Next-gen Xbox ‘Project Scarlett' console packs Ryzen, Radeon Navi, SSDs, and ray-tracing

Here’s what you need to know about the next-gen Xbox console and Project xCloud.

- Hayden Dingman

Six years after the infamously terrible reveal of the Xbox One, Microsoft has somewhat redeemed itself. At Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference, Phil Spencer detailed the plans for its upcoming next-gen Xbox console, “Project Scarlett,” a traditional high-end box that will live alongside Microsoft’s “Project xCloud” streaming service. Project xCloud is due later this year, while you’ll need to wait until holiday 2020 for Scarlett, as expected.

Let’s break it down. If you’re curious about the games revealed at Microsoft’s showcase (go.pcworld.com/mse3), we split those out into a separate article, complete with trailers for all the major announcements.

PROJECT SCARLETT NEXT-GEN XBOX

“We believe a console should be for one thing: Gaming.” That was Phil Spencer as he started discussing the next-generation Xbox, a pointed change of direction for the company that wanted to be in all things entertainment when the Xbox One launched six years ago. No scope creep here, no mixed messages. Project Scarlett is about games.