1080°

Microsoft talks Project Scorpio and the end of the console generation

Techradar sat down with Microsoft's Albert Pinello to discuss Project Scorpio, and its impact upon the concept of the console generation.

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Imp0ssibl33400d ago

Seriously doubt Scorpio or PS4 Pro will be the end of console generations.

peewee110163400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

Yeah we heard this before the Ps4 and XBOX 1 came out. What happen? both consoles are selling at a high pace...
TBH they want to start becasue they came out and said they LOST.... They want to start ahead but TBH it wont recover almost a 30 to 35mil deficit

Eonjay3400d ago

Ok so I can see why Microsoft wants to end this gen but then what is the motive for purchasing an Xbox One S today? They want to start a new gen and get ahead of Sony. They will call themselves the gen leaders even if Scorpio sells less than Pro (it will) because thats how their PR operates.

miyamoto3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

But before the PS5 it will be:

Sony PS4 + PS4 Slim + PS4 Pro
versus
Microsoft Windows PC + Xbox One + Xbox One S + Project Scorpio
versus
Nintendo NX

S2Killinit3400d ago

In my opinion there are some shady statements in this interview:

MS: This "focus on continuity" is what prevents Project Scorpio from being a fully-fledged Xbox Two. Every Xbox One game will play on both the original Xbox One and the Scorpio, and it will be the same disc for both. "When they plug it [the game disc] into an Xbox One S it will play an Xbox One S performance, and when they put it in a Scorpio it will play at Scorpio performance. I don't foresee a world where there's two different discs at retail."

So, what about the fact that non of the VR games will work with Xbox one or xboxone S? Or how about the time when MS said "it will be up to the developer if they want to make exclusives for scorpio"? Isn't that the definition of next gen? the fact that they have backward compatibility for scorpio does not mean that they aren't leaving xbox one owners behind. Exactly how stupid does this guy think we are?

Kingthrash3603400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

Miyamoto
MS Windows pc...won't count as console sales......ofcorse they will add pc software sales like halo 6 sale numbers will be combining pc and scorpio versions....but a windows pc wont count as a scorpio sale. If anything ALL will count as a windows software sale.

donthate3400d ago

Scorpio is going to be a beast!

Scorpio as the only console with upgraded RAM is going to get some mean 4K textures and with 6TFlops, 100%+ memory bandwidth increase and spiffy CPU, we are going to get native 4K resolution on games., If it is the last console generation, it is definitely going out with a boom!

But reality is that I think that MS is securing gaming future with Xbox and PC being side-by-side in one ecosystem. It's pretty sweet being an Xbox gamer right now.

3400d ago
XStation4pio_Pro3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

@Eonjay: People who don't want to pay for Scorpio or don't need that much console or don't care about 4k and want to save money will buy xb1 S.
The PS4 Pro is more or less just as much the "next gen" as Scorpio is. Scorpio is just coming out later but is the same idea as PS4 Pro. Sony did it to (most likely) have more power for VR and MS did it to have more power than PS4 and both of them admitting that 4k is probably more important than they thought it would be.. The gen 7 console were launched in a very similar way. This is hardly a MS only thing.

Sony fanboys are just pissed that MS will have the more technically powerful console (for a probably shortening amount of time).

fr0sty3399d ago

Colonel, there are two native 4K games on PSPro currently. It's how the dev chooses to use the available hardware. Even MS said not all Scorpio games will hit native 4K.

badz1493399d ago

For those Xbox fanboys still in denial about the Scorpio being next gen, think about the Wii and Wii U and even the Xbone itself. They all play all ot almost all their previous gen games and that's what you call backward compatible!

Sure the Scorpio will play Xbone games just fine, but will the Xbone be VR compatible? No! Unlike the original PS4, the Xbone is already not getting HDR like the S. And MS are saying they are leaving it to the devs to make Scorpio exclusives, which will not run on the original Xbone. That's pretty "next gen" to me already.

