Following the premature rumors that sprouted prior to this year’s E3 throughout the course of 2019, it wasn’t until June that Microsoft officially disclosed that Project Scarlett is in fact the company’s next installment for the Xbox platform into the next generation of console hardware. However, while some rumors were to be true, some were left unanswered at the time. That was for the lesser-powerful codenamed ‘Project Lockhart’ which stood alongside the then-dubbed ‘Project Anaconda’ which we later were introduced to be Scarlett at E3.
Following that same month, Thurrot Executive Editor Brad Sams claimed to have heard from sources within Microsoft that the tagged-along streaming SKU was ultimately cut from its retail release shortly after Scralett’s announcement. Which did seem to be legitmate since the second console was not showcased at this year’s annual E3 press conference. But now in a recent report from Kotaku, it seems that might not be true after all.
According to Kotaku Jason Scheier, Microsoft is still on board to ship Project Lockhart after all despite the previous claims telling otherwise. Speaking with a developer who is familiar with the unannounced hardware, they tell that Lockhart shows similarities to the current PlayStation 4 Pro. Although the unit will hold as an successor to the ongoing Xbox One S, the console is equipped with a solid-state drive alike the upcoming Project Scarlett as well as PlayStation 5. So current obstacles like load times are expected to be minimized with the addition.
As for aimed metrics for both consoles being developed by Microsoft, the beefier Project Scarlett is targeted to perform with 4K resolution output and 120 frames-per-second while the stream-focused Project Lockhart is said to achieve a lesser 1440p resolution and 6 frames-per-second.
The unit is also said to have a faster CPU faster “than any current video game console,” which would provide for more frames each second despite the lacking strength in core hardware that the heavier Scarlett is expected to perform with. However, while developers are expected to develop for both consoles, some believe that this might hinder the full potential that the teams plan to achieve with Scarlett on the one side. Of course, Lockhart will also be the milk crate that Microsoft will stand on to continue pushing for software and services as they are with the One S.
So initiatives like the popular Xbox Game Pass as the console will not be equipped with a disc drive will be a major pawn. Another being Project xCloud as there are no physical necessities for users to purchase games at standard retailers due to the streaming capabilities of the currently tested handheld companion. However, my only concern would be a larger internal hard disk drive as the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition did not ship with anything larger than 1 TB. Especially as all games will be digital, more storage will be a necessity.
What are your thoughts on the potential second Xbox for the next generation of consoles?
Source: Kotaku