Last year, it became clear that Microsoft was planning to launch not one, but two very different next-gen consoles. However, now that the mist is clearing and hardware is being locked down, Microsoft is focusing in on just one new Xbox for 2020.
As Thurrott reports, Microsoft's decision to launch one next-gen Xbox has been confirmed by Xbox chief Phil Spencer. During an interview with Business Insider he was asked about the comment he made last year about multiple games consoles being in development. The comment was clearly talking about next generation hardware. However, Spencer suggested that the disc-less Xbox One S All Digital Edition was one of those, with Project Scarlett being the other.
Although a clever way to side-step having to talk about the rumored streaming Xbox (codenamed Lockhart) we were expecting to sit alongside the more powerful and fully-featured Xbox, it does at least make the future clear for gamers: if you intend to invest in the next Xbox, there's only going to be one version at launch next year. What happens in the years after that is anyone's guess, but it's more likely than not that new models will appear eventually.
This news will certainly have developers sighing with relief as it's much easier to target one platform than two, especially if there's a big performance difference between them. Thurrott suggests this may be why Microsoft decided to drop the streaming Xbox console as it meant games would be developed for it and then enhanced for the more powerful and more expensive new Xbox. Competing with PlayStation 5 requires every Xbox game look as good as it can, so targeting a lower-end new Xbox didn't make sense or bode well for the inevitable game comparisons.
If Microsoft does want to offer a streaming Xbox, then surely it already has the hardware available for that in the form of the Xbox One X ($566.19 at Amazon) . Rebadge that as the streaming Xbox, throw in a Game Pass and access to xCloud, and it could handle streamed next-gen Xbox games easily while offering Microsoft an excuse to keep selling Xbox One games.
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