The gaming world was rocked yesterday with the reports that Microsoft has not one, but two upcoming Xbox One revisions. While an Xbox One Slim might be a no-brainer at this point, the news that a more powerful Xbox One (codenamed “Scorpio”) which is said to be even more powerful than the rumored PS4K (Neo) is a potential video game landscape changer.
Here’s what Kotaku wrote in their report regarding Scorpio:
The 2017 Xbox, which is codenamed Scorpio, will have a more powerful GP.
We hear that the folks at Xbox have yet to finalize the specs for 2017’s Scorpio, although they briefed third-party publishers on the device during a secret event last week, according to a source.
Development sources raised the concern that although the Scorpio model will be capable of supporting 4K resolution thanks to its GPU upgrade, as of right now there is no planned upgrade to the console’s I/O transfer speed–the speed at which the console can transfer assets from a disc or hard drive to its memory. This could mean long loading times for games specifically designed to support 4K, due to their larger assets.
This report was corroborated by Polygon’s own sources which said that the more powerful Xbox One might even be more powerful than the PS4 Neo!
Power is a primary concern for Microsoft with Scorpio. The PS4 has remained a constant leader over the Xbox One in this respect, with games on the platform usually running at higher resolution and a higher framerate on the PS4 than their Xbox One counterparts. Microsoft is determined to end this narrative.
The Xbox One is believed to operate a peak target of 1.32 teraflops, compared to the 1.84 teraflop performance numbers attributed to the PS4. Meanwhile, per documents secured by Giant Bomb’s Austin Walker — and corroborated by our sources — the PlayStation 4 “Neo,” at approximately 2.25 times more powerful than the PS4, is likely to have a peak performance number of 4.14 teraflops.
The current performance target for Microsoft’s Scorpio is approximately 6 teraflops.
According to both reports, the Xbox One Slim will be revealed next month at E3, and will include a redesigned Xbox One controller. The new Xbox One Slims are said to be coming out later this year, with Kotaku reporting that it will come with 2TB of storage space.
Understandably, the big news here is the Xbox One Scorpio and this news alone managed to strip up the PlayStation LifeStyle staff. In this entry of Now Loading, we discuss how Xbox One Scorpio will affect the PS4 and rumored PS4K.
What do you think? Will gamers embrace this mid-generation console upgrade? More importantly, will Microsoft be able to catch up to the PS4 in terms of installed base and sales? As always, share your thoughts in the comments below.
Now Loading is a recurring staff-driven feature where PlayStation LifeStyle discusses anything video game-related under the sun (yes, even non-Sony platforms).
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Now Loading...New Xbox One Slim AND More Powerful Xbox One?
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Now Loading...What Will the Rumored Xbox One Slim & More Powerful Xbox One Mean to PS4?
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Cameron Teague
It all really boils down to when the PS4K releases and what it's going up against, the Slim or the more power Xbox One. Also, price will play a huge factor in how it troubles the PS4K. If it's battling the Slim at a big price difference, you could see it cutting into the profits a bit.
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Michael Briers
If Microsoft is aligning an Xbox One slim for late 2016 and the reports of PS4.5 arriving in time for PSVR are true, Sony doesn't have much to worry about at least for now. Cam's right, pricing will be a huge factor, but if the USP of the PS4.5 is increased processing power and 4K support, it's an easier sell than a new Xbox One console tier that is reportedly 40% smaller and little else.
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Stephen Bitto
If confusing the market was a bad idea for PlayStation 4, it's a worse idea for Xbox One. The Xbox One is selling for insanely low prices with incredible bundle deals already. If that wasn't enough to swing the pendulum, new models definitely won't be. As for what it means to Sony, not much. As long as they don't let themselves get too undercut with price, the Xbox One Slim or 1.5 won't be what hold PS4K back.
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Chandler Wood
The draw of consoles for most is the fact that there is very little to figure out. You buy one box and it plays the games designated for it. We've seen firsthand on the PlayStation side of things the failure of attempting to branch out into things like phones, streaming boxes, and even a dedicated 3D TV. Current rumors have a couple new Xbox consoles and a bunch of new Xbox branded products including streaming boxes and the like.
Consumers lambaste every new model of iPhone that is released, as new hardware means new bugs and issues to work out rather than perfecting the existing hardware and OS integration. Iterating a console is exactly what console gamers were trying to get away from. They wanted something with a shelf life. Early adopters will begin to feel like test monkeys as newer models come out with new features. And yet, if it works for phones, could it work for an Xbox?Personally I doubt the strategy will pay off all that spectacularly. It's going to add confusion to an already confusing market with console manufacturers making terrible naming decisions and lacking strong marketing towards those outside the gaming sphere. Gaming is a growing market, and it seems the current strategy is to throw a bunch of products at the consumer and hope that they pick up something.
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Paulmichael Contreras
I get the slim models. They often run cooler, on less energy, and are generally more reliable than the first iteration of consoles. But like Chandler mentioned, we buy consoles with the understanding that we'll be able to play the latest-and-greatest games for at least a handful of years! So even if this Xbox One-Two (ugh!) has full backwards compatibility with the Xbox One, it's going to have the same effect that the PS4K may have on current-gen consumers, where it feels like they're being given the short end of the stick fairly early on into this generation. On the other hand, technology advances so rapidly these days, that shorter life spans of gaming consoles feels somewhat inevitable...
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Zarmena Khan
I admit that none of this is making sense to me right now. I get the whole slim model thing but not new hardware with different specs just a few years after release, especially since both consoles (despite Xbox One trailing behind in competition) are selling far more than the previous generation. If it's confusing a long-time console gamer like me, it's definitely going to confuse new consumers. I was going to pick up an Xbox One as my second console but I'm understandably holding off now. I can see a lot of people doing the same so expect short-term industry sales to hit a new low in light of these rumors.
As for the rumored new Xbox having an impact on the rumored PS4K or Neo or PS4.5 or whatever the hell you wanna call it is concerned, I don't see how that'll happen. I just see two companies coming out with new iterations of their existing consoles for whatever reason. I don't see people switching to Xbox or Xbox owners switching to PS4 just because of new hardware. We're forgetting the important thing - the games they both come with. -
Alex Co
I'm with Chandler and PMC on this one. I mean, I game (even before) on consoles rather than PC so I didn't have to deal with graphics cards, motherboards, etc. With the way these reports are swinging to, it seems Microsoft is headed in that direction.
Will it affect the PS4K? I'd like to think not...if Sony markets it the right way. However, I am kinda scared that this might prompt Sony to release a more powerful PS4K just to match the more powerful Xbox One. And if this happens, where do we go from there? Mid-generation releases for console cycles? I hope not.
Will gamers embrace it? We can't say for sure. Sony has a big lead though and I highly doubt Microsoft can catch it even with a beefier console.
I don't think Sony should be worried, but you never know how these things pan out.
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Mack Ashworth
Going down the slim route is fine by me, as my Xbox One is indeed a monster and could do with a diet. Other than that, however, I have no idea what Microsoft is thinking here!
If the PS4K has me confused (which is bloody well does!), then the rumors of an Xbox 1.5 has me entirely befuddled.
