Though there has been much discussion about Project Scorpio, no one at Microsoft would confirm or deny whether the Scorpio would actually have physical 4K media like the Xbox One S. Some even speculated that the system could mimic the design choices that Sony made with their Slim and Pro models, leaving the 4K blu-ray drive out to cut costs.

While visiting Australia for the very first time, Phil Spencer sat down for an interview with Keith Milburn from nz.gamer. Keith brought up the subject of 4K streaming, stating that “we have terrible internet – to the point where streaming 4K content isn’t a very realistic option for many people down here.” He then asked if the Scorpio would “lose any of its value if some of its audience can’t stream 4K content.” Phil’s response was just about as direct as they come. “It’s one of the reasons we’ve put the 4K blu-ray drive in. There are a lot of markets – either because of bandwidth caps or bandwidth capability – where having physical media with 4K – and I’m buying a lot of 4K UHD Blu-rays right now, they look fantastic.”

Until it wasn’t. When pressed to confirm that they would have a 4K blu-ray drive in the Scorpio, Phil responded with “I didn’t confirm that,” and laughed.

While we can’t say that Phil ‘officially’ confirmed that the Scorpio would support physical 4K media on Project Scorpio, it does appear that he has accidentally confirmed it. As Phil has said many times before, both Microsoft and Sony planned out their upgraded consoles well in advance of their potential release date. It is feasible that Microsoft could decide to remove the 4K UHD Blu-ray player from Project Scorpio. But chances are likely that they will keep the drive, especially given the success they have had with the Xbox One S recently.

Phil ended his answer to the question by saying “it has been really great to see how people have responded to the S, and it seems like we would want to continue to ride that option.” So there you have it. Phil can’t ‘officially’ confirm it, but we all know it. Project Scorpio will have a 4K UHD Blu-ray player.

In addition to the 4K UHD BD talk, Phil also answered questions about Xbox Play Anywhere, competing with PC, and announcing two consoles at E3 and more. Check out the full interview here.