Xbox Scarlett Promises 'Big Upgrade In CPU'; Could Deliver 4K, 120FPS Gaming

Microsoft promises that its next-gen gaming console will deliver great graphics at high frame rates.

Redmond tech giant Microsoft revealed its upcoming gaming console called Xbox Scarlett during E3 2019. Not much is known about the next-gen gaming system, but it is expected to be more powerful than the current consoles Xbox One and Xbox One X.

But just how powerful will the new Xbox Scarlett be? A Microsoft official said it will have a more powerful CPU compared to the previous generation consoles.

Speaking with the Xbox Official Magazine (via WccfTech) for its November issue, Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg said the upcoming Xbox Scarlett will take a huge leap forward in terms of graphics and framerates compared to the Xbox One.

“But, with the next-gen, I think you’ll see a big upgrade in CPU, because we really want to make sure that you don’t have any compromises with the framerates,” Greenberg told the magazine.

The CPU upgrade, Greenberg explained, results in giving the next-gen console an ability previous-gen consoles do not have:

“Yes, we can do 4K, but we can also do 120 frames per second,” Greenberg said. “So I think that type of capability will be something that people don’t see today.”

Other specs

This is one of those rare occasions when a Microsoft official decided to speak about the Xbox Scarlett's potential specs. The Redmond-based tech giant stayed mum about the device in development. Reports, however, indicate the possibility that there will be two unique Xbox Scarlett consoles, Jeux Video (via GameSpot) said.

The two consoles, codenamed Lockhart and Anaconda, respectively, are each expected to have a custom eight-core CPU and 1TB SSD. Lockhart is rumored to have a custom Navi GPU capable of 4+ teraflops, backed by 12GB of GDDR6 memory. The more powerful Anaconda, on the other hand, has a custom Navi GPU capable of 12+ teraflops, backed by 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

The lower-end Lockhart is rumored to fetch a selling price around $250, placing it at the same price point as that of the recently-launched Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. The higher-end Anaconda, on the other hand, is expected to be sold for about $500, around the same price point as that of the Xbox One X during launch. These prices aren't confirmed, however.