Due to the number of game fanatics in China, it is said that the country could become the 3rd largest console games market in a year or two. (Photo : Reuters)
Microsoft is planning to launch a slimmer Xbox One console that may compete directly against Apple’s brand new Apple TV.
The smaller Xbox One console would be designed to only run games and apps from the Windows Store app market, Business Insider reported. Microsoft had considered a similar smaller Xbox back in 2013 when the Xbox One first launched, but scrapped it.
The company’s plan makes sense because the present iteration of the Apple TV is making waves by providing access to a huge variety of apps and games on your big-screen TV, via the existing Apple App Store.
It is also the same thing that Microsoft has been doing since 2005's Xbox 360 video game console, which both played games and let users watch videos from services like Netflix and Hulu. The 2013 Xbox One console accelerated that concept with split-screen viewing modes and the ability to plug in a TV tuner to watch while the user plays.
The slimmer Xbox One model would also offer users access to games, but not to regular Xbox One blockbusters. Instead, gamers will be limited to gaming experiences available from the Windows Store. Currently, the Xbox One now runs a modified version of Windows 10 at the core, paving the way for Windows apps to run natively on the console.
It is not clear how much this slimmed down Xbox One version would cost. If it happens, Microsoft is thinking that the second half of 2016 launch window is good, according to BGR. It would be sold alongside existing models of the Xbox One, not replace it.
