Microsoft nearly shipped upgraded Xbox One this year

A new Xbox Scorpio type console was at one stage on the cards to release in 2016, Microsoft has admitted.

The platform holder has this week revealed not only a 4K orientated 6 teraflop Xbox One successor, named Xbox Scorpio, but also a slimmed down Xbox One called the Xbox One S that support 4K media playback.

We could have done a new update this year. We actually looked at it. We went all the way too,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer told Eurogamer.

We had the spec in front of us. Should we ship something that’s less than Scorpio this year? But in truth you can’t do a true 4K console this year. And I just didn’t think anything between what is effectively a 1080p console and the 4K console, like, from a consumer television standpoint, there’s nothing in the middle.

So let’s go focus on 4K and next year was the right year to do that.”