An Xbox One Slim could debut this summer, FCC filings suggest

Will a new Xbox debut at E3 2016?

A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing hints at a potential Xbox One successor to be unveiled later in the summer, namely .

Compiled on NeoGAF (so, prepare your salt), a user has uncovered documents from Microsoft's filing with the FCC that show the company is working on some new pieces of communication hardware.

The thread's original poster was able to link information from the Xbox One's WLAN module to two similar filings that are under a non-disclosure agreement for separate dates: June 25 and July 29.

While best to take with a grain of salt (see?), the user safety manual submitted for one of devices, identified for FCC approval as C3K-1683, is written as "User Manual 1525."

The original Xbox One's FCC ID, C3K-1525, leads speculators to believe that whatever device Microsoft is pushing through approval uses the same manual as the Xbox One. The logical conclusion here is that Microsoft is preparing to announce a redesigned or slimmed-down version of the current console.

The other filing – ID'd C3K-1682 – seems have a revised manual listed in the application, causing some to think it as an upgraded Xbox similar to the equally-elusive PS4K, despite Microsoft denying the claim that it is working on an intermediate upgrade to the Xbox One.

US law requires any and all electronics that wirelessly transmit data to be registered with the FCC before they can go out on the market. However, certain bits of information, like images of the device or a manual, can be kept under wraps for a period of time, leaving us waiting for June before we'll get the full deets.

While the application's embargo runs nearly two weeks after this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (i.e. E3 2016), it wouldn't be a stretch to guess that Microsoft will tip its cards during the conference, giving itself ample time for Xbox head Phil Spencer to deliver the reveal himself in place of the FCC.

Parker Wilhelm
Parker Wilhelm is a freelance writer for TechRadar. He likes to tinker in Photoshop and talk people's ears off about Persona 4.