Microsoft Announces Xbox Series X: Available Holiday 2020
by Ryan Smith on December 12, 2019 11:20 PM EST- Posted in
- Consoles
- AMD
- Microsoft
- Xbox
- Zen 2
- Project Scarlett
- Xbox Series X
Microsoft this evening has finally given their long-awaited next generation gaming console a name, announcing the Xbox Series X. The device, formerly known as Project Scarlett, is said to be four times more powerful than the current Xbox One X, and along with its new Xbox Wireless Controller will be available in the Holiday 2020 timeframe.
Microsoft has been drip-feeding information about their forthcoming console for the better part of a year now, so today’s announcement of the name and revealing the final design is the latest element in that campaign. The black, monolith-shaped box is certainly unlike any previous Xbox console design, and while touching it probably won’t make you smarter, Microsoft has definitely evolved the design of their hardware. The same goes for the new Xbox Wireless Controller that ships with the console, which incorporates an unusual D-Pad derived from the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller. The controller will be compatible with Windows 10 as well.
While Microsoft is still not offering a detailed breakdown of hardware specifications at this time, the company has reiterated their E3 announcement – that the box is powered by an AMD APU combining their Zen 2 processor cores and next generation RDNA architecture – while revealing the first performance estimate for the console: four times the processing power of the Xbox One X. It’s not clear here whether Microsoft is talking about CPU performance, GPU performance, or both – but given that even AMD’s fastest discrete GPUs today don’t exceed 10 TFLOPS, it is likely a reference to the CPU side of matters and AMD’s much faster Zen 2 CPU cores (and going by comments made to GameSpot, this seems to be exactly the case).
As well, the company is reiterating the technical features for the console: hardware raytracing, variable rate shading, Xbox One backwards compatibility, and a “next-generation” SSD. All of which will be used to offer games at 4K@60fps or better, with Microsoft indicating that 120fps will also be an option for developers (no doubt driven by the high refresh rates allowed by HDMI 2.1). In their press release Microsoft is also announcing a new feature called “Dynamic Latency Input” (DLI), which although no specific details about the technology are being made available, is intended to minimize console latency in order to make it “the most responsive console ever”. I would expect to hear more about this in 2020 as the console gets closer to launch.
Finally, along with announcing the console itself, Microsoft has also released a separate video announcing a new Hellblade game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. The trailer for the game is designed to show off the power of the console and is based off of in-engine footage; though it’s not clear at this time if it was captured in real-time or rendered offline.
Expect to hear a lot more about the Xbox Series X over the next year, as Microsoft ramps up to launch it for Holiday 2020.
Source: Microsoft
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Retycint - Saturday, December 14, 2019 - link
The difference is that - for this you get a subsidized system (it's definitely going to cost less than a comparable PC) with games that are optimized for controller use (vs PC games that are optimized for KBM and may or may not have good controller support). I don't own any consoles, in fact, but I can certainly see why people buy themSpunjji - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
You seem to be engaging in last generation's console rant. They already crossed the Rubicon when they combined an x86 CPU with a standard PC graphics architecture and a Windows 10-based OS in the Xbone.catavalon21 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
I wonder if there is a fan to assist heat exhaust if we lay these sideways, as the design allows for heat out the top. You can't get a console too cool. Some pretty high end hardware, even if custom, in a pretty small package, and I still fondly *cough* remember the RROD on Gen 1.eddman - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
RROD wasn't caused by overheating. The reason was manufacturing flaws; apparently bad graphics chip solder material.Spunjji - Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - link
It was both.The solder material was only a problem because of the dramatic difference between minimum and maximum temperatures that resulted from cramming so much high-powered hardware into a small space. The exact same materials but with 10-15 degrees knocked off the maximum temperature would have lasted for years.
shabby - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
This isn't a 15 watt console that requires no fan, there will be a big one on top.dontlistentome - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
Two HDMI out please so I don't have to update my amp to support VRR etcA5 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
They're not going to do that. They might have optical out if you're lucky.29a - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
Plug directly into the TV then use ARC.UglyFrank - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
And this will probably arrive at the same time as Zen 3.....