MS are just too proud to admit that they already lost this gen and started talking about "the end of console generation" like they are in control of it but the truth is, they control nothing! They just want to end this gen early because the gap is getting more and more embarrassing for them. But Sony aren't flinching and will continue to do their own thing. The Pro is a reactionary move towards the widened power gap with the PC but trust me, there will be a next gen with the PS5.

Fatal-Aim3399d ago (Edited 3399d ago )

No one left behind yet the Scorpio is the only Xbox that supports VR. Ok.

So let me get this straight: a game console that doesn't support games.

Loggie3399d ago

@S2Killinit: Just to point out he specifically said that all Xbox One games will play on Scorpio, not the other way around. Thus any VR games would be Scorpio exclusive unless you could also play it without the VR. If the game doesn't require VR then it won't really need to be exclusive, unless performance requirements mean that it most definitely cannot run on the Xbox One even with substantial reductions in graphics (I imagine this would be unlikely). Nonetheless, I agree that exclusives to Scorpio (outside of VR-only games) would be ridiculous and in itself likely spell the end of at least the Xbox One. It sounds to me like M$ themselves want to kill consoles entirely. They have the PC gaming market, and if they kill consoles entirely no one would have any choice but to game on PCs.

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seanpitt233400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

There will definitely be a ps5 in 2019.

For Microsoft it all depends on how the Scorpio sells if it does well then there will be another one. I personally think it will do well people have been wanting a really powerful console for some time and this is that console (so is ps4 pro) but this will play most game native 4K/30fps and some games at 4k/60fps and 4k tvs should be even cheaper come next year. All Microsoft have to do is make exclusives for the Scorpio only not on pc and sell it for around $499.

Kingthrash3603400d ago

So premium means sell it at the same price as the xbo when it launched? Naw think more like 599. Even at 499 it's pricy...especially when around the same time sony might drop the pro to 349. It will already have more games....vr games games running in 4k native and updcaled with a hdr library. ..hopefully devs will go for it 1080 or 1440, 60fps...
The scorpio will have a hill to climb....even if they make their games exclusive again (they wont).
Lastly we know nothing so far. ..their has already been flip flops from the scorpio doing 4k 60 uncomprimised. ..said by Albert penello then it went back to xbox exclusive games will run at 4k. Nothing about 4k 60 uncomprimised. So it's like do they even know what's going on with the scorpio or is it just a mind game for hype?

seanpitt233400d ago

@ king
Don't forget the xbox 1 came with kinnect that's why it was $500 the Scorpio will not come with kinnect.if Microsoft price it at $499 it will sell well

ColonelRex3400d ago

There is absolutely no way the xbox scorpio will have any native 4k/60 fps games. Even a $1000 GTX titan x gpu struggle with that with current gen games.

3400d ago
rainslacker3399d ago (Edited 3399d ago )

@King

Hey, it works for Apple. Apple markets all it's new phones as premium products, and they stay high in price even after their next gen comes out, even though they really aren't that much better(if at all) as a lower priced competing product.

Not that I think MS has anywhere near the mind share in terms of "premium" product that Apple does, and likely MS will price it's system at a point which is reflective of the technology in it, unlike smart phones(otherwise they're doomed), but at the same time, it's very possible MS could be trying to get this market....which is odd, because even Apple isn't a market leader in terms of sales, but they do get copious support....although(a lot of these) I doubt Scorpio will sell enough to warrant that kind of support....at least not initially.

@bg

There will always be a certain portion of the market which will want something great, even if it's not that great. But MS has to ask itself, "does it want to make a product which will sell well enough to get support", or "does MS want to make a product which will rate criticially well, make a profit, but never live up to it's full potential because they can't get their heads out of their asses to balance power and price for a mainstream consumer product". Because you know....successful consoles have that balance, and they succeed based on how mainstream they come....not how niche or powerful they are.

Surface is great. It's a PC in a tablet without the restrictions that other tablets have. Elite controller is great, but how many people actually have one? What other consumer level products does MS make that people buy at high prices? Office? Nope, that's free now through OneDrive. Windows? Nope, that's free now. Nokia Phones? Nope, piss poor market share.

