A Twitter user has discovered references to Xbox Series S codenamed Lockhart in the latest patch notes for Microsoft’s Game Development Kit.
In the June patch notes uncovered by Twitter user TitleOS, we can see one reference to LockhartProfiling beside AnacondaProfiling for Xbox Scarlett Dev Kits and a second reference that has a glaring typo ('Lockhard' [sic]).
The language in the update has been verified as accurate by Windows Central.
More proof of Lockhart, this time from the XDK/GDK release notes for June 2020. pic.twitter.com/hulDoC9owvJune 24, 2020
Without the complete context here, AnacondaProfiling appears to be referring to the hardware configuration of the Xbox Series X, and leads us to assume that the LockhartProfiling must be the lower-cost Xbox Series S we’ve heard rumors about for the last year.
The screen captures don’t tell us much outside of the console’s possible existence, unfortunately, besides the fact that the Xbox Series S might have memory issues, and it’s worth keeping in mind that the patch notes – while highly plausible – don’t carry the same weight as an official announcement.
We’ll of course reach out to Microsoft for clarification and confirmation around the patch notes, and we’ll update this story if/when we hear back from them.
What’s the story behind the Xbox Series S?
For years, we’ve heard rumors about a next-gen console that wouldn’t have a disc tray. It’s an idea that’s been around almost as long as the current generation of consoles have and became even more tangible once Microsoft released the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.
Since then, the idea and rumors around Xbox Series S, codenamed Lockhart, have been spilling out.
On so many levels, a disc-less next-gen Xbox system makes sense – Microsoft could sell games directly through its Xbox Marketplace storefront while giving gamers a big discount on the hardware.
Apparently Microsoft wasn’t the only one with the idea in mind, however. Sony recently announced the PS5 Digital Edition that takes the exact same concept and applies it to its next-gen consoles with the distinct difference that the PS5 and PS5 Digital Edition share all the same hardware except the disc drive.
But, if Xbox Series S exists and it matches the reports and rumors we’ve seen so far, Microsoft’s two consoles will be very different in terms of power – leading to a massive differential in price and performance between the two units.
For now, however, all we have are the rumors but we’re hoping that might change at Microsoft’s Xbox Series X first-party showcase event that’s scheduled for next month.
- What can you play on Microsoft's next-gen system(s)? Here are all the Xbox Series X games we know about so far
