Microsoft Might Have A Second Next-Gen Xbox, After All

Remember that rumor floating around about a second next-gen Microsoft console? It was to be a less powerful alternative to Project Scarlett, the Xbox squad's flagship machine, but comments from Microsoft earlier this year seemed to suggest no such console existed. Maury we are not, but the lie detector has determined... that might have been a lie.

Kotaku is reporting that, according to its sources, that second console is still very much on the table. It goes by the codename "Lockhart," just as the rumors stated months ago, and it'll act as a "lower cost, disc-less version of Scarlett." Kotaku reportedly spoke to one developer familiar with Lockhart, who put its power on par with the PlayStation 4 Pro. And it's believed Lockhart will come with a solid state drive, enabling it to offer faster load times than the current consoles on the market.

Here's where things get really, really interesting, though. Kotaku's story states that Microsoft wants Lockhart to play games at "1440p resolution and 60 frames-per-second." That is what many gamers were begging for from this past generation, and what a sizable number would still be happy with today. A whole lot of people are still playing on 1080p televisions, and while downscaled 4K assets can look better on those displays, we're sure many players would gladly trade nicer textures for more frames.

It sure sounds like Lockhart will be a step up from the Xbox One X for some, which has us curious as to where Microsoft will price this second system. It seems certain Microsoft will charge a premium for Project Scarlett, but where will Lockhart end up? That we do not know.

We'll keep an eye out for more Lockhart-related news in the months ahead. If the console does indeed exist, as Kotaku's sources say, we'll likely find out about it at the same time Project Scarlett is revealed.