Xbox Scarlett ‘can perform up to 5 times better than Xbox One X’

Xbox Scarlett will be able to perform up to five times better than Xbox One X, according to a new report on the next-gen console’s hardware specs.

Microsoft announced in June that its next generation Xbox will launch holiday 2020 with Halo Infinite.

Recognised Microsoft leaker Windows Central reports that Microsoft intends to release Scarlett across two SKUs, as previously reported.

According to its sources, the more powerful SKU, ‘Anaconda’, is targeting around 12 teraflops (TF) of computing power, compared to the Xbox One X’s 6TF, and the Xbox One S’s 1.4TF.

The cheaper ‘Lockhart’ version, which is said to be intended as an entry point to next-gen games, will sport around 4TF of computing power, Windows Central’s sources claim.

While Lockhart will reportedly have less raw power than Xbox One X, it will however have capabilities that elevate it further in various ways, such as ray tracing.

Both Lockhart and Anaconda reportedly sport eight CPU cores targeting around 3.5GHz, with Anaconda reaching a bit higher per core than Lockhart. Anaconda will include 13GB of RAM allocated for games, compared to Xbox One X’s 9GB.

The publication reports that “vast improvements” to caching, new silicon architecture, and other bespoke, proprietary optimisations will see Anaconda perform “anywhere up to four to five times better” than the Xbox One X, if targets are met.

As with PlayStation 5, Windows Central reports that much of Xbox Scarlett’s focus will be placed on NVMe SSD proprietary tech, which will dramatically increase load speeds.

It’s claimed that Xbox will use the tech in conjunction with its Project xCloud streaming platform to virtually eliminate wait times when downloading games.

The SSD tech will also apply to legacy Xbox One titles, with games featuring unlocked framerates also benefiting from Scarlett’s increased hardware specs.

Xbox head Phil Spencer has said that Microsoft is prioritising improved frame rates and playability over graphical enhancements for Xbox Scarlett.