If you weren’t planning on taking a keen interest in the comings and goings of next month’s E3 conference, then take this as a courteous nudge that it’s probably time to start paying attention. The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is generally packed full with amazing reveals from some of the world’s largest companies, and this year is shaping up to be no different. Rumor has it that Microsoft is planning on using the expo to take the covers off a new slimmer and smaller Xbox One console, as well as officially introduce at least two ‘Xbox TV’ streaming devices.
Let’s tackle these highly-anticipated Xbox TV streaming devices first. We’ve been hearing rumors about the potential existence of this type of Xbox-branded device for a number of years now. Internal sources have suggested that Microsoft has been frequently experimenting with a Google Chromecast-like device that would essentially be a streaming stick designed to show Xbox digital content.
The instant use case here would be that gamers would essentially be able to stream Xbox One games directly from the console to a television set connected to the streaming device. It is expected that Microsoft will reveal at least two of these streaming devices during E3.
The interesting part of this potential reveal will be the capabilities embedded within the second Xbox TV device. Early reports suggest that the more capable of the two new products will be able to access apps and games from the universal Windows Store, making it so much more than just a simple streaming stick capable of mirroring content from the Xbox One.
In addition to the potential reveal of these two new devices, Microsoft is also said to be readying a new smaller Xbox One console for display during next month’s E3. A discovery last month pointed us in the direction of a new Xbox One wireless chip, which in turn started the conjecture about a new cheaper and smaller Xbox One console coming into existence. If the interim update to the Xbox One comes to fruition, then consumers can expect a device that is up to 40-percent smaller than the original Xbox One, and ships with an upgraded 2TB internal hard drive for additional storage.
However, that update would pale into relative insignificance if the rumored 2017 model is anything to go by, which according to sources, could come with a dramatically improved GPU capable of supporting 4K resolution and even the Oculus Rift.
This year’s E3 conference will take place from June 14 to June 16, 2016, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, so stay vigilant!
(Source: Brad Sams [YouTube], Kotaku)
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