Project Scorpio is Microsoft’s “true 4K,” VR-ready upgrade to the original Xbox One, with the company already boasting that it’ll be the most powerful console we’ve ever seen. With the manufacturer only having released a sliver of information pertaining to the system at E3 2016, we’re therefore very excited to see more of it and find out exactly how next-gen this iterative upgrade will be.
While Microsoft has mostly kept quiet in regards to what it has up its sleeve for Project Scorpio, various reports, developer comments and other such information has painted a broader picture of what we should expect come its launch. Though there’s plenty of speculation surrounding the console, I’ve filtered through the less established rumors in order to provide a concise rundown of what Microsoft has planned. Here’s all the substantive Project Scorpio information that we’ve received thus far:
Price
Microsoft hasn’t given the Project Scorpio an official price tag yet, though it’ll certainly be valued higher than the Xbox One and Xbox One S. With it being the first “true” 4K console (i.e. it’ll support more games at a native 4K resolution than the PS4 Pro) it’ll likely set buyers back a pretty penny, though it’s imaginable that Microsoft would still want to keep its price reasonable if it wants to court more buyers to its Xbox One family. As such it’s speculated that its price point could run from $449 to $499, which would ensure that it wouldn’t look dramatically overpriced next to the new Nintendo Switch or Sony’s 4K console (which will likely receive a Holiday 2017 price cut).
Also: Why the Nintendo Switch Looks So Disappointing
However, Phil Spencer’s comments regarding the Scorpio suggest that its virtual reality capabilities could lead to a higher price point. Speaking to The Verge, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said that “having something at six teraflops that will get millions of people buying it is very attractive to some of the VR companies that are out there already,” adding: “We’ve architected it such that something will be able to plug right in and work.” Considering that the PlayStation VR requires its own processor in order to work on the PS4, this suggests that Project Scorpio will at least boast hardware similar to that of low-end VR-ready PCs, which run between $600 and $900. This would make it one of the most expensive consoles ever released, putting it out of the reach for many, but if its hardware really is capable of supporting VR right out of the box then it’s unlikely that it would be priced any cheaper.
Virtual reality
Will we see a modified version of the Oculus Rift released with the Scorpio?
Microsoft is keeping quiet about Project Scorpio’s VR capabilities, but there’s a solid reason to believe that the company is maintaining its partnership with Oculus in order to bring a version of the Rift to the console. While the current Oculus Rift could in no way run on a home console, it’s possible that the VR company is developing a separate headset for Microsoft and the Scorpio. The two companies already collaborated to bundle a wireless Xbox One controller with every shipment of the Rift, so it’s possible that this working relationship will be rekindled for the Scorpio.
Microsoft hasn’t stated exactly which VR headset manufacturer it’s working with, though, so it’s still possible that it has another company in mind. Unlike Sony and its PlayStation VR, it’s highly unlikely that Microsoft will be developing the Scorpio’s headset in-house, which will be a major selling point for those looking to invest in a proper console virtual reality experience. While the PS VR was impressive technology at its price point, it still fell short of the Rift and the Vive, and Microsoft certainly has a lot of room to one-up Sony in this department.
However, Microsoft’s removal of a reference to virtual reality on its website did lead many to speculate that it was scrapping its plans for a VR headset. In a statement to GameSpot Microsoft insisted that this was not the case, stating that it would be delivering “high-fidelity VR experiences.” Hopefully it will receive more support than the PS VR, which has few new games on the horizon following its underwhelming launch line-up.
Release Date
Project Scorpio is slated for a Holiday 2017 release. If it is to follow in the footsteps of the original Xbox One, then we can expect that the Scorpio will release in the latter half of November. The Xbox One was released on Tuesday, November 22, so it’s possible that the Scorpio will be launched on the same Tuesday in 2017, which would give it a November 21 launch date.
Specs
Forza Horizon 3 is a likely contender for a game that will be able to run at native 4K on the Scorpio.
