Xbox boss confirms next-gen console is out in the wild

[onetheycallEric]

Highly anticipated: While Microsoft's Project Scarlett Xbox console is still a year away, it appears to have reached a point of maturity as we approach the end of 2019. That's sensible, given that developers will need plenty of time with near-final hardware to polish launch titles, and Microsoft will need to sort out supply chain aspects to meet Holiday 2020 demand.

Microsoft's successor to the Xbox One, codenamed Project Scarlett, is officially out in the wild and apparently connecting to Xbox One consoles, as evidenced by a tweet from Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.

And it’s started….this week I brought my Project Scarlett console home and it's become my primary console, playing my games, connecting to the community and yes, using my Elite Series 2 controller, having a blast. Great work by the team, 2020 is going to be an incredible year.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 4, 2019

On the surface, the tweet doesn't appear to offer much; however, there's a bit we can infer from it. First, if Spencer has a working Project Scarlett console sitting in his living room "connecting to the community," then we can assume Microsoft is making good on its pledge for backwards compatibility. It's interesting to see that Project Scarlett is already connecting to the current Xbox One environment, rather than some walled off, private system.

Additionally, Spencer outs that he's using the recent Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 gamepad. This confirms Microsoft's commitment to compatibility, as the company has previously promised all Xbox One accessories will migrate seamlessly to Project Scarlett.

There's still plenty that could change between now and Scarlett's Holiday 2020 release window. Microsoft made last minute revisions to the Xbox One's hardware, boosting CPU and GPU core clocks before entering mass production with the consoles. More recently, Spencer said that VR would not be a focus for the next Xbox.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/83081-xbox-boss-confirms-next-gen-console-out-wild.html

 

[OptimumSlinky]

Really interested to see the final details on Project Scarlett. Project Scorpio (aka Xbox One X) was a solid piece of hardware, and I've been extremely pleased with mine.

Just wish the consoles were more interesting looking; both PS4 Slim and One X are the best looking of the current gen, and they're basically small rectangular boxes.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I really hope Scarlett will bring something revolutionary to the table because I truly was not impressed with the last generation Scorpio as much as I was with Xbox 360.

#1 I want user-replaceable/ upgradeable HDD/SSD. A 4TB SSD can be had for less than $400 now and I'm sure prices will continue to drop.
#2 I wanted true DVR capabilities. You should be able to tell the Xbox to record to a portable HDD.
#3 I want better exclusives. Not interested in another Gears or Halo.

 

[umbala]

I really hope Scarlett will bring something revolutionary to the table because I truly was not impressed with the last generation Scorpio as much as I was with Xbox 360.

#1 I want user-replaceable/ upgradeable HDD/SSD. A 4TB SSD can be had for less than $400 now and I'm sure prices will continue to drop.
#2 I wanted true DVR capabilities. You should be able to tell the Xbox to record to a portable HDD.
#3 I want better exclusives. Not interested in another Gears or Halo.

Sounds like you want the next console to be more PC like. Gears and Halo are two of Xbox's top franchises. It's a bit like saying you want the next Nintendo console to include a built-in cheese grater and you're not interested in another Mario or Zelda game.

 

[SirDigby]

Just wish the consoles were more interesting looking; both PS4 Slim and One X are the best looking of the current gen, and they're basically small rectangular boxes.

The One X wasn't exactly slim was it! Beastly ugly thing, I think the PS4 Slim was deffo more attractive.

 

[Porkous]

We wait for both consoles in the industry to rise the bar of all the requirements and specs, but imo this is kind of deflating the hype. You actually want to hear that the next xbox is on the bleeding edge and released at the tiniest millisecond out of the labs with all due the necessary modifications. This latest piece of news would imply PS5 is more advanced, since they are still "working". I know, I know that the prototypes are out sooner and that modifications can be layered, but still... Consoles!! Bring it on. Raise the specs!!

 

[Puiu]

Really interested to see the final details on Project Scarlett. Project Scorpio (aka Xbox One X) was a solid piece of hardware, and I've been extremely pleased with mine.

Just wish the consoles were more interesting looking; both PS4 Slim and One X are the best looking of the current gen, and they're basically small rectangular boxes.

it's hard to make weird forms because they don't really fit with the modern design in living rooms and it also makes them really hard to stack (with other consoles or other hardware).

 

[kira setsu]

I really hope Scarlett will bring something revolutionary to the table because I truly was not impressed with the last generation Scorpio as much as I was with Xbox 360.

#1 I want user-replaceable/ upgradeable HDD/SSD. A 4TB SSD can be had for less than $400 now and I'm sure prices will continue to drop.
#2 I wanted true DVR capabilities. You should be able to tell the Xbox to record to a portable HDD.
#3 I want better exclusives. Not interested in another Gears or Halo.

