Over the weekend E3 2019 kicked off, and in usual fashion Microsoft was one of the first companies to hold a press conference showcasing what they’re working on. While there were a few new exclusive titles revealed in greater detail, namely Halo Infinite, Microsoft did tease a next-gen console that it’s working called Project Scarlett.

While little is known about the new console, Microsoft did give itself a release deadline, stating that Project Scarlett (which won’t be its name at launch) will be available to purchase come the festive season next year.

It’s still to be seen whether South African gamers will be included in that 2020 window, but with a solid 18 months between now and then, we’ll likely only receive more locally-focused information at next year’s E3 or even later.

For now we know the launch of Project Scarlett will coincide with the release of Halo Infinite.

Oh, Sony also has a next-gen console on the way, so it looks like Project Scarlett will square off against the PlayStation 5, although the latter does not have an official launch date at the time of writing.

We already have an idea of what the PS5 will be capable of, but what about Project Scarlett?

Well Microsoft’s Xbox team say they’re getting a custom AMD-designed chipset for the console, along with high bandwidth GDDR6 RAM. Added to this will be “next-generation” SSD, according to Microsoft, together with backwards compatibility.

With the PS5 no slouch in the specs department, at least according to recent information, it may come down to what sort of exclusive titles each console will be touting. With Sony winning that war at the moment, Microsoft will be hoping to turn the tide with Project Scarlett.