The next-gen console wars are starting to ramp up, so let’s take a closer look at Microsoft’s Project Scarlett, and what it will bring to the table! By the looks of it, the next generation of consoles will be downright awe-inspiring, at least from a technical standpoint. We just got a short glimpse at Microsoft’s Project Scarlett, and we were left wanting more.

While we’re still light on concrete details, we do have a lot to discuss thanks to a slick promotional video from Microsoft.

Microsoft’s Project Scarlett Details

First of all, we know that the console (code-named Project Scarlett) will be hitting shelves in the fall of 2020. It will be based on a custom design processor from AMD (built on Zen 2 architecture) along with their latest Navi graphics. Microsoft proudly commented that they’re leveraging four times more power from their upcoming processor when compared to the (already beefy) Xbox One X, and they’re utilizing high-bandwidth GDDR6 RAM memory as well.

All of this will allow Microsoft to make a bigger generational leap than ever before. And that’s exciting, to say the least. They’re promising variable refresh rates, 120 frames per second, 8K gaming, along with real-time next-gen ray-tracing, which is hardware accelerated. Also, they’ll be utilizing custom-built SSD storage, which will provide up to 40 times the performance we’re currently used to.

But what does all this tech jargon mean to the average gamer? What are the actual benefits? They are plentiful, to say the least.

Some benefits are immediately obvious — games will load faster. So fast, in fact, that you might not be able to notice a change in scenery, or the fact that you’ve entered a whole new world in-game. The transitions will be seamless. Higher refresh rates, ray-tracing as well as more pixels will mean games will be more detailed and more immersive. Developers will have the ability to create much richer worlds that are far more complex in nature. They will have a lot of headroom and they’ll be able to experiment to their heart’s content.

In other words, they will no longer be bound by outdated hardware, only by their imaginations. They will be able to cram as many visual effects as they want to, and in doing so, create beautiful, highly realistic worlds and narratives for us to explore.

But Microsoft isn’t the only one who’s aiming to create a spectacular gaming behemoth. Sony is also slowly revealing details regarding the PlayStation 5, and it’s pretty similar to Microsoft’s Project Scarlett, at least based on what know. It will also be built on AMD architecture, and will come with a built-in custom SSD, 3D audio and ray-tracing support. Perhaps most importantly, their latest console will be backwards compatible with PlayStation 4, which is something gamers have been demanding for years.

The biggest winners in this whole situation are the end users — the gamers. We will get to pick and choose the hardware and software we want the most, and with AMD currently spearheading a small revolution in the CPU and GPU markets, we’re bound to get the bleeding edge of technology right in our homes. With Google Stadia becoming a viable option as well, picking the way we want to play our games in the future will be harder than ever.

But that’s a good thing for everyone involved.