Don’t expect Project Scarlett to make the same mistakes as its predecessor. In an interview with The Verge, Xbox chief Phil Spencer promised that Microsoft’s next-generation console would match the PlayStation 5 in both pricing and performance. When the Xbox One launched in 2013, it was weaker than the PS4 despite being costlier, which didn’t do the system or brand any favors.
“I would say a learning from the Xbox One generation is we will not be out of position on power or price,” says Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox and gaming chief, in an interview with The Verge. “If you remember the beginning of this generation we were a hundred dollars more expensive and yes, we were less powerful. And we started Project Scarlett with this leadership team in place with a goal of having market success.”