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Today, Microsoft outlined its plans for next month’s Gamescom, the annual gaming expo held in Cologne, Germany, teasing that it will bring “new Xbox One bundles and accessories” to the show. The company also promised news and unannounced features for its upcoming game slate and “perhaps even a few surprises.”
Microsoft said it will reveal those details during an episode of its Inside Xbox show, which will broadcast live from its booth at Gamescom. Microsoft will air its Inside Xbox episode from Gamescom on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 4:30 p.m. CEST (7:30 a.m. PDT/10:30 a.m. EDT) on xbox.com, Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
In its announcement posts, Microsoft originally said the episode would feature “all-new Xbox hardware and accessories,” a surprising phrase considering the timing of Gamescom. It seemed unlikely that by “all-new Xbox hardware,” Microsoft was referring to the next-generation consoles the company teased at E3 2018. Microsoft has since updated the announcement article, which was posted on both Major Nelson’s blog and Xbox Wire, to instead tease “new Xbox One bundles and accessories.” Curiously, a note acknowledging the edit appears on Major Nelson’s post, but not the Xbox Wire post.
We expect either some special edition or variation on the existing Xbox One S and Xbox One X, or news about the next version of Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller. Photos of a rumored successor to the Xbox Elite wireless controller leaked back in January. The new version of the high-end Xbox One controller is said to feature a USB-C port for charging, Bluetooth support for Windows 10, three-level hair-trigger locks and other refinements. The original Xbox Elite controller for Xbox One was released in 2015 for $149.99.
In May, Microsoft announced a new controller for Xbox One and Windows PC, the Xbox Adaptive Controller, aimed at players with disabilities. That device will be released in September.
Update (3:23 p.m. ET): Microsoft edited the language in its Gamescom announcement posts (on Xbox Wire and Major Nelson’s blog) after they were published, removing a reference to “all-new Xbox hardware.” The articles now say that the Gamescom episode of Inside Xbox will showcase “new Xbox One bundles and accessories” instead of “all-new Xbox hardware and accessories.” We’ve edited our story to reflect this.
