u/Blue_Sheepz

>Sources familiar shared two new Xbox code names with us recently, now verified inside the latest Xbox Insider builds.

>The first is "Project Saluki," which seems to be a brand new Xbox Game Pass tier set specifically designed for the Chinese market. Saluki seems to represent not one, but several Xbox Game Pass tiers and rewards, specifically tailored for China's unique regulatory environment and gamer preferences. Details beyond that are scant at this time.

>Codename "Positron," from what we can tell, could be some form of disc-to-digital entitlement program.

>The details here are incredibly scant right now and investigations are on-going. It might not be exactly as it seems right now from the details we've received, so take this with a huge pinch of salt and a healthy dose of speculation for now.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/project-saluki-a-new-xbox-game-pass-tier-has-been-unearthed-alongside-a-curious-positron-disc-to-digital-program-and-it-could-be-huge

Edit: Jez also suggests that Project Helix might be a digital-only system,. Although he doesn't rule out the possibility of there being a disc-drive add-on, he thinks it's unlikely due to Blu-Ray costing more for Microsoft than Sony

>But, it would make sense. I thoroughly expect the next-gen Xbox "Helix" console-PC hybrid to be without a disc drive. Hints I've received about the nature of the box increasingly point to the idea that it will be a fully digital system, similar to today's gaming PCs, laptops, and most modern devices. Indeed, the industry for discs is on its last legs, with Blu-ray sales resigned mostly to core console gaming. PlayStation itself is now reporting an 85% digital ratio, and Microsoft's is likely even higher still.

This is what Jez Corden claims in his recent article on Windows Central:

>Documents seen by Windows Central and verified by proven sources revealed a range of options Xbox considered to try and meet Microsoft's "30% by 2030" accountability margin targets. These included every absolutely dire option you can imagine. It included things like cost-saving by cutting backward compatibility with Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S generations with future hardware, and moving towards "evolving to be more software-based vs. hardware-based."

Jez also alleges that the year-over-year 30% hardware declines are the result of a deliberate effort by Microsoft to reduce the amount of Xbox Series consoles manufactured and sold on storefronts, in order to cut costs in their gaming division. According to him, Microsoft does not have enough stock of Xbox consoles in order to cash in on GTA 6's launch or double down on exclusivity for the time being, since all the memory needed for the consoles is sold out at the moment. This last bit seems to be speculation on his part, though.

Edit: Forgot to note that Jez said that Xbox's revenue has actually started to shrink in recent months, in spite of the ABK deal and multiplatform initiative. But I assume that this is him just going off of the latest Xbox quarterly earnings report, and not an insider leak per se.

>Microsoft engineered Xbox's decline by chasing a grossly negligent, imaginary margin target — and now we're all seeing the negative impacts. Far from growing, even post-inorganic growth, Xbox has now started shrinking again. Good job.