Xbox Series X Processor Picture Hints at 8K Features

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has tweeted out a picture of the Xbox Series X processor that has everyone talking. 

Actually, Spencer did more than just tweet out a picture of the processor. He’s gone so far as to make the photo of that processor his Twitter profile image. It’s a somewhat strange move that Spencer made with little fanfare, but little about this season of next-gen console reveals has been “traditional.”

In any case, there are two things about this photo that are catching everyone’s attention. First off, it seems that the words “Project Scarlett” are engraved directly onto the chip. Microsoft has used the “Project Scarlett” and “Xbox Series X” phrases in the past when referring to their next-gen plans, but a recent clarification seemed to indicate that Series X is the name of their flagship next-gen Xbox console. 

Xbox chief Phil Spencer has revealed the Xbox Series X processor. It's marked with "8K" and Project Scarlett pic.twitter.com/dvWfMRl7qB

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) January 6, 2020

Honestly, our best guess is that this chip was simply manufactured at a time when Microsoft and the Xbox team were still using the “Scorpio” project name. Yes, this is all annoyingly confusing, but unless you’re a desperate YouTuber trying to manufacture some next-gen speculation views, let’s not start formulating console conspiracy theories. 

However, we have to admit that we are utterly fascinated by the fact that 8K is also directly referenced on this chip. It’s been rumored that Microsoft is aiming for 8K support for the Xbox Series X, but this is certainly the most overt reference to that benchmark that we’ve seen from the Xbox team yet. Considering that consistent 4K gameplay at 60 FPS remains elusive in many cases, we’re interested to hear more about how Microsoft plans to push 8K gaming. 

We’re certainly probably approaching the point when Microsoft is going to have to start answering some of these questions, so here’s hoping we get answers to all of them very soon (perhaps as soon as E3 2020).

Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.