Microsoft has been drip-feeding information about its next-gen console, Xbox Series X, ever since it was first revealed at The Game Awards 2019--we've heard details about how Xbox Series X will handle backwards compatibility, for example, as well as what the console's specs will be. Looking a lot like a PC tower, the Xbox Series X is a console powerhouse able to pull off variable-rate shading and ray-tracing, a quick resume function, and a brand-new "smart delivery" feature. Its controller is similar in design to the one for Xbox One, though it's fairly different from PlayStation 5's DualSense. Most recently, we may have gotten a tease of the Xbox Series X boot screen and sound, as part of Microsoft's announcement for a first-look Xbox Series X gameplay event taking place on May 7. We also got confirmation that the console will make use of the same Unreal 5 technology possible on PS5, meaning there should be little issue for the same games to run on both.

Below, we compile everything there is to know about Xbox Series X--from its announcement as Project Scarlett to today. So if you're looking for a more comprehensive overview, including information on storage and playing your current Xbox One games, keep reading. We'll update this article as more details are shared; critical details like an exact release date, price, and whether there will be more than one model of the system in 2020 are among the many topics we're still waiting for Microsoft to nail down. When July rolls around, we'll hear more about other first-party games planned for launch on the system, including the next Halo game.

Name

Once known as Project Scarlett, the official name for Microsoft's next-gen console is Xbox Series X. Spencer explains that the name allows a certain flexibility when it comes to additional model names in the future, lending credence to the rumors that Microsoft actually has two next-gen consoles in development--Xbox Series X and a cheaper, possibly all-digital version codenamed Project Lockhart.