Microsoft have unveiled the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition, a translucent OG Green Series X console with an illuminated green X on the front that lights up in a direct callback to the original 2001 Xbox startup sequence. The hardware ships alongside a matching Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition, whose translucent shell carries the black and white bumpers as a nod to the original Xbox Duke controller, and the pair launches as a bundle in select markets in November 2026 to mark the platform’s 25th anniversary.
The console is the centrepiece of Xbox’s 25th Anniversary celebration, announced by Microsoft on 7 June 2026 ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase 2026. Pricing has not been disclosed and will be set by individual retailers closer to the November release window, with the controller also sold separately for buyers who want the anniversary pad without the full console bundle.
Translucent OG Green Design Nods To The Original Xbox
The Series X25 chassis carries a translucent shell finished in OG Green, the muted greyish-green that defined the original 2001 console and its launch-era marketing. The translucent treatment exposes the internal cooling shroud and the X-shaped vent layout that has become a signature of the Series X tower, framing the hardware as a celebration piece rather than a straight repaint.
The X logo on the front face glows green when the console is powered on. The animation cue mirrors the original Xbox boot sequence, which opened on a glowing green X swirling up through black before resolving into the platform’s wordmark. The 25th Anniversary logo is embossed on the front of the console, sitting on the chassis face alongside the illuminated X to anchor the unit as a commemorative SKU rather than a standard Series X.
The translucent shell is exclusive to this Limited Edition run. Microsoft have not indicated whether the design will roll over to standard Series X SKUs after the November 2026 launch, and previous Limited Edition Xbox hardware, including the Halo Infinite Series X bundle, was never restocked once initial inventory cleared the channel. Storage and internal specifications are unchanged from the standard Series X, with the 1TB custom NVMe SSD, 12 teraflops of GPU performance, and 4K target resolution carried over from the model that launched in November 2020.
The X25 is the first time Microsoft have built an illuminated front-face logo into a Series X chassis. The standard Series X carries a static white Xbox logo on the power button only, and the glowing front X on the anniversary unit is a hardware-level change to the front panel rather than a software lighting effect, according to the design language used in the announcement copy.
Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Carries The Duke’s Black-And-White Bumpers
The matching Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition uses the same translucent OG Green shell, with the bumpers swapped to black and white as a direct reference to the original Xbox Duke controller’s two large auxiliary face buttons. The Duke shipped with the 2001 console and was famous for its oversized footprint and its black and white inputs, which sat below the standard A, B, X, and Y face buttons before being dropped from the Xbox 360 generation onward.
The pad uses the modern Xbox Wireless Controller body, retaining the share button, hybrid d-pad, and textured grip surfaces introduced with the Series X generation. The cosmetic Duke callback is the headline change, and the controller carries no functional differences from the standard model based on the official announcement copy, with no separate haptic profile, button remap, or accompanying software theme listed.
Microsoft are releasing the controller as both a bundle pack-in alongside the console and as a standalone SKU. The standalone release gives players on Series S, Series X, or PC a route to the translucent shell without committing to the full console purchase, and follows the pattern set by the 20th Anniversary Xbox Wireless Controller in 2021, which also released as a standalone celebration item.
November 2026 Launch In Select Markets
The bundle and the standalone controller are confirmed for select markets in November 2026. Microsoft have not published the full territory list, and the official announcement defers retail pricing to individual storefronts rather than fixing a global MSRP, mirroring how previous Limited Edition Xbox hardware released in tiered regional drops rather than a simultaneous global launch.
New Zealand availability has not been confirmed in the announcement copy, and the official Xbox Wire post directs prospective buyers to monitor local retailers for pricing and stock confirmation in the months leading up to November. Inventory on previous anniversary-grade Xbox hardware has historically sold through in the first wave of pre-order opening, with the 20th Anniversary controllers in 2021 hitting back-order status within days of going live at major retailers.
Pre-order timing has not been announced. Microsoft typically open hardware reservations four to six weeks ahead of release for first-party SKUs, which would put the X25 pre-order window in late September or early October if the publisher follows the standard cadence. The Xbox Wire post confirms only that retail pricing will be communicated by partnered storefronts and lists no separate digital or PC bundle SKUs for the anniversary controller and console release.
How The X25 Fits Into Xbox’s 25th Anniversary Year
The original Xbox launched on 15 November 2001 in North America, putting the 25th anniversary milestone in November 2026 to the day. Microsoft entered the console market with the Duke controller, a built-in 8GB hard drive, and the Halo: Combat Evolved launch lineup, and the platform held the runner-up position behind PlayStation 2 through the rest of its generation before transitioning to the Xbox 360 in late 2005.
The Series X25 Limited Edition is the first anniversary-themed Xbox hardware release built around a full home console. Microsoft’s previous celebration hardware, the 20th Anniversary Xbox Wireless Controller and the 20th Anniversary Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, both released in November 2021 as controller-only items without an accompanying console SKU. The X25 elevates the format to a full hardware bundle for the quarter-century milestone.
The translucent finish itself draws on a strand of Xbox enthusiast hardware that traces back to the see-through Crystal Xbox variant Microsoft released for the original console in 2004 and to the limited translucent green controllers issued through later Xbox Live promotions. Reviving the OG Green translucent treatment on the current-generation tower stitches together the visual cues across the platform’s full history.
What Comes Next For Xbox’s Anniversary Slate
The Xbox Games Showcase 2026, which the anniversary console headlined, sits alongside the wider 25th Anniversary celebration Microsoft are running through the rest of the year. The showcase covered the publisher’s first-party slate and provides the backdrop for follow-on anniversary reveals expected through the second half of 2026 in the runup to the November launch window.
Confirmation of the territory list, retail pricing, and pre-order timing will follow from Microsoft and partnered retailers in the months ahead of the November 2026 release, with the next major checkpoint being the Xbox Wire updates that traditionally accompany pre-order opening for first-party hardware.