Sony’s vision, culminating in the PS4 Neo, has become clearer with time. Microsoft, on the other hand, continues to baffle and divide us as we struggle to work out what we’ll be seeing this year at E3. At least with Nintendo we know our speculation is only just that because it will either say “No” flat out or else remain silent, but with Microsoft we have conflicting statements from Phil Spencer, hints from a Microsoft blogger, and a new production leak all feeding us clues that lead to different conclusions. What exactly does Microsoft have up its sleeve? Should we expect a more powerful Xbox One, an Xbox One Slim model, or something else entirely?
If you’re not up to speed, you can check out the NeoGAF thread that started it all here . Mass production allegedly began in February on what is referred to as the “Xbox One II.” The literal (and therefore questionable) translation of the text seen on screen (pictured below) comes to us courtesy of GAF user “KampferZeon.” The text reads: New Project. AP5 XBOX One 2nd Gen Project. Project Start Time 2014 March. Client: Microsoft. Product: XBox One 2nd Gen. Machine: Kingston. Estimated Shipment: Maximum 400K / week. Plastic Product Unit weight: 600~800g.
The internet has not taken this leak very gracefully. Conclusions are being drawn left and right, and passionately so. There’s the Slim camp who believe, along with Microsoft blogger Brad Sams, that the new hardware will likely be an Xbox One Slim. It was about this time in the Xbox 360’s lifespan that the slimmer, elite model was unveiled, and so that seems like a safe bet for Microsoft at E3. Sams also stated that a new standard controller is likely on the way.
Of course, Sams went on to contradict his original speculation on Paul Thurrot’s blog when he said: “The company also has something else up its sleeve that I still don’t have all the details on but it’s a much bigger deal than an updated standard controller. While the rumors of a PS4K have been running rampant, and I don’t if this new device is set to take on that console, they will have another, much larger hardware related announcement at E3 this year… but I am not sure if this is an update to that product or something brand new.” Something brand new you say? Could we see the next Xbox already?
Many of you think it’s possible, and there is some suggestive evidence to back up that possibility. For starters, if Nintendo’s NX ends up being a competitively powerful machine, Microsoft doesn’t want to get left behind by Nintendo and Sony’s NEO. Even if the NEO doesn’t end up selling very well, PS4 players typically get the best-performing multi-plats, and Microsoft needs to do something to even the playing field. That screenshot also states that production on this new generation Xbox One began in 2014, which corroborates this Eurogamer article nicely. And don’t forget Phil Spencer’s comments expressing his distaste for an “Xbox 1.5.” It sounds like we’re either getting a slim version of the same console, or something altogether new. Can Microsoft really afford to stick with the former while its competition evolves?
June seriously can’t get here soon enough. We have so many questions that need to be answered, and there’s so much to see. Until then, what are your thoughts and speculations? Is this console generation about to get blown to smithereens by mid-cycle iterations and new consoles? Might Microsoft’s new console have something to do with Oculus Rift compatibility? Are we getting too excited over what will turn out to be an Xbox One Slim? Give us your educated guess in the comments so we can call you out after E3.