Something to look forward to: Microsoft's significantly upgraded hardware on its next-gen Xbox Scarlett console reportedly includes a low-latency 4K camera which, for the best interests of the company and its consumers, won't be another Kinect movement tracker but a streaming-focused device to bring on board as many new gamers as it can into the ever-expanding world of game streaming.
We already know a fair bit about Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Scarlett console that's arriving in the holiday season next year, and that's because the company has been building hype around its performance, which is 4x more than the current Xbox One X, thanks to powerful internals that supposedly won't be making players wait for loading screens in the next-generation of game experiences.
But that's not all, since gaming, for many people, is just as much about playing as it is about streaming. And to that end, Microsoft has added a two-frame low-latency 4K streaming camera to attract more streamers to its gaming platform, reports Gizmodo.
Despite the current-gen consoles allowing gamers to stream, albeit in limited fashion, most people tend to use a PC as their platform of choice since it gives them access to powerful hardware and plenty of software that enable a richer streaming experience.
If Project Scarlett can deliver streaming on the same level (or better), it could potentially become the gaming hub of choice in the money-making streaming business for old players and new wannabes alike, who'd likely be tempted further by Microsoft's ecosystem of services (Xbox LIVE and Game Pass) for its console.
Although rivals like Twitch would still feature on the next-gen Xbox, the upgrade camera hardware opens another possibility for Microsoft to grab a piece of the streaming business pie with its Mixer platform, a service on which it recently spent $50 million for exclusively featuring the streaming superstar, Ninja, and looks to continue investment with the addition of a 4K streaming camera to its Project Scarlett.
It remains to be seen how this camera would affect the overall price of the console, and given how things went the last time Microsoft forcefully bundled additional hardware (Kinect) with an Xbox, it's likely going to include the 4K camera as an optional accessory.