In a number of leaked documents that recently required Microsoft’s Xbox boss Phil Spencer to briefly acknowledge and verify at least some of the information contained within, the tech giant has plans to release a new Xbox console in 2020, according to Ars Technica .
With speculation wildly suggesting that the Xbox Scarlett would signify the birth of a new console line-up, making it the ninth console generation officially, there is a lot riding on the success of a flagging Xbox brand. Inquisitr recently reported on stated sales numbers for both the Sony PlayStation 4 and the current iterations of the Xbox One, showing a huge gulf between the two in units sold in Sony’s favor. In 2017 alone, the PS4 outsold the XB1 by a ratio of over 2:1.
The documents seem to imply that the Xbox Scarlett project would result in a console that is a more balanced and upgraded version of the contemporary Xbox One X or XB1X, the performance model of the Xbox family. Currently able to play games in a native 4k, with full HDR and increased processing power, the XB1X is the enthusiast’s console of choice, particularly for graphically intensive first-person shooters such as Call of Duty: WW2 and Halo 5: Guardians , along with the upcoming Halo 6 .
Scarlett would presumably build atop that base, and the rebalancing – according to Gamespot – would correct what Spencer indicated was an “out of whack” relationship between CPU and GPU, likely referring to too much focus on either the CPU or GPU without realizing the strain the other component is put under in modern gaming, a lack of synergy in other words.
The Xbox One X currently boasts 12 GB of DDR5 memory, integrated AMD graphics with 6 teraflops of peak performance, and a CPU clocking in at 2.3 GHz. Consoles do not require as much processing power from the CPU as traditional desktop computers suited for gaming as they are designed expressly for that purpose; however, 2.3 GHz from the top of the line model may seem a little anemic given the ever-increasing demands of AAA titles today and moving into the future.
It is expected that the Xbox Scarlett project will result in vastly improved CPU speeds to handle all that rendering, physics calculation, and simple loading. Another improvement that may be seen, and will be widely expected in 2020, would be the inclusion of solid state drive to reduce load times and reduce the current bottleneck of the build. This remains speculative, informed by the earliest documents and the very curt statements on offer from Microsoft during their conference at this year’s E3.
In addition to the leaked information from Microsoft’s research and development teams featuring Xbox Scarlett, plans also seem to be in motion to mass produce a retail version of the Hololens, a lightweight virtual reality and augmented reality rig that will pair with personal computers and consoles capable of handling the hardware, as well as a trio of new and improved Surface tablets codenamed Libra, Carmel, and Andromeda.
