With Microsoft’s E3 press conference right around the corner (June 9, 2019 1 PM PT) many are speculating what we might see. One of the most anticipated aspects from their conference is a likely reveal of “Next Gen” hardware.
There is not much known on what to expect from the next generation of video game consoles. Aside from Mark Cerny’s little preview of the inevitable PS5, and the leaked footage of the PS5’s load times, we still are unsure what is to come.
On the Microsoft side of the industry, we know that there are essentially two new Xboxes being developed under the Xbox Scarlet umbrella, Lockhart and Anaconda. Lockhart is the cheaper of the two that will essentially be the next generation version of the Xbox One S while the Anaconda will act as the next gen’s version of the Xbox One X. With that being said let’s break down some of what we want to see from the Xbox Scarlet.
Resolution
With 4K gaming becoming more of the standard in today’s gaming ecosystem, it is safe to say that the Xbox Scarlet will run in 4K out of the box. Yes, I assume that means you can downgrade to 1080p or 720p if need be, but with 4K becoming the standard, I would not be surprised to see the next Xbox run at 4K for most games or even up to 8K for some games and movies. In terms of frames per second 60fps+ is a must in order to keep competitive and casual gamers happy.
Hard Drive
With nicer-looking, larger games come larger file sizes. We’ve all seen the size of games grow dramatically over the years. If 4K is going to be the standard, then expect to see most games download with file sizes in the 60+ GB range. Games on the Xbox One such as Red Dead Redemption 2 are already above 100 GB.
This means that a 1TB HDD just is not cutting it anymore. We need to see a 2TB hard drive minimum for the Xbox Scarlet. How do you expect me to keep buying new games if I will have to constantly be deleting old games I have?
One other option would be to include a 1TB SSD (Solid State Drive). This would help with the overall performance of more demanding games while also keeping the load times to a minimum.
Controller
One key thing that would take the console to another level in the consumer’s point of view, would be the use of the Xbox One’s controller. If Xbox Scarlet is backwards compatible with all or even most of the peripherals already owned by many on the Xbox One, it will help sell consoles. This would be the most ideal situation. It saves the cost of buying new peripherals for a new console right off the bat.
Backwards Compatibility
When Microsoft announced backwards compatibility for the Xbox One, they made headlines everywhere. It would be no surprise that the Xbox Scarlet would also be backwards compatible with all of the Xbox One’s library. This would mean that no matter how many next-gen games Microsoft has at launch, they will have a vast library of Xbox One games to help sell consoles.
Price
Rumors have it that the Anaconda version of Xbox Scarlet will be around $500usd. This is perfect for a premium gaming console. This is the same price the Xbox One X was at launch back in 2017. This would mean that the Xbox Lockhart would be priced anywhere from $350-$450.
Streaming
With the announcement of Project Xcloud there is still a lot unknown. Yes we know it exists, yes we know it works, but that’s about it. One can only assume and hope that this service will be brought to the next generation of consoles alongside cell phones, tablets, and computers. Does this mean the Anaconda is the premium Xbox and is the only hardware that can fully run the games leaving Lockhart as a stream-only box hybrid? I certainly hope not as the Lockhart will most likely be the best-selling of the two because of the inevitable lower price point.
Summary
The direction the industry is going as a whole makes me think that technology is going to be pushed further and harder than ever before. There are more gamers now than ever and they want the most power they can get. The same gamers also want portability in their games which is why services such as Xcloud and Google Stadia are in development.
In terms of when we think there will be more information on the Xbox Scarlet, it’s safe to say that it will be at E3. We may not get all the answers, but I certainly hope we get most of them.
What do you want to see from the next generation of Xbox consoles? What on this list would you change? For more on Xbox Scarlet stay tuned right here at Culture of Gaming.
