You are probably wondering, “what do you mean worth waiting for? The system launches in 2017, of course I’m going to be waiting!” No, that’s not what I mean.
If you tuned into Microsoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference this morning, more than likely you did not miss the announcements of not one new Xbox hardware, but two! That’s right, Microsoft actually announced two Xbox’s in one day, if you really think about it.
But since this article is more aimed towards the “Xbox Scorpio” currently formally known as “Project Scorpio”, allow me to dive into this mysterious, yet dreamy piece of hardware, and explain why it matters, oh so much.
It’s no surprise that since the announcement of the Xbox One back in 2013, the console hasn’t exactly had the best look to the public eye. Originally sporting features that had fans crying and riotings, to having a clogged up, almost completely non-functional OS, all the way to the system falling behind in terms of gameplay resolution and frame rate; it’s safe to say that the Xbox One has not had the best time during the last few years. I personally feel like that’s all about to change, very soon.
Fast forward to 2017. Project Scorpio is set to be the 2017 edition of the Xbox One, ultimately being the most powerful console available to purchase on the market. Today, the company revealed the console will sport the following hardware specs
- 4K Gaming and Video
- High Fidelity VR
- 8 Core CPU
- 6 Tera Flop GPU
All of that and possibly more with a release window currently scheduled for sometime during Holiday of 2017.
Now let’s take things back a few steps. During Microsoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference, the company also revealed the new, sleeker, Xbox One S, System, which is set to be arriving in a few months. For a not-so-steep price point of $299, featuring High Dynamic Range visuals, and 4K Video Display support, you might be thinking “Well isn’t that good enough for me?” And yes, it just might be the perfect upgrade for you, as a matter of fact, it might be the only Xbox upgrade you need this generation; however, for those of you who are looking to get the ultimate console and Xbox experience from now, until the Microsoft’s next generation of console or consoles are revealed, then Project Scorpio is where your head should be turned at the moment.
While 2016-2017 will without a doubt be great years for Xbox One owners, the question “Is it worth purchasing the hardware upgrade before Scorpio? still stands.
Microsoft is truly testing our patience, and I mean literally, they’re really playing the patience card with this one. At the same time however, I feel like they’ve dug themselves a sort of small hole, which may become even deeper as Holiday 2016 ramps up. The Xbox One Slim is a great looking upgrade, for a sleeker design as well as some improvement on the visual end has been something Xbox One owners have been in need of since it’s initial launch. However, the overall changes between the Xbox One S, and Project Scorpio, are so HUGE, it almost makes you wonder why creating an Xbox One S, or even purchasing one rather, is even necessary.
While the added HDR capability will make your games look a lot more vibrant, and will really make the colors pop, it will not have much of an effect, if any at all, on the overall look of the resolution as well as frame rate; both of which have been common issues in which the Xbox One has been struggling with in comparison to the PS4, since it’s launch.
So allow me to give my ultimate take, the Project Scorpio console, or what I’m currently titling “Xbox Scorpio” at the moment; is the ultimate upgrade, and in all honesty, the piece of hardware gamer’s have wanted out of the Xbox One long before it’s launch. Taking into consideration the huge leap in hardware compared to the Xbox One S and the Project Scorpio, I think it’s a safe bet to assume Microsoft’s Ultimate Edition of the Xbox One, will run gamer’s close, and possibly more, to twice the price of the Xbox One S, which really forces you to take a good hard look on if the “S” is really worth buying in the first place.
Now remember that hole I was discussing earlier? Well, I believe most gamer’s to be pretty smart people, and with that said, I can also see many picking up on the train of thought, right away, that – the Xbox Scorpio is much more worth the purchase than the Xbox One S, especially if you are trying to save money, but get the better hardware specs in the end. Odds are, many people have already picked up on this, which puts Microsoft in a pretty awkward position. Having announced an Ultimate “End Game” Xbox Project, along with a more “low-end” upgrade for the Xbox One, all in the same day, is a bit awkward from my view, and not only that, perhaps a bad business decision on their end as well, that just might leave them with warehouses full of Xbox One S consoles this Holiday season.
Now, I am by no means saying the Xbox One S is a complete waste of money, I’ll even be picking it up myself. However, if you aren’t new to the Xbox One market, as in, you currently have your own Xbox One system; I personally believe that the Scorpio, will be much worth the wait rather than picking up the Xbox One S just to get that “slightly” better performance for the next year. This is keeping into consideration that Microsoft neither confirmed nor denied the exact situation regarding the Xbox One’s current resolution and frame rate issues; will the Xbox One S be able to provide 1080p 60fps like Sony has been able to provide with many of their launches over on the PlayStation 4? Or will we be stuck with a slimmed down version of the Xbox One featuring more vibrant colors, and the ability to watch movies in 4k on our 4k televisions? I suppose only time will tell as we’ve yet to hear more in-depth details regarding the Xbox One Slim.
But in conclusion or “TL;DR” format I suppose –
If you’re new to the Xbox One family, and are now looking to pick up an Xbox One console, the S is a great choice. It will give you slightly better features, a much smaller and sleeker piece of hardware, and an improved gaming and viewing experience than what the current Xbox One model will give you. This way, you can truly decide if Xbox is for you, without throwing a possible $500+ on a high-end system you may not even enjoy, (that of which being the Scorpio.)
On the other hand, if you are like me, but not exactly like me; as in, you currently own your own Xbox One console, but are definitely interested receiving a much richer, gaming experience, the richest consoles currently have to offer; then yes, you will definitely want to wait for the Xbox Scorpio, as like I stated above with the high-end hardware the Scorpio is going to contain, it’s likely gamer’s will be paying anywhere from $500-$700 for the console; and quite honestly, I’d hate to see someone be so foolish like myself, and purchase both and Xbox One S and a Scorpio, especially if they already have a standard Xbox One.
Realistically though, this sudden push in the advancement of hardware is due to nothing more than the sudden booming of the VR Industry, and the sheer inevitability that VR is in fact here to stay. It’s our new gimmick! And it will be around much longer than motion controls were. The only step I can see up from VR would be dimensional areas….and well, that’s a conversation for another day.
