E3 2019: New Xbox Scarlett Console Coming Holiday 2020, Microsoft Confirms
Microsoft had a heap of things to say during its Xbox E3 press conference, but one of the biggest announcements came toward the end of the briefing, when the company revealed the first details for its next Xbox console, Scarlett. The system doesn't have an official name, but the company did confirm that the console will launch in the period of holiday 2020.
Microsoft also announced Halo: Infinite will be a Scarlett launch title, which marks the first time a Halo game has been a launch Xbox game since the original Halo: Combat Evolved for the first Xbox.
Microsoft kept many of its Scarlett cards close to its chest, electing instead to mostly talk about its internal hardware. The console, which is yet to receive a final name, will be "four times" more powerful than the Xbox One X, Microsoft says. The company went on to say Scarlett contains a custom-engineered AMD processor and will be capable of both 8K resolution, 120 frames per second framerates, and variable refresh rates. It also supports ray-tracing and the system is equipped with a solid-state drive (SSD), something Sony has touted about PS5. Microsoft noted that the SSDS will be used as virtual RAM. The console has a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, Radeon RDNA architecture, and GDDR6 RAM.
Scarlett was touted as a "bigger leap than any generation we've done before." Xbox boss Phil Spencer also described it as the "most powerful and highest performance console we've ever designed." Microsoft also very deliberately made it clear the system is designed explicitly for gaming, a notable difference from how the Xbox One was originally unveiled.
For more on the new device, read our exhaustive look at Scarlett's hardware specs or our comprehensive article from before E3 on everything we know about Xbox Scarlett--including the rumored budget alternative. Our previous understanding of the next-gen Xbox scene was that Microsoft has more than one system coming--similar to how we have the Xbox One S and more powerful Xbox One X. Scarlett was reported to be the more powerful of the next-gen systems, and it's the only one that was discussed during the conference.
For more, stay tuned to GameSpot's E3 roundup hub.
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