Wednesday, December 4, 2019

XBOX Next-Gen Project SCARLETT Rumored to Feature High-End, Low-End Variants


Back in E3 2019 this past June, Microsoft dropped the first announcement of their next-generation follow-up to the Xbox line of videogame consoles. The name for the potential successor to the Xbox One was not yet finalized, but the development project was called “Scarlett,” and a number of specifications were shared, such as a Zen 2 CPU from AMD, Radeon RDNA graphics, solid state drive, and 8K resolution among others, resulting in a console four times more powerful than the latest Xbox One X variant. Months after this initial information batch, some inside sources are sharing that Microsoft’s “Project Scarlett” actually comprises two co-developed consoles.

The Verge tells us that Xbox aficionados might actually get their choice of two differently-specced next-gen Xbox successor consoles for next, next Christmas. Sources with knowledge of plans from within Microsoft are sharing that the Project Scarlett development for the follow-up to the Xbox One line will have both the main high-end console itself, and a more reasonably priced alternative console with slightly less powerful capabilities. This low-end console has its own codename within the project: “Lockhart.” The primary console of Scarlett has also been given a codename in “Anaconda.”

From the reveals given to The Verge, the Anaconda and Lockhart portions of the whole Project Scarlett development will serve as the respective direct successors to the current variants of the Xbox One. Lockhart will pick up from the slim Xbox One S, particularly the All-Digital Edition, while Anaconda is for the Xbox One X (called Project Scorpio in development). With that in mind, it can be inferred that the Scarlett Lockhart will do away with a disc drive and rely solely on digital game downloads for its library. The hardware will also be dialed down from its Anaconda counterpart.

As for Anaconda, Microsoft looks to be putting as much power on its graphical quality as befits a device to follow after the already-uber Xbox One X. In figures, the console will apparently have over 10 teraflops for graphical power alone, appropriate for the 4K gaming scene that Anaconda will be geared for. Lockhart on the other hand, despite Microsoft apparently giving it a similar next-gen CPU as Anaconda, will still be clocked slower and more at pace with 1440p gaming. But then, there are also reportedly plans to introduce upgrades for CPU and SSD that will apply to both halves of Project Scarlett. 

Pricing for either Anaconda or Lockhart has yet to be finalized at this point in time. Interestingly, Microsoft’s Xbox team has yet to give official word regarding this setup of Scarlett.

Image courtesy of IGN India

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