Microsoft plans to release two next-gen Xbox consoles in 2020: A lower-power, discless system that's more economically priced, and the enthusiast-grade Project Scarlett.
Lockhart isn't dead after all. Sources tell Kotaku that Lockhart is still in development as a cheaper version of Project Scarlett, complete with a dialed-down Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU SoC and a discless box.
Back in December 2018, rumor had it Microsoft was making two next-gen Xboxs: an Xbox One S successor codenamed Lockhart, and Anaconda, the Xbox One X successor which is now called Project Scarlett. That plan is still underway, sources tell Kotaku.
Sources say Lockhart will rival the PS4 Pro in raw power, but it features the new 7nm AMD SoC designed for Project Scarlett, complete with a super-fast SSD that could use special cache acceleration to boost speeds (Microsoft also said their new SSD tech lets them use storage as a VRAM frame buffer).
Target specs for Lockhart include 1440p 60FPS, whereas Anaconda should hit native 4K 60FPS (or 1080p 120FPS).
Here's a quick comparison of each console's expected specifications:
Lockhart
- 1440p 60FPS
- No disc drive
- Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
- 7nm AMD SoC w/ scaled-down 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU
- Lower GDDR6 memory pool (Possibly 12GB)
- ~6-8 TFLOPs of power?
- Aims to rival PS4 Pro/Replace Xbox One S
- Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
- Cheaper MSRP
Anaconda/Project Scarlett
- 4K 60FPS
- Disc drive with 4K UHD playback
- Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
- Full 7nm AMD SoC with 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU
- Full GDDR6 memory (maybe up to 16GB)
- Over 10 TFLOPs of power
- 4x as powerful as Xbox One X/aims to replace Xbox One X
- Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
- More expensive MSRP
We originally expected Lockhart to release after Project Scarlett as a kind of low-cost iterative revision, similar to how the Xbox One S launched after the Xbox One. It's possible both systems will launch together.
Basically expect Lockhart to be a cheaper, weaker Project Scarlett. Internal hardware specs are unknown, but expect a smaller amount of GDDR6 RAM, a tweaked and lower-end 7nm Navi GPU and Zen 2 CPU APU, and of course no actual disc drive similar to the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Next-gen Xbox systems may launch a duo and developers need to scale for both new systems, bringing the total count of Xbox platforms to five in 2020.
Project Scarlett is still the star of the show and the apple of Microsoft's eye. The system, which is so powerful that Microsoft says it "eats monsters for breakfast," may actually end up being more expensive than originally thought.
Right now the Xbox One X sits at $499 retail, so the Xbox One X could drop to $399 and Lockhart could also rival it at that price. Project Scarlett is expected to cost $499. If Lockhart costs $399, gamers might not buy the Xbox One X, despite the loss of a disc drive. Unless some pricing adjustments are made, we could see Project Scarlett start at $549 or thereabouts...which is pretty high.
Microsoft has yet to confirm any specs or details on Lockhart, but it has revealed tons of info on Project Scarlett.
Check below for confirmed specs and details, and a huge content listing of everything we've heard about Project Scarlett so far:
Project Scarlett confirmed details:
- 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU
- Navi GPU
- Highly customized 7nm SoC from AMD
- GDDR6 memory
- 4x as powerful as the Xbox One X's 6TFLOPs of perf
- Can deliver up to 40x more performance than Xbox One in specific use cases
- Adaptive sync supported
- Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
- Supports 8K resolution (likely media playback)
- 120FPS gaming
- Variable refresh rate
- Raytracing confirmed with dedicated raytracing cores
- Backward compatible with Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games
- Compatible with Xbox One accessories
Project Scarlett coverage:
- Project Scarlett devkits aren't widely available yet
- PS5, Xbox Scarlett SSD may use Optane-like ReRAM to supercharge speeds
- NVIDIA G-Sync monitors to improve PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett
- Project Scarlett won't get VR gaming, Microsoft doesn't care about VR
- Next-gen Xbox Scarlett plays four generations of Xbox games
- Microsoft teases next-gen Xbox: 8K, 120FPS, super-fast SSD
- Xbox Scarlett CPU: 'no compromises', allows for 4K 120FPS gaming
- Microsoft: Xbox Scarlett will kick PlayStation 5's ass in perf/price
- Next-gen Xbox may hit 4K 60FPS in every game
- Project Scarlett to hit 1080p 120FPS gaming
- Project Scarlett trade-in program announced, but there's a big catch
- New Viking Assassin's Creed may be next-gen console launch game
- Next-gen Xbox may get room-scale VR gaming
- PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both handle ray tracing differently
- Gears 5 developer says Xbox Scarlett has dedicated ray tracing cores
- GTA 6 on PS5, Project Scarlett to have insane hyper-realistic visuals
- AMD 'Flute': Xbox Scarlett SoC: Zen 2 8C/16T @ 3.2GHz on 7nm
- Project Scarlett's price isn't locked in yet
- Project Scarlett isn't the last Xbox console