Microsoft unveils worlds most powerful 4K games console
After 12 months of speculation, Microsoft has finally revealed details about its highly secretive Project Scorpio.
Now known as the Xbox One X, Microsoft’s new gaming unit is not only the company’s smallest iteration yet, but it is the most powerful console in the world.
Unveiled at Microsoft’s E3 showcase, the new console has four and half times the power of the original Xbox One console and is capable of displaying video games in ultra high-def 4K resolution at an impressive 60 frames per second.
Complete with 6 teraflops of computing power, the Xbox One X has significantly more power than its main competitor the PlayStation 4 Pro, which only offers 4.2 teraflops.
The Xbox One X also has a 16-nanometre chip with 17 billion transistors, a one terabyte hard drive, custom-built vapour chamber cooling system to keep the console cool and premium Dolby Atmos sound.
Despite planning to sell the Xbox One X and One S simultaneously at different price points, Microsoft said it will not have exclusive games for the new system.
This means any title released for the older consoles will work on the One X.
Previously exclusive and third-party titles like Halo 5, The Division, Doom and The Witcher 3 have had to dynamically dial down graphics to allow the Xbox One to handle the load.
But as dynamic scaling won’t be needed for the One X — the console can render in 4K — these titles will offer better textures, smoother framerates and faster load times than ever before.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said every new game from the company’s own internal studios will run natively at 4K resolution, although it won’t force developers to offer the same.
“Xbox empowers game developers large and small to create different types of games for every type of player,” he said.
“Not only do we have the biggest cross-platform blockbusters on our platform, we’ve also scoured the world to bring our fans unique content from creative artists that capture the imagination.”
Despite no obligation, Microsoft announced there will be more than 30 titles from third-party partners pledging to offer free updates as part of the “Xbox One X Enhanced” program.
All of the Xbox 360 compatible games and existing hardware will also work on the new console.
Having such a powerful console means the One X is more than capable of running a VR headset, although Microsoft made no such announcement at E3.
This means there is little to no chance of an Xbox VR unit coming in the next 12 months.
For backwards compatibility, all Xbox One accessories and games will work on the new Xbox One X – and you will also be able to play some of the original Xbox games too. For now, we know that the Xbox One X will be available on the 7th of November priced at $499 and £449.