You may wanna build your own pc dude, the new consoles will probably just be the ps4/xbone with jacked up clocks and an ssd although I hope thats not the case, considering xbox's biggest games are now on pc and playable under your gamertag why not have a pc.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Sounds like you want the next console to be more PC like. Gears and Halo are two of Xbox's top franchises. It's a bit like saying you want the next Nintendo console to include a built-in cheese grater and you're not interested in another Mario or Zelda game.

If I was in Charge of Xbox Microsoft, I'd have made the Xbox Onethe equivalent of a low-end gaming PC. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to connect a keyboard and mouse and use Xbox One to type/ print documents - or other Microsoft Word features.

There's no reason you shouldn't be able to use Xbox One like a low-end PC.

I'd make way more revenue selling peripherals and make it easier for college kids to have an affordable gaming/work system.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

You may wanna build your own pc dude, the new consoles will probably just be the ps4/xbone with jacked up clocks and an ssd although I hope thats not the case, considering xbox's biggest games are now on pc and playable under your gamertag why not have a pc.

You see the photo in my profile?

Despite the chassis is Alienware - which I love because of the design - I built my own internals on the Corei9ex, 2080Ti and upgraded RAM with only SSD storage.

 

[kira setsu]

If I was in Charge of Xbox Microsoft, I'd have made the Xbox Onethe equivalent of a low-end gaming PC. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to connect a keyboard and mouse and use Xbox One to type/ print documents - or other Microsoft Word features.

There's no reason you shouldn't be able to use Xbox One like a low-end PC.

I'd make way more revenue selling peripherals and make it easier for college kids to have an affordable gaming/work system.

my bad, didnt notice the rig

maybe one reason they dont link any type of office-ness to the xbox is because they dont want to confuse buyers, shoppers arent the brightest, have you seen parents in a gamestop by themselves? have a mention about work on the box and someone may think its not a gaming machine and move over to playstation or ninty instead, you have to be ultra specific with people.

 

[OptimumSlinky]

You may wanna build your own pc dude, the new consoles will probably just be the ps4/xbone with jacked up clocks and an ssd although I hope thats not the case, considering xbox's biggest games are now on pc and playable under your gamertag why not have a pc.

Microsoft and Sony have already confirmed that both the next Xbox and PS5 will have:
1. 8-core/16-thread Zen2 CPU
2. Navi-based RDNA GPU with hardware ray-tracing capabilities
3. NVME SSD

So, no, not just PS4 with jacked up clocks.

 

[OptimumSlinky]

I really hope Scarlett will bring something revolutionary to the table because I truly was not impressed with the last generation Scorpio as much as I was with Xbox 360.

#1 I want user-replaceable/ upgradeable HDD/SSD. A 4TB SSD can be had for less than $400 now and I'm sure prices will continue to drop.
#2 I wanted true DVR capabilities. You should be able to tell the Xbox to record to a portable HDD.
#3 I want better exclusives. Not interested in another Gears or Halo.

1. Not going to happen. I'd expect more reliance on external hard disks. The average console user doesn't buy a console to tweak and customize; those people buy PCs. Given that form-factor is a high priority for consoles, MS/Sony are not going to sacrifice size for user convenience.
2. Maybe, but given MS learned the hard way that Xbox customers don't want "TVTVTV" from gaming consoles, I doubt it.
3. Agreed. And that's why Xbox has been on a buying spree of independent game studios (Ninja Theory, Obsidian, inXile, etc.).

 

[OptimumSlinky]

The One X wasn't exactly slim was it! Beastly ugly thing, I think the PS4 Slim was deffo more attractive.

Slim is attractive, but noisier than the One X. I think the One X size is perfect, especially given its hardware. The design, however, is boring and minimalist to a fault.

 

[Lew Zealand]

I just realized something (other than my skull is as thick as a block of cheese).

The mini PC I've been looking for is actually the XBox or PS4 (OK really Scarlett or PS5), but I want a real OS on it. Seeing as everything depends on drivers, can you hack Windows or Linux into an XB or PS?

 

[Digitalzone]

The PS4 has easily replaceable HDD/SSD. Contrary, you have to disassembly the whole Xbox to replace HDD. That doesn't make it "You wanna build PC dude" requirement. Given the lifespan of console and progress in storage it makes sense to want easy swap.

 

[Gus Fring]

Watts the idle consumption of these going to be ? they have a year left to hone it down to as low as possible , maybe 3w ? as they are likely to sell combined approx 300milion of these , it will make a dent in their carbon footprint..
Make greta happy , pls.

 

[OptimumSlinky]

I just realized something (other than my skull is as thick as a block of cheese).

The mini PC I've been looking for is actually the XBox or PS4 (OK really Scarlett or PS5), but I want a real OS on it. Seeing as everything depends on drivers, can you hack Windows or Linux into an XB or PS?

I don't believe so. Sony and MS intentionally keep a tight grip on the garden.

 

[Buhaj]

I hope the new console will have a swappable SSD and good games - these Xbox-exclusive sci-fi shooters don't appeal to me. I'd gladly switch from PS4, but at the moment I don't see any game that would make me do so (maaaybe Forza) - instead, Sony offers better exclusives.