Two New Xbox Consoles Could Be Coming, According To Reports

When everyone got news of the PlayStation 4’s new console, called Neo as a codename for now, everyone wondered if Xbox was going to follow suit. Despite head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, openly denying that they were going to compete with the PS4 with another stronger console, it seems there are reports that a new and stronger Xbox could be debuting as soon as next year along with a smaller version this year.

The news comes from Kotaku who reports that their sources have told them Microsoft will be releasing two new Xbox Ones. The first Xbox One to be released will be a slim version and is hoping for a release sometime this year, while the other release is supposed to be a much more powerful version, which has been given the codename Scorpio.

And here’s where things get really interesting. Scorpio will not only have a much stronger GPU, but it supposedly will be able to support that Oculus Rift, meaning Microsoft is hoping to partner with Oculus to bring the VR device to consoles.

The slimmer version of the Xbox One is reported to have a 2TB drive, doubling the size of the average drive right now, and is supposed to debut at E3 this year.

So despite what Phil Spencer may have said, news of these reports definitely points to Xbox’s last desperate attempt to compete with Sony and the PS4’s overwhelming success. But we all knew this was coming, right? There was no way Sony was going to release a “new” version of the PS4 without Xbox doing something to compete with it. I knew they weren’t going to let Sony get away with the Neo for long. But I think Xbox is just so desperate to catch up to Sony’s success that they are trying everything they can to slow Sony down or push Sony off track. I’ve been a Sony PlayStation fan my entire life and despite my small time with the Xbox 360, I always come back to PlayStation because it’s a stronger system and has more of the exclusive games I like to play.

But my question is if Microsoft does strike a deal with Oculus and will be releasing the Oculus Rift for Xbox One consoles, I’m just wondering how that’s going to work price-wise? Right now, the Oculus Rift by itself goes for about $800-$900, but pair that with a $350 Xbox One and you’ve got a $1100-$1300 purchase. So my real question is just how much is Oculus going to drop the price of the Rift in order to package it with an Xbox One, if at all?

While all of these reports are only just rumors right now, I’ll be curious to learn what Microsoft’s true plan is for competing with PlayStation against the PlayStation VR and Neo.