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Cheaper Xbox One landing this year, source says

A cut-price Xbox One is on the way, according to a source who claims Microsoft has told its trusted publishing partners all about it.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

The days of Sony's PS4 being cheaper than the Xbox One could be numbered, as Microsoft is rumoured to be launching a cut-price console soon.

VG247 reports a "well-respected source" has told it about the cheaper Xbox One. The source says Microsoft has told its trusted publishing partners about the budget machine, and that it'll launch before the end of this year.

Microsoft's Xbox One currently costs £429, which is a full £80 more than the PS4.

The source is a bit short on details when it comes to exactly what we can expect from this cheaper model. They were unable to confirm if the system won't have a disc drive, and if it'll feature a Bluetooth adapter. It could also have less storage, but this is all conjecture at the moment, so I'd take all these rumours with a pinch of salt.

A Microsoft spokesperson told me the company doesn't comment on rumour or speculation. 

In other gaming news, Ouya has outed a new edition of its Android-powered console. It offers twice the storage of the standard 8GB model, and comes in a matte black finish. There's also a refined gamepad, with better quality buttons and a more responsive Bluetooth connection, as well as stronger Wi-Fi and more up-to-date firmware.

This week, Sony announced the slimmer PS Vita will come to the UK on 7 February, and will cost around £180. As well as being thinner, it's also noticeably lighter than the original Vita, but manages to pack in 1GB of storage, which should mean less reliance on memory cards. Sadly, it'll only be available in black in the UK.

Sony still hasn't made up its mind whether its PlayStation Now service will hit these shores.

Would you welcome a cheaper Xbox One? How does Microsoft's console stack up against the PlayStation 4? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.