Microsoft announced plenty of Xbox One games during its recent E3 press conference, including Halo Infinite and Gears 5, but head of Xbox Phil Spencer also revealed that system architects are currently working on the next-generation of Xbox systems. If a new report is true, we could be getting our hands on them in just two years.
Thurrott reported on Tuesday, June 12, that Microsoft is planning to release its next-generation Xbox console — and possibly more than one console — in 2020. Reporter Brad Sams said he was able to view information that confirmed rumors he had previously heard, and that the internal name for Microsoft’s project is “Scarlett.” It isn’t quite as cool as “Scorpio,” so we are pretty sure a different name will be used for the final product.
We don’t know when Sony is planning to release PlayStation 4’s successor, but the company’s current system continues to far outsell the Xbox One. Recent sales estimates put the system’s total sales at around double that of the Xbox One, which can be attributed to a better library of exclusive games and the PR struggles Microsoft had with the Xbox One back in 2013.
If Microsoft were to beat Sony to the market with a new console, however, it would have the chance to get a head start in the console race and release more technically impressive games. It’s a strategy that worked for the Xbox 360, which released a full year before the PlayStation 3 and became many players’ go-to system last generation.
Given that the Xbox One X just launched last November, it’s no wonder Microsoft isn’t talking about specific dates for its successor, however. Marketed as the “most powerful console ever,” it offers significant performance advantages over the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro — selling points that will largely be moot with the promise of an even more powerful console in just two years.
For now, we’ll happily keep playing Xbox One games, and Microsoft has shown a new commitment to releasing them. During its E3 press conference, Phil Spencer revealed Microsoft had acquired big studios such as Playground Games and Ninja Theory, and a completely new studio called The Initiative has also been opened with Crystal Dynamics veteran Darrell Gallagher at the helm.
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