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Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 8:54 pm
by Monkey Man

twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1200823939326459904


Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:09 pm
by Peter Crisp
It's so next gen it will only be invented a week before it goes on sale.

That could be a good or bad thing. It could be that they really are using parts that are super bleeding edge (there's a rumour they're using a GPU that isn't even out on PC yet but that could indeed be bollocks) but at the same time if developers don't have time to look at the system before launch the launch games could be a bit less great than they could be.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:21 am
by Venom
Peter Crisp wrote:It's so next gen it will only be invented a week before it goes on sale.

That could be a good or bad thing. It could be that they really are using parts that are super bleeding edge (there's a rumour they're using a GPU that isn't even out on PC yet but that could indeed be bollocks) but at the same time if developers don't have time to look at the system before launch the launch games could be a bit less great than they could be.



I don't think it is as important for developers to know the exact hardware specs early as Xboxs and PlayStations now use the industry standard PC x86 architecture. So before they even have the specs of the next generation they can start making games for the consoles by targeting a predicted performance level. It's possible Microsoft have given their most trusted partners a ballpark performance level and if/when Xbox Scarlett uses custom hardware for performance boosts, eg raytracing, devs can more easily incorporate these advantages into the game they've already been building.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:17 am
by Monkey Man
Yeah, you could say Devs have been releasing next-gen games for a while, they're just available to people with high-end PCs.

Also MS have Gamecore in the works -

Microsoft is working on what it calls GameCore that will benefit both PC and Xbox gamers. The goal of this feature is to make it easier for developers to build games faster and have more built-in functionality out of the dev kit box.

GameCore is the evolution of the UWP platform and is going to help Microsoft eventually start building container-based apps. GameCore will make it significantly easier for developers to utilize Xbox services on both PC and the Xbox and should provide for higher levels of performance with lower-level system access and control of hardware assets.


Windows Insiders have been testing it since Feb - https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperi ... ild-18334/

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 2:21 pm
by Peter Crisp
Do we have any rumours about when the Scarlet will get a full announcement? I'm assuming it will be before E3 as that doesn't really give them enough time for truly obnoxious levels of hype.
I am glad that both sides in this battle seem to be concentrating on the machine rather than peripherals so that should be better for all games fans. Lastly have uhd blue ray drives got faster like the dvd drives did as game installs could do with being sped up.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2019 3:55 pm
by Monkey Man
Not any rumors about a Scarlett full announcement.

Drive speeds -

PS3 - 9 MB/s
PS4 - 27 MB/s
XB1 - 28 MB/s
PS5 has 100GB Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs which support up to 128 MB/s but we don't know the drive speed yet.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 5:23 pm
by Monkey Man
Sources: Microsoft Is Still Planning A Cheaper, Disc-Less Next-Gen Xbox

In June, Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, a new iteration of the Xbox that the company said would “set a new bar for console power, speed and performance.” What Microsoft didn’t say is that it is also working on a lower-cost, disc-less version of Scarlett, code-named Lockhart, according to four people briefed on the company’s plans.

If those names sound familiar, that’s because they’ve been floating around for a while. The earliest rumors about Microsoft’s next-gen roadmap, circa 2018, suggested that Project Scarlett would consist of two Xbox models: the high-performance Anaconda and the lower-end Lockhart. In June, however, Microsoft announced that Scarlett was a single, high-end console, which led to speculation and then press reports that Lockhart had been canceled. But Kotaku has learned that Lockhart is in fact still in the works as a cheaper, digital-only alternative to Scarlett, as the original rumors suggested.

What we don’t know—and what likely isn’t finalized yet—is how the pricing will shake out. But it’s easiest to think of Anaconda as a successor to the Xbox One X and Lockhart as a successor to the Xbox One S, with a similar performance disparity. Game developers will be expected to support both Anaconda and Lockhart, which some are worried might hamper their ambitions for next-gen games in the coming years.

When speaking to Kotaku, one game developer briefed on Lockhart analogized it to the PlayStation 4 Pro in terms of raw graphical power, although there are other key differences that might make up for that. Lockhart is said to have a solid-state drive, like both Anaconda and Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 5, which is expected to have a significant impact on loading times. Developers briefed on Lockhart also say it has a faster CPU than any current video game console, which could allow for higher frame-rates, although there are other factors that might not become clear until the console is completely finalized, such as clock speed and cooling.

Microsoft’s ideal target performances are said to be 4K resolution and 60 frames-per-second on Anaconda and 1440p resolution and 60 frames-per-second on Lockhart. (That doesn’t mean that every single game on these consoles will live up to that performance—it’s the target that Microsoft is pushing developers to hit.)

Lockhart will also likely be heavily promoted with Microsoft’s burgeoning xCloud streaming service and impressive Xbox Game Pass subscription, which allows users access to a huge library of games both big and small, including all new first-party games. Both of those services fit nicely with a disc-less console, and Microsoft has already packaged Xbox Game Pass with the digital-only version of the Xbox One S, which launched earlier this year.

