Xbox Project Scarlett will "see a big upgrade in CPU," says Xbox's Aaron Greenberg

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Greenberg reckons next-gen consoles will invest more into CPU than GPU

(Image credit: Microsoft Xbox)

Speaking with OXM at Gamescom 2019, Xbox general manager Aaron Greeberg said the next generation of consoles, especially Xbox Series X, will likely see greater CPU gains as opposed to the GPU boosts of the previous generation. 

"We feel good about what we've done with the Xbox One X, and the same team that built that is also building Project Scarlett," Greenberg told OXM. "What we're seeing today is a huge upgrade in GPU - you can output in 4K, a lot of other benefits, memory structure and so on. For next-gen, I think you'll see a big upgrade in CPU because we want to make sure you don't have any compromises with frame rate. Yes we can do 4K, but we can also do frame rates up to 120. I think that type of capability will be something people don't see today. And then the high-speed instant gaming using solid state drives to enable instant resume, getting into games and being able to play by removing load times and load screens that exist today. That's going to be a huge change."

Greenberg's comments line up with the Xbox Series X launch date reveal at E3, the trailer for which essentially declared war on loading screens. Scarlett will undoubtedly deliver noticeable graphical improvement - if only by stacking supersampling and smoother frame rates onto current games - but the thrust of the console's marketing has focused more on technical and quality of life changes. 

You'll get to read the full interview with Greenberg in the next issue of OXM. Find out where to buy OXM near you with this store finder. Don't fancy walking to the shops? Get OXM delivered directly to your door every month, with some great savings on an OXM print subscription.

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.