Microsoft refers to this idea as “Cohesive Hybrid Compute” in the documentation.

Given Microsoft’s investment in its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, it would not really be too surprising to see Xbox go this route. In fact, the leaked presentation includes a possible roadmap for the technology involved, seen above. Whether Microsoft ultimately chooses to stay on this trajectory for the next version of Xbox, only time will tell.

As technology advances, video conferencing platforms like Microsoft Teams continue to elevate personal and professional interaction. In an upcoming update that’s certain to push the boundaries of communication, Microsoft plans to launch its ‘AI Library’—a service designed to enhance Teams with Large Language Models (LLMs).

Currently, Microsoft claims this novel feature will “empower” developers, allowing them to “build rich, conversational Teams apps.” The overarching goal is to boost productivity and efficiency for Microsoft Teams users worldwide. As outlined in the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the AI library is set to roll out in October 2023 across all platforms.

It will provide an extensive suite of code functionalities specifically designed to assist developers in incorporating Large Language Models into their applications.

In addition to simplifying the creation of Bots, Message Extensions, and interactions with Adaptive Cards for conversational exchanges, the Microsoft Teams AI library will help with the migration of existing Bots, Message Extensions, and Adaptive Card functionalities. It is speculated that the process will have seamless integration with Large Language Models into Teams.

Why is AI important?

Its role dramatically enhances the conversational exchange, effectively closing the gap between a face-to-face meeting and digital interaction. These improvements in digital conversational interaction can lead to a significant increase in efficiency and productivity levels.

These upgrades are expected to revolutionize meetings and stimulate a more engaging and interactive remote environment, possibly changing the landscape of remote teamwork and communication. With developers empowered with a suite of tools to integrate AI into Teams, one can routinely foresee the vast range of intelligent apps in the coming years.

So, while our Microsoft Teams calls and meetings might currently be word exchanges and shared files, the future holds the promise of AI-empowered meetings.

There could be a new feature for Microsoft’s Paint app in Windows 10 and 11 with the inclusion of AI-powered image generation through a “Cocreator” feature.

PhantomOcean3, a Windows enthusiast, posted via X that Microsoft plans to integrate an AI image generation feature called “Cocreator” into the Paint app. This feature is reportedly based on OpenAI’s DALL-E AI image generator. DALL-E is known for its ability to generate images from textual descriptions. Microsoft already uses DALL-E for its Bing Image Creator service in Bing Chat.

The latest Paint app update in Dev/Canary (11.2308.18.0) includes strings for a new image generation feature:

Cocreator
Describe what you'd like to create
Try "a cat walking in a wood" or "A house made out of leaves"
Choose a style

— PhantomOcean3 ???????? (@PhantomOfEarth) September 18, 2023

There’s anticipation that Microsoft will reveal more about its plans for AI features in Paint and other Windows 11 apps during an upcoming press event in New York City on September 21. This event may provide additional insights into the features and capabilities of Cocreator.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Canary and Dev Channels are getting ‘layers’ and ‘transparency,’ some Photoshop-esque features. Before this there were dark mode, centered canvas, background removal, and more in a span of a month. It makes one believe that Microsoft is trying to improve its core Windows apps more frequently. This is good, as users can expect to see new features and bug fixes more often.

via Neowin

Perhaps the biggest Xbox leak ever just occurred as unredacted documents pertaining to the FTC’s case against Microsoft’s Activision merger have been made public.

One of the more immediately fascinating pieces of info to come out of the leak is that Microsoft is planning a mid-gen console refresh—at least for the Xbox Series X. Unlike the recently released Xbox Series S Carbon Black edition, the all-digital 2TB Series X appears to be a true reimagining of the console.

As you can see in the above image the new Series X, which is know by the codename Brooklin, has a cylindrical design which is a pretty big departure from the current Series X design.

Also, the Brooklin model is planned to ship with Sebile—“all-new, more immersive controller.” Sebille will sport a two-tone design, with modular thumbsticks and gyroscopic controls. And you’ll be able to wake the controller simply by lifting it. Apparently the controller will have a direct cloud connection as well as Bluetooth 5.2 support.

The leak appears to be due to an error on the part of Microsoft. A huge number of documents and files were uploaded to a site hosted by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The information contained in the docs was most likely not intended to be made public.

The all-digital Xbox Series X is expected to launch in 2024 for $499.

Featured image via Eurogamer.