We reported yesterday that EA confirmed Microsoft has only shifted 19.1 million Xbox One units, while Sony has sold nearly double that amount.
Still the Xbox One has done solid business for the company and is outpacing sales of the Xbox 360 since its launch in 2013.
Three years on and the console is more or less reaching the midway point of its lifecycle, which usually means a hardware upgrade to make the device more efficient, perform better, and has a smaller design.
However, according to Xbox Chief Phil Spencer, he or the company are not necessarily interested in this minor upgrade tradition, although he is not ruling out a new beefier Xbox One.
Sony is reportedly working on a new PlayStation 4 called the PS4.5 or Neo, which will upgrade such things as the CPU, GPU, and bandwidth memory. Like other mid-lifecycle upgrades, the PS4 Neo will also come with a slim design compared to the original, but it will very much be a .5 console and not a new machine.
Spencer (image) said Microsoft isn’t interested in following an “Xbox One and a half” strategy, speaking at a Gameinformer roundtable discussion, the Xbox chief added:
Rumors of an updated PlayStation 4 have been making the rounds over the past few weeks. Giant Bomb reports that the “PS4.5” is codenamed Neo, and that the refreshed model will include a faster CPU, improved GPU, and higher bandwidth memory.
“I’m not a big fan of Xbox One and a half. If we’re going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers. If we’re going to go forward with anything, like I said, I want it to be a really substantial change for people — an upgrade.”
That suggests that if Microsoft does indeed upgrade the Xbox One that the company will be looking to add some more substantial changes to the console. Something like VR or clear integration to the HoloLens augmented reality headset.
Microsoft has to tread a line between making the Xbox One better, and not changing it so much that it essentially becomes a new console. NeoGAF member Ekim found Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings that show Microsoft is working on a wireless chip with a new Xbox One model number, which suggests a new version is being created.
