With the confirmation of the launch of a PS5 without Blu-ray, all those rumors and assumptions that pointed to a more compact and economical new-generation Xbox became more important than ever. And although Microsoft continues to give no clues on the matter, it seems that the stars are aligning for us to convince ourselves that the new version will exist. And there are more reasons to believe it.
New Clues to Lockhart
The new alert comes through a Twitter post showing a screenshot of the list of changes included in Microsoft’s XDK / GDK for its version released in June 2020. In this list of changes you can see some references to Lockhart, and it is specified that the new GDK is compatible with Scarlett’s developer kit , which includes the default modes, AnacondaProfiling and LockhartProfiling.
Source: https://t.co/xaf432dsV9 https://t.co/e9xcLoyeVE
– TitleOS (@ XB1_HexDecimal) June 26, 2020
In the description accompanying the new development pack, you can read that the GDK kit can be used to develop games that can be certified and approved for release on Windows 10 PCs, Xbox One consoles, and Project Scarlett consoles. Is there any doubt about the existence of more than one Scarlett console? Possibly not.
The reason for launching a cheap console
Known as Lockhart, the console that would be part of Project Scarlett has always been described as a more restrained model without the raw power of Anaconda, or Xbox Series X as it was officially presented. This alleged console would arrive to accompany the graphic monster in order to be able to offer a cheaper option to users who cannot opt for the more powerful model.
It is a strategy that guarantees sales, that allows players not to deprive themselves of playing new generation games, and that Sony has applied in a more or less similar way with the PS5 Digital Edition, the version of the console without Blu-ray drive. that, contrary to the alleged Microsoft proposal, will not present changes in performance level compared to the PS5 with Blu-ray drive.
This Sony proposal will reduce the price of the console by avoiding the expense of Blu-ray, but broadly speaking it will continue to maintain the price range of the main model. And that is just the opposite that Microsoft would seek, since Lockhart would mean a much more aggressive reduction of the original Xbox Series X price, allowing the label to be lowered to a price range that could well attract attention in the market.
Unfortunately we are following assumptions, so we will have to keep an eye on the next Microsoft conference planned for shortly.