Microsoft’s working hard on several gaming-related projects, a new report says, meant to turn the future Xbox models into more formidable gaming consoles than their predecessors. The company is working on several new Xbox models, updates to Windows Core OS, as well as more support for mobile gaming.
In addition to the disk-less Xbox One that’s set to launch by spring of 2019 alongside a disc-to-digital program that will help gamers convert their libraries to digital format, Microsoft is also working on Xbox One S and Xbox One X successors. According to Windows Central, these “Scarlett” consoles will still have disc drives, at least as an option.
The Xbox One S successor is called “Lockhart” internally, and it’s rumored to be at least as powerful as the current Xbox One X. “Anaconda,” meanwhile, is the codename for the Xbox One X successor, which is expected to be more powerful and expensive than the future entry-level Xbox. The console will provide a “cutting-edge” gaming experience, and may ship with SSD storage instead of HDD to speed up load times. Both consoles should launch in the 2020 holiday season.
Microsoft is also fine-tuning its Windows Core OS, the report notes, so that the next Xbox One models will be compatible with everything that can run on current Xbox One consoles, including older titles. GameCore is a new initiative that will help developers code games that work both on Xbox and Windows 10 right out of the box. GameCore should be unveiled at GDC 2019 or Microsoft’s next Build conference.
Finally, Microsoft is looking to make sure that gamers who will try Project xCloud will have decent hardware at their disposal. xCloud game streaming will work on mobile devices in addition to Xbox One consoles, and Microsoft is working with accessory makers like Razer to ensure that gamers will be able to buy controllers that work with mobile devices to play xCloud games.
