There has been a lot of talk these last couple days regarding Microsoft’s new console. We are here to dissect the rumors, and find out what it all means.
A new Xbox One console is rumored to be shown off at E3 next month. This console, codenamed “Xbox Scorpio” will unlock 4K Streaming and potentially 4K Gaming capabilities, something the rumored Playstation 4K (or Playstation Neo has some are calling it), has been promised to feature. This brand new console is expected to drop in the year 2017, and will include new and improved hardware, capable of 4K support mentioned earlier.
How powerful with this new hardware be though? Well, Polygon reports that the new Xbox console will pump out up to 6 Teraflops, which is quite impressive if this rumor holds out to be true. For reference, the Xbox One peaked out it’s performance at 1.32 Teraflops, making the ‘Xbox Scorpio’ hypothetically four times faster. The rumored Playstation 4K is said to peak at 4 Teraflops, theoretically making the next Xbox the fastest console on the market. This will no undoubtedly compliment the VR performance on the console as well as the possibility of 4K Gaming and 4K Streaming.
With the proposed ‘power’ increase, a new console being four times as powerful as the Xbox One sounds sketchy – almost too good to be true. Since 2013, we haven’t made fantastic leaps in graphical and computing technology, despite Nvidia’s GTX 1080 being release tomorrow that out performs two GTX 980’s in SLI. Do we have the technology to run 4K entertainment? You bet! However, to claim that the new Xbox console will run 6 Teraflops is a very hard pill to swallow – something unbelievable for sure.
According to Kotaku, the new Xbox console will ship with Oculus Rift support – right out of the box – meaning anyone who owns an Oculus Rift headset will be able to enjoy VR gaming on the Xbox One. These statements are backed up by the fact that Microsoft has been fully supporting the Oculus Rift since launch, by including an Xbox One Wireless Controller with every unit.
The question remains though – Does a new Xbox One console make sense? A fall 2017 release window could definitely make this option a lot more interesting, as we have graphical technology widening the gap with every release, including the upcoming GTX 1080 line of graphic cards from Nvidia. However, with only a four-year development cycle for the Xbox One, does it make sense to phase out their flagship console already with another one? I don’t think so.
For the rest of 2016 and leading into 2017, Microsoft will start making their push to make ‘Xbox’ a platform rather than a console, which caters to the entire ecosystem of gaming on Microsoft platforms. It’s no secret that Phil Spencer wants it this way, especially with Windows 10 support the Xbox brand in nearly every way, including porting existing Xbox One exclusives to PC.
These rumors of new consoles have been buzzing around the internet like rumors have gone out of style, with new leaks seemingly happening every day. At the end of the day, we really don’t know what the state of the console industry will be in until the word comes straight from the horse’s mouth – with the horse being Microsoft and Sony this year.
Something that has been on my mind, as a consumer and a gamer, is that the Xbox One and Playstation 4 were released unfinished, almost like they were released too soon. If I’m not mistaken, I believe we are on the seventh generation of consoles, but if you recall, the Xbox One and Playstation 4 were not unveiled to the public until six months before their release date – and even then, Microsoft faced the music when they announced the always online “feature”. After being able to take a step back and analyse what really happened in 2013, when the ‘next-generation’ of consoles were coming out, I have to say that this generation definitely feels the most rushed over others.
Amidst the rumors, we cannot forget about Nintendo and their upcoming console, the NX, which has been plagued with rumors. From controllers to the actual specs of the console, we really can’t tell what Nintendo has under their sleeve. With all of this speculation happening precluding toPerhaps it is possible that we can see another console generation unfold in late 2016/early 2017, however we believe it is heavily unlikely.
Another rumor is that Microsoft is planning to reveal two more Xbox devices at E3 next month. The console will be titled the ‘Xbox Mini’, featuring streaming capabilities similar to most Smart-TV’s or multimedia sticks out on the market today. This Xbox will come in two different sizes, with one being similar in size to the Roku or Chromecast, and the other being a bit bigger – think the Nintendo Wii. The bigger one will of course contain more features and the ability to play video games and a variety of applications. According to the rumors, the smaller version will be priced at $99.99 while the bigger one will retail anywhere between $149 – $200.
What does Phil Spencer say about all of this? Well, he previously announced that their Press Conference will be 90 minutes long – just like the press conferences held in previous years. However, the internet seems to be glued to the fact that this isn’t normal for some reason, which is above me. A lot of the speculation comes from 90 minutes of content to talk about, with a big part of it being a new console – something I might be able to get behind, especially considering that Microsoft’s game line-up seems to be a tad smaller than last year.
The second thing he stated on Twitter was that there was a lot of ‘creative chatter’ yesterday, insinuating that there has been a lot of speculation regarding what Microsoft has planned – all of which, may very well be fake, and the last 10 minutes of your life reading this article is useless information.
Lots of creative chatter today. Excited to share our gaming story at E3 on June 13th https://t.co/QjGUkH1Ofx….
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 25, 2016
So, what do you think? Do these rumors hold any ground for you or are you awaiting the official word before making your own opinion on the matter? Whatever the case, Microsoft’s Press Conference will be on Monday, June 13th at 9:30 AM, and we will be there – reporting on every damn thing. Stay tuned.
Sources: Gamezone.com, ThisGenGaming.com, Kotaku, Polygon
2 comments
how much are these things going to be.xbox has to be the same price to beat sony.remember when the ps3 launched and it was $600 and everyone bought the xbox 360 instead?remember when the xbox one launched for $500 and the ps4 launched for $400 look what happened the cheaper console won.
its all about price will these new consoles cost $500-$600 they wont sell well.i can upgrade my pc for that amount to beat them.
its all about pricing.
It really depends on what they use to name these consoles. In the Xbox used the Xbox One brand, I can’t see it priced more than what the Xbox One currently sits at $399 CAD. Perhaps they could go $100 more and retail it for about $499. I mean, it’s all speculation until we hear what they say.
As for your comment there, it’s like saying the Wii U should have won because it was the cheaper console on the market. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. Microsoft had to do a lot of backtracking in order to appeal to it’s fans again. They lost a lot of trust, which forced people to move on to the Playstation 4. Id say the price had almost nothing to do with it and it was more how the Xbox One originally presented itself that turned people off the brand.
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