Microsoft has previously assured gamers that the Red Ring of Death issue will not reoccur in the Xbox One, but they may be taking extra precaution to fulfill their promise, according to a report.
STFUAndPlay, who previously leaked Evolution Studios was working on a next-gen racer for launch, claims two anonymous sources from Microsoft stated the Xbox One GPU will be under-clocked between 100 – 200mhz. The issue at hand is the new APU, which contains both the CPU and GPU on one dye, is generating more heat than anticipated. Instead of scrapping units already produced, Microsoft has reportedly opted for a GPU under-clock in order to get the system temperature to suitable levels that won’t result in hardware failure. Reportedly, the hope from Microsoft is that this will help remedy low yields in production so that there won’t be any shortage of consoles this fall. Because of the GPU under-clocks, developers may be forced to disable certain features such as AA and AF or lower the resolution in order to boost the frame rate.
Although this remains a rumor at the moment, a recent report about Gamestop’s Xbox One pre-orders may lend some credibility to it. According to internal e-mails, Gamestop has stopped taking in-store pre-orders for the Xbox One. These e-mails also state that each Gamestop location was allocated a mere 16 Xbox One units while the PS4 was allocated 60 units per store. Gamestop stores may resume taking pre-orders for the Xbox One in the future, but it appears they won’t be for quite some time, if ever again.
We have reached out to Microsoft for comment.
Thanks, Polygon and STFUAndPlay
Update: Vice President of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer has commented on the matter:
@Airgangstarr No yield problems.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 18, 2013
@JuanCabrera No downgrading of power, I’ve seen same rumor, not sure where that comes from. Feeling good about visuals at E3 from kits.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 18, 2013
Thanks to reader, xFistsClenchedx for bringing those tweets to our attention.