A newly leaked document from Microsoft has hinted that the tech giant could be preparing to announce a second next-gen Xbox console other than the Series X, and now rumours allege that the new console is planned for an August reveal.
Eurogamers reports that Microsoft had originally planned to unveil the console, codenamed “Lockhart” in June. These plans have been moved to August by the company, with Eurogamer claiming that the console will be named the Xbox Series S.
According to The Verge, Microsoft has been working on this second, cheaper next-gen console for months. Documents leaked last week seemingly confirm the second console being slightly toned-down performance-wise to lower the price.
According to the documents, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X devkit – codenamed “Dante” – allows game developers to switch to an additional ‘Lockhart mode.’ This mode matches the performance profile thought to belong to the second console.
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Toned-down performance
It is reported that the Xbox Series S will include a slightly underclocked CPU meaning that its performance won’t match that of the beastly Series X, but the Verge suggests that the two consoles will, in fact, have the same CPU speeds.
According to additional documents, the Lockhart console will also include 7.5GB of usable RAM and around 4 teraflops of GPU performance. Compared to the Series X – 13.5GB of usable RAM and targets 12 teraflops of GPU performance – it can be seen as quite a downgrade.
An August reveal
If the reports are accurate, Microsoft is set to announce the Lockhart Series S in August, along with the price for the Xbox Series X.
With the Series X’ price still up in the air, and speculation suggesting that it will be amongst the most expensive consoles ever to hit the market, this is surely a way for Microsoft to compete with Sony’s PlayStation 5 which is both expected to be cheaper than the Series X and less powerful.
Edited by Luis Monzon
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