Xbox One Mini in the Works? The Truth Revealed!

Should game geeks be on their toes?

A recent report released by Chinese website WPDang, as per TechnoBuffalo, claims that along with the unveiling of new models of the Lumia phone, Surface, and a fitness band this coming October is the announcement of an Xbox One Mini.

The Chinese technology site alleges that the new Xbox will be a slimmed-down version of the current Xbox, around one-third smaller, and less noisy, as cited by Game Spot.

Moreover, the device is said to be of similar power as the Xbox One with the exception of a Blu-ray drive. As such, all of the "Mini's" content will be delivered digitally.

This exclusion along with the improvements to the design explains the slimness of the device.

While Microsoft does have a history of revamping its gaming consoles, The Verge's Tom Warren presumes that the Xbox One Mini is unlikely to be present in the October event.

With the Xbox's main competitor PlayStation 4 gaining more in terms of sales, it is understandable why Microsoft would want a refresh of its gadgets.

Erik Frederiksen of TechnoBuffalo writes on a blog: "It's (Xbox One) behind in North America and the U.K., and it's just getting toasted everywhere else, where Sony's system apparently has a 70 - 90 percent market share. Console refreshes, like we saw with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and their slimmer incarnations, can reinvigorate sales of a system."

In a move to shot down all the rumors about the Xbox Mini, Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer tweeted back to a fan's query about the 'Xbox micro' coming out in October with "Not real."

Similarly, Chinese tech website WPDang, who started the rumor, replaced their assumption with fact by publishing Spencer's tweet.

Spencer spearheads and oversees Microsoft's gaming business and while his statement seems clear-cut, it does not, of course, dispel chances of having a mini version of the Xbox One in the future.

Game Spot's Eddie Makuch writes, "Microsoft does have a history of redesigning its consoles throughout their lifecycles. The Xbox 360, for instance, got an Elite model in 2007 and a slimmed down version in 2010. There's no question that the Xbox One is a big console; a slimmed-down version, which could carry a lower price tag, too, would be welcome. But you probably shouldn't hold your breath for it."

Nick Summer of Engadget predicts in a blog, "Although the Xbox One's sales are behind the PlayStation 4, it has a slew of exclusives coming out this fall including Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6 and Rise of the Tomb Raider (okay, that last one is actually a timed exclusive). If Microsoft is working on a "Mini" model, it's more likely to appear at somewhere like E3 next year."