Supposed Xbox Scarlett devkit specifications leaked; outguns rumored PlayStation 5 power

There has been a lot of news about the PlayStation 5 lately, including rumors about the hardware specifications that seem somewhat astonishing in comparison to the previous generation. We already reported that a source familiar with the matter claimed the Xbox (most likely the high-end “Anaconda” variant) will be even more powerful than the PS5. If these alleged Xbox Scarlett devkit hardware specifications are genuine, then it seems Sony will have a real challenger to deal with for future console market share:

• Custom CPU based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture: 12 cores; 3.4 GHz clock
• Custom GPU also from AMD – “Arcturus”: L4 1 GB @ 1.3 TB/s; 14.366 teraflops of power (80 CUs)
• 28 GB GDDR6 RAM (4 GB for the OS) @ 672 GB/s
• 500 GB NVMe SSD @ 6 GB/s cache + 1 TB HDD
• Hardware-based real-time ray tracing
• The Xbox Scarlett “secret sauce”

The PS5 also reportedly has a “secret sauce”, which could be based on the customizations AMD and Sony are working on in regard to the processors, although it could also be the super-fast SSD the next-generation console's manufacturer has been showing off. As AMD is also working with Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios with components for the Xbox consoles (Anaconda, Lockhart) then there seems no reason why members of the Scarlett family can’t have their own “secret sauce”.

It’s possible Microsoft will reveal some corroborating or even conflicting details very soon, as the E3 Xbox briefing is still in progress at the time of writing. It’s more likely the next-generation Xbox console will be teased with few details – it’s unlikely there will be anything revealed as explicit as the supposed Xbox Scarlett devkit specifications listed above. But if this is what is eventually delivered (or better) by Microsoft then Sony will be looking more to third-party game developers to help shift PS5 units rather than just focusing on its console’s expected performance prowess alone.