A GameStop source leaks the existence of a 2 TB Xbox One model that will cost $449 and will presumably be revealed during Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference.
For the past few months, rumors have been swirling about the possibility of Microsoft releasing new console hardware. Well, now some more concrete evidence is available that an upgraded Xbox One is indeed in the cards for Microsoft, as it's been leaked that a 2 TB Xbox One is in development, and will possibly release later this year.
This information has been leaked to GameSpot by an anonymous source at GameStop. The leak lists the 2 TB Xbox One at $449.00, with a placeholder release date of December 31st, 2016. That placeholder date indicates that while Microsoft might not have a firm launch time in mind for the 2 TB Xbox One, the company still has plans to release it by the end of the year.
The 2 TB Xbox One could very well be the rumored Xbox Scorpio, itself said to be 4x more powerful than current Xbox One models. It would make sense for Microsoft to give this beefier system a larger hard drive, but at the same time, it seems unlikely it would only cost $449 if it features 2 TB of storage space in addition to the significant power upgrade.
If the 2 TB Xbox One isn't the Scorpio, then it could just be a new model of the system with added storage capacity. So far, there are 500GB and 1 TB Xbox One models available, but anyone wanting more space than that has had to purchase external hard drives. By releasing a 2 TB Xbox One model, it could keep consumers from having to buy larger hard drives on top of purchasing the console itself, which may help Xbox One sales.
There's also the possibility that the 2 TB Xbox One is the Xbox One slim that has been rumored as well. Some past rumors surrounding the Xbox One slim have pointed to it abandoning its disc drive in favor of being a digital-only console, so it would make sense for Microsoft to equip it with a large hard drive. Furthermore, if the rumors about Microsoft abandoning the disc drive for the Xbox One slim are true, it would allow the company to increase the system's storage capacity while also keeping costs down.
Of course, that is all just speculation at this time. We won't know if this 2 TB Xbox One is the rumored Project Scorpio, the Xbox One slim, or just a vanilla Xbox One with more storage space until Microsoft itself decides to unveil it. If Xbox fans are lucky, such an unveiling may take place as soon as Microsoft's E3 2016 presentation this coming Monday, so stay tuned for more information.
Source: GameSpot