After unveiling everything from a surprise George R.R. Martin-designed video game to literally Keanu Reeves, Microsoft raised the stakes on their annual E3 press conference by formally announcing the first details of Project Scarlett, the codename given to the next-gen Xbox console.
Set to hit stores in holiday 2020, this ultra-powerful console boasts an array of impressive technical jargon, including 8K compatibility, a custom-designed CPU running on an AMD chipset, lightning-quick solid-state hard drives, 120 FPS, advance ray-tracing abilities to render light, and much more. This next generation Xbox console is being developed by the same team behind the Xbox One X, the reigning heir to the title of “most powerful console on the market,” and will be optimized for “one thing only: gaming,” according to Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer.
Using a newly developed SSD, Project Scarlett claims to be 40 times more powerful than the current generation of Xbox consoles, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. More importantly, it will feature Halo Infinite as a launch title, hearkening back to one of the greatest console launch titles of all time, Halo: Combat Evolved way back in 2001. Developed by 343 Industries, Halo Infinite will pick up in the wake of the events of Halo 5: Guardians. In the trailer unveiled during the press conference, we see a familiar face, Master Chief, awaken from his slumber and immediately launch into a mission to presumably once again save the universe as we know it.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of Sony’s reveal of the PlayStation 5 in an interview with Wired. That console also includes a solid state drive and promises backwards compatibility, a feature that has been largely missing since the original chunky model of the PlayStation 3.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on both of these devices as the great console war of 2020 begins to heat up. For the latest updates on all things E3, make sure you stay tuned to Nerdist all week long.