According to new rumours, Microsoft is planning two Xbox Project Scarlett versions after all.

Kotaku, based on four sources with knowledge about Microsoft’s plans, claims that Microsoft is going to make a cheaper version of the Xbox Project Scarlett that would have no Blu-ray drive. This console’s codename is Lockhart, which was mentioned in previous rumours, too. (There’s possible truth in this, though: the Xbox One S also has an All-Digital Edition that has no optical drive in it.) Kotaku doesn’t know the pricing, but in regards to the performance disparity, they likened the Anaconda, the proper console, to the Xbox One X, while the Lockhart was paired to the Xbox One S. (The company expects 4K, 60FPS with the former, and 1440P, 60FPS with the latter one.) Microsoft expects the developers to support both consoles.

One developer compared the Lockhart’s graphical power to the PlayStation 4 Pro’s, but they added that there are differences (SSD, faster CPU). It’s not sure if every title will hit the company’s expectations with the resolution and the frame rate. Multiple devs are disappointed about the lack of information about Project Scarlett, and its devkit is harder to come by. However, the devs know the specs that they have to target with their games. The devs say that the PlayStation 5 (whose devkit got leaked, and it was confirmed to be real by Kotaku!) and the Xbox Project Scarlett have roughly similar specs, but there could be key differences in operating system features and hidden technologies. And Microsoft doesn’t comment.

Meanwhile, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, does: „And it’s started….this week, I brought my Project Scarlett console home and it’s become my primary console, playing my games, connecting to the community and yes, using my Elite Series 2 controller, having a blast. Great work by the team, 2020 is going to be an incredible year,” Spencer wrote on Twitter.

The Xbox Project Scarlett should be available stores in a year in either one or two formats.

Source: Gematsu, Twitter

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