In January, a rumor made rounds that Xbox was planning to discontinue making consoles. However, in a February business update, Microsoft cleared the air that the Series X|S would not be its last. Now a new Xbox development kit has reportedly been certified in South Korea.
The dev kit was approved on Monday, March 18, 2024, for use by South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency. The product which has the model number 2089 was manufactured in China and Vietnam.
What makes this an interesting development is that the Xbox Series X development kit which had the model number 1881 was also certified by the agency five months before the global launch of the console in November of 2020.
Sharing the news on X, a handle Xbox News for Koreans which is run by Yeosu Yeosu, the manager of Naver Xbox Information Café in Korea, said the approval means that developers will likely get the development kit soon.
국립전파연구원, 3월 18일 MS XDK Console 인증통과 (출처 : XBOX 정보 카페 | 네이버 카페) https://t.co/c3VmTd1n7R
Microsoft's new Xbox Dev Kit (XDK) console was certified by the National Radio Research Agency in Korea today.
This means that you can use the device in Korea.
It is… pic.twitter.com/jZAuYlynV4— Xbox News for Koreans 🇰🇷 – 네이버 Xbox 정보 카페 (@KoreaXboxnews) March 18, 2024
Under South Korean law, every electronic device must be certified by the National Radio Research Agency to make sure it doesn’t pose any risk to radio waves in the country. Without the certification, the electronics will not be approved for use in the country.
With the strong rumor that a PS5 Pro was in development and will likely be released during the holidays of this year, it should not hit anyone as a surprise that Microsoft is also cooking up a new console. Our biggest bet is that there will likely be console updates for Xbox and PlayStation before the end of the year.
ALSO READ: Opinion: Is Platform Exclusivity Still Relevant Or Has It Become Bane Of Great Games?
One thing we noticed was the lack of excitement about the possibility of a new console in the Microsoft-exclusive gaming community. Klobrille who focuses on the coverage of Xbox first-party studio titles blamed it on “port begging”.
I feel like the Xbox community is pretty muted right now; I don’t see any excitement or hype anymore. Being an Xbox content creator also feels a lot less fun these days, with port begging obviously being everywhere. I hope those 4 games (more will surely follow) were worth it.
— Klobrille (@klobrille) March 19, 2024
A legal document that leaked during the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard saga highlighted Microsoft’s gaming strategy for years to come which included a plan to launch what was termed “adorably all digital” Series X console codenamed “Brooklin”.
The document said the company was targeting the launch of the console in November 2024 at the price of $499. However, it is possible that the company may have altered its strategy ever since. During the February business update podcast, Xbox president Sarah Bond said they have exciting hardware news they would share during the holiday.
“There’s some exciting stuff coming out in hardware that we’re going to share this holiday, and we’re also invested in the next-generation roadmap,” said Bond. “What we’re really focused on there is delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation”.
Microsoft has announced the world’s first vault for Xbox sweepstake
Microsoft and Amazon Prime have announced a first-of-its-kind winner-takes-all sweepstake featuring an Xbox Series X custom console draped with artwork inspired by Fallout worth around $440 and an XDL custom Xbox controller also covered with Fallout artwork worth $84.98.
Vault Boy would approve.
Follow & RT with #FalloutXboxSweepstakes for a chance to win a custom @falloutonprime Xbox Series X, controller, & Fort Knox vault
Ages 18+. US only. Ends 4/14/24. Rules: https://t.co/O0lUIODPKj
Congratulations! Watch #Fallout on Prime Video April 11. pic.twitter.com/cYj23Fi304
— Xbox (@Xbox) March 18, 2024
However, the star of the sweepstake is a custom Fort Knox vault where the Xbox and controller can be safely stored worth $4,500. The estimated value of the entire price is $5,014.98. The winner will be selected from all eligible entries through a random draw.
Sadly, only residents of the 50 United States who are 18 years old or over are eligible for the sweepstakes. To submit an entry, all you need to do is follow the Xbox official account on X and retweet the promotional post containing the hashtag #FalloutXboxSweepstakes during the entry period which will last from March 18 to April 14, 2024.
To view the full rules of the sweepstakes, visit the official contest rules page here.
