Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, has taken one of the first units of Microsoft's upcoming Project Scarlett console home, according to a tweet shared Thursday. Spencer's tweet hints that the new Xbox is ready to be used as a daily driver for gaming, and congratulates the development team at the company for their efforts.
Microsoft first announced Project Scarlett earlier this year at its E3 press conference, teasing the console in a similar fashion to how the Xbox One X was originally announced as Project Scorpio in 2016. A final name for the new machine and pricing details have yet to be confirmed, but Microsoft is already getting the hype train rolling in an effort to start fresh with the next generation.
The next Xbox is set to arrive in about a year, with a holiday 2020 release window, but Microsoft isn't wasting time in getting its next console ready for the masses, if Spencer's tweet is any indication.
The Xbox executive's reminder that the Xbox One Elite Series 2 controller works with the next Xbox lines up with Microsoft's goal of making the transition easy for existing fans. The existing family of Xbox One gamepads is set to be supported on Scarlett, meaning couch multiplayer-minded fans or those who already own one of the luxurious Elite controllers won't have to shell out again if they choose to upgrade.
Scarlett will include backwards compatibility with the existing Xbox One library at launch, and subscribers to the console version of Xbox Game Pass will be able to carry their benefits over. The existing Xbox Play Anywhere initiative is also set to return, letting fans play with cross-platform progress, multiplayer and purchases between Project Scarlett, Windows 10 and the Xbox One for supported titles.
Microsoft's plans for the next generation may also include multiple Xbox consoles at different price points, which could arrive on store shelves in 2020 in a similar fashion to the existing Xbox One S and Xbox One X consoles, which offer distinct levels of processing and graphical power for players' needs.
Xbox fans on the hunt for virtual reality games will have to look elsewhere, though. Spencer has already confirmed that there are no plans for Scarlett to support VR headsets, due to a lack of consumer interest and Microsoft's understanding that fans already have other options for the technology if they want to seek it out themselves. With the Xbox One still reeling from a hard launch that bet on the Kinect and drew fans toward the PS4, it's no surprise that Microsoft's strategy for the newest Xbox is keeping things simple.