Project Scorpio Predictions
So, we now know more specifically what Project Scorpio will include.
Wow! Those specs are actually quite impressive. But what does it all mean for the ecosystem?
Well, firstly, I think it will help bring some developer attention to Xbox. Sure, games need to support Xbox One/S in addition to Scorpio, but they don't need to run at the same resolution and framerate and not necessarily support all of the same features (visually). Many game devs want platforms where they can showcase what they can do above and beyond others. The more limiting a platform, the hard this is to achieve. I think allowing a lower res and framerate profile and a higher end one for Scorpio that lets them have at it is still more appealing that PS4 vs. PS4 Pro.
At the very least, I think it will mean more titles even if it doesn't bring them more exclusives.
Pricewise... many people are thinking around $500. Honestly... I'm thinking more $750-1000 (or more). This part year or two Microsoft has really taken to delivering premium products with premium price points. And, looking at the hardware in this thing... it sounds an awful lot more like a Surface Studio or Surface Book than a Surface RT. And, they already have the Xbox One S... so, it isn't like they NEED to release a competitively priced product.
I also just don't see how it is possible for them to not run at a serious loss at $500. At other articles on the topic have already said... these specs aren't last gen GPU specs. These specs are on par with current gen CPUs and GPUs. And when I say current gen, I mean NVidia 1070 and comparable. GPUs which are only months old. Even by holiday time this year... that will still be equivalent to very expensive hardware. Sure... MS ain't buying this retail. But they also aren't making the SoC's themselves.
Will it tilt things in favor of Xbox this generation? I don't think so. I think the scales might tip a bit their way for two reasons, simply because they have a new product and the PlayStation market is more saturated so, many of these will simply be PS fans picking up a second console. In the console world, Microsoft still has a negative image and a new console won't fix that much.
Wow! Those specs are actually quite impressive. But what does it all mean for the ecosystem?
Well, firstly, I think it will help bring some developer attention to Xbox. Sure, games need to support Xbox One/S in addition to Scorpio, but they don't need to run at the same resolution and framerate and not necessarily support all of the same features (visually). Many game devs want platforms where they can showcase what they can do above and beyond others. The more limiting a platform, the hard this is to achieve. I think allowing a lower res and framerate profile and a higher end one for Scorpio that lets them have at it is still more appealing that PS4 vs. PS4 Pro.
At the very least, I think it will mean more titles even if it doesn't bring them more exclusives.
Pricewise... many people are thinking around $500. Honestly... I'm thinking more $750-1000 (or more). This part year or two Microsoft has really taken to delivering premium products with premium price points. And, looking at the hardware in this thing... it sounds an awful lot more like a Surface Studio or Surface Book than a Surface RT. And, they already have the Xbox One S... so, it isn't like they NEED to release a competitively priced product.
I also just don't see how it is possible for them to not run at a serious loss at $500. At other articles on the topic have already said... these specs aren't last gen GPU specs. These specs are on par with current gen CPUs and GPUs. And when I say current gen, I mean NVidia 1070 and comparable. GPUs which are only months old. Even by holiday time this year... that will still be equivalent to very expensive hardware. Sure... MS ain't buying this retail. But they also aren't making the SoC's themselves.
Will it tilt things in favor of Xbox this generation? I don't think so. I think the scales might tip a bit their way for two reasons, simply because they have a new product and the PlayStation market is more saturated so, many of these will simply be PS fans picking up a second console. In the console world, Microsoft still has a negative image and a new console won't fix that much.
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