Brad Sams, a writer that focuses on everything Microsoft took to his Sams Report podcast to reveal a bit of information he came into contact with through documents. Sams typically holds his podcast on Friday, but took to a Wednesday to run his podcast because of vacation – that’s all beside the point.
Sams revealed quite a bit of information on Xbox from a “pile of documents” that he had been “sitting on for a while.” If you’re concerned with whether his information is reliable or not, Sams revealed the existence of the Xbox Elite controller – so he’s not unfamiliar with the platform (nor is he unfamiliar with leaking it).
From here on out, take all of the information with a grain of salt – none of this has been confirmed by Microsoft.
According to Sams, Microsoft is planning to release new hardware at E3 2016 and they are planning more than just one device. First off, the Xbox Mini is real, according to Sams – Microsoft has disputed this claim in the past, however, the rumor simply won’t die.
Sams reports that Microsoft is planning two streaming devices to be revealed at E3, one the size of a Chromecast and another that is larger – around the size of a lunchbox. The bigger one, which is rumored to be $175 – $150, may be a more capable streaming device than the smaller device, with more features, the ability to run apps and play games. The smaller one will simply be for streaming priced at around $100.
A new Xbox One that will allow 4K video playback, but not 4K gaming. In addition to that, Microsoft will be talking about Xbox as a platform, instead of a gaming console. This is something that is already happening with PC crossplay and Windows 10 gaming. To further push this union with PC forward, Microsoft will be bringing the Xbox interface to PC.
Sams believes that next year Microsoft has huge plans for the Xbox – including new hardware infrastructure for the console and built-in VR.
In addition to all this, Microsoft may be bringing a new standard controller for the Xbox One (which Sams previously rumored).
Edit: Adding links to more information and thoughts.
Digital only devices fall in line with previous moves from Microsoft and if paired with the announcement of a game streaming service from EA (that had been previously rumored) it would be launching with plenty of support.
Phil Spencer has been talking about “unified gaming” since before March 2015, Microsoft’s initiative to unite the PC and Xbox has been a long time coming. Microsoft has already begun taking Xbox One exclusives and making them available on the PC, something that supports the concept of a general ‘Xbox Exclusive’ game – a game that isn’t bound to one platform but bound to one software (the Xbox software). With the Xbox interface on PC, we might be seeing more games make the jump.
