Xbox Scarlett is the codename of the next-Xbox from Microsoft. Here is a summary of all Xbox Scarlett rumors and reports on the specification, launch lineup, models, prices, and release date.
Lots of Xbox Scarlett rumors are around, and the situation – in comparison with PlayStation 5 – is comprehensibly more confusing since many consoles are said to be on their way.
Microsoft is indeed told to be looking at multiple platforms to be released under the Xbox Scarlett umbrella, one of which is supposed to be tailored on streaming.
We also have a few specs and code names, which quite hilariously are making the picture even more confusing instead of helping us out with defining what Scarlett will be like.
Let’s look at that information, in the effort to offer you a proper roundup of all the rumors, supposed leaks and the believable tidbits which have been coming our way over the last few months.
Xbox Scarlett Reveal
At this stage, we don’t have many details available for what matters when Xbox Scarlett is set to be released.
We have a quite clear picture from the rumors and the pieces of reports that have slipped since the “announce” of the codename Scarlett.
Microsoft’s gaming EVP Phil Spencer has provided the first mention of a next-gen console during E3 2018.
In that occasion, Xbox acknowledged it was already working by that time on a brand new platform.
Considering the Redmond platform holder is chasing Sony after the incredible success of PS4 this gen, it’s believable that they could be revealing their latest console a bit earlier.
In comparison with PlayStation, Microsoft will be at E3 2019 and in that occasion, similarly to what happened with Project Scorpio; we expect at least a first official teaser.
A full reveal could then happen between X019 later in the year or the first two/three months in 2020, the year when Xbox Scarlett is reported to be launched.
It should be around the usual late November window unless the Xbox giant tries and releases a bit earlier than PS5.
Xbox Scarlett Specs
As said, Xbox Scarlett should be a family of platforms, not just one single console. Those would have different specs tailored for different audiences.
First of all, we’d have an Xbox One X like console, which would be super-powerful and would raise the bar in comparison with the current gen.
It’s confirmed that Microsoft is working once again with AMD for the next generation of machines. This partnership should bring in another APU, an integrated solution with CPU and GPU on the same chip.
The Scarlett console family should still use AMD x86 processors, most likely a Semi-Custom AMD Picasso APU, the same as the Surface family, and use SSD storage to be as fast as possible in loading games and apps.
The next-gen consoles would use the Windows Core OS, the same which serves as a base for the future HoloLens and Surface Hub, and would be tied to the GameCore, an evolution of the UWP platform.
Regarding power, the box is expected to come with the level of Zen 2 CPU and AMD’s next-gen GPU technology.
The target for this high specced console would be 4K in terms of resolution, and simultaneously 60 frames per second would be “on the agenda.”
The console is officially coming from the same team behind Xbox One X, which means we should have a quite similar box from a design standpoint.
Among the other things, the platform is expected to be backwards compatible, similar to the previous models being “forward compatible.”
A new controller is expected to feature force feedback, allowing the intensity of the input could convey the feeling of using a different weapon each time you grab one in a shooter game.
Xbox Scarlett Prices And Models
In our introduction, we’ve said that Microsoft is working on multiple Xbox Scarlett models, which you should consider as a family or an umbrella under which several consoles are expected to drop.
While the super-powered Xbox One X like the system is set to be central, Project xCloud will be pivotal in Microsoft’s efforts, both during this gen and in the next.
The most powerful box is codenamed Anaconda and should be the most powerful console around. Dev kit’s codename would be Danta.
Scarlett Cloud is reported to be a relatively cheap box, which should be coming at around $99-125.
It would be an “intelligent” system capable of running specific duties on the ground and the rest on the cloud to avoid latency issues.
This technology is said to have been in the making since 2013, and to have become a reality only now thanks to the latest findings at Microsoft (which should involve AI and deep learning).
The console would be codenamed Lockhart, the most affordable SKU which would be roughly as powerful as an Xbox One X and would serve as a base for streaming games, although with some tweaks under the hood.
This year (2019) should also be coming with two different Xbox One revisions: a disc-less console which is codenamed Maverick, and a ‘super-slim’ like which should be a clear and straightforward redesign with cheaper manufacturing costs.
Xbox Scarlett Lineup
Talking about the possible lineup of Xbox Scarlett, regarding simple software, we don’t have any concrete names to spend.
The sole title which is quite sure releasing for the console, most likely in time to be a launch game, is Halo Infinite.
The game has been revealed only to showcase the newest engine (Slipspace) in the making at 343 Industries, without being attached to a specific console, so it should be around in 2020 upon day one or close to Scarlett’s launch.
At this moment, some established first party studios are not working on next-gen games: The Coalition is on Gears 5, Rare is on Sea of Thieves.
Forza Motorsport 8 is expected to skip 2019 and launch together with Xbox Scarlett in 2020, coming from Turn 10 Studios.
Ninja Theory should be the first among the new Microsoft Studios to drop a Windows and Xbox exclusive and should be something in the vein of Hellblade.
We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games has wrapped up the production of its latest title and is expected to be in the early stages of work for a new project.
Obsidian and inXile Entertainment will need more time as they work on complex role-playing games, and still, have to ship their last “independent” efforts (The Outer Wilds and Wasteland 3).
Then, we have the most nebulous and yet promising of them all, The Initiative, which is going for a triple-A action adventure with the director of Sunset Overdrive and the writer of Red Dead Redemption among the others.
This topic looks brighter than ever for Microsoft thanks to the most recent acquisitions, and more studios should be acquired this year – so the situation is still pretty work in progress and will probably improve here.
Published: Jan 19, 2019 03:49 pm