It looks like it will be a battle royale of game consoles this 2020. Microsoft is said to be matching the Sony PlayStation 5 with two console versions codenamed for now as Anaconda and Lockhart. When these gaming devices are launched, they will be known as the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S.
Supposedly, work on Lockhart is now underway, and the current conversation on this is it will be the more affordable and less powerful Xbox 2020. Out of the box, the gaming machine will take the name Xbox Series S, but none of these details have been confirmed by Microsoft.
Nonetheless, the AMD APU that will fire up the Series S is now on the testing phase, and according to WCCFTech, the specifications that leaked out so far are nothing short of impressive. The monster details include a hybrid Ryzen chip with a processing speed of 4.0GHz.
The graphics engine part has yet to be detailed, but the early information claimed a 16GB RAM would be shared between the CPU and the GPU, and with the latter tapping into 4GB of VRAM, which is remarkable enough.
So it is unsurprising that tests of the said AMD APU led to graphics performance of between 7.0teraflops to 7.9teraflops, which, if true, is a significant jump from the earlier performance numbers attached to the Series S.
As noted by BGR in a related report, the cheaper Xbox 2020 is thought to deliver GPU muscle of no more than 4teraflops. Should the numbers mentioned above will become a reality, then Microsoft indeed means business for the next-generation Xbox.
And that will be true even for the Lockhart version, which is earlier believed to hit the market catering to casual gamers. As initially expected, it is the Anaconda version that will appeal to hardcore fans of the Xbox platform since the hardware is tipped to boast of more powerful components.
In any case, the new Xbox series is shaping up to be a compelling gaming machine, and there are suggestions Microsoft's bet would be the easier choice. That's because the Xbox Series S, despite the premium components now linked with it, is said to sell $100 cheaper than the Sony PS5.
Per the same BGR report, the PS5 will debut with a $500 tag price, meaning the Xbox Series S will sell at $400. It seemed that Microsoft is planning to lure gamers away from Sony as rumors said the Xbox Series X would be more expensive than the PS5.
But with the Series S potentially more affordable than the PS5, Microsoft is hoping that gamers will see the Xbox as the better option. With the Series X, buyers will take home a gaming beast, and if they are unwilling to spend that much, the Series S is there, and likely it will not break the bank.
Like the Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft has already announced a holiday release for the Xbox 2020 series, but the exact timing is still unknown.
