Microsoft Denies Rumors of New Xbox Hardware
By Jasmine Henry 26 March 2016
After a Microsoft employee mentions a project called “Xbox neXt” on their LinkedIn profile, Microsoft denies rumors that it is working on a new Xbox console.
Recently, there have been rumors about new versions of current generation consoles. The PS4.5 has been detailed in several reports, with Sony apparently working on a PS4 that offers 4K support and is said to release ahead of the launch of its virtual reality headset, PlayStation VR. Microsoft has also weighed in on the rumors, with the head of Xbox Phil Spencer clarifying that Xbox fans should not expect an “Xbox One and a half” and that if the company is to go forward with anything, he wants it to be a “really substantial change.”
Despite these comments from the Xbox boss, rumors of new Xbox hardware have persisted. This is in part due to the LinkedIn profile of David Gardner, a visual design lead at Xbox who has been working with the popular console brand since 2008. While Gardner’s professional page has since been updated, at one point it mentioned a project called “Xbox neXt” and, naturally, fans began to assume that Microsoft is indeed working on Xbox One and a half, but that the company has no plans of announcing it for now.
In a statement to IGN about the LinkedIn listing, a Microsoft spokesperson put the rumors to rest, telling the publication that “Xbox neXt was an old internal team name for a group that worked on releasing Xbox One and is not related to a future console. We have nothing further to share.” The fact that neXt is in fact a Microsoft codename does make sense, given that the Xbox One also had several other codenames during its development (both official and fan-given), including Durango, Xbox 720 and Kryptos.
What also supports the idea that Microsoft has no plans to sunset the Xbox One any time (or simply introduce a new version into the mix) is that the company has been pushing its existing console hard as of late. Recently, the company slashed the price of the Xbox One by $50 across all models and bundles, making the console a real bargain for cash-strapped gamers.
Moreover, the 2016 Xbox One games lineup is the best in Xbox history, according to Xbox marketing executive Yusuf Mehdi, with the likes of Gears of War 4, Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves all set to arrive on the platform this year. With such highly anticipated titles giving gamers several reasons to buy the Xbox One console as is, it wouldn’t make sense for Microsoft to (possibly) make those would-be console buyers think twice by announcing another Xbox console that could potentially be way out their price range.
Source: IGN
