The next generation console hype has jumped right into the new year with the same intensity, if not more. At CES, Sony showed off its PlayStation 5 logo and a bunch of other details about the upcoming console. Although Xbox did not exactly have much of a presence at CES, Microsoft did not forego the chance to counter Sony with its own bit of marketing genius.
While Sony was showing off its console logo and direction, Microsoft continued to sneak in little bits of information through social media. However, even before that, Xbox Series X rumours stole the show thanks to AMD showing off a render of the upcoming console. In the render, the back side of the console was shown with all of the ports available for use.
These included double HDMI ports hinting at the return of the HDMI-in pass through port. However, Microsoft and AMD later clarified that the render was not an actual representation of the console and was just there as a placeholder for AMD’s press conference.
What isn’t a secret, however, is the fact that both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will be powered by the latest AMD hardware. And, we just got a sneak peak of what it looks like.
Xbox boss shows off Series X processor
After Sony’s press conference, Xbox Boss Phil Spencer very subtly changed his profile picture on Twitter. It only took a few minutes before everyone following him noticed the change and after that, it spread like wildfire. In the photo, an APU can be seen with some Xbox branding on it. Here’s what it looks like:
While it is quite similar to the previous APU on the Xbox One X on first look, the differences are quite substantial once you look closely. However, the biggest one is arguably the Project Scarlett branding, which hasn’t been converted to Series X. It is cool to see that Microsoft is sticking to the project name rather than rebranding the APU.
Furthermore, next to the Project Scarlett engraving, you can also see the word 8K written at the side. The previous Xbox One X APU had the word 4K written on it in order to signify its power to deliver 4K gaming. However, the 8K branding here does not necessarily mean that the Xbox Series X will play games at 8K; it just means that the console is capable of 8K gaming.
After the profile picture change, the Director of Hardware at Xbox also tweeted a picture of 7 Xbox Series X APUs in a tray with an empty slot and directed it at Phil Spencer saying that he was wondering where the 8th APU went.
According to side-by-side comparisons with the Xbox One X, the Series X APU is estimated to be almost 13% bigger in size. Furthermore, considering the fact that the new Series X APU is based on the AMD 7nm Zen 2 processors, the thing will be an absolute powerhouse or, as the Xbox Cloud Architect Kareem Choudhry says, “it will eat monsters for breakfast”.
Sony still has the marketing lead despite Xbox hype
Despite Microsoft’s efforts to suppress Sony, the Japanese company just has a much wider appeal worldwide. Even though Sony didn’t announce many new details about the PlayStation 5, just the logo reveal took the internet by storm. On Instagram alone, the PS5 logo managed to get more than twice as many likes as the Xbox reveal.
However, what that means in terms of eventual console sales is a debate for another time. Microsoft has pretty good footing in the North American market but if it truly wants to compete against Sony, it needs to focus on other territories as well. Getting Xbox live services in regions like South America and Asia is still a pain and hopefully, Microsoft can work on that starting from the next generation.
Who do you think is doing better in terms of marketing for next gen consoles at this stage? Let us know down in the comments below!