View source for Xbox One Project Scorpio

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{{Device Infobox
|image={{#ev:youtube|6WnLvk3wIIk|350}}
|VR/AR=[[Virtual Reality]]
|Type=[[Console]]
|Subtype=
|Platform=[[Xbox One]]
|Creator=[[Microsoft]]
|Developer=[[Microsoft]]
|Manufacturer=[[Microsoft]]
|Operating System=
|Versions=
|Requires=[[Xbox One VR]]
|Predecessor=
|Successor=
|CPU=Eight cores, speculation: up-clocked Jaguar or equivalent 
|GPU=Speculation: 56/60 GCN compute units at 800-850MHz 
|HPU=
|Memory=Over 320GB/s bandwidth - speculation: 12GB of GDDR5 
|Storage=
|Display=
|Resolution=
|Pixel Density=
|Refresh Rate=
|Persistence=
|Precision=
|Field of View=
|Optics=
|Tracking=
|Rotational Tracking=
|Positional Tracking=
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|Tracking Volume=
|Latency=
|Audio=
|Camera=
|Sensors=
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|Connectivity=
|Power=
|Weight=
|Size=
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|Release Date=2017
|Price=$600.00 (estimate)
|Website=[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/project-scorpio/ Xbox One Project Scorpio]
}}

Project Scorpio is a new games console from Microsoft, in the Xbox One family. It was announced during the company’s 2016 E3 presentation by Phil Spencer – the head of Microsoft’s Xbox division <ref name=”1”> Passingham, Michael (2016). Xbox Scorpio: Release date, specs, performance – all the latest news. Retrieved from www.trustedreviews.com/news/xbox-scorpio-release-date-specs-news-rumours-4k-vr</ref>. Scorpio will have powerful hardware capable of delivering true 4K gaming, high-end virtual reality (VR) and HDR content <ref name=”2”> Stuart, Keith (2016). Scorpio rising: Microsoft’s plans for Xbox One and the future of video games. Retrieved from www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/11/scorpio-microsoft-xbox-one-s-future-video-games</ref>, in an attempt to keep up with the demands of gamers for those types of technologies. It also signifies a new transition in how Microsoft will market its games, having a family of three consoles: Xbox One, Xbox One S (a small mid-life refresh of the original Xbox One with HDR, 4K media capabilities, and 4K upscaled resolution for games), and Project Scorpio <ref name=”3”> Leong, Lewis (2016). Project Scorpio: everything we know about Microsoft’s 4K-ready Xbox. Retrieved from www.techradar.com/news/gaming/project-scorpio-release-date-news-and-features-everything-we-know-about-microsoft-s-4k-ready-xbox-1323455</ref>.

The Scorpio will not be, necessarily, a substitute for the other two consoles. Rather it will add to them, giving the players the choice of which version of a game they want to play, since the same game will be published in all platforms. The games will be developed to take advantage of the different capabilities of the consoles in the Xbox family. The difference in power of the Scorpio will naturally lead to a better version of games, something akin to what happens in the PC ecosystem now, in which high-end PC’s can run a game with their maximum specifications unlike a low-end one <ref name=”4”> Kohler, Chris (2016). Xbox chief Phil Spencer talks Project Scorpio, VR, and those magical 6 teraflops. Retrieved from www.wired.com/2016/06/xbox-vr-scorpio-phil-spencer</ref>. This compatibility of games for the Xbox console family has been highlighted, and according to Mike Ybarra, director of program management for Xbox, “Compatibility has always been the thing that makes console generations define themselves: when you leave one and got to the next, you give up your games, you usually give up the hardware or throw it in a closet – that’s what we want to remove. We’re focusing more on how do we deliver gaming in a boundless way to our players. We announced three platforms – today’s Xbox One, Xbox One S and Scorpio. We’re giving gamers the choice to say, ‘I want to invest in these particular games and this particular hardware, and I want those to work going forward, I don’t want to have to worry about giving that up <ref name=”2”></ref>.’”

This is a clear sign of change in the traditional console cycle, in which a console will be much closer to a PC in the future than its past iterations. In an interview for Wired, Phil Spencer commented that they are “trying to think beyond generations and say, how do you bring all the content that you purchased and love from this generation and move it forward with you?” This might mean that the new strategy will involve taking advantage of new technology by providing continuous, periodic updates, while maintaining a high-level of integration and connectivity to past games and consoles <ref name=”4”></ref> <ref name=”5”> Webster, Andrew (2016). Xbox: Start to continue. Retrieved from www.theverge.com/2016/6/13/11915624/microsoft-xbox-one-s-pc-cross-platform-future-phil-spencer-interview</ref>. Indeed, initiatives like the Xbox Play Anywhere – which brings Xbox One and Windows 10 closer together, allowing players to buy a game once and play it in both platforms – is already a step in the direction of seamless integration and evolution <ref name=”5”></ref>.
There is currently no information regarding the price of this new console. There are some estimates that the Scorpio will be sold at around $600, taking into account its specs. Also, the console will not be bundled with a VR set, which will increase its total price in order to take advantage of VR <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”3”></ref>.
The release date for the Project Scorpio has not been officially announced, although it will probably be available in the holiday season of 2017 <ref name=”1”></ref>.

==Console Specifications==

The Scorpio will be powerful enough to play both 4K native games and virtual reality experiences. Phil Spencer mentioned that the upgrade to Scorpio, in terms of visual fidelity, will feel as dramatic of a change as we’re used to seeing in new generations. It will have a graphics card with six teraflops, an 8-core CPU, and 320GB/s of memory bandwidth <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”5”></ref>. Below is a table comparing the (probable) specifications of Project Scorpion and the current Xbox One.


{| class="wikitable"
|-
!  !! XBox One !! Project Scorpio
|-
| CPU || Eight Jaguar cores clocked at 1.75GHz || Eight cores, speculation: up-clocked Jaguar or equivalent
|-
| GPU || 12 GCN compute units at 853MHz || Speculation: 56/60 GCN compute units at 800-850MHz
|-
| MEMORY || 8GB DDR3 at 68GB/s and 32MB ESRAM at max 218GB/s || Over 320GB/s bandwidth - speculation: 12GB of GDDR5
|}
Table adapted from www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2016-xbox-one-project-scorpio-spec-analysis

==References==

[[Category:Devices]] [[Category:Consoles]]