Microsoft's next-gen “Project Scarlett” Xbox to be called Xbox Series X and available holiday 2020 with support for frame rates of up to 120 fps and ray tracing

Xbox now looks like a PC — Microsoft's next-generation Xbox is officially called Xbox Series X. Microsoft revealed …

The Verge 2019-12-14 Tom Warren

Context & Ripple Effects

This naming reveal closes out a year-long teaser cycle: back in June, Microsoft had only committed to a codename, promising a high-end console coming Fall 2020 that supported 8K gaming and claimed four times the power of the Xbox One X (Project Scarlett's first outing). Today it gets a shipping name — Xbox Series X — a holiday 2020 window, and concrete headline specs: frame rates up to 120 fps and ray tracing.

The design language is the real signal: The Verge notes it looks more like a PC than past consoles, which fits where the line went next — a later leaked document pointed to a cheaper, less powerful sibling built to deliver key Series X improvements at a lower price point, and years on, gaming CEO Asha Sharma is teasing a successor codenamed Project Helix that plays both Xbox and PC games.

First-order effects

Microsoft converts a codename into a shippable brand ahead of holiday 2020, locking in 120 fps and ray tracing as the marketing benchmarks buyers will judge the console against.
The tower-like, PC-resembling industrial design signals Microsoft positioning Series X as living-room hardware that no longer reads as a separate computing category.

Second-order effects

The leaked plan for a cheaper, less powerful companion console points to a two-tier launch lineup, letting Microsoft defend a lower price point without diluting the Series X spec story.
Naming the platform 'Series' rather than a one-off number sets up a durable brand under which future boxes — like the eventual Project Helix successor — can be slotted.

Third-order effects

If the pattern holds, the console business moves toward segmented, PC-adjacent hardware families with shared game libraries across Xbox and PC, rather than single monolithic generational leaps.
A 'Series' brand also lowers the stakes of mid-cycle hardware refreshes, normalizing multiple price-and-power tiers within one generation.

The trend: Consoles are converging with PCs into tiered, brand-continuous hardware families, trading the clean generational leap for a portfolio of price and power points.

Discussion

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@evanfilarca Evan Filarca on x
“Stands vertically or lies flat” The power of next-gen y'all... 👏😂 https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Microsoft is finally putting a PC in your living room. GPU, CPU, and SSD jumps all require more space and the Xbox Series X now looks (hello Corsair One) and runs more like a miniature PC 👇 https://twitter.com/...
@viticci Federico Viticci on x
I don't like the name. But the tower design is growing on me in its own weirdness, I love the approach to backward compatibility, and performance sounds wild. https://twitter.com/...
@jetscott Scott Stein on x
My thought this morning exactly. I've started to realize how much it resembles a square original Echo https://twitter.com/...
@agentbizzle Brian Altano on x
I love the design/specs of the new Xbox Series X. Not wild about the name (it will grow on me like every weird console name has) but I'm confident that Microsoft is gonna do great things next generation. Definitely getting one on day one (along with a PlayStation 5, of course!) h…
@crecenteb @crecenteb on x
All consoles are basically PCs. The change here is that the new design seems to be echoing cloud hardware (Alexa etc...) and not outdated media players (DVD, VHS etc) https://twitter.com/...
@klobrille @klobrille on x
The name Series X also indicates that there might be other series of next-gen Xbox consoles in the future. Phil: “Obviously, in the name ‘Series X’, it gives us freedom to do other things with that name so that we can create descriptors when we need to.” https://www.gamespot.com/…
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
the worst thing about Xbox Series X is the name. Microsoft's marketing department is obsessed with using X right now: • Surface Pro X • Surface Hub 2X • Windows 10X • Xbox Series X do they all own an iPhone X or something? 🥴
@tamoorh Tamoor Hussain on x
If you want more info on Xbox Series X @GameSpot has the exclusive info and interview. Check it out https://www.gamespot.com/...
@nuttybluerice @nuttybluerice on x
How the hell am I supposed to fit that thing under my TV?! https://twitter.com/...
@jeffrubenstein Jeff Rubenstein on x
Want to know more about Xbox Series X? We have a thing: https://news.xbox.com/...
@cyberbeaner @cyberbeaner on x
whoever took the box in the name XBOX too literal needs to be fired. this taking up more mass idea ain't it. https://twitter.com/...
@duckomcfli HeyMcfli on x
So the new Xbox is just a cpu? I'm so confused 🤔🤔 https://twitter.com/...
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
I for one am glad that we finally have an official x console in this Xbox line instead of all those other yboxes Microsoft keeps trying to sell! https://twitter.com/...

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