Microsoft has yet to reveal the hardware packed inside Project Scorpio aside from its claim that it’ll be the “most powerful console ever.” However, Digital Foundry reportedly received a whitepaper sent to developers, which reveals key information regarding just how powerful the new system will be. According to DF, the Scorpio will be doing away with ESRAM — the high-bandwidth scratchpad unique to the original Xbox One — in favor of a GPU that boasts “significantly more bandwidth” than the previous hardware, though developers are still encouraged to develop games with ESRAM in mind in order to ensure compatibility with the old Xbox One hardware. A 6 teraflop GPU has also been confirmed, with it boasting 4.5 times the amount of compute power than the Xbox One as a result.
The whitepaper also suggests how developers may want to make best use of the Scorpio’s hardware, adding that devs may wish to use GPU resources on “higher fidelity shadows, reflections, texture filtering and lower draw distances” or “frame-rate upscaling – running graphics at 60Hz but the CPU at 30Hz and interpolating animation.” According to the doc, a 4.5x compute power boost would efficiently upscale games from 1080p to 4K, though with the average base resolution of Xbox One games being 900p, it remains to be seen whether or not developers will wish to spend the majority of the Scorpio’s resources on pixels.
The whitepaper indicates that the Scorpio won’t be able to render every game in 4K (a given considering the expensive hardware required to make 4K a possibility on desktops), but that it has been capable of easily rendering at least one 1080p Xbox One game in a UHD resolution. While this means that it will require developers to get extra juice out of the original Xbox One hardware in order to ensure parity between the vanilla console and its superior predecessor, it does suggest that we’ll be seeing more native 4K games on the Scorpio. Although this doesn’t exactly echo Microsoft’s claim that it will be a “true 4K” console, it should certainly be more impressive than the PS4 Pro.
A “next-gen” upgrade
Outside of the aforementioned document leak and Microsoft’s own comments, the biggest indication of Project Scorpio’s power we’ve received thus far is from Thomas Mahler, the CEO of Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios. Writing on NeoGAF, Mahler claimed that the Scorpio was a “next-gen upgrade,” unlike the “half-assed” PS4 Pro.
Mahler wrote: Scorpio is a next-gen machine with the added benefit that all your old games will still be compatible. From this point on, similar to PCs, you’ll not lose your library when you buy a next-gen system. I guess since NeoGAF is confsued [sic], Microsoft will need to do a little work to make it clear to everyone that Scorpio isn’t just a half-assed upgrade (which the PS4 Pro kinda is…), but a full blown next-gen machine that’s just backwards-compatible to your current library.”
For those who were underwhelmed by the PS4 Pro, Mahler’s comments suggest that the Scorpio is going to blow its rival out of the water and deliver a next-gen gaming experience with the backwards compatibility of an iterative upgrade. While this will mean that Scorpio owners will get their money’s worth, it does also raise questions of how the original Xbox One will fare in the wake of its release. Will developers be able to make their games cross-platform in a manner that will take full advantage of the Scorpio while still accommodating original Xbox One owners? Or will the Scorpio wind up negating its predecessor and leaving it in the dust? Only time will tell.
Take a look at the most anticipated games of 2017!
Most Anticipated Games of 2017
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20. Crackdown 3
Crackdown 3 looks to be the one of most technically impressive Xbox One games to date, with Microsoft having celebrated its ability to process real-time destruction via the cloud as an innovation that will make it stand out from the crowd. While this feature is limited to its online multiplayer component, and the underwhelming Crackdown 2 has left us a little concerned that this new entry in the series will suffer a similar fate, we're still very interested to see how new developer Reagent Games will attempt to lift this ailing franchise from out of the doldrums. The original Crackdown was one of the sleeper hits of its release year, and we hope that the third in the trilogy will share the same unexpected level of success in 2017.
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19. Absolver
We're seeing the term "Souls-inspired" frequently pop up in reference to action RPGs with a specific focus upon complex combat and high difficulty levels, but whereas many of these fall into Lords of the Fallen territory and wind up being woefully derivative, Absolver offers a pretty interesting take that manages to incorporate everything from a deep customization system that allows you to greatly vary your fighting styles, to card-based progression that shares similarities with tabletop games. Absolver looks like a pretty unique deviation from the From Software formula, and we're looking forward to seeing more of it.
