Thurrott.com just concluded a podcast, where they discussed the future of Xbox hardware- and contrary to a lot of speculations, it sounds like the future of Xbox hardware is very bright, with multiple Xbox branded products on the horizon- far sooner than one might thing.

Microsoft apparently have multiple new Xbox products in the wings- included in these is what was referred to as an ‘Xbox 2,’ which will be VR enabled, and based on an entirely new architecture (it was unclear whether or not it would be backwards compatible with the existing Xbox One). That’s not all, either- apparently, an Xbox 1.5, so to speak, is due out later this year, which will be a souped up version of the current Xbox One. It will be capable of 4K output, which means it will probably go head to head with the PS4 Neo.

Microsoft will also be putting out TV specific hardware under the Xbox brand, it sounds like- there are two TV Xbox solutions in the work, including a Chromecast-esque stick, as well as an Apple TV/Roku-esque Xbox TV streaming box (this is separate from the long rumored Xbox Slim). Tom Warren of The Verge has weighed in on a lot of this news on NeoGAF, confirming that there will in fact be new Xbox hardware at E3, and that it will be 40% slimmer than what we have right now- but he refused to comment on anything else, leaving the question of just what this slimmer hardware may be open.

If all of this is true, then we could be looking at a lot of Xbox branded hardware within the next year or so:

• An Xbox 1.5, which would be sort of a response to the PS4K Neo. This will be 4K compatible and coming later this year, and it may have a slimmer form factor than the existing Xbox One
• An Xbox 2, revealed around Spring next year, based on an entirely new hardware architecture, and VR compatible. This will probably be the successor to Xbox One, and it is unclear whether or not it will be backwards compatible with the existing Xbox One hardware
• An Xbox branded Chromecast-esque streaming stick
• An Xbox branded Apple TV-esque streaming box

All in all, it sounds like Microsoft, rather than slowly transitioning away from hardware, are doubling down on it, at least where the Xbox is concerned- with E3 around the corner, official confirmations for at least some of these are likely coming up soon. We can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Microsoft today announced its largest lay-offs in company history ever, with 18,000 people getting affected over the next one year. With these layoffs, it appears that Microsoft’s Xbox Entertainment Division, which was supposed to be creating original programming content for the Xbox One, as part of Microsoft’s unified TV and living room strategy, has also been shut down, putting a premature end to that venture.

Xbox Entertainment Studios were founded last February, with the intent of providing quality content for Microsoft’s Xbox line of consoles beyond just games. However, so far, nothing has come out of this venture, and it appears that nothing will.

However, the Halo live action television series that was announced for later this year, due to air on Showtime and on Xbox One consoles, is still on track, and will continue to receive Microsoft’s funding; it is possible that Microsoft views the TV series as part of a cross media promotion of the Halo brand, rather than being part of an overarching TV strategy.

[Gameinformer]

Spencer stated that, “They have literally hundreds of ideas that they are incubating right now. We will have some new announcement for TV shows coming pretty soon.” He also stated that in regards to interactive sports broadcasting that, “We believe sports is a very interesting category globally.”

Considering that TV and sports held a significant portion of Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox One, with the initial reveal of the console in May heavily emphasizing TV content and shows for games such as Halo and Quantum Break, this is only a further indicator that it’s staying the course. How will it pan out after the Xbox One releases on November 22nd? That remains to be seen in the coming months.

According to TVLine, Microsoft wants to relaunch the series with new stories and characters featuring cameos from the original cast members. As of now talks are in the preliminary stage but we can’t imagine that having former NBC development executive Jada Miranda on board – who’s been overseeing production on the Xbox entertainment studio along with ex-CBS president Nancy Tellem since this past February – wasn’t a big factor in said talks.

But is the series ready to make a comeback? Despite being a relatively hot property when release, Heroes declined irreversibly over the years before finally ending in February 2010. Maybe time has healed all wounds? Stay tuned for further details.