Just Now! Microsoft Shifts Xbox Focus to Anaconda for its Next-Gen Console

Last year at E3, Phil Spencer at the end of the Microsoft keynote, said that the company was working on a new console for the next generation of gaming. On E3 in 2019, discussions on Phil's stage point to one device and now the way forward is a little clearer.

In an interview with Business Insider, Phil stated that the company focused on one console even though last year he said the console. He joked that technically Microsoft had indeed launched a new console last year and Scarlett made two, but whoever watched the program and the following interview knew that he was referring to some of the next generation consoles.

Furthermore, evidence and insiders at the company admit that there are two devices on the roadmap for the Xbox; Lockhart and Anaconda. Although the company has released a new console and has other plans, I strongly believe that at E3 2018, Phil referred to the next two consoles on the stage.

All this said, Microsoft's current plan for the next generation of Xbox is to focus on Scarlett and all mention of Lockhart, which was previously documented in several places, has now been scrubbed clean. The big question is what drives change in strategy?

Speaking with various people inside and outside Microsoft, here are my best conclusions as to why the device was removed from the road map.

First, developers have a harder time than expected to make the next generation of games that span two systems with various specifications. As you would expect, developers are more focused on creating games that will run well on lower-class devices first and then increase them to higher Anaconda.

Remember, it's easier to increase it than to reduce it. Therefore, the latest generation of Xbox games will be in visual performance and loss which is not what Microsoft wants to see when it starts dealing directly with the next generation PlayStation.

I'm not the only one who heard this, Digital Foundry, talking to people at E3, have heard this too.

But that might not be the only reason. The purpose of Lockhart is to make it easier to join the Xbox family with consoles whose prices are much lower than the larger brothers, Anaconda. With the progress made on xCloud and its ability to deliver high-latency and low-quality gaming to any device, Lockhart began to become more constraints for Microsoft.

Although Microsoft currently has many consoles available with One S, X, and All-Digital-Edition, downsizing the next generation will make it easier for companies to focus on one device. And considering lower margins on hardware and Microsoft really only wants to sell games, whatever the platform, selling one flagship and pushing xCloud for another makes sense.