Microsoft‘s next iteration of its powerful Xbox Series X gaming console appears to be taking shape, if a series of leaked images obtained by gaming news site Exputer prove legitimate. The images depict a stark white version of the Xbox Series X that ditches the optical disc drive while keeping the overall rectangular design of the current model.

The white coating looks to match the same “robot white” shade used on Microsoft’s entry-level disc-less Xbox Series S, which retails for $299. But this phantom Xbox variant seems targeted as a higher-end to the Series X, powered by upgraded internals including an improved heatsink to better cool the beastly processor.

Most strikingly, the leaked console completely does away with the 4K Blu-ray disc drive present in the retail $499 Xbox Series X. Such a disc-less, digital-only configuration could allow Microsoft to shave $50-$100 off the price of this alleged new model, per Exputer‘s report. The gaming site claims the white Xbox edition is tentatively scheduled for release sometime this summer.

If accurate, the leaked images raise questions about Microsoft’s roadmap for periodic hardware refreshes throughout the Xbox series’ lifecycle. Company documentation revealed in the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit portrayed a more radically redesigned next-gen Xbox codenamed “Brooklin” – a svelte, cylindrical console Microsoft internally dubbed “adorably all digital.”

That discless Brooklin device was originally slated to launch this November for $499 alongside a new controller with an upgraded “Xbox Wireless 2” connection. However, the boxy, minimally updated look of the newly leaked white model seems to contradict those previous plans.

Addressing the Brooklin leaks last September, Xbox lead Phil Spencer acknowledged that “so much has changed” in terms of the company’s hardware roadmap compared to older planning materials. He vowed to “share the real plans when we are ready.”

Whether this white Xbox Series X revision launching in mere months constitutes those teased “real plans” remains to be seen. The lack of a disc drive could irk gamers averse to an all-digital future despite the cost savings.

Questions also linger about the level of performance gains, if any, awaiting this unannounced Xbox hardware. While unlikely to deliver generational leaps, select internal component upgrades could modestly boost the aging Xbox Series X/S architecture to extend its lifecycle in the years ahead. As with past Xbox releases, an advanced cooling solution will prove critical to maximizing the longevity of the power-hungry silicon inside.

Microsoft has stayed mum on these latest leaks so far. But if legitimate, they offer our first concrete glimpse at how the Redmond tech titan plans to iterate on its current-gen Xbox Series platform as it enters its fourth year on the market. For the all-digital future to proliferate, Microsoft needs a disc-less Xbox flagship that balances bleeding-edge performance with mainstream affordability.

This white whale could be exactly that – assuming the leaks aren’t just vapor trails misdirecting us all. We’ll know for sure if and when Microsoft officially pulls back the curtain in the coming months.