The Xbox team isn’t officially talking about any of this. “We do not comment on rumors or speculation,” said a Microsoft spokesperson in an email to Kotaku last night.

The people behind Xbox have been quiet about their next-gen plans in the months following Scarlett’s announcement at E3, and over the past few months, some developers have grumbled to Kotaku about Microsoft’s lack of communication. Many say they’ve already received development kits for the PS5, code-named Prospero, and images of those devkits have been leaking all over the place. Scarlett development kits have been harder to come by, developers say, although most who are working on next-generation games have a rough idea of what kind of technical specs to target.

For many months, rumors have swirled about the performance differences between Scarlett and the PlayStation 5, and pundits have speculated as to which console will be beefier. What’s become clear, based on our conversations with developers, is that there’s no straight answer to that question yet. Common consensus is that both consoles have roughly similar specs, and that the biggest differences may lie in other factors, like operating system features or slight technical edges that Sony or Microsoft are keeping under wraps. The biggest and perhaps most important question is one that still has no final answer: How much will these things cost?

Both companies, meanwhile, had been terrified of Google’s entry into the video game space after rumors started circulating in early 2018 that the tech conglomerate was doing something big. Over the past couple of years, a number of developers have remarked to me that staff at both PlayStation and Xbox would talk frequently and reactively about Google’s plans, emphasizing each company’s own response to streaming as a result. After the tepid launch of Stadia last month, however, the threat of Google appears to have been overstated. The next generation of consoles will remain a battle between Sony and Microsoft, and will be one of gaming’s biggest stories in 2020.

https://kotaku.com/sources-microsoft-is ... 1840203823

As someone with no plans on getting a 4K TV soon I'm interested.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:08 pm
by Monkey Man
Microsoft planning second next-gen Xbox that’s cheaper and less powerful

Project Scarlett isn’t just a single console

Microsoft is currently planning to launch two next-generation Xbox consoles for holiday 2020. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that Microsoft is planning a second, cheaper and less powerful Xbox console, codenamed “Lockhart.” While Microsoft has revealed its Xbox Project Scarlett high-end plans, the company did not mention its two-console strategy at E3 earlier this year. Windows Central originally reported Lockhart’s existence nearly a year ago, and Kotaku now reports it’s part of Microsoft’s next-gen plans.

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.”

We understand that Microsoft has been seeking feedback from developers on its next-gen Xbox plans in recent months, and we initially heard the company had scrapped its Lockhart plans ahead of E3. Microsoft still hasn’t finalized its next-gen Xbox hardware specs, but we understand Lockhart will now be part of the holiday 2020 launch.

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.

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.

It’s not clear yet how Microsoft will separate pricing for both Lockhart and Anaconda. Microsoft has been trialing the appetite for bundles like Xbox All Access, and it’s easy to imagine that the company will launch Lockhart with a similar subscription offering.

In a recent interview with The Verge, Xbox chief Phil Spencer refused to comment on rumors of two consoles for the next-gen Xbox. “I would say a learning from the Xbox One generation is we will not be out of position on power or price,” said Spencer. “If you remember the beginning of this generation we were a hundred dollars more expensive and yes, we were less powerful. And we started Project Scarlett with this leadership team in place with a goal of having market success.”

https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/4/2099 ... ch-details

Apparently a 1440p console should be 2.25 times less powerful to match a 4k console.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:46 pm
by Garth

twitter.com/XboxP3/status/1202354057047728128


Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:46 pm
by Peter Crisp
It's all sounding pretty good for the more powerful next gen Xbox.
How powerful it'll end up being is up for debate but it should be worthwhile upgrade from the One X and as long as all the money goes into the console and not pointless extras I think I'll be happy with it.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:48 pm
by Peter Crisp
Mr. Mystery Garth wrote:

twitter.com/XboxP3/status/1202354057047728128



Yeah, great he has a console with no games that use the extra power :roll: .

It's the CD32 all over again.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 11:57 am
by Peter Crisp
So I'm assuming he has the first of the final build for the devkit.
Hopefully that means they're going to start being sent out to developers now and we should start getting leaked photo's by about February. I wonder if they'll give Digital Foundry a chance to take a good look at it as they did with the One X?

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 1:10 pm
by Monkey Man
I assume he'll be playing Destiny 2 on the latest Dev kit. The final pre-launch Dev Kit will probably go out the middle of next year.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2019 1:21 pm
by Mafro
Great that they're targeting 60fps even on the less powerful SKU. Sony take note.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:05 pm
by Peter Crisp
If Microsoft are going to have a power and base version of the next gen how much are you all willing to pay?

