With the rumoured PS4.5 looking more and more likely, it would seem Xbox boss Phil Spencer has reconsidered his stance on releasing a new Xbox One console with better hardware.
Earlier this spring he explained that he did not want to offer his customers new hardware, as it would mean "a substantial change for people", but now we're hearing reports of a new Xbox One model with no changes beyond more powerful components. This would coincide with the information we have thus far about the PS4.5, at least as far as making an upgraded Xbox One console a viable competitor.
The reports started with several new filings from Microsoft with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. FCC approval is needed before a new device can be released, and thus the filings have on several occasions revealed products early. This time, however, a non-disclosure agreement was allegedly in place between Microsoft and the FCC, to ensure the details remained secret.
This agreement was obviously breached, and additionally it's been made clear that the NDA's validity is to expire on June 25. That's twelve days after Microsoft's press conference at this year's E3.
Within the FCC filing it's made clear that Microsoft has been testing a new Xbox One wireless chip, and on top of that sources close to The Verge have been in contact claiming a number of new Xbox One prototypes have been tested in recent times. Some of these prototypes are said to have upgraded components of the same sort one would use to boost the power and performance of a gaming PC.
As of now no official information have been given about a potentially upgraded Xbox One (as is the case with PS4.5 so far), and who knows, we might simply be dealing with a "slim" model here. That being said, a lot of signs are pointing towards more powerful consoles from both Microsoft and Sony. Perhaps we'll know more when E3 rolls around in June.