A report from Gaming Bolt points to several Microsoft job listings related to the Xbox division. These listings appear on the company’s official job board and include Senior Mechanical Engineer and Senior Electrical Engineer. Of course, a senior engineer is a broad title and does not necessarily mean these jobs are for Project Scarlett. However, the listing does make reference to future Xbox consoles. “The successful candidate will be the primary technical focal point for existing and leading-edge storage technologies on currently shipping and future Xbox design projects The Xbox Accessories Team is looking for a highly motivated and seasoned Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the mechanical system development of our next generation accessories.” It is worth remembering that the Xbox One X only launched a year ago. With that in mind, Microsoft has played down reports of a new console. The company is clearly mindful of angering gamers who paid for a new device just recently.
Easing Expectations
However, at E3 2018, the Xbox team did say a new Xbox was a couple of years away. That would tally with a 2020 release. Microsoft may be eager to launch before the PS5 to get a market headstart on Sony. It is well documented that the PS4 has vastly outsold the Xbox One this generation. There are also reports Microsoft will launch a specific variant of the Xbox One in 2019. This time, the console will reportedly come without a disc drive for gamers who have moved entirely to digital content.