Microsoft has already said it expects 2016 to be a big year for new Xbox games, but it's now been reported that next year may also see the launch of a new Xbox One model. Microsoft blogger Brad Sams reports today on Petri that he's heard from internal sources that Microsoft is discussing a "lightweight Xbox One."

"I have heard from internal sources that the company is considering plans for a lightweight Xbox One that may only be for Windows store games and would compete with the Apple TV," he said. "But it's not clear if these plans have been scrapped."

Sams notes that rumors of a similar device emerged around the time the Xbox One launched in 2013. Those plans were reportedly put on ice, but Sams says the new system is "said to be from a similar vein."

If the new Xbox One model does indeed come to fruition, Sams reports that it's unlikely to come out until the second half of 2016. It will also supposedly carry a "much lower" price point than the existing Xbox One, which starts at $350.

None of this is confirmed at this point. A Microsoft representative told GameSpot, "We do not comment on rumor or speculation."

In August, a report from a Chinese blog claimed Microsoft was working on a slimmed-down Xbox One for release in October. That never happened. At the time, Xbox boss Phil Spencer replied to this speculation by succinctly stating: "Not real." He didn't, however, completely rule out that it would ever happen.

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.