Xbox One Scorpio Spec Reveal Coming Thursday, How Big A Jump Will Gamers See?
Gamers will finally get details on Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox One Scorpio this Thursday. Eurogamer‘s Digital Foundry outlet announced via Twitter today that they will have the reveal of the new console this week.
Digital Foundry will unveil details on the Xbox Scorpio this Thursday at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Rumors have swirled since late last week that Microsoft was showing off the console to media outlets in preparation for a full reveal. It turns out it was just a single outlet, and it will be a welcome reveal focusing on the technical aspects and performance of the machine.
For those that don’t know, Digital Foundry is one of the premiere outlets when it comes to diving down into the technical details of gaming hardware. It frequently generates framerate and performance comparison articles and videos between the competing consoles and the PC platform. This portends a deep look into Xbox Scorpio details like the CPU, graphics processor, memory, and other performance metrics.
Those interested should not expect a reveal of any new games. However, the current speculation from sites like Windows Central is Microsoft did allow Digital Foundry to use upcoming titles for the outlet to perform its analysis. This includes first party titles like Forza Motorsport 7, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay 2, plus third-party games Red Dead Redemption 2, Star Wars Battlefront 2, FIFA 18, Madden NFL 18, and the rumored Call of Duty: WWII.
The heavy-hitting line-up of first and third-party games was said to be used to showcase Xbox Scorpio’s 4K resolution. All signs point to the console having the chops to pull it off too.
The Xbox Scorpio is rumored to have 6 teraflops of GPU performance, which puts it well ahead of the PS4 Pro’s 4.2 teraflops. Additional rumors claim Microsoft is dropping the Xbox One’s controversial ESRAM after upping the memory from 8GB of DDR3 on the current console to 12GB of DDR5 on the Scorpio.
The extra horsepower is meant to support 4K gaming and virtual reality gaming, although to what extent and at what cost has yet to be revealed. Microsoft has not announced its virtual reality plans yet, beyond partnership deals with the Oculus Rift.
One point of interest to keep an eye out on when the Xbox Scorpio is revealed is the CPU. The Xbox One currently uses a custom AMD processor based on the AMD Jaguar architecture. However, AMD just released its suite of Ryzen CPUs based on the new Zen architecture. Obviously, a newer architecture means potentially more power, but also a greater expense. It will be enlightening to see what direction Microsoft goes in.
Xbox Head Phil Spencer has made sure to call the Xbox Scorpio a “premium console.” This is intended to draw a clear line between the core gamer who cares about features like 4K resolution and HDR lighting, plus has the money to buy these more expensive televisions and monitors. The Xbox One S will be the console targeted towards the general market.
Regardless, the Xbox Scorpio will be forward compatible. This means all games, except for VR titles, will play across both the Xbox One and the new Xbox Scorpio.
Spencer has teased a pre-E3 reveal for Xbox Scorpio, which was seen as a Microsoft event to showcase the console. The decision to go with Digital Foundry for the reveal is an intriguing one and points to the company treating the console as a gaming enthusiast piece of hardware. That’s far different from TV-centric initial reveal of the Xbox One and speaks towards the shift in direction the Xbox division has taken under the executive’s direction.
[Featured Image by Xbox / Microsoft]