Premium consoles have been a thing before. CD-I, 3D0. They failed, because they were over priced, despite being more powerful and more than capable. MS can't succeed without balance, and the notion of more power only serves a very niche part of the console market....and will serve even less of that market if they can't find the right price point. If they can't find that, then no dev support. No games. No sales for the consoles, and everyone talking it up now have to try and figure out reasons why it somehow has the best game selection, and is the best place to play, while publishers barely give it any notice outside whatever compliance mandates MS puts on it from it's X1 in general....which itself may dwindle if they can't manage to get that to pick up. Sony is quickly approaching that point where the PS2 started to dominate software support.....consider that.

seanpitt233399d ago

@colonel
Well they just announced a ps4 pro tile to be confirmed at native 4K at 60fps yes it's not a demanding game but it can do it. So if the ps4 pro can do it iam sure Xbox Scorpio will be able to play SOME games at native 4K 60fps.

I didn't say current gen titles I said some games probably indie less demanding games.

Yetter3399d ago

"All Microsoft have to do is make exclusives for the Scorpio only not on pc..."

This makes no sense

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PoSTedUP3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

It depends. If MS is gonna push hardware upgrades every 6 years with full backwards compatibility, Sony may have to follow suit if it catches on. Only because (and I'm no hardware expert) not having to develop two different versions of games and/or port a version over to the other console is way more appealing to devs especially when the user base isnt going to restart every generation; they'll be maximizing profit and may want to jump-ship to MS. But at the same time all Sony has to do is include full BC and call it the PS5. So technically we would still see generations but with a little less reason to buy an upgraded console right away if games Still look great and there aren't any real exclusive incentives.

zb1ftw7773400d ago

"If it catches on"

"lol"

Its a huge success already.

PoSTedUP3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

Console hardware upgrades being the norm? I didn't know they were selling so well. Nor do i have any data on what devs though about their experience with them in figures and dev-costs.

OB1Biker3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

I don't think Sony will follow Ms. They have different approach to console gaming from now on.
Ms blurring the line between PC and xbox whereas Sony needs to keep a strong identity to console gaming and that also means exclusives.

PoSTedUP3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

Thats true but there is a possibility this approach may work out better for consoles. I was just saying hypothetically, and if that may be the case sony would have no choice but to follow MS in that light if it starts to hurt sony.

Trigem3399d ago

@OB1Biker I agree! Too many Xbox Fanboys are quick to spout statements like "Xbox is looking to the future!" or "Hah! We can play Xbox Exclusives on PC now too!" like they're completely obsessed with the Xbox Logo and blame Playstation for sticking to who they always were in the first place. A household name with a Royal lineage. A gaming company. Not some TV and Sports addicted, PC blowing conglomerate. That's why, I think Xbox should just end it with Scorpio. They should just quit and stick to PC. Then everyone else can enjoy "traditional" console gaming with Nintendo and Playstation.

rainslacker3399d ago

Essentially, we're talking about a paradigm which makes the cross gen port an ongoing thing. It's not quite as annoying for the dev though, as the hardware is essentially the same, so it becomes easier to manage, and is pretty fluid if you plan it right. But the work has to keep getting put into it.

It's not so much the BC that's the issue on the dev side, rather the forward compatibility. The companies can't mandate perpetual FC because it means that game design can never advance past what we have now. This gen, that may not seem important, because for the most part, game design hasn't changed that much, if at all, and everything we play now could have been done last gen with some concessions made. But going forward, something is going to innovate to push things forward, and the longer the FC mandate is imposed, the longer it's going to be between those innovations.

This is truly the first gen since the 2600/7200 days where there has been no real advance in game play beyond graphics.

However, it seems this paradigm is already a thing. Sony is adopting it first, MS just announced it first. I think Sony was actually ahead of MS in this idea, but that's another discussion.

