Microsoft played their cards early in showcasing the Xbox Series X last year, and Sony just recently revealed the first look at the PlayStation 5. Well, it seems like there’s still a lot of information that Microsoft is yet to reveal, namely with their second console, codenamed Lockhart (Xbox Series S). While we’ve only heard rumors regarding Lockhart, it seems like at least some of that may have been false.
Tom Warren (The Verge) has now revealed that Lockhart may now be running its CPU at the same clock speed as the Series X.
Previously, it was being speculated that the potential Series S console would be an underpowered Series X, meant as a gateway into next-gen gaming by Microsoft. Well, if Tom’s new report is any indication, then Lockhart might just prove to be more powerful than we thought. He does go on to say that the console will differ in other areas like GPU specs and CU counts.
Rumors have also pointed to it being a digital-only console, meant to sell more Gamepass and Xbox Live subscription services. I wouldn’t be too surprised if that ends up being the case, considering how selling services seems to be Microsoft’s main goal this time around.
We’ve also previously speculated that the Series S will be targeted at 1080p/1440p gamers, and Tom thinks that’s still in the cards. A cheaper console targeted at 1080p (which is still what a majority of gamers own) displays does seem smart. Perhaps that’s how Lockhart will eat into the PS5 Digital Edition’s cake?
While the PS5’s SSD is being touted as a gamechanger, do take note that a majority of 3rd party games will still treat the Xbox Series X’s (slower) SSD as the baseline. Other than that, the Series X is ramping up to be a monster of a gaming console, with more GPU compute units for raw power. The current-gen Xbox One X is the most powerful console out there right now, so it makes sense that Microsoft would want to retain the title of “World’s Most Powerful Console” a little longer.
Both Xbox Series X and PS5 are targeting a Holiday 2020 release. Microsoft is yet to release any official info regarding the Xbox Series S (Lockhart) console.