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18. Days Gone
Zombie games are a dime a dozen, so SIE Bend Studio are under a lot of pressure to make Days Gone stand out from the crowd. The developer has most recently been responsible for the Uncharted PS Vita spin-off games, though previously brought us the Syphon Filter series, with this being the studio's next opportunity to thrust itself back into the spotlight. Its showcase at E3 2016, which closed out Sony's presentation in a major vote of confidence from its publisher, revealed the game's ability to withstand an alarmingly high number of the undead onscreen at once along with inventive ways of killing them, leading to comparisons with the Xbox exclusive series Dead Rising. We're not exactly frothing at the mouth in anticipation of playing another post-apocalyptic zombie game, but it definitely shows promise.
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17. For Honor
For Honor is Chivalry: Medieval Warfare but with a more competitive edge, tasking teams of up to four players with assuming the roles of knights, samurai or vikings and then beating the daylights out of one another online. We rarely see PvP hack-and-slash games, and early impressions have been positive, so we're optimistic that For Honor will be a fun online game with a unique flavor.
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16. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
South Park: The Stick of Truth was one of the very best video game adaptations, with it successfully walking the tightrope between offering satisfying fan service and an enjoyable game in its own right. Although it was a pretty simplistic turn-based RPG, it was carried along by the animated series' creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker's clear enthusiasm for the project, which looks to be continued with its sequel The Fractured But Whole. South Park's coming off the back of arguably its most popular run of episodes yet, and we can't wait to see what material they've got prepared for this sequel.
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15. Tekken 7
It's been nine years since the latest entry in the mainline Tekken series, so Tekken 7's release in 2017 will be a pretty big deal for the fighting game community. Having already been released in Japanese arcades in 2015, Tekken 7 was met with a positive reception and its console release can't come soon enough. Featuring improved graphics, a refined fighting system and expanded roster of combatants and locations, hopefully Tekken 7 will prove to be more successful than this year's Street Fighter V.
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14. Detroit: Become Human
Quantic Dream peaked with Heavy Rain, a flawed but enjoyable murder mystery that, despite its QTE-heavy gameplay, still placed the direction of its plot in players' hands. The studio has been keen to emphasize that this will also be the case in Detroit: Become Human, with it also allowing players to decide the fate of its selection of playable characters, and its story adapting to reflect these decisions. Director David Cage's cinematic aspirations were at their most untenable in Quantic Dream's last game, the dreadful Beyond: Two Souls, so hopefully Detroit will see the team rein in the self-importance and get back to making oddball sci-fi melodrama.
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13. Sea of Thieves
Rare's new team of developers have routinely struggled to live up to the studio's illustrious history, having mostly been put on Kinect duty by Microsoft over the past few years and struggling to create anything of note as a result. Sea of Thieves looks to turn the tide with a multiplayer swashbuckling game with both PvE and PvP elements, allowing players to form their own merry band of pirates while taking down other teams they come across in explosive nautical battles, forcing friends to walk the plank, hunting down buried treasure and all that fun stuff. Early impressions indicate that it's basically the video game equivalent of when we'd play pirates with our friends back when we were kids, and it's impossible to not get excited by that.
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12. Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite
Whereas Marvel vs. Capcom 3 released in a time period when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still finding its feet, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite has the benefit of existing in a world in which even the bit-part heroes of the comics threaten to become household names. Remember when people scratched their heads over Rocket Raccoon's inclusion in the game? Yeah, that won't be happening any more. Capcom's had a perilous year in 2016 thanks to the half-baked launch of Street Fighter V, so we hope that the developer really ups its games for this sequel in 2017.
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11. Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil has struggled with its identity ever since Leon Kennedy went hunting for the president's daughter, with Capcom routinely struggling with whether or not they wanted to make a survival-horror game or an all-out action game. After the panning RE6 received, the developer has gone back to the drawing board for Resident Evil 7, transitioning to a first-person perspective and taking a chapter out of modern horror games such as Amnesia and Outlast. Its post-E3 demo was suitably scary, as was the virtual reality experience Kitchen for the PlayStation VR. Hopefully it will distract us from the fact that Kojima's no longer making a Silent Hill game.
