Where to preorder Microsoft’s special edition Galaxy Black Xbox Series X

Before Sony went all-in with a pricey mid-cycle console refresh by announcing its upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, Microsoft laid out plans for a premium console with aesthetics at the forefront. The 2TB “Galaxy Black” special-edition Xbox Series X is mostly the same as the standard Series X, but it features a double-capacity SSD and a slick paint job. We’re inching toward its October 15th release, and interested parties willing to pony up the $599.99 asking price can already preorder one at Best Buy and directly from Microsoft.

Those who crave the pricier Xbox are primarily getting three unique things for their money:

• 2TB of built-in storage, which is twice the amount available on the standard, $500 Xbox Series X (which can still be expanded with proprietary storage add-ons).
• A fresh paint job, if black is your thing, that’s reminiscent of the star-filled darkness of space. It shares some vibes with Microsoft’s previous limited edition console, the Halo-themed Xbox Series X, and features green accents on its bottom stand.
• A unique controller with matching speckles on the D-pad and a splash of green on the bottom.

Those changes aren’t nearly as drastic as the new hardware on the PS5 Pro (which features a new GPU, among other performance benefits), but I must admit the new Xbox looks sick.

Outside of the above features, the Galaxy Black Xbox Series X will play all the same games as other Xbox Series X / S models and match the standard edition with its 4K resolution and 120fps frame rate (though it’s locked at 4K / 60fps or lower in most games). It features a Blu-ray drive, too, unlike the compact Series S and discless Series X, the latter of which launches alongside Microsoft’s limited edition console in October for $449.99.

While the previous generation of Xbox One consoles saw the release of the mid-cycle Xbox One X, the upcoming PS5 Pro seems to be the lone spec-bumped premium console this generation. Documents revealed during the FTC vs. Microsoft case showed a very different take on a refreshed Xbox Series X, complete with a cylindrical design and a new controller with a lift-to-wake feature. These new Xbox consoles are obviously not that, but Microsoft calling an audible on that plan is not terribly surprising as recent times have been tough for the Xbox division with studio closures, layoffs, and plenty of strategy shifts.

Image: Microsoft