Ever since Microsoft revealed Project Scarlett at E3 2019 fans have been on the hunt for information regarding the next-generation Xbox console. As we get closer to next-gen console reveals, more leaks and rumors are coming out from various sources.
The Verge reports that according to their sources Xbox “Lockhart” is still in development and it may be a diskless next-gen console. Microsoft could, in fact, release such a console especially after the most recent success of Xbox One S All-Digital Edition sales last week in the UK. Getting rid of an optical drive would allow Microsoft to keep the price of the console as low as possible and also cater to gamers on a tight budget that utilize the Xbox Game Pass service.
“Microsoft is essentially launching two next-gen consoles that will serve as successors to the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. Lockhart will debut without a disc drive, much like the Xbox One All-Digital Edition, and Microsoft is tweaking the console’s hardware so it’s less powerful than the main Project Scarlett console, codenamed “Anaconda.”
So, in essence, we would get 2 next-gen Xbox consoles with different specs and different pricing. In the article, Tom Warren also talks about the potential power level of these consoles.
“Microsoft’s Anaconda console will be the true next-gen leap, and sources tell The Verge that Microsoft is targeting more than 10 teraflops of graphical power on this particular console. Plans for Lockhart may change, but currently, this console will debut with around 4 teraflops of graphical power.”
It’s worth noting that the article talks about NAVI based TeraFlops that have already been confirmed by Microsoft. The number of teraflops is just a sum of the number of shading units + clock speed times 2 threads per clock. This does not say everything about the performance of the GPU, as there is a difference in GPU architecture between different generations of GPUs. Hence why a 4TFlop Lockhart could offer the same level of GPU performance as 6TFlop Xbox One X. Anaconda’s 10+Tflop GPU should offer 2.5 times the performance of Xbox One X minimum.
Lockhart is being planned as a 1440p machine while Anaconda would aim for 4K 60 FPS gaming.
“Kotaku reports that Lockhart will include a solid-state drive, and will be targeted toward 1440p gaming rather than the 4K gaming that will be available on Anaconda. We understand both Anaconda and Lockhart will share familiar next-gen hardware. Sources say that Lockhart will get a next-gen CPU, but that it will be clocked slower than what’s available on Anaconda. This should mean developers can take advantage of the SSD and CPU upgrades that are planned for Anaconda in games that span across both next-gen Xbox consoles.”
Microsoft is planning to release both consoles next year simultaneously and will most likely reveal both before E3 2020.
Source: The Verge
