Prior to Microsoft’s reveal of Project Scarlett, its next-generation Xbox console, at E3 2019 it was rumored that the company was working on two separate consoles. The company was apparently working on a more affordable version of the console under the codename Lockhart. It’s now being reported that Microsoft is only focusing on the high-end Xbox console codenamed Anaconda now as part of Project Scarlett.
The expectation for multiple Xbox consoles was fueled by comments from Xbox boss Phil Spencer at E3 last year when he said that the company was deep into architecting the next Xbox consoles.” This suggested that the company could introduce more than one next-generation console.
According to a new report, Microsoft is only focusing on the high-end next-generation Xbox console now so it’s can reasonably be expected that the company is only going to release the one next year. It seems that the company’s plans for Project Scarlett have changed since last year as it was introduced as just a single console at E3 2019.
The Verge hears from sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans that the company shelved the Lockhart project many weeks ago due to developer concerns as well as its growing focus on xCloud, the cloud-based game streaming service. While a basic box to access the xCloud service could arrive in the future, Microsoft is now said to be fully focused on a single Project Scarlett console launch for the holiday season next year.