Xbox chief Phil Spencer dispels Xbox 1.5 rumours and says he is 'not a big fan'

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has dispelled speculation of a possible Xbox 1.5 counterpart to the rumoured PlayStation 4.5 at Microsoft's Build 2016 Developer conference, saying he's "not a big fan" of the idea. Discussing the changes coming to Xbox One and Windows gaming at a small roundtable, Spencer responded to queries about the widely speculated PS4.5 and a potential Xbox 1.5 update, offering his own thoughts on the gossip.

"I'm not a big fan of Xbox One and a half. If we're going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers," Spencer said. "I don't know anything about any of the rumours that are out there, but I can understand other teams' motivations to do that. For us, our box is doing well. It performs, it's reliable, the servers are doing well. If we're going to go forward with anything, like I said, I want it to be a really substantial change for people — an upgrade."

Earlier, Spencer had hinted that Xbox One might get optional hardware upgrades that would allow the console to compete up with rival emerging technologies during his Xbox Spring Showcase. However, he later said he did not want Microsoft "to ship a screwdriver set with every console that comes out."

"The feedback I've received about, 'Hey, am I going to break open my console and start upgrading individual pieces of my console?' That's not our plan," Spencer said during a podcast with Xbox director of programming, Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb. "There's something special with what happens with a console. You buy an appliance-like device. You plug it into your TV, and it just works when you plug it in. It's not like I'm going to ship a screwdriver set with every console that comes out."

News of the purported PS4.5, capable of increased graphical power and 4K visuals, first broke when Kotaku overheard mentions of Sony's plans to upgrade the console at GDC 2016. Digital Foundry at Eurogramer and The Wall Street Journal had also reported that the announcement will be made before the PlayStation VR virtual reality headset launches in October.

Sony, however, has refused to comment on the reports so far.