Microsoft Officially Reveals Next Gen Console Project Scarlett; Details and Launch Window
The next generation of gaming is on the horizon, and Microsoft is kicking things into motion with the official announcement of its next gen console, code-named Project Scarlett.
The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, took to the E3 stage yesterday to break down some of the details/specs for Project Scarlett. He also dispelled fans’ concerns that Xbox is straying away from gaming, considering how when the Xbox One was first announced there was a major focus placed on music and streaming features on the console. During the conference, Spencer confidently assured fans that Project Scarlett is “built and optimized for one thing only: gaming.”
While some information shared was new, some of it had been revealed already through rumors that stated Microsoft would have new hardware coming. But the official confirmation that came yesterday is what we’ve all been waiting for, so here is everything we know so far about the upcoming console.
Specs:
Project Scarlett will be eight times more powerful than Microsoft’s most recent hardware, the Xbox One X, and there was an emphasis placed on load screens being significantly faster. The new console will have frame rates up to 120 fps and will be capable of running games in 8K resolution. That being said, it can also run in native 4K at 60 fps and, according to a tweet from Xbox, “games, accessories, and career” will come with you.
According to Spencer, the Project Scarlett team, along with AMD, have created a custom designed, state of the art processor for the console, which includes: high bandwidth GDDR6 memory, a next generation solid state drive (SSD)
xCloud:
Microsoft’s remote gaming service, xCloud, sounds like it will play an integral role in Project Scarlett’s design. “It turns your Xbox One into your own personal and free cloud server,” Spencer said. “Whether you’re using a console in our data center, or our console at home, this October you’ll be able to use our hybrid gaming cloud to play your games wherever you go.”
There are still a mountain of questions surrounding xCloud, though, seeing how Spencer spoke so little about this service during the conference yesterday. We do know that it will launch in October 2019.
Launch Games:
The first confirmed game to launch alongside Project Scarlett is Halo Infinite, which was given a lengthy trailer yesterday. Halo Infinite continues the storyline from Halo 5: Guardians and will take the franchise in “ambitious and unexpected” directions.
To hear that Halo Infinite will be a day-one title for Project Scarlett was a bittersweet moment, considering a Halo title hasn’t launched with an Xbox console since the very first Xbox in 2001.
Price + Launch Date:
There was no official mention of the price tag for Project Scarlett, but just for comparison, the original Xbox One and its latest iteration, the Xbox One X, both launched at $499.
The detail we’ve all been waiting for! While there isn’t a specific release date yet, we have a pretty solid window. Project Scarlett will launch Holiday 2020, and if the last eighteen years of Xbox consoles are anything to go by, we could be looking at a release month of November.
Tori Morrow
Tori is originally from Rapture but now she lives in Chicago. She enjoys open world RPGs, a good narrative-driven game, and is probably the only person still watching The Walking Dead.
