More leaks of the the Xbox Series X backside have leaked online. The image above, showing various ports on a purported Series X prototype come by way of NeoGaf user CurryPanda.
As you can see, there’s an optical audio port, two USB A ports, an ethernet, power, and a single HDMI port. No HDMI pass-through for TV this time.
As reported by Thurrott, there’s also a visible barcode and serial number in the photo. Since Microsoft uses this information to track and assign these prototypes to specific people, someone is now in deep shit.
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty (hee hee) promises that Series X games will be playable on the Xbox One, at least for couple years.
In an interview with MCV, Booty (hee hee) promises that your Xbox One won’t be totally obsolete when the Series X is launched
“As our content comes out over the next year, two years, all of our games, sort of like PC, will play up and down that family of devices.
We want to make sure that if someone invests in Xbox between now and [Series X] that they feel that they made a good investment and that we’re committed to them with content.”
No doubt there is going to be a significant hit to visuals and framerate on these “forward compatible” games, but it’s cool that gamers will have the option.
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer is having a good time apparently. He must be feeling pretty good about himself. What’s not to be proud of? He’s righted the Xbox ship and people are getting excited about the Series X. Also, if rumors turn out to be true, Microsoft’s next console is going to have the power edge against the PS5.
While gamers wait for more concrete information from Sony and Microsoft regarding their next generation consoles, Spencer updated his Twitter profile pic to an image of the Series X CPU (see above). There’s some interesting tidbits of information to be gleaned from this. Oh Spence, you cheeky monkey.
First off, we see that the chip is etched with the Project Scarlett code name. Microsoft did something similar when they launched the Xbox One X with Project Scorpion branding.
More tantalizing, is the 8K etching on the chip. We know that the Series X is going to be powerful, and again, if rumors are true, more powerful than the PS5, which may entail a premium cost. However, 8K is some serious power, considering that 4K sets only recently became cheap enough to be widely adopted.
I better start saving up for the next generation now, because I just may need to upgrade my TV now as well.
How much can I get for selling a kidney on the black market? Asking for a friend.
According to a Gamesindustry.biz post, Microsoft has no immediate plans to release exclusive Xbox games on other consoles. Instead, Microsoft will focus on its own platforms.
I’m a simple man, so perhaps I was confused by what ‘exclusive’ actually means.
Okay, so I’m not a total dumbass. Anyway in statement to Gamesindustry.biz, Microsoft did clarify:
“The past year has been an exciting time for us as we have more than doubled the internal creative teams making up Xbox Game Studios. As these new studios transitioned in, we were aware of some existing commitments to other platforms and will honor them. However, going forward these new studios will focus on making games for our platforms. We have no plans to further expand our exclusive first party games to other consoles. We continue to believe deeply in cross play and progression of games with the right flexibility for developers to insure a fair and fun experience.”
Gamesindustry.biz
Microsoft has been releasing titles like Ori and the Blind Forest on Switch as well as Minecraft on multiple platforms. A new generation of consoles is coming into view and Microsoft has been acquiring studios. I’m not surprised that Microsoft wants its investments supporting its own interests.
The successor to the Xbox One is just over a year away, so its expected that more details are starting to drop. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed via Gamespot that Project Scarlett will be four times as powerful as the Xbox One X along with other nuggets.
Feel free to read the exclusive Gamestop interview, but in the meantime, here are the juiciest bits.
Games will load fast and run at high frame rates possible (i.e. 60 frames-per-second).
Backwards compatibility will play a major focus.
Backwards compatibility for existing controllers.
All good stuff so far. Nothing groundbreaking, but welcomed news.
E3 2019 is officially in the books. There were some legitimate surprises, new hardware, new games, etc…
But what I’m going to remember most is that beard from the Xbox briefing. I don’t know if I should be impressed or frightened by it. It’s unnerving yet mesmerizing. I CAN’T STOP STARING AT IT.
If one was juvenile and fanboyish enough to declare a winner of E3, then it is clearly Xbox, by virtue of this man’s beard.
Microsoft kicked off E3 2019 on Sunday announcing plenty of games, but know what’s sexier than games. HARDWARE! Hot sexy hardware makes my blood boil, in good way.
Good stuff. Who doesn’t like POWER and short load times.
Project Scarlett comes out in the Fall of 2020, and by then Microsoft will have come up a terribly convoluted name. My money is on Microsoft Xbox One X-2 The Ocho.
Oh, and when the Scarlett comes out, you can become reacquainted with an old friend:
But wait, there more! I’ve been hankering for a new Xbox One Elite controller, which I love, but I’ve heard rumours that a new version was in development. Well here you go:
The Series 2 Elite controller, which you can pre-order today will last 40 hours on a single charge. The unit ships with a charging dock and costs a ridiculous $179.99. This thing is over-engineered and stupid expensive, and I want it so bad it hurts. I just pre-ordered mine because I have no fucking self control.
Of course there are games to be had as well, and new ways to play them on Project xCloud. Microsoft did not have a ton to say about xCloud, but what they did talk about looked promising. The best part, we’ll be able to try it out this October.
Like the Google Stadia, xCloud will let you play Xbox titles across multiple devices, whether its phones, tablets, TVs or computers. Unlike Stadia, xCloud will also allow you to stream games directly from your own local Xbox.
Yes, Sony did do this with PlayStation Remote Play, but that was pretty shitty. Hopefully Microsoft’s solution will be better.
As for games, there was plenty announced as well as Gears of War 5 (launching September 10) which everyone knew about, but looks good nonetheless. Kait is still a smoke.
Lastly, there’s Keanu…
Keanu is a national treasure. I’d buy Cyberpunk 2077 just because of Keanu. He’s so wise, like an American Buddha. Cyberpunk 2077, from CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077, launches April 16, 2020.
As for the rest of games well, here’s a handy list…
Bleeding Edge
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Minecraft Dungeons
Blair Witch
Keanu Reeves In Cyberpunk 2077
Spiritfarer
Battletoads
RPGTime: The Legend of Wright
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition
Wasteland 3
Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga
Dragon Ball Z Project Z Action RPG
12 Minutes
Way To The Woods
Forza Horizon 4 Lego Speed Champions
Gears Pop
State of Decay 2: Heartland
Phantasy Star Online 2
Crossfire X
Tales of Arise
Borderlands: Commander Lillith and the fight for Sanctuary
Ring of Eldin
All in all, a fun Sunday and good stuff coming to fans of the Xbox.
Spieler Dad 