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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scook9 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
The main feature I care about is HDMI-CEC. Since they have FINALLY abandoned the garbage that was Kinect, PLEASE include proper CEC support. My Xbox One S is one of the only devices in my house that does not support it!BenSkywalker - Saturday, December 14, 2019 - link
You expect them to offer both a CPU that can compete against top of the line cell phone chips from a mere three years ago *and* HDMI CEC in the same console?What do you think this is, 2005?
yetanotherhuman - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
I didn't think Microsoft's naming scheme could be worse than "Xbox One", but here we are. This is probably the worst name for a console that I can recall. And what an awful shape. If it's supposed to take up space next to the TV stand, then it's just a magnet for drink spills directly in to the top. What a nugget.eek2121 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
If the controller is of any use to estimate the size, it appears to be rather small (smaller than the original xbox one in 2 out of 3 dimensions) and it can stand up or sit down. This machine will fit neatly where my xbox one sits. I am a PC gamer, but I will likely pick one up for kicks.willis936 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
I would be shocked if it could be placed horizontally and not have thermal issues.Golgatha777 - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
If you put it in a media cabinet, as a lot of folks do, there's already thermal issues to deal with. Given its size though, I think it has enough room to breathe. Hopefully it has a 120mm fan in the top and proper ducting to keep everything cool.Alistair - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
they said it is fine, I've seen so many silly comments about the Xbox this morning it is ridiculous "it looks weird" (it is a rectangle) and "you can't place it horizontally" (obviously you can, and you can tell by the vertical optical drive)Samus - Saturday, December 14, 2019 - link
I agree. This seems to be a radiant heat tunnel cooler similar to how the silverstone FT03-mini works.shabby - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
I agree the name is pretty stupid, one x, series x, completely zero thought went into the name.PeachNCream - Friday, December 13, 2019 - link
Microsoft most certainly outdid itself in the stupid naming department with the upcoming generation.