We’re at that point now where consoles have settled into a comfortable groove. Graphical benchmarks have reached an acceptable level, games are rolling off the press at a decent pace and the big two are busy shoring up their first-party properties in an endless war for attention and sales. Same old, and then some as we’ve seen this behaviour before in previous Xbox and PlayStation generations.
But here’s the rub: You might need to pimp your console out a bit before this current cycle ends and you start counting pennies towards newer and shinier hardware. There’s already the rumour of a PlayStation 4.5, while the Xbox One has also fielded comments about an apparently modular upgrade that is being considered. Speaking at a Microsoft Build 2016 conference via GameSpot, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was quizzed on if the big black box would also follow in Sony’s leads if the PlayStation 4K turned out to be real.
“I’m not a big fan of Xbox One and a half,” Spencer said.
If we’re going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers. For us, our box is doing well. It performs, it’s reliable, the servers are doing well. If we’re going to go forward with anything, I want it to be a really substantial change for people–an upgrade.
Fair enough. The Xbox One was the black sheep of the console family when it first launched, but recent changes that saw it ditch Kinect, implement a better user interface and rack up plenty of exclusive games have actually made it a rather damn good piece of hardware. It already does plenty, provided the people developing titles for it have a good understanding of the hardware and their audience.
Shinier graphics aren’t going to convince people to dump their current devices on Gumtree, wade through a mountain of offers for a Samsung Galaxy swap and use that cash to purchase an incremental upgrade of a device. Because that’d be an Xbox One and a half-baked idea.
Last Updated: April 4, 2016
RinceThis
April 4, 2016 at 09:09
At least it isn’t an Xbox 180.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 4, 2016 at 09:09
But they could call it the Xbox 270.
RinceThis
April 4, 2016 at 09:15
Oh you!
Fox1 - Retro
April 4, 2016 at 09:23
#TeamDX
Kromas untamed
April 4, 2016 at 09:56
Well at least PS4 peasants can’t say “At least I don’t have to upgrade my console every 6 months” to the superior master race anymore. Give it a bit and MS will screw up and the same will be said for X-Box peasants.
Darren Peach
April 4, 2016 at 15:40
LOL. Us PS4 peasants now have choice……
miaau
April 4, 2016 at 10:23
I do, however, wonder what he thinks of Xbox Too
Admiral Chief in New York
April 4, 2016 at 10:45
Well, if they do a 1.5, then the next one can be called XB3
Darren Peach
April 4, 2016 at 16:17
I hope they do respond. Competition is good.
Your mother.
April 4, 2016 at 13:17
VR [e.g, being able to play AAA open-world games like Primal or Homefront 2 at 1080p/60+fps] IS the upgrade, you halfwit. Reading this; I’m so glad I abandoned Microsoft for Sony: these guys just don’t get it-Sony does. VR IS the future, and the PS4k provides the ability to go toe-to-toe with Oculus and Valve. Gamers are not going to be content with whatever shitty little linear gimicky games are possible using the PS4 as gpu/cpu, not for long. Microsoft will follow suit, or fall even further behind. Nintendo in the meanwhile, so long as they embrace the truth [and not their own half-baked version of reality]; also have a chance to release a new VR capable console, or, you know; do what they usually do-and release an underpowered console that’s half coffee-maker and controlled by dance-moves. They seem to have lost the plot too, so I’m not holding my breath.
Darren Peach
April 4, 2016 at 15:39
Snap…..he thought he was being funny……
Darren Peach
April 4, 2016 at 16:17
Famous last words. I wonder how long it will take Microsoft to realise that they need to play catch up again once this new 4.5 PS4 comes out. Let’s face it, This generation has not been kind to them and if they want to continue to be relevant, They will arguably have to respond with their own version. Gamers are gamers !