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While we are on the alert with the arrival of the new generation of console worn by the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 , we almost forget that Microsoft still has in its boxes a certain 'Project Xbox Lockhart' that we suppose to be the Xbox Series S that we've been talking about for a long time.
As a reminder, the new generation made in Xbox called Project Scarlett, included the Anaconda project which became the Xbox Series X but also the “Lockhart” project which we imagine to be an entry level machine offered at a reduced price. Some even think that it could be devoid of a physical reader and thus be entirely dedicated to dematerialized games.
Always very discreet or even non-existent in Microsoft's communication, the one we are even starting to call the Xbox Series S, still leaves some traces of its existence here and there as evidenced by its recent last appearance.
"I don't believe the Microsoft Xbox Lockhart project exists"
In an article entitled "I Do Not Believe Microsoft’s Xbox Lockhart Exists" recently published on the Forbes site , Paul Tassi, notable contributor, evokes this famous Xbox Lockhart project and wonders what place it could have in the Xbox landscape. Indeed, we already know that Microsoft wants to shake up the codes of the new generation by supporting for some time the current generation carried by the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X and also the Smart Delivery service.
In this article, he discusses the fact that launching a less powerful product after the launch of the Xbox Series X is something quite unimaginable as the public is not used to this marketing model. Releasing a “less good” product, from the same range, after the Xbox Series X is indeed quite unusual in the console world. He also doesn't imagine the Lockhart project coming out at the same time as the Xbox Series X; the confusion which could reign in the consumer when changing machines with no less than 5 Xbox consoles available in store stalls seems indeed quite daring.
The only idea which seems to him to be the most viable, is that where the Lockhart project would not be a new machine strictly speaking but rather a console coming to replace the different versions of Xbox One. We would thus have the Xbox Series X which would offer the best next-gen experience possible, and the Lockhart project as an “update” of the current generation. Offering superior performance to an Xbox One X and facilitating development work due to its updated architecture, the Lockhart project could thus be offered at a lower price than the Xbox Series X and overshadow the Xbox One, S and X .
The Xbox Lockhart project nevertheless seems to be a reality
Following the publication of this article, many insiders have stepped up to provide more details on the subject. Among them, Jez Corden of Windows Central recalled that the Lockhart project was already present in the Xbox One OS, statements supported on Twitter by a certain @ XB1_HexDecimal who published screenshots mentioning the Durango projects (Xbox One), Scorpio (Xbox One X), Annaconda (Xbox Series X) and finally Lockhart.
What place for the Lockhart project?
It seems quite difficult to know the place that a hypothetical Xbox Series S could occupy. If it seems unlikely that it will come out at the same time as the Xbox Series X for the reasons mentioned above, for our part we think that the generation arriving is unlike any other and you have to consider all possible strategies.
Releasing the Xbox Lockhart project to replace the current generation is an attractive idea which seems the most logical anyway given the current situation. We imagine that the production of Xbox One, S and X will not last forever and that having only these two machines on sale would display a much clearer strategy in the eyes of consumers.
As a reminder, the new generation made in Xbox called Project Scarlett, included the Anaconda project which became the Xbox Series X but also the “Lockhart” project which we imagine to be an entry level machine offered at a reduced price. Some even think that it could be devoid of a physical reader and thus be entirely dedicated to dematerialized games.
Always very discreet or even non-existent in Microsoft's communication, the one we are even starting to call the Xbox Series S, still leaves some traces of its existence here and there as evidenced by its recent last appearance.
"I don't believe the Microsoft Xbox Lockhart project exists"
In an article entitled "I Do Not Believe Microsoft’s Xbox Lockhart Exists" recently published on the Forbes site , Paul Tassi, notable contributor, evokes this famous Xbox Lockhart project and wonders what place it could have in the Xbox landscape. Indeed, we already know that Microsoft wants to shake up the codes of the new generation by supporting for some time the current generation carried by the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X and also the Smart Delivery service.
In this article, he discusses the fact that launching a less powerful product after the launch of the Xbox Series X is something quite unimaginable as the public is not used to this marketing model. Releasing a “less good” product, from the same range, after the Xbox Series X is indeed quite unusual in the console world. He also doesn't imagine the Lockhart project coming out at the same time as the Xbox Series X; the confusion which could reign in the consumer when changing machines with no less than 5 Xbox consoles available in store stalls seems indeed quite daring.
The only idea which seems to him to be the most viable, is that where the Lockhart project would not be a new machine strictly speaking but rather a console coming to replace the different versions of Xbox One. We would thus have the Xbox Series X which would offer the best next-gen experience possible, and the Lockhart project as an “update” of the current generation. Offering superior performance to an Xbox One X and facilitating development work due to its updated architecture, the Lockhart project could thus be offered at a lower price than the Xbox Series X and overshadow the Xbox One, S and X .
The Xbox Lockhart project nevertheless seems to be a reality
Following the publication of this article, many insiders have stepped up to provide more details on the subject. Among them, Jez Corden of Windows Central recalled that the Lockhart project was already present in the Xbox One OS, statements supported on Twitter by a certain @ XB1_HexDecimal who published screenshots mentioning the Durango projects (Xbox One), Scorpio (Xbox One X), Annaconda (Xbox Series X) and finally Lockhart.
What place for the Lockhart project?
It seems quite difficult to know the place that a hypothetical Xbox Series S could occupy. If it seems unlikely that it will come out at the same time as the Xbox Series X for the reasons mentioned above, for our part we think that the generation arriving is unlike any other and you have to consider all possible strategies.
Releasing the Xbox Lockhart project to replace the current generation is an attractive idea which seems the most logical anyway given the current situation. We imagine that the production of Xbox One, S and X will not last forever and that having only these two machines on sale would display a much clearer strategy in the eyes of consumers.
