Microsoft Quietly Rolls Back its Promise of New Xbox Hardware

Ahead of Gamescom in Germany next month, Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb teased in a blog post that Xbox will reveal “all-new Xbox hardware and accessories” during a special broadcast of Inside Xbox on August 21st. While it’s still too early to announce a next-gen console, considering how the One X just launched in November, the blog post still left gamers with much speculation.

Now, though, Microsoft has quietly changed the wording in its post, explaining the Gamescom announcements will include “lots of news, new Xbox One bundles and accessories, and features on upcoming titles.”

While there won’t be any announcements about a new-gen console next month, it’s possible that Microsoft will announce new updates for the One X, or even a price drop for the One S which is coming up on its two-year anniversary. A lower price point could also entice more first-time buyers to enter the Xbox ecosystem, given the steep $500 for the One X has been seen as a turn off. That’s all speculation, but something we are likely to see at Gamescom is news about the Xbox Elite Controller.

Rumors have also been swirling for months about an iterative update for the Xbox Elite Controller. The original Elite launched in 2015, introducing a number of advanced features such as interchangeable paddles, hair-trigger locks, and rubberized diamond grips that improve stability.

We’ll know everything for certain when Gamescom kicks off next month. Xbox will be broadcasting Inside Xbox on Tuesday, August 21 at 4:30 CEST. You can watch on the Xbox website and Mixer (of course), as well as Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.