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Xbox 1.5 May Not Play Games in 4K; Next Halo to Be on Windows 10 PC

Xbox 1.5 May Not Play Games in 4K; Next Halo to Be on Windows 10 PC

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 25 May 2016 21:39 IST

Highlights

The next Xbox is codenamed Scorpio.
It will support the Oculus Rift.
But it may not run games at 4K resolution.

Moments after we reported that the Xbox 1.5 is slated for next year and E3 2016 should see the announcement of two Xbox-related streaming devices, Kotaku revealed more information on what to expect from Microsoft.

For one, the Xbox 1.5 is codenamed Scorpio and can technically support the Oculus Rift VR headset. Microsoft is looking to pursue a partnership with the Facebook-owned company.

Although, there might be a concern regarding the console's possible 4K gaming chops.

(Also see: Xbox 1.5 to Be Revealed Next Year, Xbox Mini to Be Announced at E3 2016: Report)

"Development sources raised the concern that although the Scorpio model will be capable of supporting 4K resolution thanks to its GPU upgrade, as of right now there is no planned upgrade to the console's I/O transfer speed-the speed at which the console can transfer assets from a disc or hard drive to its memory," reads Kotaku's post. "This could mean long loading times for games specifically designed to support 4K, due to their larger assets."

This could see Sony's oft-rumoured PS4 Neo being the only console possible of pushing out 4K visuals when it hits this year.

Kotaku also shed light on Microsoft's potential upgrade cycle, which doesn't seem to be too dissimilar to Apple's.

"Sources say that instead of one hardware revision every five years or so, as has been the case with previous console cycles, Microsoft plans to move towards an incremental model, with more frequent hardware releases and games that are both forwards and backwards compatible across both Windows 10 and different Xbox models," claims Kotaku.

In addition to this, there's further indication that we will see Gears of War 4 and future Halo titles on Windows 10 and Xbox One.

"Microsoft has been clear that they want their two prestige brands to work together, as they've announced big new exclusives like Gears of War 4 and Sea of Thieves for both Xbox One and PC. Developer sources have told us that Microsoft's new mandate is to release future games-including the flagship Halo series-on both platforms," the post states.

What's amusing is that Kotaku has now edited its report. Editor Jason Schreier took to popular gaming forum NeoGAF, commenting that Gears of War 4 for PC was "a mistake that's been fixed - it's not official yet."

Furthermore, some sections confirm what we know about the Xbox Mini, that it will be announced at E3 2016. Albeit with a 2TB hard drive due for release later in the year.

In the past Kotaku correctly confirmed the absence of an Assassin's Creed game this year as well as highlighting the existence of Dishonored 2, it lends credence to the spate of rumours floating around regarding the Xbox One and potential updates to it.

However we do find the timing to be circumspect, with information leaking just minutes after Windows insider Brad Sams podcast. Both have some similarities. Could this be orchestrated by Microsoft itself? We'll have to wait for E3 2016 to see how this eventually pans out.

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Further reading: E3 2016, Microsoft, NeoGAF, New Xbox One Controller, Scorpio, Xbox 1.5, Xbox One, Xbox One Controller, Xbox One Elite, Xbox One II, Xbox One Next, Xbox One Scorpio, Xbox One Slim, Xbox Scorpio, Xbox 1.5 4K, Xbox Mini, Xbox One 4k