Xbox One head Phil Spencer says there is no ‘Xbox One and a half’

Quashing rumours that surfaced earlier this month, Phil Spencer, the head of all things Xbox at Microsoft, says that he’s not a fan of the concept of an “Xbox One and a half.”

Rumours recently surface from reliable sources that both Microsoft and Sony are preparing to release 4K-capable iterative updates of their current video game consoles.

Spencer’s comments at Microsoft’s recent spring showcase initially spurred furor around upgradable consoles. During the presentation, Spencer said that Microsoft has plans to “decouple its software platform from the hardware platform on which it runs,” which added further fuel to the rumour mill.

Though Spencer still believes in a future where Xbox games are playable across both PC and the Xbox One (recently released Quantum Break is an example of this), he denies his statement related to the release of a mid-generation upgraded Xbox One re-release.

An artist rendition of the Xbox One (and a half).

“I’m not a big fan of Xbox One and a half. If we’re going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers,” said Spencer during a roundtable discussion published by Game Informer.

According to independent sources at various notable gaming-focused publications, Sony has legitimate plans to release an upgraded PlayStation 4, possibly dubbed the PS4.5. It’s unclear, however, if the device will be a PS4 capable of playing 4K movies and television shows, or a new, upgraded console with games specifically designed for it.

While the possibility of new systems is exciting, video game consoles’ distinct advantage over upgradable PCs is they only require people to invest in a new device every five years or so. Releasing multiple consoles very few years ruins the simplicity that makes console-based gaming such a mainstream activity.

Related reading: Microsoft’s Phil Spencer hints at iterative upgrade future for Xbox One hardware

[source]Game Informer[/source]