E3 2019

Next-gen Xbox coming in 2020 with 8K graphics, SSD, and ray-tracing

Codenamed Project Scarlett

Published

June 10, 2019

Daniel Morial

Image credit: Microsoft/Xbox

Microsoft just concluded its media briefing a day before the actual E3 convention. As expected, the company unveiled a number of upcoming titles that’ll come to the Xbox One and a new Elite wireless controller. Before they concluded the gathering, they also gave a glimpse of the much-awaited next-generation Xbox codenamed Project Scarlett.

The early details shared by Microsoft about its upcoming Xbox hardware got us pretty excited for the next-generation of consoles. Sony, the next big competitor, is working on its PS5 as well; however, the details have yet to be officially revealed.

Known internally as Project Scarlett, the future Xbox will be powered by a custom-designed chip based on AMD’s Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA architecture. It’s promised to be four times more powerful than the current Xbox One X. Furthermore, it’ll use fast GDDR6 memory to ultimately deliver the best performance possible.

Whatever the next Xbox will be called, it’ll have support for 8K gaming and that means you can finally take advantage of the uber-expensive televisions — if you own one. Microsoft said that it’ll be capable of playing in 120fps, which means the 120Hz refresh rate of high-end TVs will be used a lot. The ray-tracing capabilities of PCs will also come to the next-gen console.

Interestingly, the unveiling video mentioned the used of SSD as virtual RAM. This should boost performance by 40x over the current generation, according to Microsoft. We can expect games to load so fast that a loading screen will not be a common sight anymore. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t show the physical design of its upcoming console.

One of the first games that’ll make use of Project Scarlett’s power is Halo Infinite. The game will also come to Xbox One and PC, but the next-gen Xbox will be its ultimate showcase.

Microsoft is set to officially launch the final form of Project Scarlett in 2020.

Related Topics:Microsoft Project Scarlett Xbox

E3 2019

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is on its way

Following up the Switch’s best game

Published

June 12, 2019

Marvin Velasco

Leave it to Nintendo to make the announcements that are worthy of closing the pre-E3 keynotes.

During Nintendo’s keynote, the company announced that a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in the works. A trailer was provided but didn’t show anything in terms of gameplay.

Instead, we see main characters Link and Zelda exploring a cave, seemingly continuing where they left off from the first game, and finding a ghastly corpse that awakens.

You can watch it here:

Breath of the Wild is considered by many to be the best game on the Switch (along with Super Mario Odyssey), as well as the highest-rated entry in the long-running series, so any mention of a sequel is fantastic news.

Sadly, Nintendo didn’t provide a release date or any other details. All we know for sure is that this will be another Switch-exclusive.

E3 2019

Final Fantasy VIII is getting the remaster it deserves

It’s not a remake though

Published

June 11, 2019

Marvin Velasco

At long last, Final Fantasy VIII is releasing on newer consoles. It had been notably absent when Square Enix launched fellow FF-series games lately. Somehow, they got their shit together for this.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a remake like what we’re getting out of Final Fantasy VII for the PS4. Rather, this is only a remaster of the classic PlayStation title with the same gameplay mechanics and slightly improved graphics.

This is the official trailer:

“Coming 2019” is all we have for a release schedule. The good news is we’ll see it on the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Steam — no mobile version, however. Previously, a vanilla version of FFVIII arrived on PC in late 2013.

For context, the original game came out in 1999. It’s time for younger millennials to get a taste of emo protagonists from the 90s.

E3 2019

Ubisoft announces third Watch Dog installment, coming in 2020

Set in post-Brexit London

Published

June 11, 2019

Daniel Morial

Ubisoft has announced Watch Dogs Legion during its E3 2019 keynote in Los Angeles. It’s the third installment in the Watch Dogs series and has a release date of March 6, 2020. As earlier leaks suggested, the new Watch Dog game is set in a hyper-surveilled, post-Brexit London.

What’s new in Watch Dogs Legion‘s gameplay is the use of multiple characters with different skill sets. Instead of just a single protagonist throughout the game, gamers can finally take control of other characters of interest.

Characters include an MI5 agent, a tough bare-knuckle fighter, a brilliant hacker, an illegal street racer, a rising football star, and a geriatric grandma.

Each character has “a persistent schedule and backstory,” according to Ubisoft. Gamers can recruit them to the hacker group DedSec by convincing them to fight “criminals, a corrupt private military corporation, and an oppressive surveillance state amidst a collapsed government.”

Here’s the world premiere trailer:

As for the gameplay details, it’s explained in the video below:

The original Watch Dog was first released in 2014 as an open-world action-hacking title. It was an interesting game despite the so-so reception of critics. It still got its sequel in 2016 which was more well-received than the first one.