Xbox 2 E3 news – Xbox Two release date, streaming, price and games news for Scarlett devices
The console feud between Microsoft and Sony steps up a gear as NEW Xbox consoles are confirmed to be in development
THE next-generation Xbox will be here in time for Christmas 2020 - but what do we know about it?
Microsoft has code-named the new devices Project Scarlett, using its annual E3 briefing to drop the first official details.
Current rumours suggest at least two different version of the console -- similar to the current All-Digital Xbox One S and X iterations.
That wasn't explicitly confirmed by Microsoft when it revealed Scarlett, but it was hinted at.
Xbox Two Scarlett leak – multiple new consoles on the way
We know that Scarlett is real, and we know that the first hardware from Project Scarlett is now due by 'Holidays 2020'.
That means you can expect it before Thanksgiving in the USA next year - which is Thursday November 26.
It is thought that there are two consoles coming, code-named Anaconda and Lockhart.
Scarlett is the name given to the whole family of devices, while Anaconda and Lockhart are the S and X variants of the individual console.
While these will be traditional console boxes you can expect a streaming version of the Anaconda hardware too -- something like the Nvidia Shield -- that will be significantly cheaper, but will stream games from the cloud rather than playing them locally.
The streaming box will be a relatively powerful piece of kit and deal with some processing locally to eliminate controller and display lag, according to Thurrott.
The Cloud device will cost more than most set-top boxes on the market today, but cost less than the full console.
The tipster also claims that the new console will be backwards compatible, supporting current Xbox One and Xbox 360 games.
We know that the heart of the console is AMD's Navi chips, a different version of which is going to be in the PlayStation 5.
The same report also indicated the streaming would be enabled by "deep learning" technology that would reduce latency by using AI to guess what your next move is likely to be so it can get a head-start on relevant calculations.
Before they arrive, we're likely to see two similar flavours of the Xbox One in 2019, suggesting that the Xbox Two won't be here until 2020.
Xbox Two E3 news – the next Xbox is CONFIRMED
At the end of Microsoft's E3 2018 conference, Xbox boss Phil Spencer officially confirmed that a new Xbox is on the way.
He revealed that his team is "deep into architecting the next Xbox consoles" – yes, that's more than one.
Spencer added that the Xbox team "will once again deliver on our commitment to deliver the benchmark of console gaming".
The Xbox boss also made mention of artificial intelligence, which means we could see further integration of Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant into the Xbox 2.
More details about the upcoming consoles have been promised for the 2019 E3 briefing, which starts at 9p.m. UK time on Sunday June 9.
Xbox Two VR – NO plans for virtual reality or augmented reality
In June, Microsoft confirmed it was killing off plans to add virtual reality support to the Xbox.
The company had been teasing the tech for years, but Microsoft marketing chief Mike Nichols poured cold water on the plans.
"We don't have any plans specific to Xbox consoles in virtual reality or mixed reality," he revealed.
The news came as a shock to Xbox gamers, who are likely frustrated by the fact that Sony launched PlayStation VR for the PS4 way back in 2016.
But Nichols said that your desktop computer is "probably the best platform" for virtual reality.
He added that for the Xbox, "our focus is primarily on experiences you would play on your TV."
It's a surprising move – back in 2016, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that the upcoming Project Scorpio console – eventually released as the Xbox One X – would support "high-end VR".
And Microsoft even teamed up with Oculus to allow Xbox controllers to work with the premium Oculus Rift VR headset.
Then in March 2017, Microsoft invited developers to create mixed/augmented reality content for the Xbox.
And at that year's E3 games convention, Spencer said he was "long-term bullish" about virtual reality, but warned that an Xbox VR launch might be a long way off.
Now it seems those plans are finally shuttered for good.
Xbox Two news and specs rumours – what do we know about Xbox 2 features, games and graphics?
Microsoft's Xbox One X is already on a really strong footing.
It can play video games at a native 4K resolution, and can play 4K Blu-ray discs – the latter feature is missing on the PS4 Pro.
Much like the PS5, the Xbox 2 will support 8K games, and will have a super-speedy solid-state drive to almost totally eliminate loading times.
The announcement also promised framerates of up to 120fps - which is actually faster than most tellies can show you pictures at the moment anyway.
We know that Halo Infinite is coming with the next Xbox, and you can probably count on a few more exclusives too, potentially including a racing game from the Forza Motorsport team as well as other options from studios Microsoft has recently snapped up.
Finally, we could see a bridging-of-the-gap between Xbox and Windows 10.
The new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate package which bundles PC games with Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass on console, combined with the new console streaming service, certainly suggest this is the direction in which Microsoft is headed.
Xbox Two price UK – how much will the Xbox 2 cost?
It's too early to say exactly what the Xbox Two price will be, but we can take a guess based on previous Xbox launches.
The most recent console was the Xbox One X, which landed at a very high £449.99.
That's way higher than the £349 PS4 Pro, so Microsoft may be keen to undercut its rival Sony – but we'd be surprised.
Microsoft will probably charge somewhere between £349 and £499 for its next console, but there's no way of knowing right now.
What would you like to see from the Xbox Two? Let us know in the comments!
What Xbox Two Games do we know about?
We don't know much about games for the new console yet.
Bethesda's next big RPG franchise, Starfield, looks likely to arrive on the Xbox Two and PlayStation 5, as it was announced as a "next generation" game when it was revealed at E3 2018.
Other than that, it's anyone's guess.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.