E3 2019 is just around the corner, and gamers haven’t been expecting any news about the PS5 or Xbox Two. However, a keynote speech that’s been added to the schedule suggests there could be some news about Sony’s and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles at E3 after all—even though both companies said they wouldn’t be revealing anything there.
AMD keynote added to E3 2019 schedule
Chip manufacturer AMD announced this week that it’s planning a keynote focused on gaming at E3 2019. The title of the keynote is “Next Horizon Gaming.” The keynote will be held on June 10 at 3 p.m. Pacific at the conference venue and online via a live webcast at the same time. The webcast will be streamed on AMD’s YouTube channel and Facebook Page.
AMD President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su will be sharing more information about “upcoming products and innovations that will shape the future of gaming,” the announcement states. The description of the keynote also indicates that it won’t just be about innovations we would expect in the PS5 and Xbox Two. The chip maker also plans to talk about PC and cloud gaming technology as well. Top game developers are also expected to participate and offer “exclusive looks at some of the most anticipated new titles of the year.”
Here’s why PS5 and Xbox Two details are expected
We did hear last month that AMD beat NVIDIA in the race to provide chips for Sony’s PS5, so there seems to be a good chance that the company’s keynote at E3 2019 will have at least something to offer to excited console gamers. The chip maker also revealed that it’s working with Microsoft on its next console, presumably the Xbox Two.
Inverse suggests that the “secret sauce,” as AMD called it, probably is a reference to the new GPU architecture the company is working, which is called “Navi.” The company expects the chips to be ready in the second half of this year, and we expect customized versions of them in the PS5 and probably Xbox Two.
Sony hasn’t been entirely tight-lipped about what it’s planning for the PS5. System architect Mark Cerny has said AMD will be making custom GPUs and CPUs for the console. He also said the next-gen console will offer ray tracing to make games look even more real than they do on current-gen consoles. We’ve been hearing more and more about this recently.
Microsoft hasn’t revealed as many details about the Xbox Two, although there have been plenty of rumors. One version of the console could be even more powerful than the PS5, although we’ve also heard murmurs that there could be a second, less expensive version designed for the company’s future xCloud gaming service. Microsoft is planning to attend E3 2019, although Sony is not. However, Microsoft has said it won’t have any major gaming announcements even though it will be present.
