Project Scorpio Revisited
After reading some things online from people I have no reason to doubt. It seems they view this as a more direct competitor to the PS4.5/4K/whatever. They also drew more parallels than I had from the live stream. For instance, they claimed forwards compatibility as well. I don't remember the live stream EVER using this word. But if so, it is indeed more a spiritual competitor to Sony's next console.
Sadly, this would vindicate Sony's mandate that games must still support the original PS4.
I get it, being left behind sucks. But, I think this time around everyone knew it had to happen. So it is disappointing that it isn't happening. I said from day one that arguments over 1080p and 60fps in a world which already had 4k and 120hz TVs were just a clear indicator that people were hoisting the PS4 over the Xbox One in what was spiritually the claim of "our console sucks less".
And what does that mean for VR? You can only do a VR game if you also make that game playable both without a VR headset and a crappy resolution and/or framerate?
Let's be fair. It isn't like game makers will abandon the last generation immediately anyway. Most major titles would have continued on the prior and current gen for at least a year assuming there wasn't a technical reason not too for the simple reason that it takes time for user adoption to hit levels where targeting just the newest makes sense.
Also, if true, as a casual gamer it means I have no reason to upgrade to that console. Ever. The promise of new gimmicks isn't as compelling as the promise of games I can't play otherwise. Backwards compatibility is all I really care about.
ALTHOUGH, if those restrictions are time limited... (and I doubt this will happen)... it does open up the possibility for a whole new approach to delivering new consoles. Think of it this way: from Microsoft's vague promises, it hints at a beast of a machine. Maybe it will also have a beast of a price tag. Think somewhere around $750-1000 maybe. For this price you basically get the best experience possible for current gen games and also access to the latest experiences. Microsoft gets to actually make a profit on hardware, but those who only want to fork out $300 for the newest base line S model don't miss out on any games.
Then a few years down the pipeline, as hardware costs go down, this slowly slides in price until the current S model can be phased out completely. At which point they drop the requirement for devs to target the original Xbox One. At this point Scorpio becomes the next-gen console. Then they release a new "Super Xbox" which at the time becomes just the next in a line of beefed up spec variants, until they can phase out Scorpio and that becomes the new next gen.
In other words, it could "fix" one of console gaming's biggest problems. With just one hardware spec, console makers generally need to sacrifice performance AND sell at a loss on hardware to remain competitive. With multiple tiers however, they can leverage higher tiers to put in the hardware gamers truly want and at a price where they can still make money off of it.
If they simply transition that hardware to become the next gen hardware later, then by the time they cut the cord on the weaker hardware a number of things will have happened. That hardware will now be cheaper, thus they can drop the price. The devs will be familiar with it, so they can make better use of it than a typical day 1 for next gen. And lastly they can repeat the cycle.
It isn't my ideal world for console gaming. But, I can see it as an acceptable compromise.
If it played out that way, a budget gamer might pick up the Xbox One S today and play it until Project Scorpio replaces it. At that point they buy that console and they can revisit their old games with VR or better quality as well as take part in the new gen of games. They'll be perpetually left behind quality-wise, but won't miss out on games.
People who bought the original Xbox One will see a full console generation of games. Those who buy into whatever Scorpio is called at release will get roughly the same time but it will span two console generations of games on the same hardware. Those who buy the cheaper device when a new one is launched would get a full console generation cycle out of the hardware. Whereas those who splurged for the more expensive one at its launch could get 2 console generations out of the hardware. This would help justify the price as well (though for most gamers, just having the faster system would be enough).
Sadly, this would vindicate Sony's mandate that games must still support the original PS4.
I get it, being left behind sucks. But, I think this time around everyone knew it had to happen. So it is disappointing that it isn't happening. I said from day one that arguments over 1080p and 60fps in a world which already had 4k and 120hz TVs were just a clear indicator that people were hoisting the PS4 over the Xbox One in what was spiritually the claim of "our console sucks less".
And what does that mean for VR? You can only do a VR game if you also make that game playable both without a VR headset and a crappy resolution and/or framerate?
Let's be fair. It isn't like game makers will abandon the last generation immediately anyway. Most major titles would have continued on the prior and current gen for at least a year assuming there wasn't a technical reason not too for the simple reason that it takes time for user adoption to hit levels where targeting just the newest makes sense.
Also, if true, as a casual gamer it means I have no reason to upgrade to that console. Ever. The promise of new gimmicks isn't as compelling as the promise of games I can't play otherwise. Backwards compatibility is all I really care about.
ALTHOUGH, if those restrictions are time limited... (and I doubt this will happen)... it does open up the possibility for a whole new approach to delivering new consoles. Think of it this way: from Microsoft's vague promises, it hints at a beast of a machine. Maybe it will also have a beast of a price tag. Think somewhere around $750-1000 maybe. For this price you basically get the best experience possible for current gen games and also access to the latest experiences. Microsoft gets to actually make a profit on hardware, but those who only want to fork out $300 for the newest base line S model don't miss out on any games.
Then a few years down the pipeline, as hardware costs go down, this slowly slides in price until the current S model can be phased out completely. At which point they drop the requirement for devs to target the original Xbox One. At this point Scorpio becomes the next-gen console. Then they release a new "Super Xbox" which at the time becomes just the next in a line of beefed up spec variants, until they can phase out Scorpio and that becomes the new next gen.
In other words, it could "fix" one of console gaming's biggest problems. With just one hardware spec, console makers generally need to sacrifice performance AND sell at a loss on hardware to remain competitive. With multiple tiers however, they can leverage higher tiers to put in the hardware gamers truly want and at a price where they can still make money off of it.
If they simply transition that hardware to become the next gen hardware later, then by the time they cut the cord on the weaker hardware a number of things will have happened. That hardware will now be cheaper, thus they can drop the price. The devs will be familiar with it, so they can make better use of it than a typical day 1 for next gen. And lastly they can repeat the cycle.
It isn't my ideal world for console gaming. But, I can see it as an acceptable compromise.
If it played out that way, a budget gamer might pick up the Xbox One S today and play it until Project Scorpio replaces it. At that point they buy that console and they can revisit their old games with VR or better quality as well as take part in the new gen of games. They'll be perpetually left behind quality-wise, but won't miss out on games.
People who bought the original Xbox One will see a full console generation of games. Those who buy into whatever Scorpio is called at release will get roughly the same time but it will span two console generations of games on the same hardware. Those who buy the cheaper device when a new one is launched would get a full console generation cycle out of the hardware. Whereas those who splurged for the more expensive one at its launch could get 2 console generations out of the hardware. This would help justify the price as well (though for most gamers, just having the faster system would be enough).
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