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10. Horizon: Zero Dawn
One of the most exciting PS4 exclusives on the, er, horizon, Killzone creator Guerrilla Games' Horizon: Zero Dawn has been one of the key talking points of Sony's past two E3 presentations. The game places players in the boots of Aloy, a fiery-haired heroine who must survive in a world dominated by destructive, mechanical beasts.
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9. Prey
Arkane Studios were responsible for one of the games of the year with Dishonored 2, and in 2017 they'll be making a swift return with their Prey reboot. Initially planned to be a direct sequel to the 2006 game of the same name, after falling into development hell it's now taken a new form as a completely different game that doesn't appear to share much in common with its predecessor. Described as more of a psychological game than a straight-up horror, we know very little about it right now other than it's set in an alternate universe in which John F. Kennedy wasn't assassinated, and humanity's space exploits had been more successful as a result.
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8. Ghost Recon Wildlands
Ghost Recon Wildlands will boast one of Ubisoft's largest open worlds yet, and when you consider just how huge your typical Ubisoft game world is, this won't be a small feat. Wildlands echoes Metal Gear Solid V by allowing players to complete missions in whichever way they see fit, only they're able to do so alongside three friends co-cooperatively. Ubisoft has released quite a few games in the past few years that have failed to live up to their high level of expectation, but while Ghost Recon isn't the publisher's most popular franchise, it is one of their most consistent. Hopefully this continues with Wildlands.
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7. Cuphead
Cuphead's one of the most original looking games we've seen in quite some time, with it using the style of classic 1930s cartoons as a backdrop for a series of fast-paced run and gun boss fights, soundtracked by toe-tapping big band music. Think of it as Steamboat Willie mixed with Contra and you're halfway there, with this coincidentally being one of the very best descriptions for a game imaginable. Hopefully it's as fun as its art style.
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6. Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts 3 has been a long time coming, with the series having only produced bizarrely titled spin-offs and remastered such as *deep breath* Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. We still don't know an awful lot about Kingdom Hearts 3 despite it having been announced quite a while back now, but despite this it's very difficult to not get unreasonably excited when considering that we'll soon (hopefully) get our hands on a sequel to one of the very best PS2-era games.
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5. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect 3 was one of the most unsatisfying game finales ever, but it's far enough removed from the unparalleled controversy it generated for BioWare to take another crack at the whip with a brand new story set within the same universe. Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in an open-world environment this time around, with players taking control of either Scott or Sara Ryder in a galaxy-spanning adventure that takes place 600 years after the events of the first game.
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4. Yooka-Laylee
We've been begging for a new Banjo-Kazooie game for years now, but with Rare no longer employing the folks behind the legendary platforming series they banded together in order to form their own studio, introducing Yooka-Laylee in the process. Fortunately Yooka-Laylee looks to provide exactly what we've been asking for, offering a vibrant world in which to explore and collect a multitude of shiny things while retaining the irreverent humor of its creators' previous work.
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3. Persona 5
Persona 5's Western release date has been pushed back into 2017, with the anticipation for Atlus' RPG reaching nigh-on excruciating levels. As Persona 4 Golden eventually became the only reason to turn on the PS Vita, we're hoping that its long-awaited sequel will live up to the series' pedigree, with it set to once again couple high school drama and relationships with adventures in an alternate dimension for its band of teen protagonists.
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2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It now feels like we've spent a significant portion of our lives waiting for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to release, but in 2017 we'll finally get our hands on it. Originally planned as a Wii U exclusive before also being developed for the upcoming Switch, Breath of the Wild is an open-world Zelda game with unprecedented scale for the series, teaming the old with the new in order to give it a modern update. This stands a good chance of being TLoZ's Super Mario Galaxy moment.
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1. Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2's debut teaser may have been a little underwhelming, but it hasn't sullied our excitement for what could well be Rockstar's best work yet. Despite Grand Theft Auto V's bank-rolling success, the first RDR (excluding Red Dead Revolver, because everyone else does) was the Scottish developer's greatest game to date, and we can't wait for them to return to the Old West setting with the power of current-gen consoles behind them. The game will even take a page out of GTAV's book by introducing RDR Online, meaning we can envisage ourselves being kept occupied by this sequel well into 2018.
