Microsoft’s Xbox One and HoloLens Were All Leaked Way Back In 2012

The funny thing about living in a world where companies can come and go in the space of a day, is that we often overlook things that appear nonsensical. We’re even guilty of being so caught up in hype that we forget about the topic of the moment and move on to something else.

With a company as sprawling and monolithic as Microsoft, it’s expected that there will be a few leaks. But like Sony beside them, Microsoft suffers from a fairly untamed outpouring of leaks as soon as something work talking about begins being developed. The Xbox One was just one of the ideas leaked in the document, though it was only a concept at the time.

Did you know that in 2012, a document was made available online that outlined the next four years of Microsoft’s business plan? Did you know that a good portion of the 56 page document has come to be a real thing? The Xbox 360 was a “low cost Xbox 360” that grew to become the Xbox 360 S model with 4GB of Flash storage.

The HoloLens was originally a headset that was referred to as “Kinect Glasses” amongst other names. At the time, the plan was to release the device alongside the “Xbox 720” and the “Kinect V2” with the document describing the device like so, “Full immersion entertainment experiences in the living room. The game has broken out of the screen and is all around you.”

Say what you will about Microsoft, but they’ve clearly been playing the long game, and it’s working splendidly for them.