I think I'm going to opt for the power version (because of course I am :shifty: ) and if it's super snazzy and an absolute powerhouse I'm going all in and willing to pay £500. Yes, that's a hefty sum for a console but I'm going to save a fair bit on games due to having built up a few years of Game Pass Ultimate.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:16 pm
by Photek
I’m fairly confident the Scarlett is going to be a powerhouse and launch with Halo infinite & Forza 8 at least going into Gamepass and all the current Gamepass games will work also, I predict Gears 5 to scale up Also.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:24 pm
by Peter Crisp
I think that's a solid bet.
I also wouldn't be surprised to see games like Metro get a day one upgrade on Game Pass as they said they were transitioning the team doing the upgrades a while ago and it'd make for some solid comparison videos for people like Digital Foundry to test. I would be surprised if we see a launch line up including at least 10 or 15 game pass games being upgraded as it's just a cheap and easy way to create extra content.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:30 pm
by Monkey Man
Inside the target specs of the next Xbox 'Project Scarlett,' 'Anaconda', and 'Lockhart'

Microsoft is gearing up to reveal Xbox "Scarlett" in full in the near future, and we've finally got some credible information on the target specs.

We believe the information we've received below from multiple sources, but as always, take these rumors with a pinch of salt until we get official confirmation from Microsoft itself. Plans can and do change as we move towards production. Xbox Scarlett is due to launch in 2020, in time for the holiday season.

In the 2019 reveal video, Xbox cloud architect Kareem Choudhry said Scarlett could "eat monsters for breakfast," and indeed, Anaconda looks as though it will be able to. According to several sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, Anaconda is targeting around 12 teraflops (TF) of computing power, compared to the Xbox One X's 6TF, and the Xbox One S's 1.4. Lockhart conversely will sport around 4TF, and according to marketing materials we've seen previously, it is being positioned as the most-affordable entry point to next-gen experiences.

It's important to note, however, that TF doesn't really tell the entire story of next-gen systems, owing to piles of custom tech Microsoft is planning to bake into these consoles. For example, Microsoft already spoke about how ray-tracing will be a factor in next-gen systems, and while Lockhart has less raw power than the X, it will have capabilities that elevate it further than the X in various ways.

Both Lockhart and Anaconda reportedly sport eight CPU cores targetting around 3.5GHz, with Anaconda reaching a bit higher per core than Lockhart. The relatively modest increase in clock speed over the previous-gen systems may seem mild, but vast improvements to caching, new silicon architecture, and other general bespoke, proprietary optimizations will see Anaconda perform anywhere up to four to five times better than the Xbox One X, if targets are met. We're told that at least Anaconda will guarantee 13GB of RAM for games, with 3GB on the OS a total of 16GB. The X, by comparison, offered a "maximum" of 9GB for games, which often varied based on what the OS was doing. Microsoft also said in its reveal video that the SSD could be used to throw in virtual RAM as necessary. Speaking of which ...

One huge focus area for Lockhart and Anaconda is on NVMe SSD proprietary tech, which dramatically decreases load speeds, nigh-on eliminating loading completely. Games with load times anywhere up to a minute will be reduced to mere seconds as a result of these SSDs, and the inclusion of Project XCloud across all Xbox systems will allow you to start gaming via streaming while waiting for games to download locally. Next-gen is all about saving you time, increasing read speeds by gigabytes per second, while also providing cutting-edge visuals that will elevate games to all new heights.

We've been told that while many games will function across generations, next-gen features such as ray tracing for dynamic reflections and the like will most probably be exclusive to Lockhart and Anaconda, requiring new APIs that come as part of Game Core OS (which is also part of the Windows Core OS effort we've been covering). That said, Scarlett will be able to run all previous-gen games that are available on Xbox One today, including backward compatible games as Microsoft has already announced.

Similarly to the Xbox One X, games with unlocked frame rates and dynamic resolution will perform better on Scarlett, once again, being able to take advantage of the improved hardware. For example, Monster Hunter World struggles to maintain 60 FPS on the Xbox One X even in its performance mode. Even without an update, it should manage to hit its target FPS without an issue on Scarlett. Games will also be able to take advantage of the increased SSD loading speeds on the newer consoles as well, without needing an update.

As noted, always take rumors with a pinch of salt, but we're confident in our sourcing on this. It's difficult to do direct comparisons between Project Scarlett consoles and off-the-shelf PC parts, due to the unknown quantities in Microsoft's proprietary optimizations. The proof, as always, will be in the pudding.

https://www.windowscentral.com/xbox-sca ... hart-specs

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 9:20 pm
by Tomous
Photek wrote:I’m fairly confident the Scarlett is going to be a powerhouse and launch with Halo infinite & Forza 8 at least going into Gamepass and all the current Gamepass games will work also, I predict Gears 5 to scale up Also.


I'd be surprised if any of that wasn't true.

Re: Next Gen Xbox - Rumours and Discussion

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 9:44 pm
by Monkey Man
From a Journalist on Resetera -

"Microsoft is gearing up to reveal Xbox "Scarlett" in full in the near future"

Very near future. :)

https://www.resetera.com/threads/rumour ... t-27208190

Game Awards or Jan maybe?

Nothing particulary surprising from the rumours other than maybe the anaconda being about 1TF higher than expected.