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Microsoft has revealed (via Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry) the hardware specifications for their upgraded Xbox One, still codenamed Project Scorpio.
Here’s the hardware specs comparing Project Scorpio to the original Xbox One, and even the PlayStation 4 Pro:
| Project Scorpio | Xbox One | PS4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Eight custom x86 cores clocked at 2.3GHz | Eight custom Jaguar cores clocked at 1.75GHz | Eight Jaguar cores clocked at 2.1GHz |
| GPU | 40 customised compute units at 1172MHz | 12 GCN compute units at 853MHz (Xbox One S: 914MHz) | 36 improved GCN compute units at 911MHz |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR5 | 8GB DDR3/32MB ESRAM | 8GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 326GB/s | DDR3: 68GB/s, ESRAM at max 204GB/s (Xbox One S: 219GB/s) | 218GB/s |
| Hard Drive | 1TB 2.5-inch | 500GB/1TB/2TB 2.5-inch | 1TB 2.5-inch |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-ray | Blu-ray (Xbox One S: 4K UHD) | Blu-ray |
A Forza tech demo was played on the hardware as a stress test, including the max number of cars, dynamic weather, and pretty much everything maxed out or turned on. Digital Foundry claims the game ran at a full 4K resolution with a locked 60FPS. To compare, the original Xbox One would only be able to do this at 1080p resolution and use up 90% of its power, while Project Scorpio hardware only uses 60-70%.
Digital Foundry compares the new hardware to PlayStation 4 Pro as a “higher-spec machine in every sense, down to the optical drive that plays the new UHD Blu-ray format.” Microsoft didn’t provide an MSRP for the new hardware, but Digital Foundry is speculating it will cost $499.
Microsoft will reportedly mandate that all upgraded Project Scorpio modes in games be available regardless of the display you have your console plugged into, meaning plebeians with only 108op televisions can still run games at higher framerates and visual fidelity.
According to Digital Foundry, Xbox One games will run better on Project Scorpio regardless of getting a patch, making a clear nod to PlayStation 4 Pro games receiving a patch specifically for that hardware.
Microsoft is probably going to fully unveil Project Scorpio at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.