The ideas behind it are sound, and it's not that bad so long as a cut off period for legacy support happens at the right time frame. Devs have to be given enough freedom to be able to not be held back by legacy support, and the only thing that would keep it in place for some games is the impetus to sell more copies to the older install base.....which is exactly how cross gen games happen now. It's really no different, outside the development being simplified for those ports to actually happen.

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Lennoxb633400d ago

Actually, Sony said they're still doing generations after the Pro. MS isn't doing generations anymore.

PoSTedUP3400d ago

We'll see how it works out. That's what my comment was speculating on.

starchild3399d ago

I think in practice they will both do essentially the same things. Microsoft is talking about the end of generations due to the forward and backward compatibility, but now that Sony is using x86 architecture I bet the PS5 will be backwards compatible and the PS4 Pro will be forward compatible with PS5 games (at reduced settings). So it amounts to basically the same thing, even if their rhetoric is somewhat different.

Mystogan3400d ago

Its the end of having to purchase new games and new controllers to go with your new console. Phil already said that they already have ideas going around for Scorpio 2.

miyamoto3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

By "end" does Panello means Bill Gates' eugenics agenda will come to the video games industry also???

https://www.google.ca/webhp...

RosweeSon3400d ago

Ps5 2020/2021. NX2 2021, Xbox 720 somewhere in between the two.

_LarZen_3400d ago

If they sell enough then it most likely will be. But let's not confuse the end of console generations with the end of consoles. There is a big difference... :)

Trigem3399d ago

I agreed. This is how the losing camp feels though...

rainslacker3399d ago

They might change it to be this ever rotating mid-gen thing like we're seeing now, thus effectively killing the traditional generation as we know it.

Doesn't mean that old hardware will be supported indefinitely though, thus the generations will be more software oriented than hardware oriented.

Artemidorus3399d ago

They make alot of money from consoles it's the mistakes that cost them.

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fanboysmackdown3400d ago

Exciting time to be a gamer with these two new upgrades. They cheaped out on the current consoles....especially MS with the useless Kinect, so now we'll get to see what a true upgrade will do the new titles coming our way in the next three or so years.

Shubhendu_Singh3399d ago

I don't know why you have so many downvotes.
Xbox One was powerful, but not nearly powerful enough what MS could make. The existence of Scorpio is testament to that fact. Not to mention they were scared of another RROD and made that thing a behemoth sized console which still wasn't powerful than PS4. All facts here.

lawgone3399d ago

Yeah, love my Xbox One (now have an S) but they definitely went conservative on the power and design side and you'd have to assume the RROD/hear issues had something to do with that. Now they seem to be more confident again.

miyamoto3400d ago (Edited 3400d ago )

Scorpio was a mythological monster scorpion created by Gaia for one single purpose: to kill Orion the giant huntsman.
MS is still living up to the Xbox mandate since the creation of the original Xbox: "Kill PlayStation!"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
http://ca.ign.com/articles/...

thejigisup3400d ago

Sony still has Kratos, so yeah... doesn't matter what mythos you use.

Red_Renegade3400d ago

kratos kills everything, even himself.

Trigem3399d ago

Wow, you Xbots seriously throwing around mythology and pantheons? Thank the Gods, we have Kratos to wipe out this plague. Oh wait, I think he already has been busy...slaughtering Xbox One alongside the Holy Armies Of The Playstation Nation.

rainslacker3399d ago

Except Kratos has been taking a vacation, and seems he went and started a family because Sony hasn't needed his help yet...

Trigem3399d ago

@rainslacker Oh yeah, you're right! Nathan Drake has been plenty busy massacring everyone over at Xbox. Looks like Masterchief won't be saving them this time.

3399d ago
Trigem3399d ago

@City1979 In fantasy land. Because Masterchief and Marcus Fenix are dead.

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PhoenixUp3400d ago

Microsoft eventually has to reveal a legitimate next console sometime in the future. They can't use the base Xbox One as the lowest common denominator for their console games forever.

Eonjay3400d ago

Wrong. The Xbox One S still needs to sell. Microsoft will reveal their console after the holiday rush and acting like your wishes supersede Phil's puts you out of compliance with the Xbox code of conduct. You are now required to purchase 2 Xbox One consoles and a Kinect.

