Yes – you read that right, but it’s the version that will be cloud-focused. You will recall Phil Spencer revealing the next Xbox consoles in development, back at E3 2018.

The same team that delivered unprecedented performance with Xbox One X is deep into architecting the next Xbox consoles

Succeeding reports revealed that the second Xbox is actually a cloud-focused console with significantly weaker hardware specs. Microsoft is expected to sell this SKU as a cheap alternative for those with the required internet connection to match. And considering Microsoft’s announced of Project xCloud, their ambitions do seem to fall in line with rumors.

According Wcctech‘s sources, this SKU will be powered by AMD’s Picasso APU. The APU is based on the Zen 2 architecture and feature low-powered cores paired with Vega GPU, and aimed for mobility devices. Because much of the computational work will be handled by the server, hardware requirements match what Picasso will be capable of.

Microsoft will overcome the latency issue through Deep Learning. The neural network would overtime learn and predict player input, thus, minimizing latency.

It’s expected that AMD will once again supply the tech for the next generation of Xbox and PlayStation. In that view, Picasso or even a Raven Ridge APU is a perfect fit for a cloud-focused, low-powered console. The code-name for next Xbox’s development kit is reportedly “Anaconda”. Though, it’s mostly definitely for the non-Cloud-focused SKU.

Author: Jawwad Iqbal

Having written on tech for years now, Jawwad Iqbal took his passion for sharing news and opinions with the inception of Hardware Blitz. He holds a firm view that quality content drives long-term success.