Garrett Lierman
Entertainment editor
Project Scorpio is Microsoft’s latest gaming console project. The project was announced in 2016 at the E3 gaming convention with the claim being made that it will be capable of 60 frames per second at a graphic resolution of 4K. On April 6, Microsoft announced the specs of the Project Scorpio and they simply do not support the claims.
At the 2016 E3 gaming convention, Microsoft held their annual press conference. The conference went mostly without anything of note or interest. The Xbox One S, a slightly smaller and more efficient Xbox, was announced alongside multiple new game titles and sequels. However, at the end of the conference, the lights dimmed and videos of mystery hardware appeared on screen. This mystery hardware shifted and turned, finally zooming out to look at something of a pseudo Xbox. This was announced to be the new Project Scorpio.
“The future of console gaming,” Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said.
Microsoft proceeded to brandish the new console, showing off the complexity, and boasting almost constantly the six teraflops of processing power. A single teraflop is one trillion floating point operations. Think of it like a single digit. The Scorpio allegedly can process six teraflops per second. Microsoft loudly claims that the Scorpio will be able to attain native 4K at 60 frames per second and that it will revolutionize the creation of console games for the foreseeable future. As of May first, a price has not been released but Spencer has called it a premium product and said that it will cost significantly more than a standard Xbox One.
“It’s gonna have eight CPU cores, over 320 gigabytes of memory bandwidth, six teraflops of GPU power,” one Microsoft representative said, “it’s a monster!”
On April 6th, 2017, Microsoft’s twitter account posted the official specifications of the tech within the Project Scorpio. It was revealed to have a two point three gigahertz hard drive, one terabyte of storage, 326 gigabytes per second memory bandwidth, and a six teraflop GPU. While a terabyte of storage is certainly on par with a mid-level PC, a two point three gigahertz hard drive pales in comparison to even lower middle tier computers. A computer with a three point five gigahertz hard drive would be able to attain native 4K at 60 frames per second, but only just barely. Not to mention that a GTX 1080 graphics card has eight point three teraflops of processing power compared to Scorpio’s flat six. With such a massive drop off on power it’s difficult to see a reality in which Scorpio is truly as powerful as Microsoft claims.
The Scorpio hasn’t just been announced, but has caused an Internet firestorm between lesser known YouTube content creators. Some creators claim it will be the most powerful gaming machine ever built, and others loudly protest such statements. The videos have created a variety of opinions and multiple predictions about the Scorpio’s actual capabilities.
While the Scorpio may not be as powerful as a mid-tier PC, it will certainly be the most powerful console ever. The PlayStation 4 Pro has a AMD “Jaguar” 8 core processor that clocks 2.1 ghz. While it may not be a large advantage for Microsoft, it will still have more sheer power than a PS4 Pro. The Scorpio also packs 150% of the Ram, and 1.8 more teraflops on its GPU.
When it comes to the purchasing of a Scorpio, it’s probably best if the decision is left until after the console is released. Rumors surrounding the price of the Scorpio put it between 600 and 1000 dollars. If the Scorpio actually lives up to Microsoft’s claims, it will absolutely be worth that price. However, if it does not, it will simply not be worth purchasing unless you absolutely can not own a PC.
When it comes to the question of, “Should I buy a Scorpio?” The only response is to wait and see how the console actually performs. Ignore any and all preorder deals or bonuses until it is clear exactly what the new console can do on it’s own.
Sony’s annual press conference arrived with multiple new titles and the announcement that the new Playstation Virtual Reality headset. The press conference was staffed with an entire live orchestra that played the soundtracks of any trailer that came on screen and Hideo Kajima even made a return to the gaming scene after his fiasco with the Konami Holdings Corporation. The Xbox press conference brought the announcement of the new Xbox One S. A new Gears Of War 4 trailer along with a bundle with the Xbox One. The announcement that got the gaming community buzzing was the announcing of the Project Scorpio. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer spoke of the original goal in mind with the original Xbox. The stage went dark and multiple Microsoft spokes people appeared on screen and spoke about their dreams within the company. Some of the representatives spoke of the company’s goal as a whole, while some spoke about the Scorpio itself. The main product feature that all of the representatives continually expounded was the six teraflop GPU.