TheCommentator3400d ago

At the same rate, MS will support FC in all consoles going forwards. When XB1 gets phased out is when Scorpio becomes the lowest common denominator, yet your XB1 games and BC360 games will still play on the newest hardware available. You could call Scorpios' replacement a new generation or not but, when it arrives, new games will then be one disc that works in both Scorpio and its' replacement instead.

rainslacker3399d ago (Edited 3399d ago )

MS will drop the X1 compliance mandate the moment the Scorpio receives a good enough install base to maintain 3rd party developer support without having to pay copious sums of money to obtain it.

MS history is against them on this, and I feel MS is looking for a way to either have a fresh start for this gen, or simply forget about this gen altogether.

I think MS is smart enough though to know that they can't just drop the X1 so quickly, so they are going to have this legacy support, which is probably the only way they can actually get Scorpio support from the get go with enough significance to actually get a foothold in the market.

MS has called this a premium console, and while that's great for those looking for such a thing, publishers are looking at what sells, and what will sell their software. Premium or not, those $100+ million dollar budgets need to sell, and you don't sell a lot in the premium market, particularly when that market is historically cost conscious and less concerned with what they're actually getting for their money, so long as it can play the games they want to play. Even if MS drops official compliance for forward compatibility, expect devs to continue to support it so long as the software sells on X1.

The tricky part is going to be if MS can maintain X1 sales to such a degree that that legacy hardware actually is being brought or used by a significant number of people after Scorpio's release. Traditionally, prior generation consoles can continue to sell software, and even hardware, well into a new gen, but they usually have a much larger install base to maintain those sales. I'm unsure if MS current X1 sales will facilitate ongoing user engagement, so the OGX1 may be dead much sooner than one may assume....no matter how reassuring Phil is right now.

coreyweb3399d ago

No doubt they're moving past the original xbox one. But it won't be any different than a PC. The original xbox one WILL be compatible with everything.....it just will run the games on "Low" settings, etc. etc......basically just like a old PC that can't run new games optimally.

It'll be quite easy to "still support" it.......there will just be plenty of reasons to "upgrade."

So ya....the original xbox one will likely be dead......probably in a year or two. But that's still like a 5 or 6 years run which really isn't that bad.

curtis923399d ago

I think what they mean by end of console generations probably means: whatever new system is coming out won't require you to upgrade to all new stuff. But the lowest common denominator will change as we go forward, it just won't be limited to the latest sytem.

For example:

Xbox one & scorpio work together.

Scorpio and Gen 5 xbox will work together, however you won't be able to play Gen 5 games on XBO. You will, however, be able to play XBO games on Gen 5 Xbox.

Gen 5 xbox and Gen 6 Xbox will work together, however you won't be able to play Gen 6 games on Scorpio... you get the idea...

Godmars2903399d ago

Isn't the Scorpio now their lowest legit console? I mean, a few price drops and another slim model, the XB1 can easily be phased out. Nevermind that this is MS we're talking about so if they decide to stay with consoles, make another, they'll just revise history and their fan camp will go right along with it.

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OpenGL1d 4h ago

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galgor1d 1h ago

Can this mother fucker just get lost already

PRIMORDUS1d ago

He belongs in here ⚰️, hopefully sooner than later.

MrDead8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

Kotick Made $155 million from MS in the buyout, the little b*tch needs to stop whining. Thanks to this Microslop deal and massive industry consolidation thousands upon thousands of devs and other workers lost their livelihoods. This greedy piggie pervert needs shut up and f-off.

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darthv722d ago

...me thinks a switch was involved.

1Victor2d ago

That’s some major layoffs best of luck to him and the rest that got laid off. It always hurt specially more before or during holidays.

The_Blue1d 18h ago

Cool, sucks to see him go!

elJoker51d 9h ago

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SegaSaturn6691d 4h ago

Dude finally got laid at 58 years old. Bit of a weird flex but im still happy for the guy!🥂

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