Less than a week before E3 2015, the major names in the market are preparing their strategies to attract the public ahead of the 'Back to School' season, Black Friday, and the holiday period. Microsoft is starting the show with something simple but decisive: a new Xbox One with a terabyte of storage.
Microsoft disappointed more than a few when it said that the Xbox One's hard drive could not be replaced by the user. A few weeks after the official launch, hardware enthusiasts proved that it is actually possible, but it requires a significant amount of work. With more games occupying nearly the entire capacity of a Blu-ray disc, and system updates arriving day after day, anyone with several titles will be demanding more space for their console very soon. Those complaints generated quite a few rumors, and on the eve of E3 2015, the Redmond giant decided to confirm them: there is a new Xbox One with a terabyte of capacity.
New Features and Pricing
While the main novelty is the increased storage, the new Xbox One also brings some extra details. First, Microsoft has changed the look of the casing, adopting a matte finish that should reduce fingerprints on the console. Second, the Xbox One comes with a redesigned wireless controller. Unlike previous models, the new controller supports 'on-the-fly' firmware updates (meaning without physically connecting it to the console), and includes a 3.5-millimeter audio output to connect a headset. The official price of the new controller will be $60 in the United States.
As for the console itself, it will arrive on store shelves next June 16, the day E3 begins, with an official price of $399. The 1TB Xbox One will include, as a limited offer in select regions, a copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, so those who waited to buy an Xbox One may get more for their money. As an alternative, the 'standard' 500GB Xbox One remains at $349 (not to mention the tax quirks of each country, of course).
