AMD confirms that they power Xbox Project Scarlett

AMD confirms that they power Xbox Project Scarlett

AMD confirms that they power Xbox Project Scarlett

Microsoft’s Next-Generation Xbox platform is codenamed Project Scarlett, and AMD has confirmed that they are powering the unit with Zen 2 processing cores and a Navi-based RDNA graphics processors. 

This announcement comes as part of AMD’s long-running partnership with Microsoft, which stems from the Xbox 360, which utilises custom ATI graphics, the Xbox One, which uses a custom AMD APU, the Xbox One S, which implements HDR capabilities into the platform and the Xbox One X, today’s most powerful console.  

With Scarlett, AMD and Microsoft aim to deliver a next-generation gaming experience, with AMD confirming that the console’s Navi GPU is “based on [their] next-generation Radeon RDNA gaming architecture” and includes “hardware-accelerated raytracing”. At this time it remains to be seen whether or not AMD’s desktop-grade Navi graphics cards will feature support for hardware accelerated Ray Tracing, though the feature seems incredibly likely.  

AMD has also worked with Microsoft to deliver four generations of compatibility, with Scarlett offering support for all Xbox One titles and every game that Xbox One supports for Xbox and Xbox 360 in backwards compatibility mode. In basic terms, Scarlett will be more backwards compatible than any previous Xbox console, with the extra power that’s offered by the console being set to offer players reduced load times and more stable performance. 

Below is a comment from Microsoft’s Xbox Division;


Project Scarlett will set a new bar for console power, speed and performance, arriving Holiday 2020 alongside Halo Infinite. Powered by a custom-designed processor, leveraging the latest Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA architecture from our partners at AMD, Project Scarlett will deliver a new level of immersion. Paired with high bandwidth GDDR6 memory, and a next generation solid state drive (SSD), Project Scarlett will provide developers the power they require to bring their creative visions to life. Featuring hardware accelerated raytracing, variable refresh rate, 8K capability and ultra-low latency input, Project Scarlett will deliver a new level of fidelity, precision and accuracy never before seen in console gaming.

 
 
AMD has stated that they will reveal more about their gaming technologies at their AMD Next Horizon event, which will take place later today (June 10th) at 3 PM Pacific Time. 

More information about Xbox Project Scarlett is available here. 

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